Bolles boarding students from China and upper school Chinese language teacher, Chengmei Rothschild, gathered in Bolles Hall January 30 to celebrate the Chinese New Year with a special Bolles family meal. 

“Gathering all Bolles Chinese students and cooking together on the eve of the Lunar New Year has been our school’s tradition for a while,” Rothschild said. “We know it's a hard time for kids to be so far away from their families, so we hope that the kids can feel like they are at home!”

For a video of the festivities, visit this online showcase by freshman boarding student Alston Qin ’25.

Although not all the students could cook, they all chipped in to help Rothschild and student chef Tommy Zhang’ 22 prepare ingredients for the meal and set the table. Some students helped to marinate meats, some prepared seasonings for cooking and others took pictures and videos to capture the moments.

"The main type of dish is traditional Chinese food so that the international students from China can better experience the taste from their motherland," Zhang said.

Throughout the cooking, the Chinese boarders also taught boarders from other countries how to make dumplings, a traditional New Year's Eve dish. This New Year's Eve dinner reflected traditional Chinese customs and the great friendship and unity of Chinese students studying in the United States. – Tommy Zhang ’22