The rumbling sound of a drum filled the air and children dressed in multicolored lion costumes stomped and danced, mimicking a lion’s movements, as a large crowd of Saugus High School students and families surrounded them.
Before concluding their nearly 10-minute performance, the “lions” playfully spat out lettuce into the crowd, bringing out a variety of reactions. Laughter rippled through some, startled yells escaped others, and a few stood in puzzled silence, trying to make sense of the unexpected moment.
Fenton Fong Eng grabbed the microphone and said, “The lettuce that you saw eaten and spit out is very symbolic. It means (the lions) are blessing you with good fortune … and bringing good fortune to everybody.”
Fong Eng’s students performed a traditional Chinese dance that’s commonly seen during Chinese New Year and meant to “bring good luck and drive away evil,” he said. “The lion comes to chase away all those evil things,” he added, as people ring in the new year.

Chinese New Year is set to take place on Wednesday, Jan. 29, and as the only Chinese program in the William S. Hart Union High School District, Saugus High School Mandarin teacher Angela Su felt it was her duty to teach her community about the culture and bring light to the tradition celebrated by millions in Asian countries.
In collaboration with Asian Student Union and the Chinese Culture Club, a “2025 Lunar New Year Festival” celebration was held on campus Friday and welcomed Saugus families to learn more about the beliefs, practices, and values of the annual event through arts and crafts, cultural performances and cuisine.
“I think it’s very important for us (the) community to host cultural events like this to bring people together. We have so many different groups (of people) and being the only Chinese program, I feel a sense of responsibility, but also at the same time honored to organize,” said Su, as she took a break from emceeing the performances and greeted families that were still trickling in.
According to Saugus High School Assistant Principal Ricardo De La Peña, 10.1% of the school’s population is made up of Asian students, including Filipino students. Of the Hart district’s student population, 13.7% are Asian, he added.
In Chinese culture, years are organized in a 12-year zodiac cycle, with each year represented by an animal. The year 2025 is represented by the snake, according to Vivian Li, who sponsored a few performances, including the lion dance, for the evening’s celebration.


It is believed that people born in a given year will have the personality of that year’s animal sign, she added, and “the snake in our tradition is like a little dragon, so it’s a good meaning. The snake is also very talented and a smart species.”
In Chinese zodiac, the snake is associated with wisdom, charm, elegance, and transformation, and people born in the year of the snake are believed to be intuitive, strategic, and intelligent, according to an online publication by Western Sydney University.
Students and families feasted on food and indulged in desserts, which is how the traditional event is celebrated, said Li. “We celebrate with great food, and great desserts, everything is special.”
The lion dancers, made up of teenaged boys and young adults, drove almost 50 miles and endured the infamous Los Angeles rush hour to make their way to the second annual Saugus High celebration to shed light on Chinese cultural traditions, including the art of Kung Fu, which is not as popular anymore, said Fong Eng.
“Kung fu, if you really understand where it’s from, even the name itself, when you translate the words kung fu from Chinese, it doesn’t mean martial arts or fighting,” he said. “Kung fu just simply means the result of hard work, the refinement of a skill that can apply to anything … I think that’s worthwhile in terms as preserving.”
Associated Students President Allen Swin, an Advance Placement Mandarin student, was enjoying the evening celebration with other students and participating in the activities once things began to wind down. “I hope (the students) learned something new, tried something new,” she said, whether it was regarding the cultural significance of the celebration, or putting their taste buds to the test with the large amounts of food available.