MSD celebrates Asian culture through festival

Susan Maddox, of Fulton, signs to Missouri School for the Deaf students Thursday about the traditional clothing of Taiwan. Maddox had a station about Taiwan set up at the school's Chinese New Year Festival.
Susan Maddox, of Fulton, signs to Missouri School for the Deaf students Thursday about the traditional clothing of Taiwan. Maddox had a station about Taiwan set up at the school's Chinese New Year Festival.

Celebrating the Year of the Dragon, the Missouri School for the Deaf held a Chinese New Year Festival Thursday.

From learning to use chopsticks and taking a glance at Chinese writing to playing jianzi and watching tai chi, MSD students had a hefty helping of Asian culture during the festival.

"It's helping give our students a more broad spectrum of the world around them," said Barbara Bonsall, MSD human resources analyst.

Bonsall explained that learning through hands-on activities like at Thursday's event is better than merely studying about a subject in the classroom. MSD brings in a different cultural event once every two years. Prior events have included Renaissance, Greek and North American Indian festivals.

To help the tornado-stricken people of Dumas and surroundings, donations can be made to the Delta Area Disaster Relief Fund, care of the Delta Area Community Foundation, P.O. Box 894, Dumas, AR, 71639, or through the Arkansas Community Foundation, 700 S. Rock St., Little Rock, AR, 72202.