VOICES “HERE, WE BELONG”
Delbarton School Parent Council on Diversity & Inclusion Annual Journal
May 2026
IN THIS ISSUE Delbarton Dragon Page 1 An Act of Volunteerism 3 Our Inner Voice 4 Celebrations 5 Announcements 8
MY JOURNEY WITH THE DELBARTON DRAGON
DELBARTON SCHOOL PARENT COUNCIL ON DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
BY JONATHAN YEE P’27 Yao Ming, our Delbarton dragon, meanders through the crowd to delight Lunar New Year celebration attendees.
T
he Lunar New Year (LNY) dragon, known as Loong, is a common part of most LNY celebrations which symbolizes strength, good fortune, and prosperity. At Delbarton’s annual LNY celebration, the dragon has become more than a decoration or performance piece. It has become a symbol of growth — of a school tradition and our Delbarton community. For me, it has also become a symbol of my own personal journey as I learned to listen to the past and reconnect with my family’s heritage. As a third-generation American of Chinese descent, much of my cultural connection had faded through the generations. When I was a child, cultural assimilation was the norm, and rather than listen to the past, we were taught to tune it out. While I understood my heritage in broad strokes, I never truly felt immersed in it. Lunar New Year for my family was reduced to a dinner with extended family where the children received red envelopes with a disappointingly small payout enclosed. Flash forward many years (I won't say how many), when my son Hudson ('27) enrolled at Delbarton as a middle schooler, I volunteered with PCDI to help organize the school's first LNY event. My wife Heather was amused by this and joked, "What do you know about Lunar New Year?" Not much I
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suppose. Even so, I simply wanted to support something that would enrich the student experience, never realizing how deeply the experience would also reconnect me to the Chinese cultural traditions from which my family had drifted over generations. When we first hosted the event in 2022, Hudson and I built the first Delbarton dragon in our garage using Amazon boxes, old hockey sticks, green tablecloths, and a Delbarton flag. It was a DIY dragon built with enthusiasm, creativity, school spirit, and a genuine desire to bring our community together to celebrate Lunar New Year. The initial LNY celebration was modest but heartfelt. Students sampled traditional foods, learned about customs, and gathered in a spirit of curiosity and community. As interest grew, so did our ambitions. Our homemade dragon was retired in favor of borrowing a dragon from Kent Place School. Suddenly, the event and the associated performances felt more authentic and dynamic. But the borrowed dragon also represented an important stage in our growth. The event had evolved beyond a one-off experiment. It was becoming a Delbarton tradition. Two-in-a-row may have seemed insignificant as far as streaks go, but we were building momentum! (continued on page 2)
As we close the 2025-26 school year, I am deeply grateful for the moments that brought our Delbarton community together through connection, understanding, and growth. This year, the PCDI reminded us that inclusion begins with listening to different voices and experiences with openness and respect. Through meaningful conversations and shared events, families, students, and faculty strengthened relationships and deepened our sense of community. This journal reflects the stories shared, the connections formed, and the collective efforts that helped every member of our community feel welcomed and valued. Thank you to our board members, committee leaders, parents, faculty, students, and volunteers whose dedication made this work possible. I hope these pages inspire us to continue learning from one another and growing together. Wishing everyone a restful and joyful summer. Warm regards, Shirly Wu P’27 President, Delbarton PCDI
VOLUNTEERING AS AN ACT OF LISTENING AND HUMILITY (PAGE 3) BY HUNTER TERBORG ‘26
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