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Retiring B.C. teacher relishes one last Lunar New Year dragon parade

Anita Baturin has been sharing her Chinese culture with her Vernon students since 2002
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Retiring Beairsto Elementary School teacher Anita Baturin held her last dragon parade at the school to celebrate the Lunar New Year Friday, Feb. 9, 2024. (Brendan Shykora - Morning Star)

When Anita Baturin first started teaching at Vernon’s Beairsto Elementary School in 2002 and held her first dragon parade, leading her new students through the hallways under a brightly coloured cloth dragon, it wasn’t quite like the Lunar New Year celebrations she remembered growing up.

Only one thing was off: the school was dead silent.

“It felt like we were attending a funeral,” Baturin laughed.

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Brendan Shykora

About the Author: Brendan Shykora

I started as a carrier at the age of 8. In 2019 graduated from the Master of Journalism program at Carleton University.
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