Written by: Wong Soong Way (CO 2023)

Edited by: Justin Gao (CO 2023)

Photos by: Elie Koay (CO 2025), Amy Liu (CO 2023), Serene Chin (CO 2023), Erica Lai (CO 2024)

Photos arrangement by: Elie Koay (CO 2025)

Video by: William Shi (CO 2026)

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This year’s Cherishing Youth Day was like any other. However, it’s different in that the last in-person CYD was held in 2019. After a 3-year hiatus, we were finally able to hold this traditional celebration in person for the elementary students from Oak Manor, Frank Zeek, Yokayo, Grace Hudson, River Oak Charter, Calpella, Nokomis, and Potter Valley, totaling approximately 500.

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For more pictures to look at if interested:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/yEtVSGo1c5SYHPi79

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We incorporated the Journey to the West story into our performances, featuring Sun Wu Kong, hence the monkey in the first picture. Through this short play on trustworthiness, which showed Sun Wu Kong’s arduous journey in regaining people’s trust, we hoped to instill the importance of constantly being trustworthy and the difficulty in regaining if lost.

Trust is like an eraser, it gets smaller after every mistake.

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If not for the monks and nuns agreeing to our request for the usage of the main dining hall for CYD, if not for the excellent coordination by our teacher Ms. Moore, if not for Phil our sound system guy, if not for the efforts of both parents and students for setting up and cleaning up, if not for the great performers and amazing audiences, we wouldn’t have pulled this off. From the bottom of my heart, thank y’all.

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Cherishing Youth Day video

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No, Thank You! For being such amazing audiences!