More than 100 students, parents and faculty attended the 20th Korean American Parents Association Annual Family Barbecue Aug. 24. KAPA hosted the dinner at the Oxford Palace Hotel to welcome new Korean families to school.

Students performed a Korean cultural fan dance as an addition to the usual festivities.

While last year’s dinner theme was Korean pop culture, the association opted for a more traditional performance this year, wanting to showcase oriental Korean culture to faculty and staff.

“I was amazed by the number of administrators, teachers and new students that showed up at the event,” Jason Chang ’17 said. “It was a great way to bond, especially with new members to the community.”

Learning the cultural dance was also an opportunity for the participants to immerse themselves in their own culture; many of them didn’t even speak Korean, lead program organizer Angela Chon ’16 said.

Among the dancers were Chon, Caitlin Chung ’20, Brittany Hong ’18, Jane Kim ’18 and Astor Wu ’20.

The girls wore traditional Korean gowns, called “hanbok,” and danced with pink and green fans.

“It was a really good opportunity to get to know more about my culture,” Chung said. “I really enjoyed it.”

Chon, John Chung ’16, James Chung ’19, Nicole Kim ’18 and Christine Park ’18 played in a classical music ensemble at the start of the dinner. President of KAPA Stacey Chang (Jason ’17, Justyn ’18) also welcomed new families in a speech.

Like in the family barbecues of previous years, the association provided catered Korean food for the guests, including many traditional and popular dishes.

“The fan dance was exquisite and I only wish I hadn’t had a late lunch so I could have enjoyed more of the delicious kimchi and japchae,” Spanish teacher Aaron Bluestein said.