Middle School Students Learn Chinese Language and Culture

 

Middle school students in the North Syracuse Central School District have a unique opportunity to learn Chinese language and culture through a program with the Confucius Institute at Alfred University. Through the program, sponsor teachers teach Mandarin Chinese to 5th & 6th Grade students at both Gillette Road Middle School and Roxboro Road Middle School to expose them to various aspects of Chinese in lieu of study halls with parent permission. The program has been offered in the North Syracuse Central School District for nearly 10 years and has exposed hundreds of students to things such as Chinese dance and books, traditional lantern festivals, eating traditions, holidays, music and much more. This year, the Institute will bring two performing groups from the Chinese University of Geosciences in Wuhan, China: an art, chorus and dance troupe and a Chinese opera demonstration and workshop. Students at Gillette Road Middle School experienced the dance troupe on Monday, Sept. 30.  Additionally, our three Chinese teachers: Yi (Joy) Zhang, Ping (Kevin) Wand, and Yanping (Lena) Chen, will celebrate the Chinese New Year and Chinese Lantern Festival at the end of January and early February. The district is grateful for this incredible partnership and the opportunities it provides to our students!