By Avery Maier, ’13, Contributor
Beginning Nov. 2, Mandarin Chinese will be offered as an after-school club to all divisions of CCDS. Upper School Head Stephanie Luebbers said she is “excited to have this new program.”
“This club will give students at CCDS exposure to a language that they previously might not have been able to learn,” said Abigail McInturf, ’13.
This new club will be offered one day a week after school for about an hour. Each division of the school will have a separate meeting day for the club, allowing for each section of the school to learn in academically appropriate ways. The Upper School division of the club will meet on Tuesdays from 4:40 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. The fee for the club is $115. The club will meet until spring break.
The club will be taught by Ms. Holly Qian. Qian is a native Chinese and grew up in mainland China. In college, she was recruited to work by Walt Disney World to work in the EPCOT center as a culture exchange representative. This oppurtunity allowed her to move the the U.S.A. at age nineteen. While working for Disney, Qian attended the University of Central Florida and earned a Master of Accounting. After graduating, Qian moved to Los Angeles, U.S.A. where she joined a worldwide accounting firm and furthur took advantage of her bilingual skills. She moved to Cincinnati 3 years ago. Qian has become actively involved in the local Greater Cincinnati Chinese School located at Raymond Walter College in Blue Ash. She is the mother of a 7-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter, who take the sunday class at the school.
Qian is “is very excited about this opportunity to teach Mandarin Chinese at CCDS.” “I look forward to a great journey with you all,” she said.
“Mastery of French takes about 780 hours. To reach a similar level of mastery in Chinese requires 2,400 hours,” Dr. Jeanette Hecker, chair of the Upper School Language Department, asserted. “Because the club only meets one day a week, there isn’t enough time to master the language, so the club will offer more of an exposure to Mandarin,” Dr. Hecker continued.
Ms. Joanna Leung-Brown, Lower and Middle School French teacher, explained that “studies show that when students learn a second language at a young age it is easier for them to pick up third and even fourth languages.” As a result, not only do younger kids in the club get experience with Mandarin Chinese, but they will also have an easier time learning languages in the future.
While there are currently no plans for the club to continue, if it is a success, another session will be added. “We are exploring ways to have Mandarin in the Upper School,” said Mrs. Luebbers .
Photo courtesy of tomisswithlove.blogspot.com.