Upperclassmen will remember the trips to China that occurred over spring break where a select group of students would volunteer at the Dandelion school in Beijing. The last time this trip occurred was in 2019, and was set to take place again in 2020 until the pandemic hit. Since then, students have not been able to go back to the school. However, club leaders Mimi Liao and Mimi Johnson – with the help of faculty advisor Mrs. Weston – have found a way to help out the school despite the pandemic. What was once a week long trip has turned into a year long club.

“Because of her family’s connection to Dandelion, [Mimi Liao] saw that there was still work that we could do for them especially as we move through the pandemic,” Mimi Johnson said. “We still want to foster a strong connection between the Dandelion school and the Country Day community.”

To do that, the club meets every week where they “create vocabulary lists, plays, and other things to help teach the students at the Dandelion school English,” Mimi said. Their mission is to contribute to the “equity of education,” according to the club description.

They’re planning to hold some events at school to raise awareness for their cause. Keep an eye out for their read-a-thon fundraiser and bake sale over the Lunar New Year!

Moving forward, Mimi Liao and Mimi Johnson are excited for this work to continue next year in the hands of now-sophomores. There are about 6-7 people who regularly attend meetings. Because most of these people are sophomores, the club has a dedicated foundation for the years to come.

For anyone interested in helping out with their work, they said: “It is never too late to join the Dandelion club! Just meet us in Mrs. Weston’s classroom [room 282] during club times on day 4!”