Mandarin students begin the 2024 school year with accolades
The SAS Upper School Mandarin Program kicks off the school year with awards, immersive experiences and travel plans on the horizon.
Mandarin students at St. Andrew’s Upper School recently swept the awards at the third annual Chinese Writing Competition Committee, hosted by the Chinese Language Teachers of Association of Texas. Works written by four mandarin students—Asher James, Chase Anson, Colette Iwakoshi and Michelle Huang—were recognized in the third annual Chinese Writing Competition Committee.
“Compared with other selected works, our students not only write with more imagination but show more creativity and variety in styles which makes reading appealing and enjoyable,” said Upper School Mandarin Chinese teacher, Dr. Jennifer Hsiao.
Michelle Huang received recognition at the advanced level for her work, “The Customs of Chinese College Entrance Examination”, written as a cultural presentation assignment in AP Mandarin. Huang sourced her stories and insights from interviews and online research on customs practiced by Chinese high school students and parents to receive luck and perform well on exams.
The other three students that received recognition for writing notable Chinese language works wrote their stories as a speed writing exercise, supervised during class by Dr. Hsiao, using only a dictionary app to write extemporaneously on a topic of interest to them.
In “Decon Gets Fat”, Asher James wrote a humorous story about this classmate and was recognized by the CLTA at the novice level. Colette Iwakoshi was recognized by the CLTA at the intermediate level for her story about her trip visiting her grandmother in California. Lastly, Chase Anson, was recognized by the CLTA at the intermediate level for a descriptive account of his trip to Africa.
The third annual competition was hosted by the Chinese Language Teacher Association of Texas, a regional association established in 2007 to serve both Mandarin teachers and students and affiliated with the Chinese Language Teachers Association - USA. View the complete CLTA 2024 writing selections in their annual publication.
Immersive cultural experiences
Outside of the classroom, this fall Mandarin students were recently visited by Honwa Folk Dancers and took a field trip together to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, a Chinese harvest festival.
What’s more, the Mandarin Chinese program at St. Andrew’s is recruiting current SAS Upper School students to join Dr. Hsiao and Blake Amos in Taipei, Taiwan in the Spring of 2025. Students will explore local culture on a guided trip across Taiwan that will include city centers, villages, mountains, beaches, immersing students in the food, art, history and culture of the Taiwanese people.
