Children sang in Mandarin and performed traditional Chinese dances during a Lunar New Year celebration in Paint Branch Elementary School’s gymnasium on Feb. 12.
The celebration, which the school has put on every year for a decade, served as a way for students to showcase their understanding of Chinese culture, according to Pei-Hsuan Liu, academic dean of the school’s Chinese immersion program.
“They are really passionate about showcasing their Chinese through singing, dancing, Chinese yo-yo and Kung Fu Fan,” Liu said. Kung Fu Fan is a classical dance routine.
All Paint Branch students are enrolled in the immersion program, in which children learn the Chinese language, math and science in classes conducted in Mandarin. They take English, health and social studies in English.
Prince George’s County Public Schools has proposed discontinuing the Chinese immersion programs at Paint Branch, Greenbelt Middle School and Largo High School. (See related story on Page 1.)
“As I was walking, coming to school today, it’s a mixed feeling,” Liu said. “But at this time, during the [proposed] budget cut … it just put me to … feeling … not very certain. Will this event continue next year due to the budget cut?”
At the Lunar New Year event, a group from the Chua Martial Arts school in Gaithersburg assisted with the presentation.
Adam Chua, the school’s owner and a martial arts master, gave a brief lesson on the role of lions in Chinese folklore before guiding assistants from his school who donned a Chinese lion costume and performed a dance.
“And they also bring a lot of educational components to help students to understand the culture,” Liu said.
The event opened with children sitting in rows before the kindergarteners and first- and second-graders were called up to sing or dance. Next, the third- through fifth-graders performed for approximately three dozen teachers and parents, who busied themselves snapping photos of the children. District 2 College Park City Councilmembers Kelly Jordan, whose child attends the school, and Holly Simmons also attended.
Anabel Carino-Aguado Ian, the mother of a fourth-grader, said it’s fun for the kids to see the performances and participate in them as well.
“Kids are also learning about the culture, not only about the language,” she said.
This year’s performance was about more than celebrating the new year, Liu said, noting she hoped the event would garner support to keep the Chinese immersion program alive.
Ana Martinez De Rodriguez, also the mother of a fourth-grader at the school, said it’s important for the children to learn Chinese.
“It’s such a complicated language to learn, especially the writing,” she said. “But kids are like sponges. If they start learning early enough, they will absorb all the knowledge.”