Conduct cultural celebration events

Bridget Veitch (LaSalle Language Academy, 2018-2019), Kong Yanli (LaSalle Language Academy, 2018-2019), and Wang Xia (LaSalle Language Academy, 2018-2019) received a CLP grant for LaSalle Language Academy to hold a Spring Festival Celebration to teach the students and parent community about the Chinese New Year. The Spring festival at LaSalle will include student performances, authentic Chinese performers, a raffle, and silent auction items. It served the dual purpose of starting a fundraising campaign to help finance a potential TCLP teacher for LaSalle for the 2019/20 school year.

Zhao Xin (Plantation Middle School, 2018-2019) and Roxana Rivero-Taube (Plantation Middle School, 2018-2019) received a CLP grant to hold a Chinese New Year Celebration for the students, teachers, parents, faculty, community members, and guests. From a series of activities, like lectures, assemblies, cross-culture fair, and Chinese Club, the people in the community will get a basic understanding and full engagement of Chinese Culture.

Zhang Wenjie (2017-2018) received, with mentor teacher Ivy Yiu (2017-2018), a CLP grant to hold, at the North Warren Multi-cultural fair, an event that will introduce the folk art of Chinese fan-making to the school district and community. As part of the FANtasy project, students enrolled Mandarin I and those in the North Warren Chinese Club will perform a traditional Chinese fan dance and sing a traditional Chinese folk song.

Adel Ghattas (2017-18) received a CLP grant to conduct a project designed to introduce his students to the history of the Middle East through a rich artistic context, engaging them with the language and culture in a fun way. Mr. Ghattas worked with the global history teacher at his school to prepare and present on the Arab-Israeli conflict. After students had learned about the historical and cultural background, they watched the movie The Band's Visit and participated in classroom activities that explored the movie's characters and themes.

TCLP teacher Zhu Xiaohong collaborated with the Philadelphia World Affairs Council to take 45 students to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and then to Philadelphia’s Chinatown to experience authentic Chinese food and Lunar New Year festival activities. Prior to the field trip, students learned new vocabulary and content relating to Chinese art, food, and festivals, highlighting the connection between Chinese language and culture.During the field trip, students participated in an hour long Chinese art lesson at the museum, led by one of the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s student educators.

TCLP alumna Tan Lihua received a Critical Language Project grant to hold Chinese Culture Stations at three high schools in Rock Hill, South Carolina. These Chinese Culture Stations were a Mid-autumn Festival Celebration, a calligraphy demonstration, a traditional clothes show, and an International Festival.

Ms. Hamed will organize activities at Highland Middle School around the story of Aladdin using a comparison of eastern and western interpretations in order to build cultural awareness and mutual understanding. As part of the activities she will lead a field trip for students to the Broadway show of Aladdin in New York City. After watching this interpretation of the story, students will watch a movie representing the eastern version of the story. Students will write a review on the show and movie both in Arabic and in English.

Mr. El-Dwiny, along with the faculty and staff at John W. Lavelle Preparatory Charter School, will host an international festival with an emphasis on the Arabic world. Mr. El-Dwiny plans for the festival to provide cross-cultural outreach to students, parents, the community, principals from other schools and local media. He and his students will organize exhibitions on Arabic culture and history, a fashion show of Arabic clothes, music, and videos showing Arabic and Middle East culture.

TCLP mentor teacher Deborah Page and exchange teacher Gu Wenming will organize a celebration of the Spring Festival at Captain Nathan Hale Middle School. The event will involve students in Mr. Gu’s Mandarin classes, students who participate in the Chinese Enrichment Club, and other students in related arts classes and culinary clases. Students from the nearby High School and pre-school will all be invited to attend. The event will focus on Chinese culture and language and students will take part in Chinese songs, dances, and performances.

Ms. Ji, along with her colleagues, will organize a Chinese Spring Festival Celebration Event for Naselle-Grays River Valley School’s Mandarin Immersion Program. The celebration looks to generate even greater interest in the program from students and parents. During the event, guests will try Chinese arts, traditional performances, eat authentic Chinese food and take part in additional cultural activities. As part of the project, Ms.