By Morgan Steinbach — “Ni Hao!”

Saying “hello” in the Chinese language is one of the many short phrases and words that students can learn by taking the Chinese culture, customs and language class.

The new class was introduced at the beginning of second semester. Students who have a study hall are welcome to join the course but are not rewarded by any sort of credit, due to the recent introduction of the class.
The Chinese class is led by Chan Zhao who is originally from Zheng-Zhou, China. Zhao came to America through an international exchange program through the University of Akron in October of 2012. She has her masters in education and felt that teaching a Chinese culture, language and customs class would be a great opportunity for not only her but also American students.

“By taking the class it is a good chance for students to learn about foreign nations,” Zhao said. “Also, if students want to get a job working for both a Chinese and American business, it would be helpful to know both languages.”

By volunteering to be in the new class, students can expect to learn everything about China. Some lessons that have been taught include the Chinese New Year, Chinese zodiac and characters. In the Chinese culture, one character can represent multiple English words. Zhao wants to introduce every aspect of China to the classroom.

Currently, students are working on paper cuts. Paper cuts are considered a Chinese art. Students can choose animals that represent the Chinese zodiac to trace and cut. The Chinese zodiac has animals that change based on the year that one is born. For example, if one is born in 1996, the zodiac is represented by a rat.
Freshman Emma Martino is one of the multiple students who have chosen to participate in the new class.
“I enjoy the class because I enjoy learning about the Chinese culture,” Martino said. “It’s fun so I don’t mind not getting a credit for it.”

Most class sizes are smaller than eight students. The class generally runs every day and every period except fifth and seventh. Chan Zhao’s room is located in the conference room off of the upstairs B commons.
In regards to any new classes of the sort, the administration does not know of any currently. If there were another opportunity to provide a different language, customs and culture class, the administrative team would like to take advantage of the opportunity due to the successes of the current class given.
“The Chinese language, customs and culture class allows students to have a more global perspective, as would any other class that is similar,” principal Jim Adkins said.

[Updated Aug. 7, 2017: This article has been reformatted for consistency.]