On February 23, seven area high schools (Barberton, Roosevelt, St. Vincent-St. Mary, Walsh, Brunswick, Medina and Twinsburg) attended the Confucius Institute’s China Day at The University of Akron’s Quaker Square.

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On February 23, seven area high schools (Barberton, Roosevelt, St. Vincent-St. Mary, Walsh, Brunswick, Medina and Twinsburg) attended the Confucius Institute’s China Day at The University of Akron’s Quaker Square.

Sponsored by the Confucius Institute at The University of Akron and in a partnership with Akron International Friendship and Asia, Inc., the day was brought about due to an overwhelming response to High School Day during the China Week activities in October.

With limited space in October, CI had to turn away over 400 students from Chinese language programs at local high schools.

This February was an opportunity to allow 250 students to take part in Chinese cultural and language sessions.

Even snow could not chill the spirits of the high school students and staff at the event.

I hoped this time the snow would hold off, said Nancy Easterling, event coordinator for the Confucius Institute.

The event was originally scheduled for February 1, but The University of Akron closed for two days due to snow and icy conditions.

A variety of learning sessions were offered and the students could make a choice as to which session they wanted to attend.

The sessions offered were Calligraphy, The Chinese Art of the Chinese Paper Lantern, Chinese Culture of Tea Ceremony and Holiday Festivals and Conversation, Chinese Traditional Music and Chinese Pop Culture: An Alternative Way to Study Chinese Language.

The sessions are meant to enhance the students’ learning experience in both Chinese language and culture.

When the teachers from the schools were asked if the sessions helped reinforce their lessons, a Chinese language instructor from Barberton High School said, These five selections of sessions are pretty good. They are all very authentic. This is just the right time. We talked about the Chinese New Year, red couplets and the Lantern Festival. It did reinforce our lessons.

There also was a Chinese speech and essay competition in which the winners received a donation to their Chinese program to assist with buying additional materials for the students to use to enhance their learning experience. This year, seven local schools won small donations in amounts ranging from $50 to $100.

Yes, my students were quite inspired from the music and felt more motivated after the competition, stated a teacher participating in the activities with her students.

There were two sessions on music – one for traditional and one for modern music. The students had a chance to learn about each of the styles and then perform during lunch.

When the students were asked about their experiences during China Day, the hands-on activities and the performances were the most popular.

A student from Roosevelt High School commented, I liked the performances because it was cool to see what the others had learned.

The students were also asked if they would consider doing such an event again and an overwhelming amount of students agreed. Definitely!

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” #1.2135428:4088150168.jpg:calligraphy.jpg:Students practiced writing Chinese characters in calligraphy when they visited the UA campus for China Day. The event was held at Quaker Square and was presented by the Confucius Institute. Students from seven area high schools participated.:Instructional Services”