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Confucius Classroom
Date and Time
Monday Sep 19, 2011
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM EDTMonday, September 19, 2011
4-6PMLocation
Tower Street Community Center
93 Tower St
Westerly, RIWebsite
Contact Information
Sarah Steverman 401-315-1566
Send EmailConfucius ClassroomDescription
Confucius Classroom Opens in Westerly
On Monday September 19th, 2011 from 4-6pm Westerly Public Schools and the Confucius Institute at Bryant University will open another exciting Confucius Classroom with a dedication celebration to include Chinese cultural performances, tea and light snacks, and tours of the newly renovated classroom at Tower Street Community Center, Room 13, 93 Tower Street, Westerly, RI. This event coincides with the Mid-Autumn Festival – one of the most celebrated Chinese traditions, similar to our Thanksgiving holiday.
The Southern Rhode Island Collaborative (SORICO) Confucius Classroom at Westerly at Tower Street Community Center will provide Westerly students, teachers and members of the community opportunities to learn about Chinese language and culture. The Director of the Confucius Classroom at SORICO is Dr. Roy Seitsinger, Superintendent of Westerly Public Schools and its Program Coordinator is Sarah Steverman, Westerly High School World Language Department Chair.
Support for SORICO’s Confucius Classroom at Westerly comes from a grant provided by China’s Office of Chinese Language Council International, known as Hanban. There are currently 75 Confucius Institutes and 285 Confucius Classrooms in the United States. The first U.S.-based Confucius Classrooms affiliated with the Confucius Institute at Bryant University opened at William Winsor Elementary and Smithfield High School, Smithfield, RI in 2009. The Confucius Classroom at SORICO will join schools in Smithfield and Lincoln to become the sixth local Confucius Classroom affiliated with the Confucius Institute at Bryant University.
Guests of Honor will include President of Bryant University Ronald K. Machtley, Bryant University Confucius Institute Directors, RI Commissioner of Education Deborah Gist as well as Rhode Island educators, administrators and other officials on the state and local level. The event will open with brief remarks, a plaque unveiling and cultural performances from 4:00 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. Classroom tours will follow from 4:45 to 5:15 p.m. The event will close with a reception from 5:15 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
About Confucius Classrooms
The Confucius Classrooms are subsidiaries of the Confucius Institute, a nonprofit organization that aims to promote understanding by teaching about Chinese language and culture. There are more than 300 Confucius Institutes around the world; most affiliated with a college or university and 75 institutes in the United States. SORICO at Westerly’s Confucius Classroom will be affiliated with Bryant University’s Confucius Institute, which was established in 2006 under the umbrella of Bryant University’s U.S.-China Institute.
Confucius Classrooms are satellites of Confucius Institute. Under the guidance of Bryant’s Confucius Institute, each Confucius classroom will create and conduct Chinese language and culture curricula and activities that are most suitable for its school and the community. Each Confucius classroom has its own director and a coordinator. Bryant’s Confucius Institute will serve as the intellectual and resource center to facilitate the growth and success of the Confucius Classroom programs.
The Grant
To fund the Confucius Classrooms, Bryant Confucius Institute has applied for a seed grant of $10,000 for each new Confucius Classroom from the Chinese government’s office of Chinese Language Council International, known as Hanban.
Why create Confucius Classrooms?
Since it opened in 2006, the Chinese language and culture programs run by Confucius Institute at Bryant have generated a great deal of interests throughout southeastern New England, and the Institute has developed a number of unique programs that focus on serving K-12 schools and the local community. These programs, led by Institute-affiliated instructors, have served over 1500 students in the region. Confucius Classrooms affiliated with the Confucius Institute at Bryant University include ones at William Winsor Elementary School, Smithfield High School, Saylesville Elementary School in collaboration with Northern Lincoln Elementary School, Lincoln High School, and North Attleboro High School, MA. These programs have included after-school Chinese enrichment programs and a “Chinese at Lunch” program at the elementary level, and for-credit Chinese language programs held at Bryant for high school students. The activities have been well-received by students, parents, teachers and administrators, creating a growing interest for more programs at a variety of levels. Also, these schools have chosen paths to embed Mandarin Chinese language into their curriculum so students have the option of choosing to have it as their language elective of choice.
The Hanban grant will help all nine SORICO school districts, including Westerly, to develop Chinese language and culture curricula and programs that are most suitable for its own students, teachers, parents and community.
The SORICO Confucius Classroom at Westerly plans to continue and expand its current afterschool and summer enrichment program for students, teachers and the surrounding community through new workshops including Chinese for beginners, Chinese Culture, Tai Chi, and Asian Art. SORICO at Westerly also plans to offer an evening workshop on Chinese language and culture for all WPS faculty, staff and interested community members. Through the support of Hanban and Confucius Institute at Bryant University, Program Coordinator, Sarah Steverman, along with other district administrators, will visit China this November with the goal of creating global partnerships with schools in China.
For more information about the Confucius Institute at Bryant University, please visit: http://www.bryant.edu/uschinaTell a Friend
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