Local language immersion program invites community for Chinese Cultural Night
Published at
RIGBY — A local school district’s World Language Immersion Program invites the community to a night of demonstrations and education on the Chinese culture.
The Chinese Cultural Night will take place on Friday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Rigby High School. Four food trucks will also be on site.
Event coordinator Tamara Lass told EastIdahoNews.com that, at the start of the event, which will be free and open to the public, students in each grade will host demonstrations until 6 p.m. From 6 p.m. until 8 p.m., the event will cost $3 per person or $12 for a family to enter, and community members can interact with booths to learn more about Chinese culture.
RELATED | Learning another language at a young age in eastern Idaho
Lass, a parent of a child attending the Chinese Immersion Program, said that the program, which spans from the elementary school at Southfork to the district’s high school, has around 550 students.
According to the district’s website on the World Language Immersion Program, students follow a 50:50 model, in which half of their instruction time is in the other language.
For Lass, she said what inspired her decision to enroll her child in the program was her own experience as a child. While she is a Swiss national, she was born and raised in Asia for the majority of her life.
“My parents had a very firm belief that every country you live in, you learn the language, the culture,” Lass said. “learning about their culture, about their culture, can really bridge that gap. You realize just how similar we all and there is an immense beauty in that.”
This is the first year the program is hosting an event like this, as Lass said she brainstormed with the district on a way to showcase what the program is about.
Reaching out to various organizations and community members, she said, will create many opportunities for residents to learn about Chinese culture.
Some of the booths will feature a lion dance team from Salt Lake City and a delegation from the Chinese Embassy in San Francisco. Demonstrations will also feature a Chinese dance group from Bingham Young University-Idaho, and some martial arts.
“This is just an incredibly unique opportunity. We’ve never done anything like this in the community,” Lass said. “Come and see, see what this program is all about. See what this culture is all about.”
To learn more about the event, visit its Facebook page.