Mandarin Immersion Students Show Language Proficiency Earning Top Spots in Speech Competition

Demonstrating knowledge and enthusiasm for the Chinese language, 50 Redwood City School District (RCSD) students took part in the 47th annual Chinese Mandarin Speech Contest. The event, hosted by Chinese Language Teacher Association of California (CLTAC), brings together students from across the state of California who are ready to display their speech skills.

Students from Orion Alternative School and Kennedy Middle School prepared and practiced speeches to be presented in Mandarin, competing with more than 350 peers from a total of 33 California schools.

RCSD Mandarin Immersion program and contest participants come from diverse learning backgrounds, with many students studying Mandarin as a second or third language. 

District participation in the CLTAC competition increased nearly threefold from last year as the RCSD Mandarin Immersion program has continued to grow.

Orion Alternative School Administrator Winnie Wong congratulated all students and thanked teachers, administrators, and parents for their unwavering commitment. 

“Your consistent high quality and engaging instruction set up a solid foundation for our students,” she said. “Your continuous challenge and support bring their learning to the next level. This is a huge milestone in our students’ Mandarin learning journey. It is truly a team effort.”

Results announced by CLTAC are as follows:

Orion Alternative Elementary School:

1st Place 

Hantsbarger, Eliana - 2nd grade 

Dupree, Maple - 3rd grade 

Seeberger, Ryan - 5th grade 
 

2nd Place 

Kowalczyk, Graham (Teddy) - 1st grade 

Matthews, Clara - 2nd grade 

Seeberger, Nia - 3rd grade 

Lin, Tessa - 3rd grade

Hanrigou, Raphael - 5th grade
 

3rd Place 

Shade-Cowan, Geny - 1st grade 

Lam, Ava - 2nd grade 

Hanrigou, Vincent - 3rd grade 

Fung, Sierra - 3rd grade 

Ruhl, Olivia - 3rd grade 

Calderon, Irayda - 5th grade 
 

Honorable Mention

Salon, Fiona - 1st grade 

Huang, Riker - 3rd grade 

Velasquez, Alexis - 3rd grade 

Campos, Pablo - 4th grade 

Kennedy Middle School: 

1st Place 

Lim, Jia Ying - 6th grade 
 

2nd Place 

Hayes, June - 6th grade

RCSD’s K-8 Mandarin Immersion program brings together both Mandarin- and English-speaking students and families for the opportunity of a promising future of being bilingual, biliterate, and academically enriched. The K-5 program is housed at Orion Alternative School and feeds into Kennedy Middle School for the 6-8 strand. Speech contest host, the CLTAC, was formed in 1964 with a goal of promoting the study and teaching of Chinese language and culture in California.