NEW HARTFORD — Several middle and high school students studying Mandarin Chinese through the Oneida-Herkimer-Madison BOCES Distance Learning program’s Interactive Video Courses (IVC) were recently recognized in the Chinese Language Association of Secondary-Elementary Schools (CLASS) National Essay Contest. The students received four gold, two silver, two honorable mention and nine participant awards.

Clinton seventh grader Alexandra Allen and sixth grader Emily Chen both received gold awards. In the middle school contest, students were asked to think about the things that adults are doing well and could improve on, and what they would do differently if they were an adult with the power to change things.

In her essay, Allen mentioned that if she were president, she would work on four things: gun control, helping homeless people, stopping discrimination and reducing the cost of health care. Chen wrote about how she would have behaved differently during the pandemic, giving more attention to those who are unable to access medical treatment or experience food insecurity.

According to their teacher Shih-Han Wang, Allen and Chen are “creative, full of ideas and excellent students with many talents.”

New Hartford senior Sharon Jiang and Holland Patent ninth grader Emmarae Little both received gold awards, while Whitesboro ninth graders Kaydence Dapre and Chayse Fischer received silver. For the high school contest, students were asked to describe something they love about their life, something going on in the world they do not like and something they wish were different.

In her essay, Jiang regarded life as a painting, describing how she appreciates different colors but also feels sadness for peers making poor choices. Little wrote about the importance of respect and learning about different cultures. Dapre and Fischer both expressed their appreciation of Chinese culture.

According to their teacher WeiShu Chang, all four students are self-motivated, willing to help when needed and willing to overcome any challenges they face.

This is the third consecutive year that students from the OHM BOCES Mandarin Chinese program have participated in the competition, and the first time they have won gold and silver awards.

The contest is open to all students studying the Chinese language and culture in the United States. A total of 650 students nationwide participated in this year’s competition.

Additional award winners from the OHM BOCES Mandarin Chinese program include:

Honorable mentions

Madelyn Race, Oriskany; and Nicole Santa Maria, Holland Patent.

Participant awards

Logan Baker, Waterville; Heather Buchanon, Holland Patent; Madeline Marina Cieslak, Holland Patent; Juliana Delpico, Whitesboro; Kyle Erway, Holland Patent; Kayla Gleim, Central Valley; Julia Larry, Holland Patent; Sawyer Michel, Whitesboro; and Adriana Snow, Waterville

The competition aims to promote the study of the Chinese language and culture among students in the United States and to foster greater cross-cultural understanding. The students’ depth of thought, creativity, sympathy and empathy to their peers are all shown in their compositions. Their success is a testament to the hard work of teachers as well as the support from each school in promoting the study of the Chinese language and culture. 

Students who study Mandarin Chinese through the OHM BOCES can take up to seven years of courses, including the opportunity to earn both high school and college credit for successful course completion in their sixth and/or seventh years of study. Alternatively, independent of the seven-year language sequence, high school students can study Mandarin Chinese for up to two years and receive both high school and college credit.

For more information on courses available through the OHM BOCES IVC program, visit www.oneida-boces.org/ivc.