Mandarin Program at Sequoia Fails to Gain Enough Interest

Come fall, students will have the opportunity to take Mandarin classes, but not on the Sequoia High School campus. Instead, the approximately 20 students who signed-up will attend Woodside High during their first period and then be bussed back to the Sequoia campus.

As Mandarin is rapidly becoming a world language, school officials have recognized the value of adding a program to the campus. Principal Bonnie Hansen said that the program was definitely an “academically sound program” and recognized the opportunities that the International Baccalaureat (IB) program could afford students in college and employment options. However, it just didn’t garner the interest to devote all the resources necessary to run it.

“I’m thankful the district provided this alternative because it would have broken my heart if there were no Mandarin program for Sequoia students,” said Sequoia High School parent Larry Wang, the primary organizer of the campaign to establish a program. “This is the second year I’ve been trying to do this.”

The funding, classroom and teacher were all secured, the most difficult aspects of starting any new school program. But Wang said it was the marketing that needed a more dedicated effort. Wang visited North Star Academy last week and was able to sign-up three more students.

“It was also a timing issue,” Wang said. “We could have gotten enough students if we had more time.”

Lynette Eng, who helped launch a program in Cupertino and is a supporter of Mandarin programs at schools, said Sequoia was never clear on the enrollment deadline and that a more concrete timeline could have gained the number of students necessary.

“Even district teachers at other schools’ open houses were giving incorrect information because they didn’t know,” Eng said. “Some were already saying there would be no program because it couldn’t enroll enough students.”

For the 2012-2013 school year, Wang said Principal Hansen and Superintendent James Lianides wanted to start advertising in June 2012.

“[Lianides] definitely sees the big pictures and how important it is to have a world language offered at all the campuses, not just at Carlmont and Woodside,” Wang said.

Sequoia High School student Elise Levin-Guracar hadn’t even heard about the program through the school, but through her mother. She said she couldn’t gage the initial interest because she hadn’t heard much about the program, but added, “I just can’t imagine a lot of people taking it because of the large interest in the Spanish IB program,” Levin-Guracar said. “Most kids take Spanish because it’s more relevant in this area.”

She said passing the IB program requires an intense amount of work: an investment of four years. To pass the IB test their senior year, students must demonstrate fluency in the oral component and write essays to demonstrate written proficiency. Levin-Guracar said to do this in Mandarin would be much more difficult than completing this in a Latin language, like Spanish, which has similar roots in English.

“It’s just a whole new level of obtaining fluency in four years, compared to doing this in Spanish,” Levin-Guracar said. She believed students would have to come in already having some familiarity with Mandarin.

Those who have committed to the course will have to adjust their schedules to take Mandarin I during first period at Woodside High School. A district-provided bus will shuttle the students back to Sequoia in time for second period. Wang said the proposed later start time of 8:30 a.m. for Sequoia would time things perfectly, and wouldn’t force Sequoia students to cut their Mandarin class short in order to make it to second period. Wang said he has also been trying to arrange carpool rides to alleviate the inconvenience of parents driving their children to Woodside instead of Sequoia.

He said he was concerned that the change in morning route might cause some students to drop from the program; however, the majority of students seemed committed to the program, he said.

“I met several of the students who signed up for Mandarin, and seeing how enthusiastic they are to be part of the first class makes the effort worthwhile,” Wang said. “These students have a chance to be part of something special.”