By Caroline Ford

The Confucius Institute at Miami University is excited to announce that they have partnered with the Chinese program at St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati, Ohio to open a Confucius Classroom. It is the first Confucius Classroom that the Confucius Institute at Miami University has helped set up and as such, was celebrated with fanfare.

The inaugural ceremony took place at St. Xavier on April 19. It featured various collaborative performances by St. Xavier students and instructors from the Confucius Institute.

“St. Xavier, Miami University, the Confucius Institute, and Confucius Classrooms are all aligned in our philosophies, missions, and visions,” remarked Cheryl Young, Assistant Provost for Global Initiatives at Miami University. “This cooperation begins with synergy, energy, and a commitment to education that is unwavering in its ability to make the world a better place.”

In addition to remarks from Young, speeches emphasizing the significance of this partnership were given by Master of Ceremonies Greg Lamping, Father Paul O’Connor, Director of the Confucius Institute at Miami University Chen Zhao, graduate of the St. Xavier Chinese program Simeon Lane, Principal Terry Tyrrell, and Assistant City Manager for the City of Cincinnati John Juech.

There were a number of representatives from key organizations across Cincinnati present as well. This included representatives from the Greater Cincinnati Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Miami University, Xavier University, the University of Cincinnati, the Board of Trustees at St. Xavier, and several neighboring school districts interested in setting up Confucius Classrooms of their own. A number of parents and St. Xavier faculty and staff were also in attendance.

Sophomore Cameron Wilson described the St. Xavier Chinese program as, “one of the best Chinese programs in the city of Cincinnati.”

“I have very smart students here,” Wei Yuan said, explaining why she enjoys teaching at St. Xavier. “They all want to learn, and I love to teach them.”

Many of the students and faculty made a video in Chinese, thanking the Confucius Institute for partnering with them and stating the importance of learning Chinese language and culture in school.

Several members of the Confucius Institute at Miami University performed a lion dance for the crowd and choreographed a martial arts performance with the students.

“It was challenging at first,” said St. Xavier sophomore Ryan Richter, who participated in the martial arts performance led by CIMU instructor, Yazhou Song. “But once we got the patterns down it was easier and pretty fun”.

The ceremony was regarded as a resounding success by all who attended.

“I hope the newly established Confucius Classroom will create a better learning environment for the students who are interested in the Chinese language and culture”, remarked Chen Zhao, Director of the Confucius Institute at Miami University.