N/GRV school board puts Mandarin immersion on hold

Naselle/Grays River Valley parents are excited at the prospect of their children beginning half-day courses in Mandarin Chinese.

“The reality is, for a program like this to come to our area is something we cannot pass up. We need to instill that entrepreneurial attitude in our kids early so they don’t feel stuck in a rural community,” said Marijane Anderson whose son William will enter kindergarten in the fall.

“This program is a gift and I’m excited that (husband) Wes and I can send our son to a school that hopefully will offer this. We don’t want to limit our son or our new-born daughter Brialle’s opportunities.”

The proposal of an immersion program was meant to focus on the benefits that elementary students gain from learning a second language including a positive effect on intellectual growth. The program, if approved, would continue through the students’ grade school years.

When school board members met to discuss the proposal on June 19, however, they were not convinced of community support.

On June 20, an online post from Assistant Principal Jon Tienhaara said, “The board decided not to take action on the proposal and it will not be offered for the 2012-13 school year. However, the board did ask the administration to continue planning, researching and educating all stake holders. The board indicated that they would like to reconsider the proposal to be implemented for the 2013-14 school year for both kindergarten and first grade.”

They put the program on hold,” said Annie Strange whose son Jack would benefit from learning to speak, read and write in Mandarin.

“It wasn’t that they thought it was a bad idea but that they felt it lacked community support. It’s disappointing from a parent’s perspective. This was an opportunity for our children to really be on the cutting edge.”

With a population currently approaching 1.35 billion – over 1 billion more than the United States – China is the single most important potential market for American products, services and know-how.

With the skills and knowledge proposed by Naselle Schools, local students could receive a huge head start on lucrative employment in a host of fields. Parents are not willing to let go of that hope for their young children just yet.

“While I respectfully appreciate the board's commitment and concern for the welfare of the school district, I request that they re-consider their position to authorize the implementation of the pilot program in 2012 -2014,” said Allen Lebovitz, parent of two Naselle school children.

“While the NGRVD is a Blue Ribbon School, one of the highest achieving performers in the country for academically preparing students, it is shockingly possible that the school will not be able to remain open, much like the Rosburg School, if the declining enrollment trend persists for even a few years more. The proposed Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Program represents a significant opportunity to reverse this enrollment trend. Such a unique and valuable opportunity would be expected to draw students to the District from not only our county, but very likely from Clatsop county and around the state through the Columbia Virtual Academy.”

There is a deadline in place for Naselle-Grays River Valley School District to become a part of a pilot group for the Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Program. That cut-off date has motivated parents to reach out to residents of Naselle and Pacific County in general, as well as anyone else interested in the program.

“I spoke to Hollis Flecter (school board member),” Anderson said; “he said that if we push hard enough it is possible that we could get a meeting with the board for another shot at this year. He said to call Robert Torppa (school board member) and request a meeting with the board before the deadline to show how much we support and desire this program. I will be calling and encourage everyone else to make the call.

“We’re not giving up yet. We have until the 29th to get them to change their minds.” Lebovitz said.

Until then, he and other local parents plan to do everything possible to ensure that Naselle Elementary School kindergartners will begin full-immersion half-day courses in Mandarin Chinese next fall.