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THE FOOTHILLS FOCUS | THEFOOTHILLSFOCUS.COM | MAY 12, 2021
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Mandarin spelling bee a first for youngsters BY ALEX GALLAGHER Foothills Focus Staff Writer
C
ontestants across three schools will compete in Arizona Language Preparatory’s first Mandarin spelling bee on May 17. Students from Arizona Language Preparatory will compete against children from Gavilan Peak School in Anthem and Glendale’s Desert Sage Elementary in front of six judges via Zoom. “I’m nervous because we’ll be competing with three other schools,” said Vienna Chuang, a Gavilan Peak School fourth grader. Chuang will have strong competition as she, along with many of the other contestants, have been learning Mandarin since they were as young as kindergarteners. “I started speaking Mandarin when I was in kindergarten, but my brother first started teaching me when I was still in preschool,” said Emily Martin, a Gavilan Peak School sixth grader. Others were taught at an even younger age. “I went to a preschool that taught Chinese,” said Ender Cotty, a fifthgrade student at the Arizona Language Preparatory. Cotty lives in Cave Creek. However, it was at the school he has called home for the past six years where Cotty has found a love for the language. “At this school, I have found that I can connect to more people this way and I can talk to people I never could have prior and learn their culture,” Cotty said. Other contestants have found ways to take their language skills outside of
the classroom. “My parents wanted me to learn Chinese so we could travel a lot and go to places where they speak it,” said Cora Goates-Glau, a fourth grader at Arizona Language Preparatory. Cotty said he feels the same way. “I canYOUTH now go to Chinese restaurants, order food and hold a conversation with the staff there,” Cotty said. Students have displayed their skills to high-ranking officials. “I’ve been able to speak in front of the government on Chinese TV,” said Stanley Rosinski, a sixth grader at Arizona Language Preparatory. “One time when I was in China, I was able to join a card game with some people and speak full Chinese.” Like many other contestants, Rosinski has been learning Mandarin to prepare for future endeavors. “Mainly, I’m learning Chinese because it will pay for college,” Rosinski said. “It’ll give me a better job and I’ll be able to travel a lot to China.” Others are learning the language because they like a good challenge. “I wanted to learn Mandarin because I knew it would be hard and I like facing challenges,” said Alex Luedke, a Desert Sage Elementary School sixth grader. Students will display their linguistic talents at the Mandarin spelling bee. They’ve been spending the past few weeks learning new words and honing their character writing. “I’m mainly memorizing the strokes of each character and also working very hard on the words that I’m struggling with,” Cotty said. The kids have been adding up to five words per day to their vocabulary list. “I’m always practicing the hardest
words,” said Kiki Gerity, an Arizona Language Preparatory sixth grader. Preparation doesn’t stop there. “I’ve been preparing by going online, finding the list of words and writing down the characters,” said Sophie Peterson, a Desert Sage Elementary School fourth grader. Reputation is a good way to build memory, but nerves still plague contestants. “As I go into the spelling bee, I feel a little nervous because I never know how it’s going to turn out or what it’s going to be like,” Martin said. “While we are practicing in class and doing
little quizzes, it’s not the same as on the day of the competition.” Partnering with fellow contestants has helped, too. “What Kiki and I will do is he’ll say a word and I’ll write it on a board and then we’ll put an X on the words I got wrong and spend 5 minutes reviewing it,” Rosinski said. Partnering has been effective, but instruction is the key. “Our Mandarin teacher used this story that tells us about the character that means cold and has a story
see MADARIN page 24
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