𝐀 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧 𝐅𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥: 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝙎𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙥 𝙖 𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙠 𝙤𝙛 𝙘𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢 𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙨, 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨

LINDEN PUBLIC SCHOOL, NJ (Oct. 15) — The welcome came in Mandarin. So did the songs, poetry and farewell wishes.

Featuring about 20 Linden High School students in traditional Chinese attire, the Oct. 9 celebration brought a week of shared learning with 11 English teachers from China to a close. Their visit to Linden Public Schools began Monday, Oct. 5.

Attending the Community Partnership Celebration in the high school’s television studio were Linden Mayor Derek Armstead, Union County Interim Executive County Superintendent Kyle Anderson, Superintendent Dr. Atiya Y. Perkins, Assistant Superintendent Annabell Louis, Human Resources Director Dr. Kayla Lott, Linden High School Principal Charles Koonce, School No. 5 principal Rachelle Crawley, Board Member Brianna Armstead, district multilingual director Danie Orelien, and Highland Park Mayor Elsie Foster.

“This is all about connections,” Perkins told the gathering, describing opportunities for educators and students to learn, grow and give back.

She thanked Foster, who coordinated the exchange through Aunt Elsie’s Homestays & Educational Services, for bringing the program to Linden. Perkins also recognized Anderson’s support for an experience that offered participants “opportunities to see and feel different ways of teaching and learning.”

Students in teacher Linlin Hu’s Chinese I and Chinese II Honors classes gave those connections a voice. Their performances put classroom learning to use, welcoming guests and offering a personal farewell. A five-minute video captured highlights from the visitors’ week across the district.

A Welcome, a Song and a Farewell

A Chinese I student opened the program in Mandarin with a message that held two feelings at once. According to Hu, she was happy everyone had gathered, yet sad their new friends would soon leave. Her remarks reflected on learning together and building bridges between the two countries, ending with wishes for a safe trip home.

Then came the music. Students sang “Where Are My Friends?” and recited “Thoughts in a Quiet Night,” a Chinese poem they had studied in class. After speaking the verses, they sang them.

Their clothing added a cultural dimension to the performances: Boys wore traditional jackets known as tang zhuang, while girls wore qipao dresses. “As they displayed today, they have embraced Mandarin,” Foster said. “They’re learning a lot, and they’ll continue to learn.”

Learning Through Connection

For Foster, Linden’s welcome stood out. “I have been doing this since 2010,” she said of her work organizing international education programs. “I think this has been one of the most rewarding experiences.”

She credited teachers, students, staff and custodians with opening their arms and hearts to the visitors. The week, she said, reflected the vision behind her business: “Think local, act global.”

Divided into three groups, the visiting teachers spent the week at Schools No. 1, School No. 5 and School No.8, McManus Middle School and Linden High School. They observed Chinese language classes, instructional methods, classroom management and student engagement, along with the routines and activities that shape a school day.

The exchange connected with the district’s Strategic Roadmap priorities of Student Learning and Academic Excellence and Community and Stakeholder Partnership. Students practiced Mandarin with guests from another country, while educators shared teaching approaches and classroom experiences. These interactions also brought ROAR’s emphasis on Opportunities and Relationships into daily school life.

Looking Beyond the Week

The farewell included an invitation to return. Orelien outlined her goal of establishing a Mandarin Summer Enrichment Program to encourage elementary students, particularly fifth graders preparing for middle school, to continue studying the language. “I am so honored that you had a wonderful time,” Orelien told the teachers. “And please, please, come back.”

Foster also pledged to pursue additional programs with the visiting educators and her partners in China, creating enrichment opportunities for schools in both countries. “Our students here are eager to learn about you as you are about us,” she said.

At the district’s Oct. 5 welcome, Perkins said Linden’s partnership with China spans more than a decade and more than 1,000 district students study Chinese.