IN THE NEWS

7/17/2010
Reading Eagle

Summer program teaching Berks students Chinese
By David Mekeel

Gathered in the air-conditioned Oley Valley Elementary School on a day topping 90 degrees outside, a group of students sit quietly on the floor, their eyes fixed on the instructor standing above them.

Instructor Summer Perella carefully recites a series of words, then waits for the students to repeat them.

If their pronunciation isn't spot on, you'll have to excuse them - the children have been speaking Chinese for only a few days.

Oley Valley, along with the Tulpehocken and Schuylkill Valley school districts, is introducing a 12-day Mandarin Chinese language program this summer.

Run by the Berks County Intermediate Unit, the program aims to foster interest in Chinese and to introduce students to the idea of learning a second language.