Judge Memorial class celebrates Year of the Rabbit

Intermountain Catholic

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SALT LAKE CITY — Students in Judge Memorial Catholic High School’s foreign language class in Mandarin Chinese recently celebrated the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Rabbit, with a trip to a local Chinese restaurant.

Taught by faculty member Jonathan Hsu, Chinese I is designed for students who have little or no Chinese language background. The purpose of the course is to lay the groundwork for the study of modern Chinese.

"In addition to concepts in listening, pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar fundamentals, this course also includes basic elements of the Chinese culture, customs, philosophy, and history," Hsu said. "Our luncheon included a number of typical Chinese New Year foods and traditions, and was an interesting supplement to our work in class."

Members of the class recently presented each member of the Judge Memorial faculty and staff with Chinese New Year cards from China, complete with well wishes and their signatures in Chinese characters.

"I visited China with my family when I was in middle school and have always been fascinated with the culture and the language," said Nick Lutz, a senior in the Mandarin Chinese class. "When I started the class, my knowledge was very rudimentary, with just simple greetings. I have learned so much even in the past few months. I would like to continue my study of Chinese at the college level and work in business or trade in China some day."

Judge Memorial currently offers students five options in foreign language study: French, German, Latin, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese.

"The study of foreign language is an important component of a well-rounded education," said Rick Bartman, principal of Judge Memorial. "Not long ago, language study was seen as an exercise, based in grammar, usage and literature. Now, a second language is an important part of building a foundation as students prepare for an increasing number of careers. It also provides students a critical look at cultures and societies that, in some cases, are very different than our own."