Left: Year seven student May-Lyn perfects her Chinese calligraphy.Left: Twirling ribbons was no match for year seven Nazareth College student Peter.By Shaun Inguanzo
CHINESE culture was the educational flavour at Noble Park’s Nazareth College last week.
The Xin Jin Shan Chinese Language and Culture School formally launched its relationship with the college, which has allowed the Chinese school to use its premises on the weekend in order to cope with a growing number of local students wanting to learn Chinese language and culture outside traditional school hours.
Xin Jin Shan is based out of Mount Waverley Secondary College, where its popularity has seen student numbers rise to 2000.
Nazareth College students were on Friday treated to a day of Chinese cultural dance, cooking and language activities to celebrate the new partnership.
The Xin Jin Shan school offered displays of Kong Fu, paper cutting, calligraphy, painting, and food preparation in Nazareth’s new years seven and eight building.
Students looked on in amazement at the performances and activities, but the cultural experience also extended to Xin Jin Shan teachers.
Principal of the Nazareth-based classes Kevin Hu said because a majority of the school’s weekend students were of Chinese origin, teachers were delighted to share their culture with students of a non-Chinese background.
“I felt all the students today were very excited,” he said.
“But also our volunteers were very excited. It is the first time they have had the opportunity to share with Australian students their background.”
Mr Hu said the school was not-for-profit, yet had high-level volunteer teachers.
“All (the teachers) are at Chinese national level (in their respective fields), and we are all volunteer-based,” he said.
Mr Hu said the Noble Park school had 68 students, and while they were not specifically from Nazareth’s student base, the college’s presence at Mount Waverley had attracted many Chinese-origin students to the host college for mainstream education.
A swag of dignitaries attended the cultural day, including Greater Dandenong mayor Peter Brown, councillors Maria Sampey and Sue Walton, Bruce MP Alan Griffin and a representative of the Chinese Consul General.
