Phoenix Chinese School Graduation Ceremony (Photo)

Phoenix Chinese School Graduation Ceremony (Photo) (Contributed by Phoenix Chinese School) Phoenix Chinese School held its 2014 graduation ceremony at Mesa Community College on May 4th...

(Contributed by Phoenix Chinese School) Phoenix Chinese School held its 2014 graduation ceremony at Mesa Community College on May 4th. At around 2:30 in the afternoon, when the marching music played, the graduates walked neatly into the auditorium. First of all, Principal Cheng Xiuling delivered a speech and thanked all the guests for coming to the ceremony. She was both happy and touched that some of this year’s graduates were preschool children she taught fourteen years ago. They are all taller than her now, and it is really not easy for them to continue studying Chinese for many years amidst the heavy activities and homework in high school until today's graduation ceremony.

The principal and directors presented souvenirs to Mr. Huang Shijun

Then consultant Mr. Zheng Hong introduced the distinguished guests. The school is honored to have Mr. Barry Wong as the guest of honor this year and to deliver a speech to the graduates. Mr. Huang is a legal expert at a well-known law firm in Phoenix and served as a State Representative (State Representative, Arizona House of Representatives) from 1993 to 2000. In 2006, he was nominated by the then governor to serve as the Arizona Corporation Commissioner. He is a very outstanding Chinese-American politician. Mr. Huang Shijun asked the graduates present a question at the beginning, asking them to think about their cultural background. He then talked about how he was similar to the graduates in that he was also the child of second-generation Asian immigrants, and his subsequent experience in taking Chinese courses in college to explore Chinese culture. Mr. Huang encouraged students to be familiar with their mother tongue and culture so that they can use the knowledge they have learned when entering the workplace, create interactive connections with work, and demonstrate their talents. As for the question he originally asked everyone, "Where am I from?", his answer was both, both American and Chinese. He said that every student present should be proud of his or her unique identity. In the future, when entering the society of the global village, being familiar with both cultures will be of great help. At the end, Mr. Huang read out the names of the graduates one by one and offered his congratulations and blessings to them.

After the distinguished guest delivered his speech, the host teacher Lu Zhenling began to introduce the graduates. There are eight graduates this year, namely Wang Zhenxuan, Zhang Jiahao, Chen Miaochen, Zhu Jiayao, Li Shangyou, Ou Lirong, Wang Shujun and Ke Yangcheng. Teacher Lu first introduced a slideshow of each person’s growth process, and then invited the graduates to come to the stage to deliver their graduation speeches. In their speeches, each graduate expressed their gratitude to the principal, teachers, and school staff for their help and encouragement, which allowed them to leave beautiful memories in the process of learning Chinese. The graduates also mentioned that they would like to express special thanks to their parents, who have worked tirelessly to bring them to Chinese schools over the years. Student Wang Zhenxuan even more humorously said that the biggest advantage of learning Chinese is that when ordering food in a Taiwanese restaurant, she can recognize the words on the menu and order a bowl of beef noodles for herself.

The graduates took a group photo with the distinguished principals and directors

After the graduates finished their speeches, the host said he wanted to give them a surprise by inviting their parents to speak on stage. The family backgrounds of this year’s graduates are quite diverse. Some speak Cantonese at home, and some have parents with overseas Chinese backgrounds in Vietnam and Myanmar. So when these parents saw that their children were about to graduate and could give speeches in fluent Chinese, they were very pleased and believed that the teachings of the school teachers were really indispensable. Among them, the mother of classmate Zhu Jiayao mentioned that she had been coming to Phoenix Chinese School for more than 20 years. The principal was very surprised that there were "veteran" parents in the school who had more seniority than her. It is also worth mentioning that among the parents of recent graduates, many are school employees or teachers. While the children are in class every Sunday, they also enthusiastically participate in and volunteer to help with various school activities, setting a good example for the children. After the graduates and parents gave speeches, the guest of honor, Mr. Huang Shijun, presented graduation gifts to each graduate on behalf of the school. Finally, the school teachers lined up to shake hands with the graduates, send them off, and wish them a bright future.

Registration for the 2014 Phoenix Chinese School fall class will begin on August 24th. If you want to know more about Phoenix Chinese School or want to join this big family, please contact the principal, Ms. Cheng Xiuling (480-759-7106) or visit the school website (http://www.clsphoenix.org/). Phoenix Chinese School sincerely invites you to join our team.