MKA Freshman Gains Success in Chinese Language Contest

Congratulations to MKA freshman Sam Cleverley who gained second place in a competitive Chinese Speech Contest (beginner group) sponsored by University of Massachusetts Confucius Institute in Boston on April 28. 24 students from 11 states were drawn from an applicant pool of over 50 and divided into either a beginner group (Chinese level 2), an intermediate group (Chinese level 4), or an advanced group (with 6 months of immersion learning in China).

Cleverley’s success was particularly rewarding for a student who has only been studying the language since seventh grade, and for MKA’s fledgling Chinese program that was launched in the fall of 2009.

“It was our first participation in a speech competition outside of MKA.” Notes Upper School Chinese teacher Jeanne Tsai. “And I'm very proud of Sam's performance and hard work!”