Yinghua Post 2020-21

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Volume 01

January 2021

Yinghua Academy | Minneapolis, Minnesota

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Contents 04

New P.E. teacher establishes rapport with students

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Dr. Luyi Lien engages young minds to make a bigger impact

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New teacher inspired by grandfather to pursue teaching

By Sophie

By Roya

By Aija

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New teacher stresses importance of creativity in teaching

By Madison

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Language immersion as step toward global peace

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New teacher chooses in-person learning to connect with kindergarteners

By Madison

By Ming

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Students find creative ways to stay connected during COVID-19 restrictions

By Eve

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Chinese as language and as culture

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Coronavirus takes toll on Chinese teachers

By Annika

By Isabella

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Alumni embrace future with Chinese in mind

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Yinghua students’ thoughts on racial injustice

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Yinghua teachers tackle hybrid learning

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Yinghua treasures mission to train students into globally minded world citizens

By Karin and Ezra

By Matilda

By Edda and Ayana

By Gigi

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New P.E. teacher establishes rapport with

students Boone Young begins his first year at Yinghua Academy by inspiring students to live healthy lives.

By Sophie | Yinghua Post Reporter

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oone Young is Yinghua Academy’s newest member, starting the year as the new P.E. teacher. Aside from his student teaching, this is the first school he’s taught at. Despite not having worked at Yinghua before, he’s found Yinghua students to be eager to learn and excited for class, which makes his job even more enjoyable.

He said he decided to be a P.E teacher because he sees it as a unique setting in which students get a chance to be social and have fun, while at the same time learning valuable life skills. He says that physical education, however, is often looked at as an unimportant class.

He encourages his students by

“Academics are super important,” he reminds his students, “but so is physical health!”

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teaching them that healthy living makes you stronger and live longer. To get students active, he includes games like Capture the Pumpkin, which includes lots of running and tagging. Since coronavirus has made tagging no longer possible, he has made it work by having students play the game with pool noodles.

He is also looking forward to seeing the Yinghua Chinese New Year Performance for the first time. He has heard a lot about it and wants to see it in person, so he hopes that despite necessary restrictions and protocols, “there is still some sort of performance or celebration.”

Overall, he said he has enjoyed his time so far at Yinghua, and the students have quickly grown

to like and respect him as well. He has noticed this and has been very grateful for this in his transition.

“Yinghua has some amazing students, and the student body as a whole is incredible,” Mr. Young said. “It has been very welcoming to me over my first month and a half of school. So give yourselves a pat on the back and thank you for being great!”

(Edited by Cameron Blom)

Sophie

Favorite subject: English/Chinese Favorite author: JK Rowling

Favorite hobby: Swimming and Tennis Travel desitination: Paris, France

Boone Young led his class in a series of warmup exercises on a November day. The students were given enough space to be permitted to take off their masks if they chose to.

Photos by Will Jacott

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Dr. Luyi Lien

By Roya | Yinghua Post Reporter

Yinghua’s academic director shares her experiences of leading Yinghua before and during COVID-19.

engages young minds to make bigger impact

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ince starting the school in 2006, Dr. Luyi Lien is Yinghua Academy’s Academic Director. She has a bachelor’s degree in Chinese Language and Literacy and Psychology. Throughout college, she studied education, which led to her wanting to be an educator. Her job has consisted of working on the academic programs, working with teachers and working on both Chinese and English curriculums.

Q: Why did you want to work at a Chinese Immersion school in Minnesota?

A: One, I feel that I always wanted to do education because I think it is important to educate kids and cultivate students’ young minds and make them have a view on the world. I was thinking about what that would be, and after I got my Ph.D. I could’ve worked in higher

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education, but I was very certain that the most important phase in the whole human development is when students are young. From three years old to 12 years old is probably the time the students’ character will be set; their mindsets, their attitudes for their whole lives will be / are set at this time. I think this is more important than teaching in higher education. I think if you are teaching higher education, you will be teaching students who are selected from the whole system of society. The students there already have their mindset.

I also love children, and I think if you pay attention and care, it is a good time to create good citizens in the future. Why Minnesota? Because I was studying at the U of M and I know that Minnesota has a very high quality education. There were so many possibilities if I stayed here, and in 2006, there were no Chinese immersion schools. There were other immersion schools like French, German and Spanish, but there were no Chinese schools. I thought it was a good time to start a school for people who don’t know this language, this culture. I thought that if I could pass on my passion to young students, that would be good. All of my love goes into this school; that is how you make it work.

Q: What did a normal day look like before COVID-19?

A: I get to school at about 7:45 and do morning duty. I arrange all the teachers’ morning duties to make sure that all the students come to school safely and are taken care of.

I walk around to see if the teachers are on their duty positions and see if there is anything I need to help teachers with. For example, one morning I was outside greeting students, and there was one parent who fell down because she twisted her ankle. She was sitting on the

“I think it is important to educate kids and cultivate students’ young minds and make them have a view on the world.”

-Dr. Luyi Lien

ground, and there was only one teacher outside to welcome students in. The parent was shouting for help, so I quickly ran to her and asked her what she needed. I used my walkie to tell more people to come outside and help her. These kinds of unexpected incidents may happen, so I must walk around and see if there is anything I need to do.

Once students arrive in the classroom, I make sure that a morning meeting happens in every class and that everything has calmed down.

Then, I go back to my office to check my schedule because usually I have meetings with different teams. We will meet in my office and discuss the lesson plan, and if there are any upcoming events, we will make sure everything goes smoothly. We talk about any issues,

questions, or anything we need to address. Individual teachers might have their issues, so they can come to me and we can discuss what we need to do.

I arrange all the assessments with the assessment coordinators. I also review all the assessments that teachers have made and make sure every student has taken them and learned from them. That is pretty much my whole day - meeting with teachers and working around the school. If I have time, I will go into my emails and check and respond to them. It’s a pretty long day. Usually I come to school very early and go home very late.

Q: Now that COVID-19 is serious, what are some things you have changed to ensure the school stays safe and healthy?

A: Many meetings went from in person to Zoom. For example we have an all-staff meeting, so I plan the meeting in Zoom. We also adjust the time so that teachers can go home and have a meeting from home. Another thing is that we keep our distance. The students and teachers all have to distance themselves from each other and we have to wear our masks. For some of the classes, if students move between classroom to classroom, we make sure that the room is being sanitized. These kinds of things are very different than what they used to be. Before the pandemic, we didn’t really pay attention to cleaning and sanitizing, but now, we have to make sure that everything is clean. We also try really hard to

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make sure that students follow directions. They have to be wearing their masks all the time and distance themselves. For lower school they do a very good job following directions. Middle school students love each other so it’s kind of hard for them! We need to remind them a little bit.

Q: What are some struggles that come with the new environment?

A: The struggle is that even though we have very little students in each class, we have group A, group B, and distance, so there are many different groups. They each only have eight to 10 students. In each class, we didn’t really place the students in their math or Chinese abilities like we normally would. There are so many different levels of students in each group. We have one teacher teaching each class, and they would have to differentiate each student in each class. For example, in math and Chinese for middle school, we try to group students in different levels. If the students learn faster, they can go with the faster group.

If the students are at the grade level, they can follow and be in the standard group and have their own pace. The group is so small and we don’t have that many rooms that can be used, and we have to make sure that every room is sanitized after each use. We have to make sure that they have enough distance and that everything is clean. It is a challenge to find enough rooms for classes, and for students to maintain the boundaries.

Q: What is most rewarding from working here?

A: The most rewarding thing is having students like you. We have many students that have become bilingual from this, and they use their Chinese abilities to communicate to Chinese people even though before they enrolled in Yinghua they had no background in Chinese culture.

Being an academic director comes with many responsibilities, but it’s also very rewarding. Seeing the student outcome makes everything more meaningful for Dr. Lien.

(Edited by Savannah Romero)

Roya

Who’s your favorite author?

Chris Colfer, series- the land of stories (fantasy, twins, father dies, finds book father left and goes into the other world) What’s your favorite subject?

Math likes doing it, not very good but likes it What do you want to do with your Chinese language skill?

Use it in the future with my job somehow.

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New teacher inspired by grandfather to pursue teaching Dongmei Li joins Yinghua to teach Chinese in fifth grade.

By Aija | Yinghua Academy Reporter

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ongmei Li is a new teacher at Yinghua Academy and teaches fifth grade Chinese language. Ms. Li was born in Shandong, China, and has a younger brother who still lives there with the rest of their family. She still remembers going to the school where her grandfather taught for 30 years. Her grandfather inspired her to become a teacher.

like to get a dog again because her daughter likes them. Ms. Li’s favorite Chinese dish is dumplings and her favorite non-Chinese food is macaroni and cheese.

Before teaching at Yinghua, Ms. Li taught at a middle school in Shandong. She eventually moved to Minnesota and began teaching at Yinghua where her husband is also a teacher. Now, their daughter is a student at Yinghua as well.

While her first year of teaching at Yinghua isn’t what she expected, Ms. Li notes that one positive aspect of the pandemic is that she gets to meet with smaller groups of students because her favorite part about teaching is the connections she builds with the children.

When asked where in the world she would travel to, Ms. Li said she would like to go to Paris because her daughter is interested in fashion design and going to Paris “will be a good experience” for her daughter.

In her free time, Ms. Li likes to read, paint, watch movies, cook and take “I [get to] communicate more with walks with her family. When Ms. Li each student,” she said. was little, she had a dog and would (Edited by Nate Eisenmann)

Aija

Favorite sports?

I play soccer and hockey What other languages do you speak?

I speak Latvian.

How many siblings do you have?

I have one brother that is three years older than me.

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New teacher stresses importance of creativity in teaching Lunna Hai uses her Chinese roots to provide her students with an authentic and genuine learning experience.

By Madison | Yinghua Post Reporter

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unna Hai, immersed in her work, taught third through sixth graders in Inner Mongolia. With her family’s 15 cats and a dog, she taught her lifelong passion: English.

“Some of them don’t have enough interest to learn; they don’t think it’s necessary to learn a second language,” Mrs. Hai said. “But I just want to share my interest, some tricks or tips to answer their questions, or to pass it down to them.”

As a freshman, her interest in the language had gone further than her peers, and that’s how she’d first volunteered to teach it to kindergarteners. Mrs. Hai would never have guessed that one day it’d be the opposite – teaching Chinese in another country as a second language to English speakers.

leaving China and sometimes feels homesick because of the long periods of time spent away from her family; nevertheless, she truly enjoys teaching and stresses the importance of creativity, something that was harder for Chinese students because of the focus on writing and reciting answers.

Prior to graduating, she discovered a job as an eduThis July, she graduated university with a cation assistant at Yinghua Academy. In August, she master’s in education and a bachelor’s in En- received a phone call from Dr. Lian, asking if she had glish. She lived in Baltimore, Maryland, after time to do an interview.

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During the interview she was told about Yinghua’s sister school in Inner Mongolia, situated in a place which happens to be her hometown.

“At that time I just thought if I got the offer, I need to be there,” Mrs. Hai said.

She got in the next Monday and flew over within a few days. New to the school and a little unprepared, Mrs. Hai got help from her colleagues. Receiving training, not to mention pleasant gifts to keep her warm, Mrs. Hai began to settle in.

“When I was here the first day, like all the staff are nice to me, they are so welcome,” she said.

Now living in the same house as Bai Laoshi, a Yinghua math teacher, Mrs. Hai works as a full-time kindergarten teacher. She remains enthusiastic and motivated to teach.

“I can use my major, use my profession, to help students boost their creativity, to nurture them because my teacher taught me that creativity can be nurtured,” Mrs.Hai said.

She’s made friends already and feels a sense of fellowship that comes with having Chinese-speaking colleagues while so far from home.

“Teaching Chinese at Yinghua just feels familiar,” Mrs. Hai said.

Now, having recently gotten tier one lessons from the department, and working hard day and night during these tough times, she persists, exhausted yet satisfied at the end of each day, even when there’s no time for any hobbies she might have previously had.

“I love to be busy, to motivate myself to finish the tasks, though we have a lot of tasks to do,” she said.

Distance learning is yet another aspect that makes things harder for her. Kindergartners are less attentive, needing more parental help than other grades would.

The adults also have difficulty, sometimes with web-

Madison

Favorite Author: Arthur Scott Card Favorite Movie: All Marvel Movies What do you want to do with Chinese Language skill: Minor in Chinese in college

sites, talking or arguing about instructions. The nature of online classes also makes the fact that younger students struggle to sit still all the more prominent. For these reasons, Mrs. Hai always prays for in-person learning.

“I think the effort depends on the student and the grade,” Mrs. Hai said.

Even though she prefers in-person teaching, she says with distance learning she can use fancy Powerpoints or pictures and come up with new ways to attract her student’s attention, sometimes with methods that would otherwise not work.

Mrs. Hai finds hope and encouragement in her work.

Her students’ progress urges her on, reminding her of her purpose and the growth she hopes to achieve.

“When I see them say Chinese words in a sentence, although it’s not a complete sentence it makes me excited; it makes me motivated to teach them Chinese.”

(Edited by Caden Christiansen)

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Language immersion as step toward global peace

Newly hired Yinghua Academy teacher fuels her passion for educating America’s youth by immersing them in a new culture.

By Madison | Yinghua Post Reporter

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achel Addington sits at home, grading assignment after assignment while the sounds of activity persist in the background.

After spending 12 years in China, she arrived in Minnesota in August and is happy to be back in her native country. One would think the constant chaos of having four kids around her would be distracting, but she works with it. Aware of everything going on around her, she’s still focused on the task at hand.

The noise is her normal, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I really, really love children,” Mrs. Addington said. “I think they bring happiness to our lives.”

Mrs. Addington’s two eldest children, of grades five and six, are biological. The youngest two are adopted from China, a first grader and a kindergartener. The latter of which is a special needs child with cerebral palsy, and she is both deaf and mute. Her family learned American Sign Language to communicate with him.

Mrs. Addington works as an educational assistant at Yinghua

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Academy, and when asked about the differences between teaching here and in China, she said, “China uses exam education, which means ‘teaching by tests,’ while American education is more free, more creative and more developed in special education.”

I think learning languages ​​is a way of cultivating children to become peacemakers.

Children can become peacemakers in this world.”

Her inspiration in teaching children is centered around the multilingual aspect of her work. She sees the potential in her students and recognizes that learning a new language is more than just that – it’s also understanding a new culture, a new people.

Believing that children are the key to solving those barrier problems, Mrs. Addington explains that it is easier to see things from others’ perspective and accept them when one gains the skill early on, not to mention learning a new form of communication.

“This ability to understand different people allows them to be good friends with all kinds of people,” Mrs. Addington said. “So I think learning languages ​​is a way of cultivating children to become peacemakers. Children can become peacemakers in this world.”

It’s easy to judge what you don’t understand. Her students learn the Chinese language, and they also learn another culture, history, and different traditions. Mrs. Addington’s reasoning is that through the learning of each other’s languages, America and China can have better relations.

“I hope the world can be more unified,” Mrs. Addington said.

(Edited by Caden Christiansen)

Rachel Addington poses with her husband and four children. Addington spent 12 years teaching in China before coming back to the U.S. and working as an Educational Assistant at Yinghua Academy

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Yang Yang shares her experience of teaching during the pandemic.

By Ming | Yinghua Post Reporter

New teacher chooses in-person learning to connect with kindergarteners

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eachers prepare for weeks for school to come back in session and see all of their students flood through their doors with a smile on their face.

Now, it’s a treat if the students turn on their cameras for the Zoom call.

Yang Yang had just graduated from the University of Minnesota when she came to Yinghua Academy to become a kindergarten teacher.

Previously working with Yinghua’s art teacher, Mrs. Byram, Ms. Yang had some experience at Yinghua prior to becoming a teacher there.

Now, being a teacher in 2020 she had to decide whether she wanted to do distance learning or in-person teaching.

After choosing to do in-person learning, one of her biggest difficulties during this time has been not being able to do hands-on activities. She said the main difference between becoming a teacher this year is the drastic decrease in human contact you can make and the students can make with each other .

“If I were to come last year, the students wouldn’t have to be so careful about how close they stand in line,” Ms. Yang said. “When we are playing games, they must social distance, so I chose activities that require no contact at all.”

Younger students tend to use physical objects to learn, but with the restrictions of COVID-19, those forms of learning are no longer an option.

Kindergarten is a child’s first year in school, and for most it’s a very

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memorable time. Ms. Yang wanted to still allow her students to be able to experience their first year in a classroom environment. Although teaching in person is not every teacher’s choice, Ms. Yang can’t overlook the feeling of wanting to go into the school, stand in front of the students and teach them face to face.

“Some pros of teaching in person are that you can form a relationship with your students, but some cons are all of the germs that are being spread through the objects of the classroom,” Ms. Yang said. “It is less safe than teaching at home, but more efficient.”

After teaching for the first few weeks, she has already gotten to know the students and has been enjoying the opportunity to work with her students in a welcoming classroom environment. The choice she has made to teach in person has come with many bumps in the road and has forced her to be creative and think of ways to still make learning fun while following safety guidelines. With that being said, teachers like Ms. Yang are doing their best to make the most out of every day by giving these kids the best learning experience and making it as normal as possible.

Editor’s note: Ms. Young will have to leave Yinghua soon due to a recent change of her visa status. She said she will pursue a second master’s degree from the University of St. Thomas.

(Edited by Savannah Romero)

Ming

What’s your favorite video game?

Minecraft, likes building and to make stuff What’s your favorite sport?

Soccer, defensive player, likes that she gets to play a lot and doesn’t sit a lot- likes the action Which city is next on your list to visit?

Athens, because it looks really cool and she’s wanted to go to Greece for a long time.

What’s your favorite subject?

Science, learn a lot of cool stuff and it’s fun

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Students find

creative ways

ways to stay connected during COVID-19 restrictions to stay connected during COVID-19 restrictions

Students share their thoughts on hybrid learning, COVID-19 and stress release.

By Eve | Yinghua Post Reporter

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ecently, some changes have taken place in Yinghua Academy because of COVID-19. The new strategy splits students into two groups: Group A and Group B. Group A goes into school on Mondays and Wednesdays, while Group B goes into school on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On the days when students aren’t in school, they have virtual classrooms so they don’t get behind. Despite the efficiency of the new model, there have been some concerns

about the students’ mental health and stress relief during this time.

Yao, an eighth grader, prefers how school was before; however, she believes that hybrid learning is not the worst alternative compared to other options.

“I feel like I’m spending a lot more time on my phone and a lot less time with friends or doing things I love,” Yao said.

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“I feel like I’m spending a lot more time on my phone and a lot less time with friends or doing things I love.”

Yao, 8th grade

Many students have noted that they miss being able to learn, study and have fun with their friends during the week. Though they may see a few friends through a computer screen or by being in the same group, they said it’s just not the same.

Some students are still adjusting to COVID-19’s constraint on physical activities.

“I wish I could still go to soccer and basketball practices, but other than that the restrictions are not too bad,” said Tyler, another eighth grader.

Others have agreed that the virus is forcing people to stay inside and restricting their opportunities and options, and they have found ways to relieve stress.

“I take a day every week to just breathe and not do homework or anything stressful,” Yao said.

In the middle of the semester, Yinghua decided to switch the middle school to a distance-learning-only model, and this has not been easy for some students.

“I hate the switch to all distance learning for eighth grade,” Saica said. “I wish I could keep seeing people at school at least. Hybrid learning isn’t bad though.”

Although she said she believes COVID-19 is not the worst thing that could happen, she wishes she could go places and be able to breathe properly, unimpaired by a mask.

“If everyone had just not left their houses for two months, it would have ended a long time ago,” she said.

Despite her annoyances, she still finds ways to relieve her stress by reading online books and graphic novels.

Through all the changes that this strange year has brought about, the Yinghua students have continued to show resilience. Though the situation is not what many students would wish for, they have found creative ways to connect with friends, release stress, and learn in different models of school - hybrid and online only. They hope to go back to a normal way of life soon, but for now, they continue their hard work.

(Edited by Cameron Blom)

Eve What is your favorite subject?

Art or music.

Who is your favorite author?

JK Rowling, Amelie Wen Zhao, Neal Shusterman What is a hobby you enjoy?

Photo Editing

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Chinese as language and as culture As one of Yinghua Academy’s new teachers, Jiawen Shen shares how this year has been.

By Annika | Yinghua Post Reporter

J

iawen Shen welcomes her sixth grade Chinese Language Arts class at 9 a.m. every Monday. Although her class has 19 students, only half of them are in the room due to capacity regulations. COVID-19 has made Ms. Shen’s first year teaching at Yinghua Academy more of a challenge than she could ever imagine.

Ms. Shen is originally from Beijing, and she moved to the US to teach her native language.

“I knew Chinese and American teaching schools and classrooms were very different because Chi-

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nese schools have a lot of kids in one classroom, so we don’t have that many opportunities to do group work or projects in a classroom,’’ Ms. Shen said. “I really wanted to come to America to try and learn how American students learn and teach.”

Ms. Shen does a lot of group activities with her students to help them understand the Chinese characters and definitions. This is sometimes difficult because classes are often virtual due to the pandemic.

“The hard part is that because you can’t see your students and can’t always solve their problems, they might have a problem online, but they can’t right then ask the teacher for help,” Ms. Shen said.

Despite the new challenges that distance learning brings, teaching is a rewarding experience for Ms. Shen.

“In our language we have a culture; in our culture we have language, so I wanted to mix culture and language in my teaching.”

“[I love] when I see my students Jiawen Shen succeed or see my students communicate with me using Chinese” This intersection of culture and lanMs. Shen said. guage sets up Yinghua students for success. Not only does Ms. Shen She always wanted to teach Chi- want her students to enjoy studying nese instead of another subject Chinese, she wants them to realize such as social studies or math be- how great of an opportunity it is for cause teaching Chinese is not just them. teaching a language, it’s also teach“Even if we have no way to come to ing culture. school, but we can keep safe and “In our language we have a culture; learn Chinese, it’s a double win,” in our culture we have language, so I Ms. Shen said. wanted to mix culture and language (Edited by Soraya Keiser) in my teaching,” Ms. Shen said.

Annika What’s your favorite video game?

Roblox What’s your favorite sport?

Soccer Who’s your hero?

My mom Which city do you like the most? Orlando Which city is next on your list to visit?

Dubai What’s your favorite subject?

Science and math

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Chinese teachers share their experiences dealing with the pandemic.

Coronavirus takes toll on Chinese teachers

By Isabella | Yinghua Post Reporter

Y

inghua Academy Chinese Language Arts teacher Shumai Lai had to begin teaching her students fully online again starting Nov. 9. Up until this point in the semester, Ms. Lai’s classes had met in person, yet due to increasing COVID-19 cases, new precautions have been implemented. The future remains uncertain as to how classes will continue.

COVID-19 started in late 2019. By early 2020, it had spread to most of the world. At Yinghua, many teachers immigrated from Asia.

With travel restrictions imposed on international flights, they haven’t been able to go home and visit family and friends for many months.

Also, many Asian-Americans have recently faced discrimination because many people believed that

COVID-19 originated in Wuhan, China.

Although none of the middle school teachers have felt discrimination directly, they said it is still hard to hear about discrimination happening to others. Some of the elementary school teachers said they have been bullied, and there are stories on the Internet of people being rude to Asians. Math teacher Dong-

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Ying Pai said he remembers hearing about an Asian person in Woodbury who found a sign on their door that said, ‘Please move back to Asia, and take the virus with you.’

Along with these hardships, the teachers at Yinghua are learning how to be teachers in a time of social distancing, masks and online classes. They are working harder than usual to keep up with lessons and help their students learn and adjust to this new normal.

“I think everyone has had a bad experience with the coronavirus,” Ms. Lai said. “From a teacher’s perspective, this virus has put more pressure on me and my students. It’s harder for them to learn, and that’s my first priority.” with both text and video call funcMany teachers echoed Ms. Lai’s tions, to keep up with their friends sentiments and explained that it’s and family. harder to be a teacher due to the pandemic.

“Right now at Yinghua, I am working seven days a week, so there isn’t time for me to think about other things,” Chinese Language Arts teacher Bo Liu said.

The transition to distance learning has taken up much of these teachers’ time, meaning they have less time for themselves to connect with family, many of whom live in places like Taiwan and China. Whether

by Zoom or Facebook, teachers are keeping in touch. Math teacher Xu Zhu and Mr. Liu use WeChat, an app

Amidst the busyness, teachers are still finding a few quiet moments to themselves. Ms. Lai planted a garden this summer. Mr. Liu went on a walk to take in the autumn views.

Mr. Pai has been exercising more and reading more books. Social distancing has gotten old for some, but these teachers realize its importance in keeping their school running.

“Everyone has to work together to eliminate the coronavirus,” Mr. Zhu said. “If one person keeps their freedom, they sacrifice the freedom of the community.”

(Edited by Soraya Keiser)

Isabella

Favorite video game: Minecraft Favorite sport: Gymnastics & Soccer

Favorite book: Harry Potter & Lord of the Rings Favorite subject: English and History

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By Karin and Ezra | Yinghua Post Reporters

Alumni embrace future with Chinese in mind Yinghua Academy alumni share their experiences and the opportunities that Chinese immersion has brought them.

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yla Straub ran towards the soccer ball and felt a sudden jolt of pain. Falling to the ground, she clutched her right knee. She was rushed to the ER and put through several MRIs. It was a torn ACL. She woke up after the surgery and felt extreme pain and was quite groggy from the medications they gave her.

Straub is 18 years old and a graduate of Yinghua Academy’s class of 2016, the third class to ever graduate from Yinghua. Her graduating class had about 25 people, and they were all very close knit. During her time there, she got to experience a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go to the Chinese Bridge

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2016 Yinghua Academy graduate Ayla Straub.

Photo Courtesy of Ayla Straub.

Competition in China and compete against many people from different countries.

Straub attends St. Olaf College and is majoring in Chinese and biology with hopes of becoming a pediatric physical therapist. She started thinking about physical therapy after tearing her ACL, and she has always wanted to make an impact in the world. After such a traumatic experience, she felt that the medical field was a way for her to make that impact. She had hoped to take a semester in China, but due to COVID-19 concerns, it has been postponed. She wants to pursue Chinese all throughout college because she loves the language and hopes to somehow incorporate that into her pediatric physical therapy plans.

nese language, and the lack of this did have effects on her study.

“Have fun while it lasts, and don’t stress about grades so much.”

Ayla Straub and language, which opened up a lot of options for her future. But she admitted that the transition from a mostly Chinese day to every day being in English was challenging. As she prepares for her future, Straub said she has no regrets about her time at Yinghua Academy.

Straub had some advice for the stu- Alaina Sandau grappled for the dents who currently attend Ying- door handle as the bell started to hua. ring, telling her to hurry up and get to class. Three classes a week aren’t “Have fun while it lasts,” Straub nearly enough to allow her skills to said. “And don’t stress about grades flourish, and the class itself wasn’t so much.” anywhere near the type of chalStraub said one of the pros of at- lenge she was used to. She said she tending a Chinese immersion school missed the constant feeling of beis she learned a different culture ing utterly surrounded by the Chi-

Sandau graduated from Yinghua Academy’s second ever graduating class in 2015. Her class consisted of 17 students, who gave her a feeling of family even at school. Sandau, now a sophomore at Bethel University, is majoring in psychology and minoring in teaching English to speakers of other languages.

She would like to use her Chinese speaking ability to set herself apart within her field.

“I want to let my clients feel they’re most comfortable and use their mother tongue,” Sandau said.

She wishes to live in China one day and can see herself working in a position using her Chinese skills.

Sandau is excited for the program her mother recently created where students can travel around Taiwan for their short semester in January to absorb the culture and participate in a wellness class. This includes living in surrounding villages, learning about medicine and mental health and learning from the new environment.

“The Chinese speaking aspect is something I really took for granted,” Sandau said. “Now I have to go seek it out.”

Sandau noticed that after she grad-

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uated and wasn’t surrounded by Chinese throughout her day, it was more difficult to continue the study of the language.

“Try to take advantage; Speak Chinese as much as you can,” said Sandau. “I know it feels hard, and it is hard, but it’s going to be so much harder when you’re old and downloading Duolingo on your phone and you can’t make it past level five.”

Sandau’s Chinese has opened up many opportunities for her, big or small, and she’s happy she could learn such an interesting language and its corresponding culture.

2015 Yinghua Academy graduate Alaina Sandau Photo Courtesy of Alaina Sandau

2016 Yinghua Academy graduateAnika Johnson Photo Courtesy of Anika Johnson

Anika Johnson never pictured herself interning at an orthodontist, college application essays. but this, her podcast and her love for journalism were just some op- “I was able to tie Chinese into evportunities where she could use her erything,” Johnson said.

Chinese speaking skills.

Johnson is currently taking a After graduating from Yinghua gap year but will be moving to CalAcademy in 2016, Johnson fur- ifornia to attend Stanford Univerthered her study of Chinese at Min- sity to double major in Chinese, nehaha Academy. There, she met pre-med or international relations. many helpful teachers, though she She knows she can incorporate her often found it was she who pushed language skills into any career she finds herself in, so she’s keeping an herself the most. open mind as to what she wants to While attending Minnehaha Acad- do with her time at Stanford. emy, Johnson started exploring “I really felt prepared coming out journalism and absolutely loved it.

It inspired her to start her own pod- of Yinghua,” Johnson said. “The cast, interviewing participants in teachers really push the students to both English and Chinese, and even be their best and expect a lot out of students, and I think that mindset a former Yinghua teacher. was something that really helped Her experience in journalism proved me throughout high school and othto be useful when she wrote her er situations.”

This mindset and her confidence to take on new challenges have prepared her for the experiences that lie ahead.

Caitlin Igel class of 2018: Q: What did you miss about Yinghua?

A: I miss performing in the Chinese New Year celebrations most. Although I help out with the performance every year, it is not the same

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as being on stage. Being able to showcase Q: Do you have any advice for current Yinyour knowledge in a safe and fun way is very ghua students? special and boosts confidence in my opinion.

A: Study the language and the culture, and Q: How has your Chinese language opened when you go to high school, keep learning up opportunities for you?

Chinese. Do not give up; there is too much to A: I think it is fun to be able to chat with my learn. Stay in contact with your friends and friend (also a Yinghua alum) in Chinese with- promise to meet them at least once a month out anyone else being able to understand. to keep the conversations going. Practice Aside from this, I am able to communicate sports and be good in ninth grade. The transiwith more people, watch more movies and tion is hard because you are coming to a difread more because of Chinese. I am currently ferent world, so learn to say no and navigate preparing to apply for a bilingual seal, which the system. will look great to colleges and potential employers.

Q: Do you have any advice for current Yin- Ava Chew class of 2020 ghua students?

Q: What did you miss about Yinghua?

A: DO YOUR HOMEWORK. I know it’s a lot and you probably want to be doing other things, but it will make high school so much more relaxing if you are already used to the work demands.

Mateo Castro class of 2016: Q: What did you miss about Yinghua?

A: I miss so much. The number one thing on my list is my peers and teachers; I think of them everyday and pray they’re doing well.

I also miss the familiar routine, but stepping out of my comfort zone is good, too. I miss being in a familiar, comforting environment.

Lastly, I’d say I miss the opportunity to speak Mandarin; however, I will note that I don’t miss writing Chinese essays.

Ezra

Favorite Author: Tim Green Favorite Sport: Soccer Favorite Movie: Black Panther

Who is your hero: LeBron James

Q: How has your Chinese language opened up opportunities for you?

A: I miss my friends at Yinghua, my P.E. A: I have been able to communicate with othteacher, Mrs. Total, learning the language ers who know the language as well. and the trips to Taiwan and China.

Q: Do you have any advice for current YinQ: How has your Chinese language opened ghua students? up opportunities for you?

A: My advice would be to enjoy every moA: I did my AP in Chinese last year, and I ment at Yinghua and just take the time to attended the U of M. I am so proud to say I soak it all in. I can’t tell you how long I could speak Chinese, and when I went to Africa, I take just walking around the school, looking was able to help a group of Chinese people at old classrooms and daydreaming of memon the trip. I am looking forward to graduat- ories. I’d probably be there for weeks before ing and retaking my Chinese at the University Mrs. Berg would tell me I had to leave. and someday being able to go to China.

Karin

Favorite subject: Art or Social Studies Favorite sport: Soccer Favorite Movie: Unbroken Favorite Food: Minnestroni Soup

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Yinghua teachers tackle

hybrid learning Hybrid learning poses special challenges to subjects such as music, science and physical education.

D

ue to the spread of the COVID-19 virus, teachers are now tasked with finding a way to teach students while keeping physically distanced

By Matilda | Yinghua Post from one another in order to stop the spread Reporter of the virus.

ings every week to figure out how they were going to make the pivot to hybrid learning.

The teachers who teach social studies, language arts and math may have an easier time instructing since their classes rely less on hands-on learning; however, subjects such as In March, Yinghua Academy transitioned to science, music and physical education could fully online learning, but this fall, teaching have more challenges of trying to complete changed to hybrid format. Teachers had meet- lessons over Zoom.

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A teacher sits in an empty classroom while teaching via Zoom for students at home.

Julie Downs, a science teacher, now has been teaching hybrid for a few months and is still working on adjusting to the change from being fully online last spring. Mrs. Downs said that she can check in one on one with students during their hybrid meetings, something that was previously more difficult because of larger class sizes; however, this doesn’t mean that hybrid teaching is easy.

“I’m working harder now than I did when we were [fully online] and that surprised me,” she said.

Since students and teachers meet less frequently during hybrid learning, this means there is less time to complete lessons and assignments and leaves more pressure on both students and teachers.

“I’m working harder now than I did when we were [fully online] and that surprised me.” virus, there are limitations to what activities students can do.

“I’m trying to make sure that at school we are not doing anything that involves heavy breathing, so, for example, we are not singing Another teacher, Britta Fitzer, has [while] in person,” Ms. Fitzer said. experienced challenges with hybrid learning as well. She is the mu- As the pandemic continues to sic teacher for both middle school spread throughout the state, teachand kindergarten students. Prior ers are working hard to ensure that to transitioning to online learning, all students receive the same level multiple classes would all meet to- of education through hybrid and gether in person for music class. online learning that they would reNow, just one middle school class ceive in person. With the fluid naof between eight and 16 students ture of the pandemic, there are conmeets over Zoom at one time. For stant adjustments and changes to kindergarten, a small group of stu- be made in the way learning occurs. dents meets in person. In order to try to mitigate the spread of the (Edited by Nate Eisenmann)

Matilda

Do you play any sports?

I swim and play hockey. I have been swimming forever and started hockey 6 years ago.

Least favorite ice cream flavor?

I don’t like caramel.

What’s the farthest away you’ve ever been from home?

I went to Mexico a long time ago.

Are you fluent in languages other than English and Chinese?

No. I went to a spanish camp but didn’t like it.

How many siblings do you have?

None. Sometimes I wish I had siblings but most of the time I’m glad I’m an only child.

Do you have any pets?

I used to have a dog.

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?

The Maldives.

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Yinghua community shares thoughts on George Floyd’s death prompts Yinghua Academy to tackle tough conversations with others in their community.

racial

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O

By Edda and Ayana | Yinghua Post Reporters

n May 25, a Black man by the name of George Floyd was pronounced dead after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for more than seven minutes. A bystander’s video of the tragedy quickly began to circulate, and when demands for the officer’s conviction proved fruitless, a national protest ensued.

We were able to attend some of these protests and feel the changes rising up in our communities.

Edda: All eyes were on Minneapolis as peaceful protesters marched through the streets during the day, but riots and chaos rampaged at night. I recall waking up early one morning, opening the door, and seeing the smoke that hung heavy in the air, almost like a fog. I grabbed my bike and rode through the barren streets, passing wreckage, vandalism and garbage everywhere (some of it still on fire). It was surreal. I spent the rest of the day cleaning with volunteers in the area, talking to people I had never met and finding common ground in the community. My friends and I spent the whole month of June going to protests, making signs and visiting George Floyd’s memorial. I still feel as though I haven’t done enough because to

this day, the officer who knelt on George Floyd’s neck (in addition to many other officers like him) has not been convicted.

Ayana: It has been exceptionally hard as a person of color during these times. I attended a couple of protests, and seeing all different races and genders come together during a pandemic is truly remarkable.

The brutal killing of George Floyd wasn’t just a tragedy for the Black community – it was a call for unity. Hopefully, people will now take racism more seriously. Schools and workplaces are going to have to start normalizing these conversations. In every tragedy comes a blessing, and I believe everyone can create change by working together.

The Minneapolis uprising has affected all of us, so we interviewed members of the Yinghua community to understand the perspectives of students and staff.

How has the Black Lives Matter Movement affected you and your community’s daily lives?

“I live close to where the protests have happened. Some things in my neighborhood have been affected, and some things have not.” – Ben, sixth grade

injustice

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How involved are you in the Black Lives Matter Movement?

“I definitely support the Black Lives Matter movement. I don’t think I am the most involved person; however, I want to find ways to be more involved. I will never know what it’s like to be a person of color, so I need to open up my mind and just listen the best I can.” – Anika, sixth grade

“There have been no protests in my neighborhood, but it has brought people together and we support each other.” – Julie Downs, MS science teacher “It has made us confront the realities of our racist past, which has led to many more good discussions.”

– Kevin Balk, MS social studies teacher What are your thoughts on All Lives Matter?

“All lives do matter, but black lives need a little more love right now.” – Ezra, eighth grade

“I 100% support it and am involved from an educational level. In eighth grade, we compare and contrast the BLM movement to the Civil Rights and Black Power movements of the 1950s and 1970s so we can see how this is the next step to push for racial equality in America, rather than its own separate and disconnected movement.” – Kevin Balk, MS sorespect, the phrase All Lives Matter cial studies teacher was specifically designed to undermine the BLM movement. All Lives “I am trying to help, but I don’t know Matter is such an obvious state- exactly what to do. I think it’s unment; it doesn’t have to be said. fair people are being treated worse Black Lives Matter, unfortunately, than others.” – Ben, sixth grade is a phrase that many Americans need to be reminded of because Have you done anything to help our country has systematically de- educate yourself and others on valued black lives throughout its racial injustice? history, dating all the way back to “It’s important to teach social studslavery, but certainly not ending ies in a way that students can see when slavery did.” – Kevin Balk, MS for themselves the inequality and social studies teacher hypocrisy of our country’s history, “It’s like if you get a cut and you say, so that we can make connections as what about the rest of my body? You to the issues affecting people still need to pay more attention to the to this day.” – Kevin Balk, MS social wound, which is currently the black studies teacher

“While all human beings are of course deserving of life, liberty and community.” – Titus, sixth grade

“I went to the George Floyd memo-

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rial, and I read a lot of books, like ing that all people are deserving of Black Brother and Dismantling Rac- respect. Within our Yinghua comism.” – Titus, sixth grade munity, we start teaching the core values from a very young age so “I feel that learning is ongoing.” – that should help on a local level. As Julie Downs, MS science teacher far as the school system as a whole, Do you think that teachers should I think there needs to be a change educate students more on racial in the idea of how school districts are funded.... If we see education injustice? as everyone’s opportunity to make “This is hard to say because I know a better life for themselves, then we do this as a school. Being a mid- why shouldn’t everyone have acdle school teacher and seeing how cess to the same quality of educaopen-minded our students are has tion?” – Kevin Balk, MS social studgiven me hope for the future and ies teacher this country and all people living in it.” – Kevin Balk, MS social studies “Something really important is to not tell others what to think, but to teacher create opportunities for conversa“Yinghua focuses on Chinese cul- tion.” – Julie Downs, MS science ture; however, I do believe within teacher the school curriculum there is always room for improvement in cel- -----------------------ebrating and teaching different cul- There are many ways we can join tures and also continuing to teach the fight to combat racial injustice Chinese culture and history.” – Brit- together. Students agree that in orta Fitzer, music teacher der to fight racial injustice, they’ll need to commit to having tough conversations – whether these conversations happen during morning meetings, discovery classes or in clubs, their importance in uplifting Going forward, how do you think the Black community is something Yinghua and the school system at the Yinghua community values. large can improve on educating students on racial injustice and (Interviews edited for clarity and conciseness, Edited by Rachel preventing racial discrimantion?

Waterman) “It’s really important to have conversations because otherwise some people will not understand what’s going on.” – Ezra, eighth grade

Edda

I love reading old books. Especially the 1700’s-1900’s era, I love the flowery writing style and the unnecessarily long words. I am currently reading The Compiled Works of Edgar Allan Poe. I like rainy days. My ideal college is somewhere abroad where I won’t be drowning in student debt later on in life. Living in another country, experiencing its culture (and maybe learning another language) is an aspiration of mine.

“Parents are everybody’s first teacher, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t help at school.” – Julie Downs, MS science teacher

“I think we need to continue teach-

Ayana

Favorite app: TikTok

Favorite sport: Gymnastics, Dance & Basketball Favorite author: J.K. Rowling, Jaqueline Woodson University preference: Harvard, Oxford

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By Gigi | Yinghua Post Reporter

Yinghua treasures mission to train students into globally minded world citizens

Mrs. Berg talks about her life as a principal and how she is handling the Coronavirus pandemic.

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usan Berg grew up with a mother who has traveled around the world.

At 97, Mrs. Berg’s mom still belongs to three book clubs and remains intrigued by all cultures around the globe. This upbringing has prepared Mrs. Berg to take on the leadership role in Yinghua Academy, the first Chinese immersion school in the Midwest.

Q: What are your duties at Yinghua?

A: My official title is CEO and Executive Director. In a way, when you think about that, little children say to me, ‘What are you doing here?’ Over the years, I’ve found the simplest thing to say is, ‘I’m the boss.’ And so in a way, that’s my responsibility. What I have to do here is answer to everything, whether it’s the education, money, the facilities, policies of the school, or about safety. Every one of those responsibilities is mine. So in a way, the buck stops with me.

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Q: What’s your favorite part of being at Yinghua?

whatever. Thank you very much. I’m very honored, but no thank you. The way I got convinced to give it a try was that my family and good friends said that it doesn’t mean you can’t go back. Give it a go, and maybe you will love it. I still found a way to still stay connected to the students. I never lose track of the idea that the main focus is kids, and that’s where I like to spend my time.

A: My favorite part of being at Yinghua is just the kids, teachers and learning because I started my career as a teacher. My favorite grade to teach is first grade, and I taught that for 12 years, but I have also taught kindergarten, second grade, fourth grade, sixth grade. At the end of the day, my very favorite job is just kids and teachers and learning.

Q: What is the hardest part of leading Yinghua this year?

A: The hardest part is the unknown. With the pandemic, none of us chose it; it’s no one’s fault; it’s not only happening to Yinghua, or to our families, but to the world.

There are lots of people, and everyone has an opinion.

Everyone has been affected by it.

Q: What have you learned over the years at Yinghua?

A: I have learned that it doesn’t matter what kind of school it is. I feel like what makes a school successful is the people in it, the leadership of school and the teachers in the school. The teachers are, of course, the core of what happens in the school. There are excellent schools of every kind and not-sogood schools of every kind. It really comes down to never losing the focus -- that it’s all about the kids.

Q: You started off as a teacher, what made you want to become executive director?

A: I really did that reluctantly. When I was in the International School of Minnesota, I was teaching first grade, happy as a clam. I was in heaven. I loved it. And the owners of the school, because it was a private school, came to me and asked me if I would be interested in being the head of the lower school.

And I said, ‘No, thank you.’ I said no because it’s all about kids and teaching and learning, books and

Q: Who is a role model of yours?

Principal Berg sits at her desk as she meets with other school leaders Photos by Will Jacott

A: I have to say my mom is. My mom is 97 years old.

She still lives in her own home and belongs to three book clubs, so she is always learning, always curious and intrigued. She has had the chance to travel the world. She is intrigued by all cultures from all backgrounds. She always sees the best in everything.

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Q: What is the hardest part of your job?

A: Becoming the executive director at Yinghua, part of it was and is learning all the aspects of the school that aren’t my expertise. Same thing happened when we went through the expansion of Yinghua, we doubled the school. In one way, it’s the hardest part to learn new things, but it’s also really rewarding to learn those things. The other hardest part is to please everybody.

That’s impossible no matter what you do. I am incredibly grateful for the team that we have.

Q: What advice would you give a student wanting to come to Yinghua.

A: I start around 8:15. I like to set my stuff down, walk around the school and make sure that things are running smoothly. I have weekly meetings with my staff.

The best part of my day is when I read to first graders.

I would say that’s a highlight. Tonight, I have a school board meeting, so that’s also kind of typical. I have lots of evening meetings with different committees. I still try to get into the classrooms and at least poke my head in to see how kids and teachers are doing.

A: I would say that Yinghua is actually for everyone. When I first came to Yinghua, I thought, ‘Wow, who would be interested in Chinese immersion?’ If I was a mom and my child had some struggles with learning, it just kind of seemed hard to me, like really a tall reach. Only the smartest, most motivated, most supported kids could make it here. But what I’ve realized in nine years is that anyone can make it here. I think part of that is the incredible work of every member on staff. Our parents that are interested in Yinghua are pretty globally minded – they get it and are curious about the world. For kids who are interested in coming to Yinghua, you’ve got to be prepared to work hard, and you better be open minded and not only have one way of thinking and seeing the world, because that is who we are.

Q: What about this job do you dislike?

(Edited by Logan Murphy)

Q: What does your typical day look like?

A: Paperwork. And I often say that to children when they say, ‘I don’t like handwriting in Chinese; I don’t like writing the characters over and over.’ No matter what you do in life, I bet if you ask any adult, there is something that’s not their favorite part of their job.

So every month, that’s my least favorite part. I have to write a report for the board, and it takes me a couple of hours. I’d rather be in the classroom.

Q: How are you making Yinghua safe from COVID-19?

A: First, we thought of the facility. Because we didn’t have people here in the summer, we thought about the plexiglass, the signage, spacing of the desks, hand sanitizers, health check stations – actual physical things that we could do to make the place safe. We prepared for all of that. We hired extra cleaners. We have 852 kids right now, and about 200 kids that are doing total distance learning, so that leaves about 650 kids that are divided into two groups. So we have about 350 kids in the school compared to 850, so that’s part of what I was asked to keep them safe.

As a principal, Mrs. Berg continues to have to spend a large chunk of time attending meetings and doing paperwork.

Even though she is not in the classroom as much now, seeing the Yinghua community thrive keeps her moving forward.

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Gigi What’s your favorite app?

Google Translate Which city do you like the most?

No Favorite city What’s your favorite subject?

Science/social studies Who’s your favorite Youtuber?

Ohana Adventure

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Kickball!

Yinghua students enjoy some outdoors time on a warm November afternoon

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1. 从这次采访写作的经验中，你觉得最大的收获是什么？ 2. 明年若是还有机会和Bethel 的学生合作，你会如何 鼓励其它的小朋友参加？

Aija

我学会写得更好,而且学会了采访老师. 我会告诉他们是一个好的学习经验.

Roya

我认为我最大的收获是对学校的了解。 透过这次采访 写作的经验，我更加地了解学校中所有的人和事.

我会鼓励学生参加，因为这是一种有趣的学习体验，他 们可以在玩乐的同时练习写作能力.

Matilda

我知道我比我想像的自己还要好，但最大的收获是我 可以向其他人展示我的作品，使他们看到并喜欢我和 其他人的文章.

我会告诉他们这个经验有多有趣，这也是提高写作水 平的好方法.

Gigi

我觉得最大的收获是看到Bethel 的学生的写作方 法.因为是一个Bethel学生带领两位英华学生，我感觉 到很幸运可以有这个机会，他们给我的附加意见是我 最大的收获。 虽然我们不能面对面的互动和学习，但这 还是一个很好的经验

如果明年Bethel和英华要再合作,我会支持七，八年级 的同学们参加. 因为他们可以从大学生那里学到新闻 写作的方法，然后他们的文章会被刊登在报纸上，这是 很难得的经验.

Eve

我认为从这次采访中获得的最大收获是，现在我可以 更加地了解我的同学如何受到COVID-19的影响以及 他们如何应对压力

虽然我明年就要离开英华，但我还可以今年就鼓励别 人明年参加。 我可以给他们看今年出版的报纸，告诉 他们这增加了我写作的技能。

Edda

这次采访我确实非常吃惊，没想到我的同学和老师会 有许多不同的想法和经验。 我也觉得跟大学生一起写 文章很有意思，扩大了我的眼界。

虽然我明年就要离开英华，但我还可以今年就鼓励别 人明年参加。 可以给他们看今年出版的报纸，告诉他 们这增加了我写作的洞察力。 我也可以透过海报或电 子邮件鼓励其它人参加。

Ezra

我最大的收获是我现在知道怎么写一个报纸文章。 我会告诉他们这是一个很好的经验。

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Meet our reporters

Aija

REPORTER

Eve

REPORTER

Annika

REPORTER

Gigi

REPORTER

Madison

REPORTER

Ming

Ayana

REPORTER

Isabella

REPORTER

REPORTER

Roya

Edda

REPORTER

Matilda

REPORTER

REPORTER

Sophie

Ezra

REPORTER

Karin

REPORTER

REPORTER

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Editing Staff Eight Bethel students partnered with Yinghua students to create this newspaper.

This collaboration consisted of seven sessions of Zoom meetings, and its product represented the Yinghua community as authentically as possible, even during these unprecedented times.

Editors would like to thank the following people for their assistance or financial support in making The Yinghua Post happen: Logan MURPHY

Nate EISENMANN

Yinghua Academy 1616 Buchanan Street NE Minneapolis, MN 55413 Principal Susan Berg Susan.berg@yinghuaacademy.org

Cameron BLOOM

Savannah ROMERO

Soraya KEISER

Caden

CHRISTIANSEN

Rachel WATERMAN

Emma HARVILLE

Bethel University English and Journalism Department 3900 Bethel Drive St. Paul, MN 55104 Professor Yu-li Chang Zacher y-changzacher@bethel.edu

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Yinghua students and staff

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Yinghua Academy Student Activities Coordinator Jenni Hoyt

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Yinghua Academy Executive Director Susan Berg

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Yinghua Academy Academic Director Luyi Lien

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Yinghua Academy Dean of Students Jeremy Brewer

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Bethel graphic design student Will Jacott

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Rick Berkner and the staff at North Star Media, who printed The Yinghua Post

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The Johnson Center, founded by Kathy and Gene Johnson, which helped fund student reporters’ notebooks and printing of newspapers

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Johnson Center Director Dave Kansas of Minnesota Public Radio

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Bethel Dean of Academic Programs Barrett Fisher

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Bethel Provost Deb Harless and President Ross Ellen