On May 21, two Upper School students earned first and second place in their respective categories at the 6th Chinese Bridge U.S. High School Speech Contest, held at the University of Massachusetts Confucius Institute in Boston.

One student earned first place in the Advanced Group, for students who have learned Chinese for more than four years; the other earned second place in the Beginner Group, for students who have learned Chinese for less than two years.

Each student gave a four- to five-minute memorized speech in Chinese and answered questions in Chinese posed by a panel of judges. The theme of the speeches was “Chinese language and my life.”

Sidwell Friends has offered Mandarin Chinese since 1983. Currently the Chinese program offers a six-year, five-level course of study starting in the 7th grade. Sidwell students also have the opportunity to participate in regular summer trips to China and enroll in School Year Abroad in Beijing.