5月9日，明尼通卡学区主办了面向K-6年级学生的“中西部汉语桥”竞赛，欢迎来自中西部各地的参赛者。此次活动为年轻学习者提供了展示汉语水平和文化知识的机会。

“本次比赛为学生提供了一个宝贵的平台，让他们能够展示中文水平、增强公开演讲的自信，并与同龄人开展跨文化学习，”明尼通卡中文沉浸式教学中心主任、中文沉浸式课程教师莉莉安·邓（Lilian Dang）表示。

三十名明尼通卡学区学生从校内选拔赛晋级至中西部地区预选赛，其中八名学生最终与来自该地区其他22名选手一同角逐中西部地区决赛。 “我为我们的沉浸式课程学生和教师所展现的奉献精神和勇气感到无比自豪，”邓女士说道。

据邓女士介绍，中西部赛区的冠军选手有望被推荐参加在中国举办的全球总决赛。“学生及一名监护人的所有费用——包括国际机票、住宿和当地交通——将由中国主办方全额承担，”她解释道。 “这对我们的学生及其家庭而言，确实是一次千载难逢的文化与教育体验。”

承办中西部“汉语桥”大赛标志着明尼通卡学区的一个重要里程碑。“这体现了我们中文沉浸式项目的实力与发展，并使本学区在全球教育领域占据领先地位，”邓指出。

表现尤为突出的选手包括埃克塞尔西尔学校五年级中文沉浸式课程学生索利亚娜·伊曼纽尔，她跻身前三名。另一学区的学生被选中，将代表中西部11个参赛州参加在中国举行的全球大赛。祝贺所有参赛选手！

Minnetonka High School Immersion Students Compete at the Chinese Bridge Competition in Chicago

At the end of May, Minnetonka Chinese Immersion students brought home an impressive collection of awards at the Chinese Bridge Midwest Secondary School Speech Contest in Chicago, showcasing their exceptional Chinese language skills, cultural knowledge, and public speaking talents on a regional stage. The Chinese Bridge Speech Contest is one of the world's most prestigious competitions for students learning Chinese. The event promotes language proficiency, cultural understanding, and global citizenship while connecting young learners from diverse backgrounds.

Competing against some of the Midwest's most accomplished Chinese language learners, seven Minnetonka students earned top honors, demonstrating the strength and excellence of the district's Chinese Immersion program.

Award recipients included:

• Gold Medal
  • Willa Brubaker (MHS)
  • Emma Luthra (MME)
  • Dingyu Zheng (MMW)
• Silver Medal
  • Mingchi Mathur (MHS)
  • Connor Malsam (MMW)
• Bronze Medal
  • Leana Shelendich (MHS)
  • Kenneth Laurence (MHS)

In addition to earning a gold medal, Willa Brubaker was selected to represent the Midwestern United States at the World Chinese Bridge Contest in China this fall, a prestigious honor awarded to only a select group of students. Her achievement highlights the outstanding dedication, talent and global readiness of Minnetonka's Chinese Immersion learners.