Contact: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Friday, December 9, 2011

Representatives of Fayette County Public Schools are traveling to Beijing to accept a prestigious award for the district’s Chinese language program. FCPS was chosen as one of five “Exemplary Confucius Classrooms” worldwide and the only one from the United States.

School board Chairman John Price will receive the honor on the district's behalf Dec. 12 during the opening ceremony at China's National Center for the Performing Arts.

Alicia Vinson, coordinator of the world languages immersion program for FCPS, will be among the honorees at the 2012 Confucius Institutes and Classrooms world conference. On Dec. 14, she will present the FCPS "Road to Proficiency,"  followed by a Q&A session. 

"I hope you do realize that this district award is humbling, but it is also a challenge to continue to grow to be the best in the world," Vinson emailed her teachers before the trip.

FCPS offers high-quality Chinese instruction in more than a dozen schools, partners with sister schools in China and participates in cultural activities with local groups.

Last year, FCPS was accepted as a member of the second cohort of schools in the Hanban – Asia Society Confucius Classrooms Network. The move came in recognition of the district’s potential as a model Chinese language program for the United States, strong local leadership, demonstrated commitment to international exchange and collaboration, and global vision for the future.

Did you know?

The Confucius Classrooms Network was established in partnership with Hanban, the affiliate of the Chinese Ministry of Education that supports the teaching and learning of Chinese language and culture in all corners of the world. Visit asiasociety.org/Chinese for more details.

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