Westerville’s Fourth Friday “School Daze” Event Draws a Crowd

10/5/2012

Mandarin teacher Hui Lauren Duan helps a child make a Chinese lantern as her husband, Victor, looks on.

The theme for Uptown Westerville’s final Fourth Friday event for 2012 on September 28 was “School Daze,” and personnel in the Westerville City School District manned booths to promote academic achievement for all students. Displays showcased Mathematics, English Language Arts, Science/Technology, Social Studies, Visual/Performing Arts, Health/Wellness, World Languages, and Extracurricular Activities.

One table featured lantern making, Chinese character name-writing and sharing of information about the 2012 Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival. Chinese guest teacher Hui Lauren Duan, who is teaching Mandarin to sixth grade students at all four middle schools – Genoa, Walnut Springs, Heritage and Blendon – was present, along with her husband, Victor, who was visiting for the week. She is here for the 2012-2013 school year as part of a "Chinese Bridge" delegation program sponsored in part by the Hanban/Confucius Institute and College Board. The couple resides in Guangzhou, where Lauren works as a middle school English teacher and Victor teaches English at a university. Fourth Friday events are sponsored by the Westerville Visitors and Convention Bureau (WVCB), from April through September.