Governor’s School Teaches Chinese Here

By Times-Dispatch staff writers Lindsay Kastner, Juan Lizama, Olympia Meola contributed to this report.

Richmond-area public-school students who want to take a Chinese language class had better be smart. First they have to get into the Governor’s School.

The Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School for Government and International Studies has been offering Chinese since the 1992-93 school year. It now offers four levels of Chinese language instruction and has one fully endorsed teacher on staff.

Pat Taylor, a spokeswoman for the school, said finding qualified teachers for the language is increasingly difficult. “It’s going to be an area that’s going to be in greater demand every year,” she said.

Other than the Governor’s School, which serves outstanding students selected from 11 school districts, none of the public schools in Richmond or in Chesterfield, Hanover or Henrico counties offers Chinese classes.

Henrico school system spokesman Mychael Dickerson said county school officials are seriously considering offering the language in middle schools next year.

In Hanover, a curriculum committee is looking at the possibility of offering Chinese next year according to Lisa Malloy, the county’s world-language and English-as-a-second-language lead teacher.

Chesterfield spokeswoman Debra Q. Marlow said the county has no plans to offer Chinese in the near future.

Richmond officials said the school system does not offer Chinese classes.