Mandarin bilingual program expands to south Calgary middle school

The Calgary public school board is expanding its Mandarin bilingual program in the south end of the city.

Last year, there was no place for students finishing Grade 6 at Midnapore School to continue studying Mandarin in the south, which meant they would have to travel to Colonel Irvine School in Highwood in the city's north end.

On Tuesday, the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) told parents it hadbeen determined there was sufficient demand for it to offer the Mandarin program at Harold Panabaker School in Southwood for children in Grade 5 to Grade 7.

The program will eventually expand to Grade 9, assuming a minimum of 20 students per grade enrol.

The Midnapore School program will continue to offer Mandarin in Kindergarten to Grade 4.

Darlene Casten, who is part of a group of parents that was pushing for the program's expansion, says she's relieved.

"My son is going into Grade 6 in September. And for me, I feel like it would have all gone to waste," she said.

"I don't think, if he would have just finished in Grade 6, that he would have retained it. So, I'm really excited."

• MORE CALGARY NEWS|Calgary arena deemed structurally unsafe by engineers day before roof collapsed
• MORE CALGARY NEWS|$11M boost for 'compassionate' house-call paramedic program cheered by Calgary senior