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Sponsors Donate $255,000 to Fund Oakland School Mandarin Chinese Program
 Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson and Oakland Schools Superintendent Dr. Vickie L. Markavitch made public the names of the six sponsors whose generous donation of $255,000 made Patterson’s dream of a Mandarin Chinese language program in the public schools a reality in six months.
Patterson and Markavitch thanked the sponsors in Madison Heights during a visit to Lessenger Elementary School in the Lamphere School District. The sponsors and the media were invited to accompany Patterson and Markavitch for a first-ever look at the Mandarin Chinese program being taught in a regularly schedule class session.
“When I challenged the Oakland Schools to create such a program, I never dreamed it would make such progress in such a short time,” Patterson said. “The importance of offering the Chinese language is critical to expanding opportunities for the young people who graduate from our schools. Equally important is the message it sends to the Chinese companies that we’re serious about attracting their investment in Oakland County companies.”
The following donors made contributions to support the program:
The Mandarin program teaches the Chinese language and or culture in about half of the Oakland Schools 28 districts, Markavitch said.
“It’s exciting to see a vision become reality,” Markavitch said. “Students across Oakland County are learning the Mandarin Chinese language as well as learning about Chinese culture. We could not have moved so quickly from idea to implementation without the help of the County and the generosity of business partners who are helping to finance this initiative.”
The Oakland Schools Mandarin Chinese program started at the beginning of the 2007-2008 school year as a response to a challenge from Patterson. Six months after Patterson’s February State of the County address, the Mandarin Chinese language is taught in 14 Oakland County public school districts and Mandarin culture and history in all 28 districts.
School officials are seeking state, federal foundation grants to help fund the program in future years. U.S. Rep. Joe Knollenberg, R-Bloomfield Township, recently introduced the Mandarin Language Teaching Grant Act of 2007 that would authorize $50 million to be spent on funding Mandarin language classes for elementary, secondary and adult students.
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