Students celebrate New Year

The language has been taught to the Juniors for the past six years and the Senior School have a 100 % pass rate at GCSE, all the scholars eat with chopsticks on ‘Chinese Tuesdays’ where the only fare you will find in the dining hall is noodles or sweet and sour chicken, and students take part annually in the HSBC British Council Mandarin Speaking Competition held at the Victory Service Club, London. Chinese is one of the most popular languages on offer at the school among the students, Headteacher Mark Redsell said “All Buckswood juniors learn Chinese, who love the graphical nature of the language; and we are pleased to be one of the few schools in the area to offer the language at GCSE and from next year at A Level too”.

The Chinese New Year falls in February, and to mark the celebration the school is always a blaze of lucky red and magical music can be heard around the campus. Buckswood School truly embrace its international traditions and celebrate with the help of the Hastings Chinese Association; who loan their elaborate costumes and musical instruments for a Young Dragon Challenge and Lion Dance, organised by Chinese teacher, Wei Peirce where four brave teams are tested on their knowledge of the Orient, culture, language skills and chop-stick expertise.

Taking the celebrations outside the classroom, the Buckswood students turned out in force again this year to support the Hastings Chinese Association at the local shopping centre Priory Meadows with a showcase of student talent including Georgina McCarthy, who sang a Chinese classic poem, Sila Oina,who sung Love’s Philosophy, violinist Abigail Reece: who played The Butterfly Lovers (the Chinese version of Romeo and Juliet) and the magnificent Lion and Dragon Dance team of Fletcher Kipps, Harrison Piper, Sarah Moulvi, Lilly Fisher, Caitlin Harffey Albertin Kotting McMillan, Amelia Rose McShane; plus two gymnasts: Finity Soan and Tamara Ballancore who wowed the crowd with their acrobatics.