Montreal Chinese (Mandarin) School
Jazz Concert School Publications Variety Show Photographic Exhibition Banquet Photo Gallery
Since the formation of the Montreal Chinese (Mandarin) School in 1983, the volunteers and teachers of the school have worked hard in searching for the best education methods and struggled with difficult challenges. Their untiring and determined efforts have nourished the school from its infancy to a well-organized, modern Chinese language and cultural teaching institute. All those associated with the school are extremely proud of the fruition of the efforts. In drawing a parallel to us human beings, age 20 is just the beginning of an energetic journey; building and maintaining a Chinese School for 20 years far away from our native land is truly remarkable.
To celebrate this 20th anniversary milestone, the School has carried out various activities. From the beginning of the year 2003, the school community, composed of the teachers, students and all the volunteers, became involved with the preparation of this meaningful and important celebration.
The full program included the following activities: a Jazz Concert, two special issues of school publications on student work and writings by the volunteers and teachers, two variety show performances, an exhibition of student work and a photographic exhibition showing the historical record of the school activities, and a banquet.
On the 28th of April, Vanier College, the school’s landlord for twenty years, organized a jazz concert to initiate our celebration and to introduce our School to the public outside of our school community. From the proceeds of the concert, The Vanier College Foundation presented two scholarships to our students, worth a year’s tuition at the MCMS.
The concert included performances by the Vanier College music team and the Montreal J.L. Orchestra, under the direction of the renown musician Mr. Oliver Jones. The concert lasted for nearly two hours. It was enthusiastically received by the audience, of which over a hundred were teachers and parents from our school. We take this opportunity to thank the Vanier College and the Vanier College Foundation for their hospitality and generosity. [ Back to the top ]
Our school produces two high quality publications annually. This year, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary, through the special efforts of our publication committee, two outstanding magazines namely, the “Xue Yuan” and the “Xue Sheng Yuan Di” were produced. Ingenuity and great care in article selection, editing, layout, photography display, and printing have produced a publication comparable to a high quality commercial magazine. These magazines were distributed as a gift from the school to the families of the students.
Inside the 154-page“Xue Yuan”, there are letters of congratulation from all levels of governments, including the Governor General, the Prime Minister of Canada, politicians, and the representatives of the Chinese government and Taiwan government; details of our school organization and administrative system; social reports and comments, editorials, travel documentaries, short stories, essays, poetry and ci-poetry. The magazine also includes outstanding writings from students, and a collection of articles from previous publications related to the history and development of the school over the last twenty years. Current and historical photographic records in this book are most informative and impressive. This special issue of high caliber literature will give a comprehensive panoramic view of the school. We are extremely proud of the fact that this magazine is free from advertisement.
The special enlarged “Xue Sheng Yuan Di” issue has many outstanding articles from the current students. Through this publication, we appreciate the hard work and diligence of the teachers and the students. [ Back to the top ]
The most impressive event of this 20th anniversary celebration is the Variety Show performed on the stage of the Vanier College Auditorium on May 30th and May 31st, 2003. The preparation of this show began a year ago. Its production involved almost all the teachers and volunteers and at least 25% of the students.
Once the program of the various performances was created, teachers and students started rigorous practices every Sunday after their regular Chinese language class. Some of the teachers and many parents were busily involved in the design and production of the dresses and costumes of all the shows. The directors and staff of the school were responsible for the general organization of the whole performance system including stage design, sound system, stage lighting, traffic flow of performers, supplies to the whole organization from the preparation stage to the end of the performances.
The audience included a Federal Minister and representatives from various level of governments in Canada and the Embassy of China and Trade Representatives of Taiwan. For the outstanding efforts of all the people involved, it is our feeling that we had earned the sincere appreciation of the audience.
The show opened with songs of welcome by a group of teachers and students, followed by several lively performances of kindergarten students. As the evening advanced, the performers on the stage evolved from younger to older students, from grade one up to grade ten. The program included modern dances created by the teachers, folk dances reflecting the traditions of various regions of China and Taiwan, and many stage acts showing the rich diversity of the Chinese culture.
To show the richness of the cultural teaching of the school, martial arts were demonstrated, complemented with recital of Chinese poetry and ci-poetry. There were several dances performed by the teachers, volunteers and friends of the school. “They swung on the stage as groups of colourful birds”. The students of the adult Chinese language classes performed an act showing the difficulty and the humorous aspect of learning the Chinese language. The finale of the show was a song-assemble by fifty teachers and volunteers. Their presentation of our School Anthem and “The Descendent of the Dragon” was most impressive.
The show staged more than 250 performers and was supported by more than 50 back-stage workers. Over 1000 people enthusiastically enjoyed this impressive and spectacular production performed on two evenings. [ Back to the top ]
An elaborate photographic exhibition was organized for June 1, 2003, the day of the graduation ceremony,. This exhibition presented the historic record of the school from its infancy to the present. Through over 500 photographs, we could witness the progress of the school. The aging of the teachers and volunteers in these photographs have demonstrated the dedication of these people, committed to the education of the younger generation.
The exhibition of the students included Chinese painting, Western painting, writing and calligraphy, and homework. [ Back to the top ]
The last event of the anniversary celebration was the banquet held at the Community Centre of the Borough of St. Laurant on June 14, 2003. There were more than 350 people gathered together to celebrate this important milestone of the school that evening. Many of these participants were government officials and friends of the school.
At 7:30 p.m., the event commenced with a performance of a double-lion dance, followed by several speeches of the dignitaries, and acknowledgements by school officials.
The sumptuous dinner was accompanied by other performances. A commemorative plaque was presented to Mr. Michael Macchiagodena, Director General of the Vanier College. Service awards were then presented to over 60 volunteers, some of whom have served twenty years. This was followed immediately by the presentation of a huge anniversary cake, supplemented by the simultaneous singing of birthday song from our teachers choir, the guests burst into a spontaneous jubilant mood of celebration. Throughout the entire evening, the atmosphere of the celebration was joyous. The evening continued with dances until the wee hours of the next morning. Judging by the faces of the participants, we could recognize the pride of all the people associated with the school, especially those, who had worked tirelessly and diligently over the years. [ Back to the top ]