USHCA is proud to once again present the Heartland Chinese Teacher Award in recognition of the many extraordinary and dedicated Chinese language teachers in our region. Five outstanding Finalists will be honored during a special virtual Award Ceremony on February 22nd at 11:00 am CT. We invite everyone to Register Here, and join us in celebrating the outstanding achievements of these truly deserving educators!
In 2022, USHCA launched the Heartland Chinese Teacher Award to recognize excellence in Chinese language teaching in our region, and the many educators who have built cultural bridges through language learning. These teachers, often working with limited resources, are critical to developing the next generation of global leaders.
While this award is foremost about celebrating the significant contributions of Chinese language teachers, it is also meant to raise awareness for the broader significance of world language education in the context of the U.S.-China relations. Approximately 16% of the world’s population speak Chinese. In the U.S. that number is less than 1%. It is imperative we continue to invest in Chinese language learning to promote cross-culture understanding, respect, and collaboration.
Over the past three years, this award program has garnered significant community support, and been met with incredible enthusiasm from teachers, students, parents, and local leaders alike. Award recipients have expressed their own appreciation, emphasizing how meaningful it is to have their dedication acknowledged.
This year, USHCA received nominations from 24 cities across 13 Heartland states. The Selection Committee included past awardees, such as Liang May Lee, who teaches at Lee’s Summit R-7 School District in Lee’s Summit, Missouri; Yan Wang, who teaches at Dixie Magnet Elementary School in Lexington, Kentucky; Dr. Xinying Alpha Edens, Applied Assistant Professor of Chinese at the University of Tulsa; as well as Shenzhan Liao, Senior Vice President of the China Institute in America. Each nominee was assessed based on 3 main criteria: effectiveness of instruction, impact on students, and contributions to the community.
We are very excited to announce the Finalists for this year’s Heartland Chinese Teacher Award! We wish to congratulate not only the Finalists, but all of the teachers who applied, our nominators, and school district leadership working to promote excellence in Chinese language teaching and cultural appreciation in our communities.
Award Finalists Spotlight
Lin ChenHaas Hall AcademyFayetteville, Arkansas
Lin Chen is a teacher at Haas Hall Academy, a nationally high-ranked charter school with five campuses serving students 7th-12th in Northwest Arkansas. Chen founded the Mandarin program in her district in 2015 and has been teaching the subject to students of 9th-12th grades, levels 1 through 3, and AP. After giving in-person instruction at the Bentonville campus for five years, she transferred to the Fort Smith campus and has been providing virtual and hybrid instruction in Mandarin to students across five campuses at the present time.
Hai Zheng OlefskySt. Stephen's Episcopal SchoolAustin, Texas
Hai Zheng Olefsky has been teaching Chinese language and culture for over 25 years. Since 1999, she has served as Chair of Chinese Studies and Associate Director of the International Program at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Austin, TX. A CLASS board member, she has been awarded the endowed Master Teaching Chair for Critical Languages at SSES three times. She is also the founding advisor of the National Chinese Honor Society’s St. Stephen’s chapter.
Haiyun LuFountain Valley SchoolMilwaukee, Wisconsin
Haiyun Lu has been an educator since 1993. She is a certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teacher from Brown University and holds a certification in Advanced Education Leadership from Harvard University. She is passionate about employing Acquisition-Driven Instruction (ADI) in her classes, integrating mindfulness into education, and bridging gaps between international students and mainstream society.
Ji XiangIntercultural Montessori Language SchoolChicago, Illinois
Ji Xiang has dedicated 14 years to promoting Chinese language and culture while fostering cross-cultural exchanges. Holding a master’s degree in Education from Southwestern College, she has expanded the Chinese program from its humble beginnings to a thriving department with high student achievement, boasting a 95% Chinese exam pass rate. Under her leadership, the school established a sister school partnership with Hangzhou Chongwen Century City Experimental School, leading to transformative student exchanges. She has organized numerous cultural events, including annual Spring Festival celebrations and performances like the Tai Chi Chinese Fan Dance.
Yuqi ZhaoForest Hills Public SchoolsGrand Rapids, Michigan
Yuqi Zhao has been a Chinese immersion teacher at Northern Trails 5/6 School since 2013, inspiring young learners in a 5th-grade classroom in West Michigan. She earned a Master of Arts in Teaching and Curriculum from Michigan State University and holds a Michigan Professional Teaching Certificate for K-12 Foreign Language (Chinese) and Elementary K-5 All Subjects. Passionate about language immersion, she developed the 5th-grade Chinese immersion curriculum and employs total immersion strategies to enhance students’ listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. To further enrich Chinese language learning and cultural appreciation, she has led the school’s annual Chinese New Year celebration and facilitated biannual cultural exchange trips to China for students and their families.
2024-2025 Heartland Chinese Teacher Award
China is the world’s oldest surviving civilization, and the Chinese language is often credited for its longevity. Today, close to 1.3 billion people, approximately 16% of the world’s population, speak Chinese. In the United States, that number is less than 1%.
Studying Chinese is important not only for gaining a greater understanding and deeper appreciation of Chinese culture but also for building bridges of friendship between the U.S. and China.
It is with much appreciation of the many teachers who have been teaching the Chinese Language in the Heartland region, often with little resources, that USHCA is happy to announce its third annual Heartland Chinese Teacher Award, to recognize the hard work of the many Chinese language teachers in the heartland region who have built cultural bridges through language learning.
The 2024-2025 Heartland Chinese Teacher Award will once again seek to recognize exceptional K-12 Chinese language teachers in the 21-state heartland region based on:
- Creativity of their curriculum
- Impact on students
- Contribution to Chinese language learning and cultural dissemination in their community.