The
Chinese
Academy:
Saturday Mornings Well-Spent
By Jennifer Proe
WWW.SHAKER.LIFE | SPRING 2020 79
Scene
in Shaker
When Melody Chu and Eric Yeh moved to Shaker
in 2018 from the west side of Cleveland, it brought their
family much closer to Eric’s job at University Hospitals.
Another great benefit? It also brought them closer to the
school their two daughters attend every Saturday morning:
the Chinese Academy of Cleveland, housed at Shaker
Middle School.
The Chinese Academy of Cleveland, founded in 1973,
enrolls more than 100 students, 16 of whom hail from
Shaker Heights; the rest come from all over the Cleveland
area. About one-third have emigrated from Taiwan, a few are
from mainland China, and the remainder are American-born
Chinese or non-Chinese families.
Many are looking to deepen their children’s knowledge of
their native language and heritage. Some are Americans who
have adopted children from China or Taiwan and are seeking to
provide a connection with the language and culture. CAOC also
offers Chinese as a second language for adults.
Whatever the reason, says Grace Lin, a board member
and former academic director for CAOC, “We do attract a lot
of families to our school because we are the only one in the
area that teaches traditional (or complex) Chinese characters
as well as the simplified characters. If you want to understand
how the word was created, you have to learn the traditional
character first.”
CAOC also has the highest ratio of teachers who are
licensed by the Ohio Department of Education. “Our
teachers are longtime residents here so they understand both
cultures,” says Lin.
Melody and Eric chose CAOC because “we don’t speak
Chinese at home but we wanted our children to retain a sense
of the language and culture. I didn’t go to Chinese school
when I was younger, but I remember my friends who did
really didn’t like it,” says Melody. “Our experience has been so
much more positive. Our girls have fun and the teachers are
warm and engaging.”
The Middle School is an ideal home for the school; parents
can gather in the cafeteria to socialize while their children
spread out to 19 different classrooms for instruction. They
also have access to the art room for calligraphy classes, as
well as the gym. That space came in handy for teaching their
families a traditional Taiwanese dance the school performed
as part of a Lunar New Year celebration at a Cleveland
Cavaliers game this winter.
Says Lin, “The location in Shaker is convenient not only
because many of our families are employees of the Cleveland
Clinic or Case Western Reserve University, but also because the
community is so diversified and welcoming. We feel safe here,
and we are very grateful the Middle School continues to let us
use their facilities. The administrators and the custodians are
very supportive.”
The academy is also grateful for its connection with
Margaret Wong, a longtime Shaker resident and prominent
immigration attorney who sits on the board of the Friends of
CAOC. Wong is an avid supporter of the academy, and recently
helped to bring a group of senior citizens to the Cavs’ game to
watch the Lunar New Year performance.
This summer, CAOC will offer a one-week cultural camp
for kids ages 5-12, which Lin hopes will provide even more
opportunities to connect with Shaker residents. “You don’t
need to have any Chinese learning or background,” says Lin.
“It’s the perfect opportunity to come sample Chinese art, food,
music, sport, and dance.” The camp runs from June 8 – 12 from
9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Contact Grace Lin at marimbalin@yahoo.com or
visit Chineseacademyofcleveland.org. SL
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