Edmonton Chinese Bilingual Education Association
 | |
| Founded | 1982 |
|---|---|
| Focus | Education |
| Location |
|
Area served | Edmonton Area |
| Method | Programs |
Revenue | Charity |
| Slogan | Mandarin Bilingual – Make It Your Future. |
| Website | http://www.ecbea.org/ |
Edmonton Chinese Bilingual Education Association (ECBEA) is a non-profit educational society dedicated to promoting the learning of the Chinese language in school along with the regular school curriculum through a bilingual program. The program is unique in North America as it coexists side by side with regular school curriculum and school hours and that it is a complete continuum of studies from Kindergarten all the way to High School graduation. The society is in close association with the Edmonton Public School Board.
History
ECBEA began as an experimental English-Chinese language program developed in 1982 that was implemented and introduced by Edmonton Public Schools at the Kindergarten level. The initiative was successful, and in 1983 the association was formally established, along with the English-Chinese Bilingual Program. A new Grade level was introduced subsequently every year after that. In 1989 the public school board approved of the program to be expanded to Junior High level (as an optional course called the Chinese Language Arts program), and finally in 1992 the Senior high levels (which satisfied International Baccalaureate standards for Mandarin Chinese) were approved. The program has since grew from 33 Kindergarten students to over 1800 students city-wide. In 2007 ECBEA celebrated its 25th anniversary. Anniversary
The Association
ECBEA is a non-profit and also non-partisan organization of volunteers that dedicate themselves to promoting the Chinese language. It runs by donations and charities, as it is a registered charitable organization under the Canada Revenue Agency. Members of the ECBEA are mostly parents with children enrolled in the English-Chinese Bilingual/Chinese Language Arts program in the Edmonton Public Schools. Since 2009 ECBEA has hosted an annual award ceremony where awards and scholarships are given to those that have shown excellent results in school, the program or extra-curricular activities relating to Chinese culture. The association also publishes a newsletter several times annually for distribution through program schools to member families.
Purpose
The stated purpose of ECBEA is to:
- promote and ensure the long-term success of the English-Chinese Bilingual / Chinese Language Arts programs;
- promote the learning and understanding of Chinese language and culture;
- assist in the establishing of new programs and the expansion of the English-Chinese Bilingual / Chinese Language Arts programs;
- coordinate student recruitment campaigns for the programs;
- serve as a collective voice on behalf of parent members;
- liaison with Edmonton Public Schools on all matters pertaining to Chinese bilingual education;
- promote Chinese language education through available public media; and,
- provide volunteer support where required.
Awards
Throughout the years ECBEA has won awards, especially from the City Of Edmonton. Here is a list of them:
- 1997 – District Team Service Award from Edmonton Public Schools
- 2009 – City Of Edmonton 58th Annual Salute to Excellence Award
Program Schools
Currently there are 12 schools in overall in Edmonton offering this program. They are:
- Caernarvon Elementary School
- Dovercourt Elementary School
- Kildare Elementary School
- Meadowlark Elementary School
- Meyonohk Elementary School
- Londonderry Junior High School
- Ottewell Junior High School
- Parkview Junior High School
- Rosslyn Junior High School
- McNally High School
- M.E LaZerte High School
- Ross Sheppard High School
References
- ECBEA Home Page: (This is main reference page, all pages below are some useful sub-pages. More pages of reference can be found at website.)
- About ECBEA Page:
- ECBEA History Page:
- ECBEA Media Page: