After student efforts to open a Korean class at Cypress High, Korean 1 is listed as a World Language course for students to take on campus in the upcoming 2024-2025 school year. By choosing Korean, students can learn more about Korean culture, fulfill their language requirements, and improve their communication skills. With February being registration month for students, students can choose Korean 1 on their registration card for the approaching year.
Recognizing the need for a Korean language class in their community, three Cypress High students, Hannie Lee, Jeffrey Shim, and Grace Kim created a survey to collect Korean interest data amongst their peers. Based on student response, a high number of students felt the need for Korean classes for cultural and educational reasons. Realizing an opportunity to connect and provide real solutions to students, a campaign for Korean class was achieved with student efforts and data.
As K-drama, K-beauty, and K-food are rising in global popularity attracting students worldwide, more interest in Korean language is increasing. According to the student survey, 105 out of 182 respondents wanted to learn Korean to learn more about Korean culture. As Korean culture spreads beyond boundaries, many students are drawn to studying Korean language to gain deeper knowledge and experience in Korean customs and daily life.
Along with studying culture, the highest number of reasons students want to gain access to learning Korean is to fullfill their language requirements and expand their communication skills with their peers. With Korean not being a class to take on campus, many students have previously struggled to get their mother tongue approved as a language by the school, or even had to learn a new language to pass their language courses. Advocating for Korean class, junior Hannie Lee said, “NEWL Test, or the Korean language credential test, is provided on campus for Kennedy High School students, but not for Cypress students. Students who took the test without a Korean class at school not only had to self study, but had to drive all the way to Los Angeles because that was where the testing center was located, being very inconvenient.”
As well as passing their language requirements, numerous students wanted Korean as a class to expand their level of communication. With language being the primary tool of expression and communication, students who have Korean friends, classmates, and family members wanted to build their intimate relationships through languages. Junior Jeffrey Shim explained, “Despite the difficulties of making a new class, there are many Asian students here at Cypress who are willing to learn Korean. Having a Korean class is more relevant to our community, and we can empower students to learn and feel proud about their cultural background.” By being able to share our ideas, thoughts, and feelings with others, we can move people and societies as well. Opportunities to learn and preserve these valuable languages are crucial for students in their developing ages.
Labeled as a World Language course in the 2024-2025 registration card, students with interest in learning Korean should enroll for the class in the approaching year. The more in demand of these courses, the more CHS can push and expand for more options.
