Students and teachers at Mandarin Oaks Elementary performed to a jam-packed auditorium on the evening of April 22 in celebration of the school's Chinese-inspired fine arts.
The Mandarin Oaks Chorus, directed by music teacher Tricia Padlan, took the stage first to perform Feng Yang Song and Bamboo Flute.
Five Chinese teachers from various schools throughout Duval County – Xu Lei from Mandarin Oaks, Miao Guibo from Mandarin Middle School, Yang Lei from Mandarin High School, Lui Zhiyuan from Darnell Cookman Middle School and Qian Ying from Stanton High School – sung Tomorrow Will Always Be Better.
Next, the Mandarin Oaks Band, under the direction of music teacher Deborah McBurney, played the Chinese song Jasmine Flower completely from memory.
Students from the Mandarin Oaks Drama Club performed "The Magic Brocade: A Chinese Folktale," directed by fourth-grade teacher Sommer Farhat. Then, fifth-grade students read the poem Yong e, and performed a song entitled Ke Sheng Yu Wei Xiao, which means beautiful smiles.
At the conclusion of the event, attendees had the opportunity to walk around the school to view students' talent exhibitions, which featured art and creative writing samples. The art work exhibits were produced in class under the direction of art teachers Kathryn Darby and Cecilia Dushey-Ward, and Brian Hubbard, an intern from the University of North Florida.
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