Smiles behind the masks as the Education Division in San Francisco delivering the Covid-19 Safety Kits to West County Mandarin School on March 17

The Education Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in San Francisco donated Covid-19 Safety Kits to West County Mandarin School in California. The kits were delivered to the school on March 17, when California schools were preparing to reopen in April.

The principal, Dr. Eric Peterson, expressed his great appreciation. West County Mandarin School is the first public school in its school district to offer a schoolwide Mandarin immersion program for its students. Content is taught in both English and in the target language of Mandarin but the students aren’t required to know any Mandarin before they attend the school. 

Dr. Peterson is dedicated to international education and West County Mandarin School has had a strong connection with Taiwan for many years. Young Mandarin teaching assistants from Taiwan have worked in the school for the last 3 years as interns. The internship project was paused last year because of the pandemic but Dr. Peterson expects the cooperation will be able to resume after the school reopens.