Eighth-grade Mandarin students experienced a special virtual learning opportunity on Wednesday, May 19. In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, they Zoomed with Xiaoyi Chen of the New England Championship Wushu Academy. 

Chen gave students an overview of Wushu -- a form of Chinese martial arts -- before demonstrating some of the movements. She has been practicing Wushu since age eight, graduating from Beijing Sports University. She holds multiple gold medals from international Wushu competitions and is the current coach of the Wellesley Wushu Team (previously, she coached at Harvard). 

This was a unique experience for eighth-grade Mandarin learners. Not only did they get to see impressive movements from a Wushu master, but they got practice their language skills by asking her questions.