Senator Blumenthal Welcomes in the Chinese Year of the Rabbit

Senator Richard Blumenthal and Stamford Mayor Pavia Welcome All to the Chinese Language School of Connecticut’s 9th Annual Chinese New Year Festival

-- 9th Annual Chinese New Year Festival Rings in the Year of the Rabbit --


Riverside, CT, January 25, 2011 – Stamford Mayor Michael Pavia and Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal opened the ceremony celebrating the Chinese Year of the Rabbit at the Chinese Language School of Connecticut’s 9th Annual Chinese New Year Festival, held Sunday, January 23, 2011, from 12-3pm, at the Stamford Plaza Hotel and Conference Center.

Old Greenwich resident, and CLSC Chinese New Year Chair Anita Lai noted, “CLSC's Chinese New Year Festival is a wonderful way to celebrate the New Year traditions with your family. It’s a wonderful way to explore Chinese culture and traditions with your children.”

CLSC co-founder and organization president, New Canaan resident Susan Serven, said, “Especially in light of President Hu’s recent visit to Washington, and with China’s growing economic expansion, it’s critical that we build bridges between cultures, and allow our children to learn important second languages such as Chinese. This will allow our children to compete successfully in an international marketplace, and can enable them to become global citizens.”

Nearly 300 guests and attendees attended the Festival, which welcomed guests at the entrance with music provided by the Chinese Music Ensemble of New York, and which offered traditional food, and entertainment such as a Dragon Dance performed by CLSC students, a Lion Dance and Martial Arts demonstration by Kwan’s Kung Fu of Peekskill, NY, children’s name painting, Chinese calligraphy, and crafts, face painting, Chinese vendors, an exhibit of CLSC student’s art, and a special performance and workshop by the Columbia Chinese YoYo Troupe. Dessert was a custom-made, 3-tiered Chinese Year of the Rabbit cake created by Stamford’s Samantha Connell.

The non-profit, fully accredited Chinese Language School of Connecticut (CLSC) (www.ChineseLanguageSchool.org) teaches Mandarin Chinese as a second language to children and adults in their weekday and weekend classes, Before and After School programs, cultural workshops, winter and spring break programs, summer classes, private tutoring and AP Prep sessions. CLSC is the only fully-accredited supplemental Chinese language program in the U.S. which uses U.S. teaching methods in order to engage children in learning Chinese.


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