Learning Mandarin is about culture as well as language for the K – 8 CLIP students at John Muir Elementary School and Joaquin Miller Middle School in San Jose. CLIP (Cupertino Language Immersion Program) is an Alternative School Program of the Cupertino Union School District (CUSD), which includes 23 K – 8 schools (no high schools) in Cupertino and parts of Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, San Jose, Saratoga and Los Altos.
At Miller Middle School, in the early evening on Jan. 31, CLIP students, their families and school staff from both CLIP schools celebrated the Lunar New Year of the Snake at a gala.
“Our goal is for students to achieve proficiency in both Mandarin and English while fostering a deep appreciation for the rich cultural heritage of our community,” said Miller Principal Anu Iyer. “We take pride in our dual-language immersion program.”
Highlighting the new year festivities were cultural performances by students in the school gym. Drummers only a few feet taller than their gold-colored Chinese drums kept the beat for traditional lion dancers, who stood on tiptoe to fully extend the heads of their red, pink and gold lions.
The dancers perform annually in San Francisco’s Chinese New Year parade.
Middle schoolers circled the gym carrying a lime green fabric snake, holding its body over their heads on long handles like umbrellas. The snake, known in Chinese mythology as a “little dragon,” symbolizes transformation and renewal in shedding its old skin.
Other students demonstrated martial arts, played instruments, sang and performed folk dances. Young orators read speeches in Chinese and English.
The gala for the 2025 Lunar New Year, celebrated Jan. 29 – Feb. 12, was sponsored by the parent volunteers of CLIPCO, the Cupertino Language Immersion Program Community Organization.
“The program’s success is made possible through the generous support of CLIPCO, the parent organization that funds many aspects of CLIP, ensuring its continued growth and enrichment,” said Iyer.
Once a student at Miller, Iyer has come full circle.
In May of 2024, the Glenn Hoffman Exemplary Program Award was presented jointly to Muir Elementary and Miller Middle Schools in recognition of their language immersion program by the Santa Clara County School Boards Association.
CLIP began in 1998 at Muir with one kindergarten class. Muir is now a dedicated CLIP elementary school with four kindergarten classes and 556 students. At Miller—a 2024 National Blue Ribbon School—223 (about 21%) of 1,074 students are in CLIP. They take two classes in Mandarin and five in English.
“While some schools are experiencing declining enrollment, CLIP’s future appears promising,” said Muir Principal Jennifer Lasher. “As an alternative program, CLIP continues to maintain strong community interest, consistent student enrollment, and a robust waitlist, indicating its ongoing appeal and viability in the educational landscape.”
CLIP is open by lottery to students in CUSD.
“Language immersion is such a gift. And this is happening in a public school,” said CLIPCO Vice-President Margaret Chang, whose two children attend Muir. “People tell me, ‘Your school sounds like a private school.’
“My fourth-grade son’s Mandarin level is way above what I ever learned in after-school classes, especially his reading and writing,” said Chang, an American-born Chinese.
“We not only teach the language, we teach the subject matter in the language,” said Ling-Ling Chern, a CLIP teacher since 2001.
CLIP teachers have had to rise to an added teaching challenge—creating social studies materials in Mandarin that are age and language-ability appropriate.
“I’m very proud of the students’ perseverance in continuing to learn despite linguistic challenges and the amount of school and homework they have to do. Learning vocabulary and content together is a double task,” said Chern.
Sixth-grade Miller CLIP student Celine Hairr performed a traditional Mongolian Bowl Dance at the Lunar New Year Gala, balancing three porcelain rice bowls stacked on her head as she danced.
“I’m pretty lucky,” said Hairr. “Being a bi-lingual person is very good for your brain!”
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