Jennie K. Kolter Elementary School

Brian Ching of the Houston Dynamo Visits Kolter for Asian Pacific Heritage Month

  <== I am told that this picture of our 5th graders and Brian Ching are the subject of the Chinese article at this link.  Click here and you will have tell me because I do not yet speak Chinese!  

For Immediate Press Release                Contact:   Paula Kearney, Magnet Coordinator

Friday, May 11, 2007                          Kolter Elementary    713.726.3630

                                                                                                                            

Kolter Elementary School Celebrates Asian/Pacific American Heritage

Month With Houston Dynamo’s Brian Ching

(Houston, TX) – Students at Kolter Elementary, a state and HISD exemplary school, received an inspiring message from their APA Month Heritage Program guest speaker, Brian Ching, forward, with the Houston Dynamo Major League Soccer League.  Ching, who wears jersey #25, is the only Hawaiian player ever drafted by the MLS.  He spoke to the entire student body on Wednesday, May 9th, during the APA Month Heritage Program, which highlights significant contributions made by Asian/Pacific Americans.

Ching acknowledged that Kolter’s diverse student body reminded him very much of the make-up of his fellow classmates while he was growing up in Hawaii, and made references to America’s great “melting pot” of people who came to this country from every corner of the world.  Ching received an accounting degree from Hawaii’s Gonzaga University and told the students, “I really never expected that I would grow up becoming a major league soccer player, and whenever I do retire from soccer, at least I have a back-up plan.  If I don’t do anything else, at least I have my accounting degree to fall back on.”

Many of the students and teachers also asked questions of Ching during the program.  One student asked what Ching’s favorite hobby was, to which Ching replied, “Believe it or not, my favorite hobby is reading.  I find peace and solitude in books because I am a shy person, actually.”  Ching mentioned that his favorite books were the Harry Potter series, to which the students immediately responded with cheers, signifying their consent in his choice of good books.

Kolter Elementary is a magnet school of foreign languages.  French, Japanese, and Spanish are offered at all grade levels; whereas, Chinese is offered through 2nd grade but will be expanded to 3rd grade during this coming school year.  Paula Kearney, magnet coordinator, explained, “Students study the culture and are encouraged to participate in cultural activities in many school settings.  Likewise, families participate in cultural activities, and we are partnering with community agencies and organizations to provide us with authentic cultural experiences.”  Of the 515 students at Kolter, 10.7% are APA, 45.9% Anglo, 20% Hispanic, and 22.9% African-American.  Kolter offers the only Chinese and Japanese language program for elementary age students in the Houston area. 

One of the partners is Asia Society Texas Center, the leading nonprofit, international institution dedicated to fostering understanding of Asia and communication between Americans and the peoples of Asia and the Pacific.  Asia Society Texas Center co-sponsored the speaking engagement and provided small gifts to the entire, graduating, 5th grade class.  Additionally, an educational grant provided by ExxonMobil, will allow Kolter students to attend a June 4th Japanese opera concert at Zilkha Hall as part of the cultural outreach efforts.  Contact Alice Lee, Community Development Liaison, at 713.729.8816 for more concert details.