RACINE - When students return to St. Catherine's High School this fall, 12 of them will have a new and unique learning experience.

By taking a new Mandarin Chinese course, those students will be the first St. Catherine's students to learn a non-European language at school.

The Mandarin course, taught by China native Yu Pu, will introduce students to the Chinese language and culture with things like song and speaking practice.

By the end of this school year, Pu said her students will be able to recognize, write and use 500 to 600 Chinese words. They will also be able to carry out simple conversations in the language.

To make sure students can do that, Pu, of Racine, plans to teach with activities like dialogue, role playing and even song. She will teach a counting song about looking for friends, which helps students learn numbers through the music and accompanying motions, she said.

"We use a lot of activity, body language and facial expressions," Pu said, demonstrating how she would teach the Chinese word for up by raising her hands and for sad by frowning.

Because Chinese does not use alphabet characters, the language is "totally different" from English and can be very hard for students to learn. This vast difference from English tends to make students timid in class, Pu said.

"They don't want to speak because the pronunciation is totally different," she said.

To get students talking, Pu has a class slogan: "Nobody speaks perfect Chinese. Nobody speaks perfect English. You bravely speak Chinese."

Pu has also prepared presentations on Chinese history and culture, things she finds as important as the language. She plans to teach her students about traditional Chinese music, dress, festivals and food.

St. Catherine's, 1200 Park Ave., added Mandarin because of China's recent growth as a nation, said Principal Andy Meuler.

"Chinese is up and coming," he said. "It's going to be a very important part of the world."

Pu said China's economy is growing and making the country an international player.

"Learning to speak Chinese increases job opportunities," she said.

St. Catherine's staff plan to grow the Mandarin program as the students get older, adding a new class each year. For example, next year they would have a beginner class and a second-year Mandarin class for students enrolled in the beginner class this year.

"I hope my students can keep learning Chinese," Pu said. "It's good to never give up on a language."

High School Chinese in Racine

- The Prairie School, 4050 Lighthouse Drive, offers Mandarin at the high school level and has done so for about two years.

- The Racine Montessori School, 2317 Howe St., last year hosted Panda Academy, a Saturday Chinese program for children, for the first time. The program was not part of the school but most participants did attend the Montessori School. It will continue this fall if there is enough student interest.

- St. Catherine's High School, 1200 Park Ave., will start a Mandarin class this fall that staff hope to continue each year by adding classes for different skill levels.