GVA has received an $80,000  STARTALK Chinese Science Immersion Grant to support critical language acquisition.  STARTALK is a program of the National  Foreign Language Center at the University of Maryland.  STARTALK’s overall mission is to increase the number of Americans learning, speaking, and teaching critical need foreign languages by offering creative and engaging summer learning experiences for students (K-16) and innovative professional development.  In 2008 there were 2608 student participants and 1038 teacher participants.  There were 81 programs in 44 states plus the District of Columbia.  Programs were focused on learners and teachers of Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Persian, and Urdu. 

In partnership with Science Matters, the Colorado science resource center, 60 scholarships will be provided to GVA students in grades 2-4 who are interested in advancing their Chinese Language skills.  Students may enroll in one to three weeks from July 6th to July 24th.  A full week commitment is required in order to receive a scholarship.  The student application can be found on the link to the left and at the GVA Yahoo group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GVA-Villages) under files.  For more information on the STARTALK Grant visit www.startalk.umd.edu.