These stories come from families of current Chinese immersion students. They are their words as submitted, with names removed. Every family gave written permission to share their story. They are families' own experiences and views, not district statements, and we have not edited them.
Beyond the language learning, this program has become the identity of the students, and the gate to deep understanding to cultural diversity. Ending the program means forcing our kids off the learning path they love and have been on for years, as well as a deep sense of betrayal after the district asked families to commit their lives from kindergarten through HS.
Their story
We moved from Louisiana to BV knowing that we didn't have a 100% chance getting into the program due to the lottery system because learning in two languages early on has been proven to be beneficial to academic growth. Beyond the language learning, this program has become the identity of the students, and the gate to deep understanding to cultural diversity. Ending the program means forcing our kids off the learning path they love and have been on for years, as well as a deep sense of betrayal after the district asked families to commit their lives from kindergarten through HS.
If the program ends
The students might lose the language ability that took years to built and was on the way to fluency. Ending the program also feels like abandoning a whole community that has been growing for 10 years since 2017.
A current Chinese immersion family
It has become a community of parents and children growing up together, sharing experiences together.
Their story
We were drawn to Chinese immersion for the incredible opportunity for our child. Since then it has become much more than that. It has become a community of parents and children growing up together, sharing experiences together. Our kids siblings have become friends. We celebrate each other's successes and talk through each others struggles. It became much more than just an opportunity. For our oldest it would be the inability to finish what she has started, what she has been working incredibly hard for. More than that its the potential loss of that community. The potential to lose contact with friends who she has spent 4 years growing up with. For my youngest who just started, it is the loss of opportunity. It is an end to something she just started. Our family was all in on this. We made the commitment the Blue Valley Schools asked of us.
If the program ends
Chinese immersion is why we moved to Blue Valley, why many moved to Blue Valley. I would love to say even if it goes away we would stay. We would do our best to stay in touch, but life gets busy, realistically I cant say what will happen. If an opportunity for my family and my children presents itself I will follow. It would be a devastating choice to have to make.
A current Chinese immersion family
Because we do not speak Chinese at home, the school program is the primary way he has been able to build and maintain that skill.
Their story
Our 3rd grader is a bright, creative child who truly loves learning Chinese. His current dream is to become a Disney Imagineer and work on projects at Shanghai Disney. Whether or not that exact dream becomes his future, Chinese has given him a level of intellectual challenge, confidence, and excitement about learning that has been incredibly meaningful. Because we do not speak Chinese at home, the school program is the primary way he has been able to build and maintain that skill.
If the program ends
We are also concerned about the broader impact on students, families, teachers, and staff who have made long-term commitments to this program. Many families travel significant distances to attend Wolf Springs because of CI, and the end of the program may force them to make difficult decisions about whether to remain at the school. That could disrupt not only language instruction, but also friendships and a community that has developed over many years. This creates substantial uncertainty that extends well beyond language instruction.
Ending the program after several years of immersion risks interrupting something he has worked hard to develop and deeply values. He also likes knowing something his parents don’t know! We love giving our child the understanding that the world is much bigger than our Southern Johnson County bubble. He is curious about the world because he's been exposed to people and ideas that are different and diverse. In a world that's so divided, learning about others is critical.
We originally attended as a transfer family, and in 2025 we purchased a home within the WSE attendance boundaries in part because of how much we valued the school and this program. Our son's core group if friends are mostly transfer students. If the program ends many of those friends will likely return to their home schools.
A current Chinese immersion family
A way for my child to be able to communicate to Chinese grandparents who cannot speak English
If the program ends
Consider private school or leaving the district for more funded public education
A current Chinese immersion family
We already enroll her in a Chinese class outside of school to help, but that's not enough on its own, and my younger daughter won't even have a chance to enroll in the future.
Their story
We lived in KCMO and saw that Blue Valley had a Chinese immersion program, so we moved to VPE's district in 2022 because you had to live in that district to attend (no transfers). If Olathe or Shawnee had Chinese immersion then we would have moved there instead, no question.
The following year, VPE stopped accepting new enrollment for CI for incoming kindergartners, and the Board voted to sunset the program and move it to WSE to make it "sustainable".
Chinese immersion is literally THE reason we chose Blue Valley and VPE's district, and to still transfer to WSE despite living extremely close to VPE. My daughter has progressed greatly with CI being available, and her language skills have stayed strong. She's interested in the language, and it makes learning Chinese a natural part of her day, not an "extra" task. It even helped her to make easily friends with other kids in China when we traveled.
I've met multiple families that moved to BVSD for the express purpose of CI, and this is a slap in the face to everyone and ending it is an outrageously shortsighted decision by the district.
If the program ends
She'd lose her friends and her school, for starters. We already enroll her in a Chinese class outside of school to help, but that's not enough on its own, and my younger daughter won't even have a chance to enroll in the future. I'll go so far as to make special travel plans for immersion abroad, move, whatever needs to happen to help get my kids the skills they need, because Blue Valley is showing us that it cares about buildings more than the education within them.
A current Chinese immersion family
Learning Chinese in high school for the first time is in no way similar to Chinese immersion in elementary school when the brain is more malleable to languages.
Their story
My family is from Taiwan. I grew up in the US and learned very basic conversational Chinese from my parents. My parents barely taught my siblings and I any formal Chinese for fear that we would not learn English adequately as immigrants. This, we know now, is not the right approach for children to learn languages.
When I had my daughter, I deeply wanted her to have the opportunity to learn in an environment that I was not privileged to by growing up in the US. I considered au pere's, immersion abroad, international schools, etc to give her an edge for future economic success as well as connect with her roots. When I learned of Blue Valley's Mandarin Immersion Program, I was ecstatic and started planning our family's move to the school district from nearby Olathe. I started strategizing and obsessing how best to "win the lottery" for admission as I'm sure many parents do in the best interest of their children. Many of my anxieties regarding the timing of her language acquisition skills lifted when she was admitted into the kindergarten immersion class. I was elated that her younger brother would also be able to do the same program with the guaranteed tracking in of younger siblings.
With the recent news, I have been dismayed at the district's cavalier tossing of the school district's premier language program that has been in place for close to a decade. The program has been established and working. By closing the program, I realize this would unlikely ever restart again given the amount of work to get this started again. Learning Chinese in high school for the first time is in no way similar to Chinese immersion in elementary school when the brain is more malleable to languages.
If the program ends
My kids would lose valuable years of language acquisition that can only likely be duplicated by going abroad. They would lose their cohort classmates here in the US whom they can practice Chinese with and their ability to connect with their mandarin only speaking family in Asia. I'd likely remain in the district but may come back for high school for college preparedness. Considering moving abroad for a short term so that they may still get their experience.
A current Chinese immersion family
Not every family can afford full-time tutors or private Chinese schools. By offering CI, Blue Valley gives families from all backgrounds access to that advantage, and earns its reputation as a forward-thinking, best-in-class public district.
Their story
My family is one of many who come to Wolf Springs specifically for the Chinese Immersion program. In fact, it is the reason I relocated to Kansas City.
I grew up in Southern California, where bilingual Chinese education is widely seen as a major advantage. Families view it as a path to top universities and expanded career opportunities.
Not every family can afford full-time tutors or private Chinese schools. By offering CI, Blue Valley gives families from all backgrounds access to that advantage, and earns its reputation as a forward-thinking, best-in-class public district.
I am so proud to tell people my son is a part of this program. It’s amazing to see his growth and to know the opportunities he’ll be afforded, and the thought of losing this program breaks my heart for my son, the educators and all of the families who are being robbed of this incredible opportunity.
Coming on the heels of the STEAM cuts, losing CI is getting us even further removed from what makes Blue Valley distinctive.
Programs like CI draw families from across the state, and increasingly from across the country. My family is one of them. That kind of draw strengthens enrollment, property values, and the district’s reputation. As of late, I’m beginning to seriously question the ability for BV to live up to its sterling reputation.
A current Chinese immersion family
Both my boys (8th and 6th) can communicate with my extended family, extended in-laws etc.
Their story
It is my native language.
Both my boys (8th and 6th) can communicate with my extended family, extended in-laws etc.
yes while in Japan a few months ago, my boys could read most of the Chinese shared characters to navigate our trip with my husband.
Mandarin is the second fastest growing language in the US if not first!!! What it would mean for their future and possibilities!
If the program ends
No but it would have wasted all their learning. Knowing a second language is such a powerful advantage!! How embarrassing to say our district discontinued it for our kids!
A current Chinese immersion family
My older daughter has started teaching her little sister short Chinese sentences, and the two of them practice a Chinese song together on our car rides.
Their story
When I moved my family from New Jersey to the Kansas City area, Chinese Immersion was the deciding factor in choosing Overland Park. My older daughter was about to start kindergarten, and we were looking for the best possible school experience for her. Good school districts exist in many cities. A strong Chinese Immersion program is much harder to find, and Blue Valley has one.
Since she joined, I have watched my daughter learn and grow alongside her classmates, one day at a time. She is now in second grade and still early in the process, but she is thriving in a critical window for learning both English and Chinese through her school curriculum. Her interest in Chinese language and culture keeps growing.
One moment shows me what this program means. My older daughter has started teaching her little sister short Chinese sentences, and the two of them practice a Chinese song together on our car rides. Her younger sister is so excited to join the program next year. Hearing them learn from each other is something I never want them to lose.
What has meant just as much to us is the community. The children, the parents, and the educators in this program form a close community, and it has become a place we call home.That is why we decided to stay. We turned down other opportunities, and I continue to commute to my job because we believed this was the right place for our two daughters to get their education and to grow up in a community of their own. The Chinese Immersion program is the main reason we are here.
If the program ends
Ending the program would take away an opportunity that is very hard to replace. My older daughter would lose the chance to keep building on the foundation she has started, and my younger daughter would never get to begin. It would also force us to rethink our family’s educational decisions and our plans to remain in the district, because the thing that made this community special to us would be gone.
A current Chinese immersion family
We had to transfer our daughters to wolf springs so both girls could continue in the CI program. Earlier this year we even moved closer to WSE.
Their story
We bought a house in the valley park elementary school boundary in order to enroll our daughters in the Chinese immersion program. This was our primary reason for moving to Kansas and buying a home in the blue valley school district. When our older daughter was in kindergarten, blue valley decided to sunset the program at VPE. We had to transfer our daughters to wolf springs so both girls could continue in the CI program. Earlier this year we even moved closer to WSE. Being in the CI program has been a huge priority for our family because we speak Chinese at home and we want them to be immersed in their language and culture and be able to communicate with our family who live in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong
If the program ends
Without the CI program, we would consider moving out of the district and would not have as much of a reason to stay in blue valley. We have considered other school districts or private school. We would be very disappointed because we have made many sacrifices and made a commitment to the program and expected the same with blue valley school district
A current Chinese immersion family
Some of our favorite memories are from birthday parties, where our older daughter always breaks out singing "Happy Birthday" in Mandarin, and now her little sister does too.
Their story
Our two daughters are in fifth grade and first grade. Some of our favorite memories are from birthday parties, where our older daughter always breaks out singing "Happy Birthday" in Mandarin, and now her little sister does too. When she's with her friends, they all sing it together. It's exciting and encouraging, and it makes us so proud.
The two girls love working on their Mandarin together, and it is exciting to hear them start speaking to each other in Mandarin.
The program has also given our older daughter real confidence. Last February, as a fourth grader, she spoke in a Kansas City Chinese speech contest, and we were extremely proud of her. I showed the video to a colleague who is a native Mandarin speaker, and he said her Mandarin was as good as, or better than, that of some children her age in his own family in Taiwan.
The kids have formed strong friendships and a strong sense of identity.
If the program ends
We will fight to keep it. We would be deeply disappointed, and we would lose a lot of trust in the district. We have stayed in Blue Valley because of this program, and we have only considered homes that would keep our girls at this school. If the program ends, that is no longer true. We would be open to moving to another part of the metro, or even to another city or state, and we would likely look at private schools for middle or high school, because our strongest tie to Blue Valley would be gone. We also worry that Blue Valley will not remain the district of excellence it has been when budget cuts come at the expense of the programs that set it apart. This program was one of the few non-negotiables in our decision to stay.
A current Chinese immersion family
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