An Orange County school district is helping young students learn one of the hardest languages to master: Mandarin Chinese. 

After a group of parents expressed their interest in teaching their children the language, the Capistrano Unified School District launched a Mandarin Chinese immersion program in 2011

Participating students of all different ethnicities take Chinese language classes as well as other subjects like math and science taught entirely in Chinese. 

While their teachers are native Chinese Mandarin speakers, most of the students are now. But that doesn’t stop the students from speaking only in the Asian language. 

“My name is Bao-yi-ming,” said 10-year-old Evelyn Barron, introducing herself in her Chinese name. “I like to eat chocolate and ice cream, but I also like Chinese food.”

Teachers say their young students soak up the language like a sponge.

“They learn very fast,” Jie Gao, a Chinese language teacher, said. “We do a lot of audio video aids. We do singing and chanting.” 

For some students, the immersion program is fundamental for him to stay in touch with his roots.

“I think it’s important since I’m third-generation Chinese, so I think it’s important for me to learn more about my culture,” Lucas Yang, a fifth grader in the program, said. 

The district’s Chinese Mandarin immersion program has become so popular that it’s now accepting students from different school districts – as far as Fullerton and Huntington Beach.