Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
UNION, Ore. (AP) — The Union Hotel, which opened in 1921, is a local icon, owning the distinction of being one of the oldest hotels in Eastern Oregon.
Soon the hotel will own another distinction. The building will be the site of one of the few bilingual elementary schools in Oregon.
Charlie Morden and partner Ruth Rush, owners and operators of the Union Hotel, plan to open a Chinese language immersion school at the Union Hotel as early as September 2016. Children will be taught in both Mandarin Chinese and English on the expansive and now vacant third floor of the Union Hotel plus other portions of the building.
"Math, for example, will be taught in Chinese one day and English the next," Morden said.
The school will fill an important void, Morden said, since many United States corporations that do business in China need employees who are fluent in English and Chinese.
He said those from rural regions like Northeast Oregon who can speak Chinese are particularly needed because many agricultural corporations do extensive business with China.
"Who better to represent American agriculture (in China) than people who grew up here, are familiar with agriculture and speak Chinese fluently?" Morden said.
The school will be either a charter school or private school. No tuition would be charged if it is a charter school, which receives public funding but operates independently of the public school system it is in.
Morden said tuition would be minimal or nonexistent if the Chinese immersion school is a private school. He wants to make sure that if tuition is charged, it is affordable so children from families at all income levels can attend.
"To make it work, the tuition would have to be minimal," Morden said. "Education is a great equalizer. It is all about opportunity for children."
Should the school be privately run, Morden is hopeful that all funding would be provided by large American corporations, who "see value in having bilingual people in the workforce," and through private donations.
Morden was appointed to the Union School Board about a year ago but stepped down earlier this month. He resigned because he has philosophical differences involving how Oregon's public schools are run. Morden, however, said he thinks highly of the people running the Union School District.
"I am not upset. They are the nicest, most dedicated folks," he said.
The school Morden and Rush plan to open will serve children in kindergarten through third grade initially and then gradually expand.
The school will run from September through June when hotel business is slow.
"This would be ideal since we do most of our business (at the Union Hotel) in the summer," Morden said.
Neither Morden nor Rush will be teaching classes, since neither speak Chinese. So the duo will look for teachers who are fluent in English and Chinese.
Morden understands firsthand what challenges await. He served as principal of a bilingual Chinese immersion school in Washington, D.C., for a year about 15 years ago. It was a public charter school.
"It was wonderful to see inner city children with beautiful smiles on their faces speaking Chinese," he said.
Morden has a history degree from Stanford University. He is presently serving as an admissions interviewer for Stanford. He interviews students from this region who have applied for admittance into Stanford and then submits a recommendation to the school.
Rush also has an extensive background in education. She has a bachelor's degree in secondary education from Eastern Oregon University and a master's degree in German language and literature from the University of Oregon. Rush earlier taught German at Elmira High School near Eugene.
"I think (the school) is a great idea. I'm excited about it," she said.
Rush and Morden bought the Union Hotel in 2012. Shortly after moving to Union from the Springfield area, the couple bought the hotel.
Morden believes the Union Hotel would be an excellent site for a school because of the space it would provide and its location. Morden noted that the Union City Park is directly behind it and would serve as a good playground site and that the city's public library is just south of the hotel.
He believes that the future Chinese immersion school will bring out the best in children by providing excellent instruction from teachers who will challenge them in unique fashion.
"We so underestimate our children's ability to learn," he said.
___
Information from: The (La Grande) Observer, http://www.lagrandeobserver.com/
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
