Cal High is planning to offer a new Korean language class next school year because of the number of students who are excited to learn about the Asian culture.
Juniors Hana Kim and Cindy Kim conducted interviews in December to create a video that showed student and community interest in the Korean class. This video was later presented to Cal Principal Demetrius Ball.
“There were several parents and a representative basically wanting to say, this is a class where there’s a lot of interest from the community [and if Cal] would be willing to run it,” Ball said during a press conference with The Californian.
The student survey distributed by the Korean Friends Club (KFC) adviser David Ellis indicated that 250 parents and students wanted a Korean language class.
The KFC was founded this school year by Hana Kim and Cindy Kim to allow students to learn about Korean culture while earning volunteer hours.
The number of U.S. colleges offering Korean classes has increased by 68 percent between 2002 to 2016, according to a story published Oct. 19, 2022, on the KQED website. The number of students enrolled in these classes also has jumped 78 percent between 2009 and 2016, while enrollment in other college-level language classes has plateaued, according to the KQED story.
After Ball approved the idea, Hana Kim’s parents involved a nonprofit called Hansamo to provide resources for the new class.
Hansamo, a San Francisco-based nonprofit, is dedicated to spreading Korean culture. The nonprofit’s Korean Class Support team works with other schools to make Korean language classes a possibility.
The Korean Class Support team collaborated with Ball, Cal counselors, the Korean Embassy, and KFC club members’ parents to discuss the future of the Korean class.
Whether the class will be added to Cal’s course catalog depends on the number of students who sign up.
In addition to ensuring there are enough sign-ups from high school students, Cal counselors also have reached out and connected with Pine Valley and Iron Horse middle schools to inform their principals of the new course offering.
“We won’t get into the work of budgeting and all that until we know that we have enough numbers to open,” assistant principal Oriana Yanes said.
With the growing popularity of Korean trends and entertainment, Yanes predicts there will be enough sign-ups for the new class.
“It’s an interesting opportunity to be able to introduce a language that is growing in relevance in the United States,” Spanish II teacher Anna McKnight-Matney said. “People want to understand more K-dramas and K-pop, and being able to make that connection is something that students are really passionate about.”
Hana Kim said the Korean class will have five sections, similar to other language classes offered at Cal. Korean 1-3 will cover the basic levels of the language, while Korean 4 and 5 will provide higher levels of honors classes.
Korean language classes were introduced at Dougherty Valley High in 2011 and Korean students, as well as other ethnicities, have signed up for the five different courses.
Dougherty’s active Korean parent community and the school’s Korean student population contributed to the class being offered earlier than Cal, Yanes said.
“I am utilizing many quality resources of Korean pop, music, drama, and movies for students to learn authentic Korean culture, history, and society,” Dougherty’s Korean teacher Eunhee Joo said.
By incorporating student interests into the class, students grasp the language more easily, said Joo, who has taught the classes since March 2019.
Students learn basic elements of Korean grammar and expand communicative abilities in the intermediate levels, while their conversational skills are developed more in the honors classes through advanced vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structures, said Joo.
“The Korean class is really fun!” Dougherty senior Keilani Zulueta said. “It’s a fun chance to expose myself to a new culture.”
Dougherty’s Korean class also provides unique opportunities to further educate students about Korean culture by celebrating Korean Thanksgiving and the Lunar New Year.
Additionally, the language class hosted music, art and cooking classes that included making bing su (shaved ice), tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), and japchae (sweet potato starch noodles with vegetables).
Similar to Dougherty’s classes, the Cal’s KFC shares culture by commemorating certain holidays in South Korea.
KFC previously celebrated on Oct. 9 Hangul Day, which is a Korean national holiday that commemorates the invention of the Korean alphabet, Hangul.
“We prepared bookmarks with club members’ names and passed them out to [them],” Cindy Kim said.
KFC also commemorated on Nov. 11 Pepero Day, also known as Pockey Day, which is a version of Valentine’s Day.
With Cal’s student body more interested in Korean culture, this new class provides exciting opportunities for interested students to learn about the culture and for Korean-speaking students to strengthen their language skills.
Many students think the Korean class could be a good addition, but some upperclassmen said they may be unwilling to enroll in it because they already filled their world language requirement.
“I’m happy that Cal is offering this now, but I wish I was able to take Korean through high school,” junior Daksha Chandragiri said. “It’s a shame we started now but better late than never.”
Many upperclassmen will be able to only enroll in the first Korean class because of the classes recent addition.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for students to learn a new language, [but] I don’t think I’m planning to take this new class because I am taking Spanish [III],” sophomore Mercy Wu said.
Added sophomore Zailey Fogelman, “It is kinda sad for the older students who wanted to take it earlier, but I’m glad some younger students have the opportunity to take it,”
Some underclassmen may be willing to take it in order to experience the unique opportunities this language class provides in contrast to the typical Spanish and French classes.
“I think it’s going to be a good addition because it could add more cultural diversity to our campus and people [who] want to learn Korean have a chance to learn it in a class,” freshman Jaemin Kim said.
Jaemin Kim and Fogelman both plan to take this class next year.
