In November, Montville Township High School seniors Yoo Jin Kang and Nicole Nieradka competed in the New Jersey Chinese Teachers Association [NJCTA] singing contest. MTHS Mandarin teacher Zishan (Annie) Huang submitted video of the two MTHS Chinese Honor Society students performing the poem singing of “Plum Blossom” to the NJCTA contest. On January 10, 2023, NJCTA presented MTHS with a 2nd Place Award for Outstanding Achievement. Kang and Nieradka competed against 25 other NJ schools to earn this top standing.
Kang and Nieradka’s winning competition video, of the two of them performing their poem singing of “Plum Blossom,” can be seen on the Montville Township Public Schools YouTube Channel.
“I am very proud of these two students,” said Huang. “This was a challenging competition, with a series of eliminations at each phase of the judging. There were 13 schools remaining in the final round. I am very proud that Yoo Jin and Nicole were awarded 2nd Place in the state.”
![Montville Township High School seniors Yoo Jin Kang and Nicole Nieradka competed in the New Jersey Chinese Teachers Association [NJCTA] singing contest.](/userfiles/272/my%20files/certificate%20of%20the%202nd%20place%20award%20in%20the%20nj%20chinese%20song%20singing%20contest.png?id=5427&width=360)
On Thursday, February 16, 2023, Kang and Nieradka will perform their “Plum Blossom” poem singing at the MTHS Chinese Honor Society’s Annual Chinese New Year Showcase.
The vibrant and colorful Annual Lunar New Year event is a delicious and entertaining evening. All Montville Township families and residents are invited to attend. This February, the 2023 showcase will celebrate the Year of the Rabbit and will feature many live performances. In addition to Kang and Nieradka’s “Plum Blossom” poem singing, members of the MTHS Chinese Honor Society will perform fan and ribbon dances, a dragon dance, lead Kung Fu activities, and host calligraphy and cuisine demonstrations.
“A video preview of the fan dance that will be performed on February 16 can be found at the Montville Township Public Schools YouTube Channel,” Huang noted. “It was done by Mandarin 3 Honors students without costumes in one of our practices. I think that they fully got the idea of how to show off the beauty of the fan dance. This brief preview illustrates how exciting and beautiful the MTHS Chinese New Year Showcase will be.”
The Annual MTHS Chinese Honor Society’s Chinese New Year Showcase will be held on Thursday, February 16, 2023, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., in the MTHS cafeteria, 100 Horseneck Road in Montville, New Jersey. Tickets are $5. The snow date for this event is Friday, February 17.