#50 Delaware Korean School: Spreading Awareness about Korean Language and Culture
One of the major leaders in spreading Korean language and culture in Delaware is the Delaware Korean School. Founded in 1986 by the Delaware Korean community leaders, the Delaware Korean School has celebrated more than thirty years of teaching Korean language, culture, and history, among other subjects, to hundreds of students, many of whom have become successful adults.
Jinhee Oh, vice principal of the school, stated that the school was founded “to help students find their identity and preserve their heritage through Korean language, culture, and history”. She believes that the role the school plays in the community is to bridge the gap between first generation Korean-Americans and mainstream American culture. “It would not do for Americans to be ignorant of Korean culture,” Oh explained, “so the school was created to spread awareness about this.”
Oh has a more personal connection to the school. She has three children, and all of them have attended the Delaware Korean School. “The main reason I sent my children to this school is so they can connect with their roots, so they can be part of a Korean community and make friends who are Korean,” Oh told me.
As a celebration of their 30 year anniversary, the school collaborated with the Delaware University Music Department to invite the world-famous Ahn Trio to play a concert in Delaware. The Ahn Trio consists of three sisters- Lucia on the piano, Angella on the violin, and Maria on the cello. They have been honored as rising stars by several publications, and in 2011, they were invited by President Obama to play at a White House State Dinner celebrating South Korea.
The Delaware Korean School has also performed at the Korean Festival at the Delaware Art Museum for four years, and this coming September will be the fifth year. The Korean Festival is an event where visitors can experience both traditional and modern Korean culture through activities and demonstrations such as martial arts, music, and food. At the festival, students performed a traditional Korean mask dance, a Korean fan dance, Korean drums (samulnori), and traditional Korean songs on a string ensemble. Korean students’ artwork was also displayed in the museum every year. In addition to the annual Korean Festival, students from the school performed in the Chinese American Community Center (CACC) Chinese festival every year.
Even though many of the students at the Delaware Korean School are still second or third generation Korean-Americans, Oh revealed that there has been an influx of non-Korean adult students as a result of the increasing influence of Korean dramas, K-Pop, and K-Beauty. Some of these students are also people who plan to study abroad or even teach English in Korea. Oh wants the Delaware Korean School to not only be a place where Korean language is taught, but also a center for spreading awareness about Korea in the Delaware community. “We want to be a place where anyone who wants to learn about Korea can learn the language, history, culture, and society. We want to be a place where people can truly experience Korea. Above all, we want to be a place where we can work together to raise awareness about Korean language and culture,” Oh explained.Classes take place at 1512 Brackenville Rd Hockessin, DE 19707 from 9 AM to 12 PM every Saturday. The first two classes are about Korean language, while the third class teaches special activities such as Korean dance, drums, cooking, songs, history, and art. Enrollment is open year-round. Learn more at http://delaware.korean.net/ or https://www.facebook.com/delawarekoreanschool/.
Author: Raphael Kim from CompanyRootsxDelaware
Editors: Sourish Jasti and Megan Chen