HUSD News Stories

Higley Unified School District Mandarin students delivered an outstanding performance at the Annual Arizona Chinese Speech Competition, held at Arizona State University.  

Three HUSD campuses—Coronado Elementary School, Sossaman Middle School, and Higley High School—participated in the prestigious event. Competing against nearly 130 students from 40 schools across Arizona, our students showcased exceptional skills and confidence in Mandarin speech, impromptu Q&A, and on-site storytelling. Their hard work, preparation, and dedication were evident in their impressive results.  

Coronado Elementary School Mandarin Dual Language State Award Recipients  

E1 Session (K–1), Heritage Group  

• Chun-kai Wong – 3rd Place  

E2 Session (Grades 2–3), Non-Heritage Group  

• Rebecca Gitlitz – 3rd Place  

• Brendan Lamhang – 3rd Place  

• Dylan Celaya – 3rd Place  

• Indie Nowell – 3rd Place  

• Sawyer DeStefano – 2nd Place  

• Kai Xiao – 1st Place  

E2 Session (Grades 2–3), Heritage Group  

• Yu-fei Wu – 1st Place  

E3 Session (Grade 4), Non-Heritage Group  

• Matthew Bryant – 3rd Place  

• Kenzie Hewitt – 2nd Place  

E3 Session (Grades 4–6), Heritage Group  

• Jiaqi Li (Zoey) – 3rd Place  

• Emmeline Wilt – 3rd Place  

Sossaman Middle School and Higley High School Mandarin Students Awards 

A special congratulations goes to Maxwell Moser, a sophomore at Higley High School and alumnus of Coronado Elementary, Cooley Middle School, and Sossaman Middle School. Maxwell earned a 1st Place ranking and will advance to the Southwest Regional Competition in Los Angeles this May.  

In recognition of his outstanding achievement, Maxwell was also awarded a free trip to China. At regionals, he will compete for the opportunity to represent the United States at the prestigious Chinese Bridge Competition—an honor previously earned by Higley High School Class of 2025 valedictorian Carson Wengert.  

Please join us in congratulating Maxwell and wishing him the very best as he advances to the next level of competition!   

HUSD is proud to offer a comprehensive K–12 Mandarin program across five campuses. Learn more about our elementary Dual Language Immersion (DLI) Mandarin program HERE and explore highlights from our recent Lunar New Year Concert.  

Congratulations to all our talented Mandarin students for representing HUSD with excellence and pride!