Emily Reardon has been learning Chinese on her own time the past few years. Next year, however, she might be able to add Chinese to her school schedule.

“[Chinese] is one of the most common languages in the world,” Tim Harig, history teacher, said. “[It’s] one of those changes that just makes sense.”

Harig is not the only one who thinks the change is due. Reardon, junior, feels the same way.

“I am on level one right now, but I would like to be fluent in two to three years,” Reardon said.

Reardon believes Chinese is valuable in business, which she is thinking of studying.

“I think it’s a good opportunity,” Larry Anderson, foreign language department chair, said. “A different language with a bit of complexity.”

Anderson has tried to add Chinese as a language option since last year.

“We sent a survey out to the middle school to gauge interest,” Anderson said. “The results said there was interest from the parents and students.”

Reardon has been interested in learning Chinese as a second language for awhile.

“I just came across this Chinese dictionary online, was interested and then my parents got me Rosetta Stone,” Reardon said.

Harig believes adding the language to the curriculum it will be worth the additional choices offered to the students.

“Languages are another way to learn to think,” Harig said. “Language is the most powerful way.”

AP Chinese has been an AP test since 2007 and tests over Mandarin/Potonga Chinese, according to College Board. The test is equivalent to a fourth semester Mandarin Chinese class, and many test-takers are native Chinese speakers trying to get college credits out of the way, according to the College Board.

“I don’t blame folks in the 1990s for not thinking of [Chinese],” Harig said.

Harig, who added AP World History as a class in the 2002-2003 school year, worked for four years to have his class added to the curriculum.

“We won’t know until February [if the class can happen],” Anderson said. “Then we start looking for teachers.”