For you and I, learning Chinese might sound like a daunting task. But what if we grew up with Chinese just as much a part of our lives as English? That's the question the Eugene 4J School District is asking tonight.

With the popularity of immersion programs for students learning French and Spanish, the 4J is considering a similar program for Chinese.

"This year we received a large grant from the US Department of Education, and it supports the teaching of Japanese and Korean at a few of our local elementary schools," explains 4J's Abby Lane, "but it also provides us funds for looking into the feasibility of starting a Chinese immersion program."

There are already a handful of students learning chinese in classrooms around Eugene, but the 4J program would be a different story.

"What's different is Chinese programs always have Chinese heritage children," Lane explains, "children who speak Chinese at home. The immersion program would have those children, but of course would also open it up to children who are monolingual in English."

"We have to nurture our leaders, our future leaders, that can really be able to relate to the Chinese," says supporter Peter Leung. "Culturally, language-wise, and social-wise."

Members of the local Asian community say the program could play an important role for the next generation of teachers and business people.

"It's very important that we are looking forward," Leung says, "forward-looking, to opportunity to develop relationship with a country that would be very important to Oregon, and to the United States."

Representatives of the 4J took their ideas to a curious public Saturday afternoon, with a booth at the Asian Celebration offering information and answering questions.

"And then we will take this information to the school board, hopefully by the end of the school year," Lane says, "and then we'll know further if it's something we will continue to investigate and design."

A classroom full of kindergartners, learning the typical kindergarten things -- letters and numbers -- but not in the typical language. Could you imagine? Peter Leung can.

"We have a French, we have a Spanish, or Hispanic, immersion program," he says. "Why not the Chinese?"

In October, a delegation from Eugene will go to China to talk about strategies for building ties between our two communities. Among the delegates will be a handful of children who will get to see the country, and its culture, firsthand.