Nina Sun is new to Jackson Prep, not to mention new to America too. The ninth-grader is from the southeast part of China, and has been in Mississippi for seven months. Sun says that her favorite thing about Mississippi is the clean environment; especially the fact that there isn’t as much pollution in the air as there is in China. However, she wouldn’t mind if there was another form of transportation besides automobiles.

There is a big difference between Prep and Nina’s old school in the Zhejjiang Province. In China, school went Monday through Friday as schools in America do, but they were at school from 7:30- 4, and sometimes later. Sun’s Chinese school had nine periods a day, and teachers, not students, moved from class to class.

The first term of the school year in China starts in September and ends in January or February, depending on the date of the Chinese New Year. The second semester starts after the Lunar Festival, which is the 15^th day of the first lunar month. The term lasts through the end of June.

Sports aren’t as big of a deal in China as they are in America. Sun says that teachers encourage the students to focus on their studies and not as much on sports. She did say, however, that they have some sports in China. There are fewer options there than there are in America.

Sun, although she misses her friends back home, is happy to be here in America. She likes that the people at Prep are really nice. She is currently a member of the Asian Club and is running track. Sun will also be appearing in Prep’s spring play, the Jungle Book.