15 Years of HudsonWay Immersion School
2019
In 2019, HudsonWay Immersion School expands its New York City campus and relocates to Midtown West at 525 W. 52nd Street.
2018
In 2018, the New Jersey campus relocates to St. Vincent de Paul in Stirling with the capacity to grow enrollment to 250 students.
2017
In 2017, HudsonWay Immersion School (HWIS) operates its first summer camp to Spain traveling to Marbella and Madrid for 2 ½ weeks. HWIS brings 15 students and some family members who enjoy an immersion camp organized by Enforex and HWIS with a customized itinerary in Madrid.
2014
In 2014, Bilingual Buds rebrands as HudsonWay Immersion School. Elizabeth Willaum is named director.
2013
In 2013, HudsonWay Immersion School had its first 5th-grade graduate. The student achieved a perfect 5 on the AP test in grade 7 and went on to attend the Pingry School in New Jersey.
2012
In 2012, Bilingual Buds announces plans to expand both the New York and New Jersey campuses to Grade 5, thereby establishing an elementary school curriculum.
2010
Bilingual Buds enrolls its 100th student in New Jersey. In May of 2010, the school launches its New York City location on 175 Riverside Boulevard at 68th Street on the Upper West Side offering Mandarin preschool and pre-K/kindergarten programs.
Also, momentous that spring, several Bilingual Buds’ first graders achieve Advanced Low proficiency on the Student Oral Proficiency Assessment (SOPA) assessment—a milestone for the school as well as for the Center for Applied Linguistics. Bilingual Buds is subsequently asked to help further develop the Center’s scoring rubric for future test takers.
2009
In 2009, Bilingual Buds launches its Spanish program offering preschool and kindergarten based on the school’s proprietary immersion curriculum. It is also the pilot year for Bilingual Buds’ Summer Camp program in Beijing. A Chinese partner school relationship is established with two Bilingual Buds students learning alongside native-speaking preschool children.
2007
In 2007, Bilingual Buds moves to Saint John’s Church in Summit, NJ, where it remains for 10 years.
2006
Bilingual Buds continues to grow in the basement of Sharon’s home. Five students, including Sharon’s twins, are enrolled in this unique preschool program that meets 2 days per week, 2 ½ hours per day.
2005
HudsonWay Immersion School (formerly Bilingual Buds) opened its first school in 2005 when there were few Mandarin immersion schools in the United States. Founder Sharon Huang, motivated by the birth of her twins, researched and opened an innovative school that would give children, “…the gift of bilingualism—to expand their ability to communicate, and to enlarge and inform their view of the world.”