Milestones of HudsonWay Immersion School
2005: Bilingual Buds
HudsonWay Immersion School (formerly Bilingual Buds) began operations in the basement of Sharon Huang's home when there were few Mandarin immersion schools in the United States. Five students, including Sharon's twins, are enrolled in this unique preschool program with one teacher that meets two days per week, 2 1/2 hours per day.Â
2006: Livingston, NJ
Bilingual Buds continues to grow. The school relocates to St. Mary's Church in Livingston, NJ. Enrollment expands and programs include preschool, afterschool and Mommy + Me.Â
2007: Summit, NJ
Bilingual Buds moves to Saint John’s Church in Summit, NJ, where it remains for 11 years.
2009: Spanish Program
Bilingual Buds launches its Spanish program offering preschool and kindergarten based on the school’s proprietary immersion curriculum.Â
2010: New York City
Bilingual Buds enrolls its 100th student in New Jersey. In May of 2010. The school launches its New York City location at 175 Riverside Boulevard at 68th Street on the Upper West Side offering Mandarin preschool and pre-K/kindergarten programs.
2011: Beijing
Bilingual Buds launches its first international summer camp in Beijing, China, for three weeks.Â
2012: Elementary School
Bilingual Buds announces plans to expand both the New York and New Jersey campuses to Grade 5, thereby establishing an elementary school curriculum.
2013: Fifth-Grade Graduates
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.
2014: HWIS Rebranding
Bilingual Buds rebrands as HudsonWay Immersion School. The school's second international 3-week summer camp takes place in Shanghai, China, at the YK Pao school with excursions to Beijing and Shanxi.Â
2015: 10-Year Anniversary
Celebration of 10-year anniversary of HudsonWay with a joint NY/NJ celebration on a cruise on the Hudson River
2017: Spain
A third international summer camp experience takes place in Marbella & Madrid.Â
2018: Stirling, NJ
The New Jersey campus relocates to a larger facility at the former St. Vincent de Paul school in Stirling with the capacity to grow enrollment to 200 students.
2019: Midtown West
HudsonWay Immersion School expands its New York City campus and relocates to Midtown West at 525 W. 52nd Street.
2020: Middle States Accreditation
HudsonWay Immersion School received Middle States Accreditation.
2022: Middle School Graduation
First graduation of 8th graders and first time administering the Chinese and Spanish AP tests.