GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) - Junior high and high school students in Campbell County will be able to study Chinese starting in 2013-14 school year.

School trustees approved offering Chinese classes as an elective on Tuesday night. Chairman David Fall thanked the board - in Chinese - after the vote.

The Gillette News Record (http://bit.ly/IHmvy9 ) reports that it will cost $240,000 to offer the classes over the first four years, most of that going to pay for teachers.

A recent survey showed that more than 100 students were interested in studying the language.

Wyoming's Powder River Basin has been providing coal to China and Campbell County High School Assistant Principal Jim Howard has said that learning Chinese help students who go on to work in the energy industry.