Delegation members visiting Newtown from China with the Newtown International Center for Education (NICE) arrived at Newtown High School during the evening on Monday, February 23.

The delegation is visiting until Wednesday, March 4, and includes one administrator, one teacher, and 21 students from two schools, Dongchang Middle School and Liaocheng Middle School, in Liaocheng, China.

As the visitors arrived, students greeted each other, some hugged, and host families introduced themselves to the delegates who will be staying with them for the first time. Many flowers and other gifts were exchanged as a welcome to the visitors, who had just arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport before being driven to NHS to meet their host families.

Food was offered for the arrival event.

“Welcome to our school,” said NHS Principal Lorrie Rodrigue to the visitors while explaining she would speak to them again on Tuesday when an official welcoming ceremony was set at NHS. “We are so excited to have you here.”

NHS Assistant Principal Jaime Rivera also welcomed the visiting group, and offered his thanks to the NICE Parent Community Organization (NICE PCO), NICE Program Director Timothy Dejulio, NICE administrative assistant and Home Stay Manager Cara Fedak, and others who made the event and the delegation’s visit possible.

Mr Rivera said the first meeting was the start of “getting to know each other” and suggested the host families and their guests “go home” before beginning the week’s planned activities.

During the delegation’s visit, the visitors will stay with host families, set up through NICE, and will attend multiple events in the school district. Events during the visit will include attending a welcoming ceremony at NHS, visiting students shadowing Newtown students, a trip to New York City, a visit to Yale University in New Haven, and more.

Visitors will also take part in a range of activities with their host families. One of the suggested activities for host families to share with their delegate or delegates is a trip to the Danbury Fair Mall, but a sampling of host families at the arrival event on Monday offered other ideas they have for activities.

Some host families said they plan on visiting the grocery store, going bowling, sledding, or ice skating, visiting the Fairfield Hills campus, playing games, making cookies, bringing delegates for a visit to a spa, introducing the visitors to family and friends, and, for one family, a possible trip to Boston is being planned.