Newtown Schools Welcome Chinese Delegates

By Eliza Hallabeck

With a banner across Queen Street in front of Newtown Middle School and a packed itinerary for the week, Newtown schools welcomed visiting delegates from Liaocheng Middle School #3, in the Shandong Province of China, this week.

Newtown High School welcomed the delegates from its sister school first on Monday, February 7, with a pep rally in the morning.

“You’ll see them around school all this week, so please offer a warm ‘ni hao,’” said NHS social studies teacher Jason Edwards, the announcer for the event.

The group arrived in Newtown on February 4, and will stay through February 13. During the delegates’ visit, they are staying with host families, attending events at NHS, and going on planned day trips to places like Sturbridge Village and New York City. Delegates will also be attending classes and meeting with school administrators during the week to further the sister school partnership, as NHS Assistant Principal and program coordinator Jason Hiruo has said.

During Monday’s welcome pep rally, NHS students sat in the school’s gymnasium and watched as NHS Principal Charles Dumais and foreign exchange teacher Ding Hong welcomed the delegates. NHS students Marina Lleonart-Calvo and Kate Bartel then welcomed the delegates with a prepared speech. Marina, who earned third place in the 5th Annual Chinese Bridge United States High School Student Chinese Contest, held in Marlboro, Mass., at the International Academy of Boston last April, spoke in Chinese and then Kate translated the speech into English.

This is the third year the partner school has sent a delegation of students and school representatives to visit NHS, and the trip marks the partnership’s third year.

When Mr Ding and Mr Dumais spoke, Mr Ding spoke for the delegates, then Mr Dumais spoke in English for the non-Chinese speakers in the audience.

“Over the last three years we have learned a tremendous amount about each other’s cultures and best educational practices,” said Mr Dumais. “Our partnership has grown quickly as a professional relationship and one more like family. Each visit has expanded the extent of our relationship. We are very proud to be able to include our middle school and intermediate school, and look forward to having our elementary students and teachers involved as well.”

Newtown’s partnership with Liaocheng, Mr Dumais said, has become a model to other schools in the state and across the country.

“It has been the foundation for our selection as one of only 100 schools in the country to be a member of the Hanban Asia Society Confucius Classrooms Network,” Mr Dumais said. “We are certain that this recognition will create new opportunities for the students of Newtown and Liaocheng to enhance their international awareness.”

Next Marina and Kate welcomed their “Chinese friends to America.”

Both Kate and Marina are also planning to visit Liaocheng Middle School #3 this April, when a group of Newtown administrators, teachers, and students will visit Newtown’s sister school. This is the first year students will be visiting the area. The 13-day itinerary for the April delegation includes roughly two days of travel, visiting Liaocheng Middle School #3, visiting the Beijing Zoo, Beijing’s Walking Mall, and more.

“We are delighted to have you here today,” Kate said to the delegates on Monday. “You are the third delegates from your school who have visited us, studied with us, and been our honored guests. For three years in a row students from Liaocheng Middle School #3 have been introduced into our student body, our families, and our hearts.”

Other schools in Newtown prepared for and welcomed the delegates during events throughout the week. Newtown Middle School prepared for the expected guests by having a banner hung in front of the Queen Street school on Friday, February 4. It read, “Welcome Education Delegation From China” in both English and Chinese.

A Chinese New Year Celebration is also planned to be conducted at the school on Saturday, February 12.

 Video from the pep rally is available at NewtownBee.com.