NHS’s Gesture Of Peace And Cooperation To Be Part Of A Presidential Gift

By Eliza Hallabeck

Jason Hiruo, Newtown High School’s assistant principal and program coordinator for the school district’s growing China Initiative, learned last week that the school’s recent admission into the Hanban-Asia Society Confucius Classrooms Network meant the school had the opportunity to be part of a presidential gift.

Roughly 50 students enrolled in Mandarin or who are student ambassadors for the China Initiative, and teachers who have been connected to the growing program in the past, ventured into the school’s gymnasium on Monday, December 20, to form the Chinese symbols for peace and cooperation.

President Barack Obama will present the end product, what the school expects to be a combination of three photos to form the shot, and a one-page write-up on Newtown’s China Initiative, to Chinese President Hu Jintao during an upcoming visit to The White House, according to Mr Hiruo. All schools in the Hanban-Asia Society Confucius Classrooms Network were asked to submit a one-page presentation of their programs, but Mr Hiruo suspects Newtown’s addition to the gift will be unique.

“Schools were invited to participate,” said Mr Hiruo, “and as far as I know, right now, we are the only school working on this.”

Combining the one-page write-up with the photograph took a lot of effort in a relatively short period of time, according to Mr Hiruo, but he said he thinks everything “turned out alright.”

Once spacing and proportions were determined for the photograph, Mr Hiruo said everything went smoothly. The students and faculty participating in the photograph were all asked to wear something red, and the group was assembled in the recently renovated gymnasium at the high school. It was one of the first uses of the gymnasium since its renovation.

Students and faculty members were asked to report to the gym for 11 am Monday. It took 29 people to form the symbol for harmony, and another 30 to form cooperation. The two groups formed on either side of the large Nighthawks logo in the center of the gym floor, offering a touch of blue and gold NHS pride to the image.

NHS English teacher Amanda Friedman, who is also a member of Newtown’s China Initiative Team, was one of the teachers who sat in the photo.

“I was part of cooperation,” said Ms Friedman. “It was fitting that we were all collaborating. I think everyone was really flexible, and the kids were really patient.”

Ms Friedman also said the ability of the students to sit for the photo was a testament to their degree of enthusiasm for the program at Newtown High School.

“It’s been a really great honor,” said Ms Friedman. “I have been excited, and I think a lot of the kids feel very fortunate to be a part of this experience.”

Also among the smiling faces in the photograph are social studies teacher Martha Parvis, who ventured to China with Mr Hiruo at the start of Newtown’s relationship with its sister school in Liaocheng in the Shandung province of China roughly three years ago; culinary teacher Brian Neumeyer, whose students have taken on the role of welcoming visitors from China with food for each visit; and Chinese foreign exchange teacher Ding Hong, who Mr Hiruo has described as adding a valuable experience and support to the NHS community and China Initiative.

Each student who was present for the photo volunteered to be part of the gift, and were aware in advance they would be responsible for missed class time.

The Hanban-Asia Society Confucius Classrooms Network represents more than 15,000 students in 23 states and the District of Columbia. Public schools, independent schools, and charter schools; elementary, middle, and high schools; and urban, rural, and suburban schools are all represented.

Each school in the partnership is matched with a partner school in China to enhance opportunities for language learning and to provide students, teachers, and administrators with opportunities to conduct exchanges and joint projects. The network is linked through an online community where teachers share resources and best practices in an effort to build models for the field, according to NHS.

The Newtown China Initiative is based on the current sister school partnership with three schools in the city of Liaocheng. The partnership now provides opportunities for Newtown students, grades 5 through 12, and a student ambassador preparatory program. The Mandarin language program will extend to level III by the fall of 2011 for students, and is currently piloting a language workshop to Newtown educators.

The students in the Mandarin classes, he said, came up with the idea to use the symbols for peace and cooperation.

“I think it is a great representation of our school,” said Mr Hiruo, “because, like [Ms Friedman] said, the cooperation and collaboration that have gone hand-in- hand to get this very small project accomplished was a whole lot of communication, support, and enthusiasm. It’s worked out really well.”