 |
| Members of the Chinese delegation with GCSD school officials |
Chinese delegation tours Guilderland High School during special visit on Jan. 18
Jan. 20, 2012—Students and staff waited anxiously
in the lobby of Guilderland High School on Wednesday afternoon, ready to
greet their very special guests from a land some 7,000 miles away. Finally,
at 1:15 p.m., the delegation of
29 students and seven faculty members from
Tianjin High School No. 41 in Tianjin, China arrived.
High School Principal Thomas Lutsic welcomed Chen
Tianshun, a co-principal of Tianjin No. 41 High School,
and his colleagues
and presented the Chinese students with GHS tee-shirts before departing on
small group tours of the school building. Tours were led by high school
students, some of whom were hosting members of the delegation during their
stay.
District administrators, as well as Capital Region BOCES BOCES Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Kathryn Gerbino, Questar III Assistant Superintendent Diana Conroy, and an educational liaison from SUNY Buffalo, Dr. Chen, also joined in on the tours.
Throughout the afternoon, the delegation visited multiple classrooms, observing lessons and interacting with students and school staff to learn more about American curriculum, instructional models, scheduling, and school structures in general. They observed lessons in French, English, math, art, music and forensics and even partnered with Guilderland students and their Tech Valley High School hosts to perform a traditional French-Canadian dance.
The group also participated in a school question and answer session in the high school LGI, addressing topics such as differences in class size, length of the school day, teaching styles, assessments and college prep between American schools and Chinese schools.
“We understand this is a very successful school and this why we came over to your country to see with our eyes and learn something,” Principal Chen told the audience.
Prior to concluding their visit, the delegation from Tianjin No. 41 High School and members of the Guilderland Central School District community exchanged gifts of appreciation and goodwill. Principal Chen presented Superintendent of Schools Dr. Marie Wiles and Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Dr. Demian Singleton with a traditional Chinese scroll; in turn, Wiles and Singleton presented Chen with two books about Guilderland and the surrounding area.
Their visit to GHS, as well as to several other local schools, was the latest educational and cultural exchange between Tianjin High School No. 41 and Tech Valley High School, who signed a pact last February to create an educational exchange between the two schools. For the students, it was their first visit to the United States, where they are spending 14 days. The delegation departs the Capital Region on January 20 and returns to China on January 27.
"It was truly a great experience to host the students and staff from Tianjin School No. 41 at our school," said Lutsic. "Not only did the delegation teach us about their school and the educational system in China, but they also helped us learn a bit more about our school system, as well."
View more photos from the event below!
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |