News Detail
China Exchange A Smashing Success
The Great Wall, the Forbidden City, and Tiananmen Square were a few of the historical landmarks that five New Hampton School students and two faculty members visited in a recent trip to China. But the NHS representatives were not simply tourists. The inaugural China Exchange Program afforded students the unique opportunity to spend considerable time at the Shibei High School in Wuxi, and opened their eyes to different customs, cuisines, and educational culture in China.
According to Dan Love, NHS's Global Curriculum Coordinator who led the trip, the students' healthy curiosity and willingness to embrace a different culture made the trip successful.
"The expectation was that students would find the opportunity to learn outside the classroom in a real life travel experience," Mr. Love said. "Our expectations were far exceeded when students were able to see China through the lens of Chinese students their age and experience the culture for two weeks."
Mr. Love said that while the students enjoyed the tourist experience in a new country, the real learning moments occurred during the five-day stay at Shibei.
"We saw a transformation when students went beyond just seeing sights and were able to see how people lived, and that happened at Shibei," Mr. Love said.
For Grant Ballou ’11, a junior from Philadelphia, the essence of the growing relationship between China and the United States became obvious when a Shibei teacher talked about the two countries.
"During one class toward the end, the teacher was talking to our guide and he said the U.S. and China have a strong economic relationship but he'd like to see more of this type of relationship."
At the heart of educational travel is finding those moments when it is possible to share experiences, ideas, and questions. Merrill Clerkin ’10 discovered those opportunities in the most casual of settings.
"The most interesting part of the trip were some of the conversations we had with some of the students in Wuxi," Merrill said. "When (the guys) were playing basketball it got really personal."
Those conversations revealed something about perception and Chinese students' idea of the United States.
"When they think of America, they think great things," Merrill said. "It was interesting to hear what they had to say. It was really interesting to have that interaction."
The differences in the educational setting were striking to the NHS students, too.
"(Shibei) is so much different than NHS," Grant said. "It's so strict and there are 50 kids to a class."
For Merrill Clerkin, Grant Ballou, Oliie Long, Anthony Bicchieri, and Luca Perotti the experience certainly will resonate on a number of levels. Ollie, a South Boston native, absorbed a great deal from his stay at Shibei, but the grander experience of observing a Chinese city in motion also had an impact.
"We got to see a lot of the culture," Ollie said. "We walked around and saw some of the slums in Shanghai. It makes you think how good it is to be living where we are. It makes you appreciate living in the United States and going to a good school."
New Hampton School now awaits the second part of the exchange when Shibei students will find their way to Central New Hampshire and experience the school in all its splendor.
As the group ended its visit in China, Merrill reflected on the challenge that lies ahead.
"Everyone (at Shibei) is really nice and they treated us so well at the school," Merrill said. "We have a lot to live up to when they come to visit."
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According to Dan Love, NHS's Global Curriculum Coordinator who led the trip, the students' healthy curiosity and willingness to embrace a different culture made the trip successful.
"The expectation was that students would find the opportunity to learn outside the classroom in a real life travel experience," Mr. Love said. "Our expectations were far exceeded when students were able to see China through the lens of Chinese students their age and experience the culture for two weeks."
Mr. Love said that while the students enjoyed the tourist experience in a new country, the real learning moments occurred during the five-day stay at Shibei.
"We saw a transformation when students went beyond just seeing sights and were able to see how people lived, and that happened at Shibei," Mr. Love said.
For Grant Ballou ’11, a junior from Philadelphia, the essence of the growing relationship between China and the United States became obvious when a Shibei teacher talked about the two countries.
"During one class toward the end, the teacher was talking to our guide and he said the U.S. and China have a strong economic relationship but he'd like to see more of this type of relationship."
At the heart of educational travel is finding those moments when it is possible to share experiences, ideas, and questions. Merrill Clerkin ’10 discovered those opportunities in the most casual of settings.
"The most interesting part of the trip were some of the conversations we had with some of the students in Wuxi," Merrill said. "When (the guys) were playing basketball it got really personal."
Those conversations revealed something about perception and Chinese students' idea of the United States.
"When they think of America, they think great things," Merrill said. "It was interesting to hear what they had to say. It was really interesting to have that interaction."
The differences in the educational setting were striking to the NHS students, too.
"(Shibei) is so much different than NHS," Grant said. "It's so strict and there are 50 kids to a class."
For Merrill Clerkin, Grant Ballou, Oliie Long, Anthony Bicchieri, and Luca Perotti the experience certainly will resonate on a number of levels. Ollie, a South Boston native, absorbed a great deal from his stay at Shibei, but the grander experience of observing a Chinese city in motion also had an impact.
"We got to see a lot of the culture," Ollie said. "We walked around and saw some of the slums in Shanghai. It makes you think how good it is to be living where we are. It makes you appreciate living in the United States and going to a good school."
New Hampton School now awaits the second part of the exchange when Shibei students will find their way to Central New Hampshire and experience the school in all its splendor.
As the group ended its visit in China, Merrill reflected on the challenge that lies ahead.
"Everyone (at Shibei) is really nice and they treated us so well at the school," Merrill said. "We have a lot to live up to when they come to visit."
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