The RCEF Blog 博客

Guan Ai Elementary School and Trinity School of Menlo Park, California piloted a pen pals project this year. Students from both schools have written each other letters introducing their lives and cultures. Most recently, students, teachers, parents, and friends of Trinity School traveled to China to visit Guan Ai School and a report is below.

Videos of the visit are here. To see some pictures taken by Andrew Bridges, one of the visitors, click here.

Spring has arrived and with it, long awaited visitors from Guan Ai’s pen pal school, Trinity School of California. On March 24, about two dozen American students, parents, teachers, and friends stepped off their bus from Xi’an to a spirited welcome from an excited crowd of students and villagers. Fifth- and sixth-graders made bilingual signs to direct visitors around the school and the other grades made decorations for the school yard and their own welcome signs and flags to hold.

The afternoon kicked off with a performance of songs and dances. The Houjia Village Drum Troupe performed, Guan Ai students sang Chinese songs like 《茉莉花》(“Jasmine Flower”）, and 《童年》(“Childhood”), while the California group sang “Jingle Bells,” and “Red River Valley”, accompanied by the Guan Ai keyboard students. Several sixth graders hosted the show, writing their own script and practicing it in English and Chinese.

The village Party Secretary and a head of the Yongji City Education Bureau spoke and expressed interest and support for Guan Ai School’s development. As a token of friendship between the two schools, Guan Ai prepared a banner that the entire student body and California visitors signed. The fourth grade teacher drew two big dragon heads on it and a student’s grandfather wrote in Chinese calligraphy on both sides: 朋友加兄弟 情谊永长青 (As friends and brothers, may our friendship be long-lasting.) Half of the banner now hangs in the Guan Ai library while the other half was given to Trinity School.

On the second day, the American visitors visited students’ homes in the village. They saw grandmothers and aunts demonstrate paper cutting, rug-making, and the making of gourmet mantou—steamed buns which have been molded and cut into exquisite animals and flowers. Next, the American visitors split into seven groups to partner with the seven classes at Guan Ai. RCEF’s Public Education director, Cheng Tao, and Hu Yonghong, a VP07 alumni, helped to translate. They presented posters that Trinity School students had made of animals and nature, as well as hand-made games like “Concentration” (a matching game). Some read storybooks brought from America (with help from translators). Two Trinity students also demonstrated science experiments. Guan Ai students told them folk stories, presented posters they made introducing local customs and holidays, and even acted out a village wedding!

Each group also had time outdoors where they taught each other favorite games. The Guan Ai students learned Team Ball and Freeze Tag from Trinity students and some demonstrated Chinese jump rope and a “whole body” version of Rock, Paper, Scissors, which the American children and teachers picked up with gusto. Finally, each class had a chance to participate in an Easter Egg Hunt prepared by Trinity parents and teachers.

Before leaving, the school held a tree planting ceremony to commemorate the friendship. Principals Sun and Yang of Guan Ai School along with Principal Menacho of Trinity School and RCEF Advisor Leslie Schilling worked the shovels while pairs of American and Chinese children watered the tree. The Trinity group then unpacked suitcases of gifts they brought. The Trinity librarian brought many books and library materials. Other parents and teachers brought Halloween costumes, water color paintings of California’s ocean and mountains, and other mementos. The whole visit was captured on film by one of the Guan Ai student’s fathers and we will put up excerpts on our website. Overall, it was a wonderful visit and the two schools hope to continue and deepen their relationship.