A Visit from Yali-Peicui School Builds Global Partnerships

Hopkins was honored to host a delegation of students and faculty from the Yali Peicui School in sister city, Changsha, China from September 25–28, 2019.

Hopkins welcomed the guests at a special all-school assembly, where the schools celebrated each other and a shared commitment to education and student development, with addresses by Head of School Dr. Bynum, Yali Peicui Assistant Principal Mr. Wang Jitao, Hopkins Global Initiatives Coordinator David Harpin. Students from both schools offered beautiful performances. The assembly ended with a presentation of gifts. The delegation attended classes on Thursday, and joined the 7th grade trip to the Durham Fair on Friday. Many Hopkins families hosted Yali Peicui students in their homes, in an added immersion experience.

The Global Initiatives Committee is committed to providing opportunities for students to experience cultures beyond their own, with a mission to nurture students as global citizens who possess the cultural knowledge, awareness, and sensitivity to fully embrace and navigate the larger world. To realize this mission, the committee's work has consisted of identifying and approaching secondary schools in the global region that have relevance to the Hopkins program (e.g., Chinese, French, Italian, Latin/Greek, and community service), with whole we may collaborate on projects (see the Yali-Peicui/Hopkins art project on display in Thompson Hall) and with whom we can plan reciprocal visits with home stays. Hopkins now has active partnerships with Yali-Peicui School in Changsha, China, and the Lycee Louis-Pasteur in Avignon, France, and is in conversations with a secondary school in Amalfi, Italy.

David Harpin reported, "we are planning a reciprocal trip of Hopkins students to Yali-Peicui for March 2020. There will also be a Hopkins trip to the Lycee Louis-Pasteur in Avignon, France, during the March break. Both trips will be opportunities to have fun, to explore both regions' rich cultural attractions, and to spend some time at our partner schools as their guests." Following Yali-Pecui's second visit to Hopkins, Harpin observed "... a greater comfort level among our guests and the Hopkins people: Yali-Peicui students felt comfortable playing ball with our Junior Schoolers in the Athletic Center, and enjoyed the time they shared with the 7th Graders at the Durham Fair. This is the kind of comfort and familiarity we're trying to cultivate with groups of students from very different cultures."
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