District 88 to host students, teachers from Huantai 1st Middle School in China

At District 88, we’re proud of the diversity that fills our halls and classrooms. We have about 40 languages and more than 30 countries represented among our families, and almost half of our nearly 4,000 students speak a language other than English at home. Embracing those various backgrounds has led to continued success in our schools.

We provide a comprehensive educational experience for all students, which includes opportunities to learn about other cultures. Whether it’s traveling to Europe or hosting guests from abroad, we know these interactions teach our students life lessons and help them develop a global mindset, with an understanding of and appreciation for cultural competency. And our students will have another learning opportunity when we welcome and host 10 students and two teachers from Huantai 1st Middle School (located in Zibo, a city in central Shandong province, China), at our schools. They will visit Willowbrook on Feb. 7 and Addison Trail on Feb. 8 to learn about U.S. public high schools. During their visit, they will shadow District 88 students throughout the school day and enjoy extracurricular activities such as athletic and performing arts events in the evening.

We are thrilled at this opportunity and would like to thank the DuPage Convention & Visitors Bureau for their partnership. This trip is made possible through the bureau’s DuPage Discovery Tours, an international student program that expands cross-cultural understanding, develops platforms for various languages and promotes higher learning. The DuPage Convention & Visitors Bureau has designed a comprehensive itinerary for the group’s nearly 11-day stay that includes visiting District 88, as well as traveling to local colleges and universities, Argonne National Laboratory, city government facilities and historical attractions.

We look forward to providing more occasions like this for our students in the future. Thank you for your continued support of District 88.

Left: District 88 Superintendent Dr. Scott Helton (back row, second from right), Willowbrook Principal Dan Krause (back row, third from right) and Addison Trail Principal Michael Bolden (front row, second from right) help welcome 10 students and two teachers from Huantai 1stMiddle School (located in Zibo, a city in central Shandong province, China) during a dinner on Jan. 31 at Hilton Chicago/Oak Brook Suites. On Feb. 7 and 8, the group from China will visit Willowbrook and Addison Trail. Also pictured are members of the DuPage Convention & Visitors Bureau, which is the group coordinating the visit. Right: Helton (center) poses with visitors from Huantai 1stMiddle School.