District 88 welcomes students, staff from Huantai 1st Middle School in China
On Feb. 7, Willowbrook welcomed and hosted 10 students and two teachers from Huantai 1st Middle School (located in Zibo, a city in central Shandong province, China). Top left: Willowbrook seniors Casey King (back seat, right) and Calvin Linnig (front seat, right) show Zhenning Gong (back seat, left) and Tianshu Yue (front seat, left) the school's automotive department. Top middle: Students flip through a comic book while they tour Willowbrook's Library Media Center. Top right: Willowbrook Career and Technical Education (CTE) teacher Courtney Vala shows Tianshu Yue how to use the screen printer. Bottom left: Haoda Guo shoots a basket during a physical education class. Photo by Willowbrook senior Rachel Wiedman Bottom right: Students laugh as they play a game of basketball during a physical education class. Photo by Willowbrook senior Rachel Wiedman
On Feb. 7, the group from Huantai 1st Middle School made pizzas at Aurelio’s in Addison.
On Feb. 8, the group was interviewed by Judy Hsu with ABC7. Top left: Hsu (left) shares a laugh with Addison Trail seniors Jessica Bach and Mitch Gomez. Top right: Hsu (right) speaks with Huantai 1st Middle School students Yao Zhang (left) and Tianshu Yue. Bottom left and right: Hsu (center in both photos) poses with students and staff from Huantai 1st Middle School, District 88, Addison Trail and the DuPage Convention & Visitors Bureau.
On Feb. 8, Addison Trail welcomed and hosted 10 students and two teachers from Huantai 1st Middle School. Left: (From left) Addison Trail seniors Jessica Bach and Keara Schmitt have a discussion with Tianshu Yue during an English class. Right: (From left) Haoda Guo and Ziqi He from Huantai 1st Middle School practice their English with Addison Trail seniors Sarah Petrbok and Szymon Popowski.
On Feb. 7 and 8, Willowbrook and Addison Trail (respectively) welcomed and hosted 10 students and two teachers from Huantai 1st Middle School (located in Zibo, a city in central Shandong province, China).
During their visit, they shadowed District 88 students throughout the school day, toured the buildings and enjoyed extracurricular activities such as athletic and performing arts events in the evening. CLICK HERE TO WATCH A VIDEO OF THEIR VISIT.
Other activities included:
- On Feb. 7, the group made pizzas at Aurelio’s in Addison.
- On Feb. 8, the group was interviewed by Judy Hsu with ABC7. CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO.
- On Feb. 10, the group was recognized during a closing reception and dinner at Maggiano’s Little Italy in Oak Brook.
This trip was made possible through the DuPage Convention & Visitors Bureau’s DuPage Discovery Tours, an international student program that expands cross-cultural understanding, develops platforms for various languages and promotes higher learning. The bureau designed a comprehensive itinerary for the group’s 12-day stay that included visiting District 88, as well as traveling to local colleges and universities, Argonne National Laboratory, city government facilities and historic attractions.
District 88 provides 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, those interactions teach students life lessons and help them develop a global mindset, with an understanding of and appreciation for cultural competency.