TOWNSHEND — Twenty-four students and three administrators from China recently visited the West River Valley for an intensive language and culture summer camp at Leland & Gray Union Middle and High School.
The students, ranging in age from 15 to 17, are part of Leland & Gray's international program with Yuhang and Yunhe, two “sister schools” in Zhejiang Province, China.
The students stayed with 14 host families in the communities served by Leland & Gray and interacted on a daily basis with as many as 22 Leland & Gray middle and high school students.
The program is designed to provide opportunities for the students to spend time with their American peers. The Chinese students also received daily English instruction, led by veteran ESL teacher Bill Conley of Dummerston and assisted by Vermont Teacher of the Year Tong Chen and Winhall artist Paul Molinelli. They also had a chance to visit local cultural and historical sites.
Highlights of the visit included a welcome barbecue/potluck dinner at Townshend Dam Recreation Area; a field trip to an organic farm in Brookline and preparation of organic food at the high school; an information session and tour of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst; an introduction to the college search program led by Leland & Gray counselor Sarah Grasso; a hike to “The Overlook” in Jamaica State Park and a square dance at the Saxtons River Recreation Area with music by Jill Newton and the Turkey Mountain Window Smashers.
The program is an important piece in Leland & Gray's international initiative. Already known for its Journey East arts exchange program, the high school has been certified by the Department of Homeland Security, and has enrolled two Chinese full tuition-paying students for the upcoming school year.