Newtown Delegation To Travel To China This Week

Just a few days before the 29 members of this year’s Newtown delegation is set to travel to China, some of the soon-to-be-travelers met in the Newtown High School Lecture Hall on Monday, April 9, for a final briefing.

The delegation is part of the Newtown International Center for Education (NICE) program. The 29 delegates include 16 Newtown High School students; 12 faculty and staff members from Reed Intermediate School, Newtown Middle School, and Newtown High School; Director of Economic and Community Development Elizabeth Stocker; and First Selectman Pat Llodra.

The group is set to visit Newtown’s sister schools in Liaocheng, in the Shandong Province of China, and other stops along the way, including the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Jinshang Park, and more.

While in Liaocheng group members will stay with host families.

The group was scheduled to depart for China early Thursday, April 12, and the trip is scheduled to last 11 days.

“Your safety and well-being is our first priority,” said NICE Program Coordinator and NHS Assistant Principal Jason Hiruo to the assembled students in the Lecture Hall on Monday.

Mr Hiruo went over the safety measures that would be taken while on the trip, and more, before NICE Assistant Program Coordinator and NHS English teacher Amanda Friedman went over one last cultural subject with the students and other delegation members.

The bargaining system, Ms Friedman warned, is a complicated process, “but it is very fun.”

When shopping in established areas, Ms Friedman told the students the sellers are experienced and know how to sell their products.

“It’s really not [about] the shopping,” said Mr Hiruo. “It is the cultural experience.”

The sellers, Ms Friedman said, will walk customers through a process of haggling. With the help of one student volunteer, Luke Shearin, Ms Friedman demonstrated what the process will be like.

“I think overall it is a really fun experience,” said Ms Friedman.

She warned the students it is improper to put the sellers through the process of haggling over the price of goods if the buyer is not willing to purchase the item, but she also told the students not feel guilty if the vendor does not bring a price as low as they are willing to pay.

Overall, Mr Hiruo said the bargaining process is just a fraction of what the students will experience while on the trip.

Also on Monday, the students received lists of their assigned host families, and were reminded about the types of clothes they will be expected to wear on the trip.

“I am looking forward to seeing Chinese cities and schools and experiencing Chinese culture. I am really looking forward to spending time with the host family in China,” said Josh Goldman, a student ambassador with the NICE program.

Student delegates for the trip are Rob Beier, Mike Mossbarger, Luke Shearin, Ishaar Gupta, Ben Galassi, David Swigart, Mason West, Josh Goldman, Kate Dunbar, Jenny Morrissey, Bianca Solano, Kelsey McEvoy, MaryJoe Rossi, Tess Murray, Kyra Middeleer and Mackenzie Lapp. The adult delegation members from Newtown High School are Mr Hiruo, Ms Friedman, Katherine Matz, Bob Gendreau, Cara Fedak, and Tim DeJulio; Newtown Middle School delegation members are Kathy Bremer, Kate Buesing, and Stephanie Glynn; and Reed Intermediate School delegation members are Gael Lynch, and Maura Drabik; and Mrs Llodra and Ms Stocker are set to travel with the delegation as district representatives.

To read about Mrs Llodra and Ms Stocker’s preparations for the trip, see the related story in this edition of The Bee.

“The size and depth of this year’s delegation is very exciting as it represents the growth and increased support of our NICE program,” said Mr Hiruo. “I’m so pleased that through the effort and support of so many people throughout Newtown we have been able to offer this opportunity to students, staff, faculty, and town officials. We are also appreciative of the support we have received from our affiliates at Asia Society and the Confucius Classrooms Network.”

The NICE program is currently funded by grants from the Confucius Classroom Network. As in past years, all members of the delegation will be covering their own traveling expenses.

Mr Hiruo said anyone interested in following along with the delegation during its stay in China can monitor NHS Principal Charles Dumais’ blog, www.dumais.us/newtown/blog, for photo updates during the next week.

(See related story, with First Selectman Pat Llodra and Community Development Director Elizabeth Stocker officials preparing for this trip, here.)