Chinese Exchange Students Visit Berlin Schools
by Rachel Turetsky
Samantha Brewer, director of Exceptional Education at Berlin Central School, coordinated a visit last week of exchange students from China.
The students, who arrived from a visit to Chicago, were from Daishan, an island off mainland China. The group consisted of two teachers in charge of eight students, ages 15 and 16.
Host families from Berlin Middle/High School who opened their homes to the students and teachers for the week were the Reger, Hills, Colin, Hermann, Shupe and Brazie families.
The exchange students and teachers shared a week in the life of Berlin Middle/High School students and their families. They were welcomed by the Middle/High School principal, Dr. Cathie Allain, to attend classes and shadow their host students through the school week.
The exchange students were also welcomed for a day by the Elementary School principal, Tracy Kent. They had lunch with kindergarteners, visited the 4th and 5th graders, and attended music and physical education classes.
The Chinese teachers were Wang Shan (Sam) and Lin Wan Na (Helen). The students were Wang Pei Lin, Xia Hai Rong, Zhang Dong Ze (Kevin), Wang Qi Dong (LeBron), Lin Xiao Yu (Lexury), Yu Bo Shen (Bob), Wang Xin Ran (Rose) and Chen Yu Nuo (Luka).
Host families took the students and teachers on outings to some of their favorite spots, including the New York State Museum and Crossgates Mall. In turn, the visitors celebrated Chinese New Year with their host families and Berlin administrators at a potluck dinner. It was a fun exchange of Chinese traditions and American foods.
The week’s visit concluded with an assembly at the Middle/High School for all the students, administration and staff. A gift of a traditional Chinese painting was presented to the school, and the exchange students all received honorary Berlin student certificates.
The Chinese students bid farewell with a piano solo and group singing performances. The Berlin High School chorus, led by Leslie Eliashuk, showed their appreciation with an uplifting performance of “From Now On,” from the film The Greatest Showman. The performance had the whole school and their guests clapping along together.