Celebrating Teachers, Encouraging Students, Promoting Portland Suzhou School Exchanges

We celebrate our Portland - Suzhou educators and the students in their care! Together we learn culture, language (Mandarin & English) and how to promote awareness and peace between our great nations. These students are Portland’s future business, education and cultural leaders!

Students from our Suzhou Sister City visited several Portland schools in January and February. Each year various students from our Sister City schools visit Suzhou during spring break and summer vacation. Students are able to participate in home stays, educational opportunities (including Mandarin immersion) and of course tour beautiful natural and historic sites.

The Portland Suzhou Sister City Association is proud to celebrate our amazing teachers who encourage our students to grow to make our cities and nations more prosperous and peaceful.

Thank you!

2017 Portland Suzhou Student Exchange Program

January of this year 2017, seventy seven students and 9 teachers from 5 schools in Suzhou had an extraordinary opportunity to experience Portland and our Portland-Suzhou Sister City Schools, and most of all to make new friends. It was also an opportunity for these students and teachers to experience a snow storm, an unusual experience for both cities.

Hosford Middle School hosted 27 students 3 teachers from Lida Middle School and ten students and their teacher from Dongshan Moli Middle School. The International School hosted 24 students and 2 teachers from Suzhou Experimental Elementary School. The Hope Chinese Charter School hosted 15 students and 2 teachers from Jiangsu Primary School which is attached to Xinsu Normal School. The French American International School hosted 6 students and 1 teacher from Jingfan Middle School. Jackson Middle School hosted students and teachers from Suzhou No. 10 Middle School.

PSSCA wishes to thank PSSCA Board Member Kojo Hakam, PPS Mandarin Immersion Curriculum Specialist for Portland Public Schools and Ms. Hanning Bi, Executive Director of Portland’s Skybridge International for helping coordinate these student exchange programs. A number of these schools in Portland will be sending their students to experience Suzhou this year and to practice their Mandarin.

Also a big thanks to Lynne McIntyre, PSSCA President, Alice Lee, Treasurer and Robert Fraser VP, and Board Member Wei Nathan for visiting the schools and participating in their welcoming ceremonies. Each of the schools from Suzhou were presented with a welcoming letter from our Mayor Ted Wheeler.

2016 Portland Suzhou Exchange Program

Portland, Oregon February 1, 2016– Portland has once again hosted six school exchange programs representing approximately 100 students from middle and high schools from Suzhou China. This program occurs during the Chinese, “Spring Break” time period when students have two weeks of vacation.

This program contributes to the ongoing success in promoting Portland as an excellent opportunity for a study abroad program for Chinese students interested in our K-12 programs as well as university studies here in Portland. According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal the number of Chinese K-12 students rose 290% since 2008. There are now 360,091 Chinese students at US Universities. The benefits are enormous in terms of immediate and future economic development as well as global understanding and cooperation.

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The Portland-Suzhou Sister City Association in conjunction with Portland City Hall and Travel Portland participated in the welcoming ceremony for each school from Suzhou. In the cover photo, Bonnie Starkey has presented as a gift to the library of the Suzhou Experimental Elementary School Education Group the “Big and Awesome Bridges of Portland and Vancouver” by Portland author Sharon Wood Wortman and Ed Wortman. Jeff Hammerly, Manager, International Tourism -Asia at Travel Portland provided a Portland Travel Guide in Mandarin and a Portland Souvenir Notebook to record the memories of their visit.  A welcome letter from Mayor Hales was also presented. This presentation was made at the Cascade Heights Public Charter School. The French American International School, Woodstock Elementary School, The International School, Hosford Middle School and Cleveland High School also participated in the Suzhou Student Exchange program. Portland Board members presenting also included, Wei Nathan, Jenny Dong, Dr. Gao, Lynne McIntyre and Robert Fraser.

This exchange program which was first initiated by PSSCA could not be possible without the support of parents, teachers and school administrators as well coordinators Kojo Hakam, Curriculum Specialist, Portland public Schools Mandarin Immersion Program, and Hongyu Cai, Director of Skybridge International based in Portland, Oregon, a subsidiary of the Wuzhong Group, Suzhou, China.

The Portland-Suzhou Sister City Association is a non-profit organization of volunteers whose mission is the promotion of educational, cultural exchanges and business development between our two cities. Our annual fundraising Evening Under the Stars Gala is scheduled for Thursday, June 23 at the Lan Su Chinese Garden and is open to the Public. For additional information and sponsorships, contact Robert Fraser, Secretary at rjf@fraserglobalsourcing.com.