Newton-Beijing Jingshan School Exchange Program
Encyclopedia
The Newton-Beijing Jingshan School Exchange Program is the oldest student exchange
of public secondary school students between the United States and the People's Republic of China
. The city of Newton, Massachusetts
, hosts students and teachers from the Jingshan School in Beijing
for four months each fall and sends students and teachers from Newton North High School
and Newton South to Beijing each spring.
were sent home early, though it is unlikely they would have still been in Beijing by June 4, 1989.) After a five-year hiatus, the exchange program was resurrected, and began the schedule it is currently on: Chinese students going to the U.S. for four months in the Fall, and American students going to China for four months in the Spring.
Each school pays the respective travel expenses, while host families provide room and board
. Through multiple programs and grants, about 80 teachers and administrators have been able to visit the Jingshan School outside the exchange program as well. The Newton-Beijing Jingshan Program has been a model for exchange programs across the country. The program is currently chaired by former exchange teacher Donna Fong.
Student Exchange
Student Exchange is a 1987 television film directed by Mollie Miller.-Plot:Carole and Neil, two nerdy teenagers, get only perfect grades but have no social skills. When Carole learns that two foreign exchange students from France and Italy have gone to another school, they grab their chance and...
of public secondary school students between the United States and the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. The city of Newton, Massachusetts
Newton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States bordered to the east by Boston. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Newton was 85,146, making it the eleventh largest city in the state.-Villages:...
, hosts students and teachers from the Jingshan School in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
for four months each fall and sends students and teachers from Newton North High School
Newton North High School
Newton North High School, formerly Newton High School, is the larger and longer-established of two public high schools in Newton, Massachusetts, with about 2,000 students, the other being Newton South High School. It is located in the village of Newtonville...
and Newton South to Beijing each spring.
History
Beginning in 1985, though relations began in 1979, through 1989, groups of two to three teachers and four to five students spent a semester living, studying, and working in one another’s school community in alternate years. Intensive language and cultural study preceded each visit. (The American students in Beijing at the beginning of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, also known as the June Fourth Incident in Chinese , were a series of demonstrations in and near Tiananmen Square in Beijing in the People's Republic of China beginning on 15 April 1989...
were sent home early, though it is unlikely they would have still been in Beijing by June 4, 1989.) After a five-year hiatus, the exchange program was resurrected, and began the schedule it is currently on: Chinese students going to the U.S. for four months in the Fall, and American students going to China for four months in the Spring.
Each school pays the respective travel expenses, while host families provide room and board
Room and board
Room and board describes a situation where, in exchange for money, labor or other considerations, a person is provided with a place to live as well as meals on a comprehensive basis...
. Through multiple programs and grants, about 80 teachers and administrators have been able to visit the Jingshan School outside the exchange program as well. The Newton-Beijing Jingshan Program has been a model for exchange programs across the country. The program is currently chaired by former exchange teacher Donna Fong.