As our community returned from spring break, we were excited to welcome back the group of students, teachers, and staff who recently travelled to China. When we gathered at Flag on Monday, we were delighted to hear some of the highlights from their trip. Here are some more reflections from the time our students, faculty, and staff spent overseas:
From Christina Pak, Head of Middle School:
“Discovery is a word that embodies this trip to China. This is the third Hillbrook trip to China that I’ve been a part of and each trip has been enjoyable and unique in its own ways. Please enjoy the reflections of our travelers and the discoveries they made along the way.”
From Wendy Ron, 2nd Grade Teacher, who touches on how the China Trip inspires and gives our students the opportunity to live our core values:
“We were kind: Helping out a migrant school, playing with the kids for the day and painting their classrooms.
We were curious: We learned about pandas, noodle making, customs, and traditional dishes.
We took risks: Riding sleds, rickshaws, bikes, singing Karaoke, and trying new foods.
We were our best: Smiling in the rain, exploring waterfalls, enjoying each others company, and being ecstatic to see relics of ancient eras.
and I said “Yes And”…on The GREAT WALL OF CHINA!”
From some of our student travelers:
“Some of the highlights I have of the trip are the pandas, the Great Wall, and enjoying myself with friends while making new ones when we painted the school. The pandas were great because we got to see them in their habitat and so up close. We got to see baby and adult pandas eating and climbing trees. The Great Wall was very, very, very long but so much fun to climb and walk on. Afterwards, we took toboggans down to where we ate the best noodles ever. Lastly, painting the school with other kids was a great way to help their community and make new friends.” – Nina (‘17)
“I didn’t know what I was going to see when I was going to China, but after arriving, I found there is a lot of beauty behind the busy streets. I particularly enjoyed the pandas; they were so cute and fluffy. I loved China and I hope that everyone else who gets an opportunity to come here can!” – Elizabeth (‘17)
“I have many reasons why I enjoyed the China Trip. First I gained a lot of confidence about traveling without my parents. Second I really enjoyed the beautiful nature in Cheng Du on the hike. Third I met many new people and I made lots of new friends” – Joshua (‘18)
“China was a really great opportunity for me to get to know some people outside my grade and experience new cultures and ways of living. The most memorable parts of the Great Wall were the stairs (quite the workout) and the toboggan/slide coming down. And finally, Chengdu. It was very urban, but it seemed a lot cleaner and cozier than Beijing. The highlight of that city was definitely the pandas. We saw some adult pandas shredding bamboo, and baby ones tussling on the ground or climbing trees. Overall, China was a wonderful place for exploration and discovery, and I learned a lot.” – Dominic (’16)
Maddy Scheer, Resident Teacher, comments on our adventurous, gracious, and curious world travelers:
“This past Spring Break trip to China was an eye-opening, exhilarating, and truly meaningful experience for myself as a chaperone. Not only was I in awe of the historical monuments and the rich Chinese history we learned about, but I was also so deeply impressed with the maturity and empathy of our Hillbrook community. The 6th, 7th, and 8th graders who went on the trip were incredibly helpful and great travelers. Not only did they exhibit a sense of independence and maturity while traveling, but they also were sensitive and supportive of their peers, as well as engaged in very meaningful work with some of the Chinese middle schools we volunteered at. This was wonderful for me to see, and to know that our students were also having a blast! The trip solidified my belief and support for the educational experience that Hillbrook provides for our students, because not only was the chance to visit and learn in China an incredible learning opportunity, but also our students approached the adventure with a positive attitude, flexibility, a willingness to learn, and a true sense of respect for the Chinese culture.”
Mei Chen, 4th-8th Grade Mandarin Teacher, reflects on the value of international travel for the hearts and mind of our young travelers:
“The trip to China expanded our perspectives and opened our eyes yet again to the powerful experience of international travel. A cultural exchange is the perfect embodiment of the learning by doing philosophy at the core of our school’s program. The thirty-eight students who participated in this trip gained invaluable experience in connecting with new people and understanding new ideas, and the experience reinforced for them the high return that can be gained from taking risks. Climbing the Great Wall, haggling with a vendor in a market, teaching Chinese children how to play American games, painting for a migrant worker school as part of community service, or eating with chopsticks are all experiences that stretched our students and allowed them to broaden their perspective. The entire group was so cooperative, flexible with schedule and caring about each other, encouraging each other. As their chaperones, we enjoyed watching them laughing, chatting, playing and singing together.”
Each year, Hillbrook’s international travel programs that infuse cultural immersion and service learning provide a transformational, challenging, and exciting opportunity for students to gain confidence, independence, and word perspective. Even thousands of miles away, it is inspiring to hear that the values and experiences that began here at Hillbrook shaped and guided this journey of personal, emotional, and intellectual growth of each of our student travelers.