Students Spend Time Exploring China

This June, a select group of Rivers students and faculty kicked off the summer by spending twelve days traveling through China. The group began their trip in Hong Kong where they experienced the city preparing for the tenth anniversary of its return to China. They then visited the modern city of Shanghai as well as Xi'an, the ancient capitol of China, end of the Silk Road, and home of the Terracotta Warriors. The group concluded their trip in Beijing where they climbed the Great Wall and witnessed the preparations for the 2008 Olympic games.

"This group of students was incredibly adventuresome and enjoyed learning about such a foreign culture," explains Laura Brewer, history teacher and trip leader. "Having an opportunity to visit a part of the world that is so different from the United States is a highly valuable learning experience."

"The trip to China was an incredible and eye opening experience that gave me a new perspective on the world and how different other cultures can be," remarks rising ninth-grader Evan Gallagher. "It was also very interesting to hear Chinese people's thoughts on our country, and it gave me a chance to see America from another point of view. All the sights, smells, and sounds were totally different, not just at tourist attractions, but in very urban areas as well. You will never see street vendors literally chopping up the fish that they are about to sell you in America."

This is the first year that the Rivers History Department has offered this trip, which is designed to complement the seventh-grade World Cultures curriculum as well as the ninth and tenth grade focus on ancient and modern Chinese history. In addition, Rivers is offering Chinese language courses in Mandarin starting in the fall.

"Looking back, the trip was life changing, and whetted my appetite to see other countries and cultures. You can expect to see me on many more trips in the future," concluded Gallagher.