Schools

China to Peabody: Students on College Tour Visit PVMHS

A group of 46 Chinese students are paying a visit to Peabody Veterans Memorial High School today.

Forty-six students from the other side of the globe will be in Peabody today to glimpse the American high school experience.

The group of Chinese high school students are actually touring colleges in the area, but thanks to a family connection, the group is making a detour to Peabody Veterans Memorial High School for a few hours.

PVMHS Principal Ed Sapienza said the students will arrive around 10:30 a.m., meet and greet with some Peabody peers serving as ambassadors for the day, get their take on being a student at PVMHS, sit in on a couple classes, eat lunch with students and then depart around 1:30 p.m.

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"Hopefully they'll get a flavor of high school here," Sapienza said, adding that it's a great multicultural learning experience for his students.

The American trip was arranged through the People to People Ambassador Programs and it was thanks to English teacher Rob Sullivan's aunt that the Chinese students are visiting today.

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Sullivan said his aunt, who works for the Washington state-based tour company, reached out to him, wondering if the group could visit. He passed on the request to Sapienza who readily agreed.

Sullivan said the group will sit in on one of his classes today, and noted one of his students was particularly excited at the prospect -- she's originally from China and was adopted by American parents.

"It’s a very nice honor...[it’s] a very nice thing for our community to get that recognition," Superintendent Joe Mastrocola told School Committee members last week, informing them of the upcoming visit.


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