Recently, vistors from halfway across the world paid Santaluces a visit.
The Guangdong delegation from China visited Santaluces and a few other schools including Royal Palm next door to learn more about the American education system and collaborate on ways that would help improve their own.
According to Assistant Principal Ms. Hayden, Santaluces was one of the delegation’s prime choices of schools to visit because of their “interest in our choice academies and our demographic.” In China, academies are offered separately- students can take either an academic or vocational route. But not the two together.
“Our specialty is making sure that students not only graduate,” said Ms. Hayden, “but have the skills to work through college and their future careers as well.”
Decked out in their red uniforms, the Reflections choir welcomed the Guangdong delegation in the main office. According to one of the representatives from the delegation, they “loved the color red” because it signifies “happiness” in their country. It is coincidentally one of the colors on their country’s flag, too.
The visitors were then guided into a festively-decorated, Thanksgiving-themed conference room where they watched a video and listened to presentations given by Mrs. Robinson, Ms. Hayden, and Ms. Orndorff about what Santaluces has to offer such as the academies and AP and AICE programs.
“The Academy module was especially interesting,” said one of the Guangdong delegation representatives. “It really looks like students enjoy their studies in the academies.”
After the informational part of the visit, Mrs. Robinson along with SGA and three Santaluces students who acted as translators for the delegation, gave a tour of the academy programs in the 4000 building.
“It went very well,” said president of SGA, senior Kaycee Hair. “They learned a lot about what Santaluces has to offer.”
The tour ended with lunch which included American favorites such as fried chicken, mashed potatoes and apple pie for dessert.
As a thank you gift, the Guangdong delegation presented Mrs. Robinson with a Chinese scroll.
“I didn’t get the opportunity to talk with them as much as I would have liked to,” said Mr. Krupa. “But it would be a dream one day for us to visit China to learn what they do and collaborate with them as well.”
