Binational Panel Selects U.S. and Chinese Secondary
School Partnerships for Historic Exchange Program
iEARN is proud to announce the U.S. and Chinese schools chosen for the historic youth exchange program.
A six-person binational selection panel reviewed nearly 100 high-quality applications before meeting in New York on August 16 to select and rank U.S. and Chinese school partners.
To match current and projected U.S. Department of State funding levels for the program, the selection panel gave selected schools one of three group designations (below).
iEARN will help schools in each group to begin Internet-based collaboration this September.
Congratulations!
On August 16, six educational exchange professionals met at iEARN-US in New York City to select and rank U.S. and Chinese schools for the U.S-China Youth Exchange Program. Panel members were: Dr. Ed Gragert (iEARN-USA) and Ms. Carolyn Lantz (U.S. Department of State) (pictured above) and Ms. Jing Lin (University of Maryland); Ms. Cynthia Maka (Sister Cities International); Ms. Subude (iEARN-China); and Mr. Zhang Heqiang (CPAFFC)
(Photo courtesy of David Potter)
Group One
The highest-ranked seven partnerships comprise Group One, the group that is invited to conduct reciprocal exchanges beginning in 2002. U.S. Department of State Program Officer Carolyn Lantz will contact each Group One U.S. school this September to review program plans and budgets with YES committees. Similarly, a representative of the American Center for Educational Exchange of the U.S. Embassy in Beijing will contact Group One Chinese schools.
| # | U.S. School | City | ST | Chinese School | City | Province | |
| 1 | Central HS | Phoenix | AZ | Shude MS | Chengdu | Sichuan | |
| 2 | West HS | Denver | CO | Kunming Foreign Language School | Kunming | Yuannan | |
| 3 | Chief Sealth HS | Seattle | WA | Nankai MS | Chongqing | Chongqing | |
| 4 | Benjamin Bannecker Academic HS | Washington | DC | Beijing #2 MS Affiliated to Beijing Nomal U. | Beijing | Beijing | |
| 5 | Booker T. Washington HS | Tulsa | OK | Beihai MS | Beihai | Guangxi | |
| 6 | Darien HS | Darien | CT | Shanghai #3 Girl's HS | Shanghai | Shanghai | |
| 7 | High School for Law & Public Service | New York | NY | Huhhot #2 MS | Huhhot | Inner Mongolia |
Group Two
The next five highest-ranked partnerships (i.e. ranking 8 to 12) form Group Two, the group that will be invited to conduct reciprocal exchanges beginning in 2003, subject to the continued availability of federal funds.
| # | U.S. School | City | ST | Chinese School | City | Province | |
| 8 | Central/Logan HS | La Crosse | WI | Luoyang Foreign Language School | Luoyang | Henan | |
| 9 | South HS | Minneapolis | MN | Harbin #1 MS | Harbin | Heilongjiang | |
| 10 | Dr. Phillips | Orlando | FL | Guangya MS | Dujiangyan | Sichuan | |
| 11 | Blair HS | Pasadena | CA | Beijing #161 MS | Beijing | Beijing | |
| 12 | T. Enloe Magnet HS | Raleigh | NC | Jiaonan #1 MS | Jiaonan | Shandong |
Group Three
The remainder of the 25 highest-ranked U.S. and Chinese schools are in Group Three, the group that will be invited to reapply in 2003 to conduct reciprocal exchanges beginning in 2004, pending availability of federal funds.
The reapplication is deemed necessary because support for Group Three school exchanges is several years away and a school's ability to conduct an exchange may change significantly during this time. As partnerships mature and themes evolve, schools will want to resubmit exchange program plans closer to the time when the exchanges will take place.
The panel is still is the process of confirming some Group Three U.S. schools, so at this time Group Three schools have not been given partners; By October 15, iEARN will assist Group Three schools to partner with schools with mutual interests, sister cities ties, or other connections during the next two months. Please let David Potter know as soon as possible if a U.S. school and a Chinese school on the list below have agreed to be partners.
| U.S. School | City | State |
| Frederick Douglas HS | New York | NY |
| Edmonds Cyber School | Edmonds | WA |
| Rio Grande HS | Albuquerque | NM |
| Valley HS | West Des Moines | IA |
| Red Wing HS | Red Wing | MN |
| North Atlanta High | Atlanta | GA |
| Hellgate High School | Missoula | MT |
| Start High School | Toledo | OH |
| The Int'l Prep School | Cleveland | OH |
| Yates High School | Houston | TX |
| Jordan High School | Los Angeles | CA |
| Livingston High School | Livingston | NJ |
| Tempe High School | Tempe | AZ |
| Chinese School | City | Province |
| Shijiazhuang #6 MS | Shijiazhuang | Hebei |
| Wuchang Shuiguo Hu MS | Wuhan | Hubei |
| Xuejun High School | Hangzhou City | Zhejiang |
| Daqing Tieren MS | Daqing City | Heilongjiang |
| Baotou #1 MS | Baotou | Inner Mongolia |
| Tongbao Yujie School | Taiyuan | Shanxi |
| Tianjin Xinhua MS | Tianjin | Tianjin |
| Urumqi #1 MS | Urumqi | Xinjiang |
| School #1 MS | Zhenjiang | Jiangsu |
| Shaanxi Ankang HS | Ankang | Shaanxi |
| Affiliat High School of South China Normal University | Guangzhou | Guangdong |
| MS attached to Baoji Non-Ferrous Metal Works | Baoji | Shaanxi |
| Qinhuangdao Experimental HS | Qinhuangdao | Hebei |
Thank you again for applying. Formal letters to applicants will be sent in September. I look forward to working with you this fall to get this program off to a great start!
