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STAMFORD, Conn. Eighth-graders Lance Kollore and Katherine Martinez dont speak Mandarin or Cantonese, but that didnt stop them and their classmates from quickly befriending 16 students visiting Scofield Magnet Middle School from its sister school in China.
Its been really interesting and really fun so far, Katherine said. The Chinese students know some English, which helped, she said, though communicating was still a challenge.
Its easy to make friends with them, Lance said of the students from China, whom he described as relaxed and polite.
The students from the Middle School Attached to Shandong University came to Stamford as part of an international collaboration to teach young people about the importance of testing water and keeping it clean, said Karen Kulish, a science teacher at Scofield and the point person on the project.
On Wednesday, the delegation joined Scofields eighth-graders at SoundWaters, where they all performed activities that taught them about clean water. Theyre doing science, not reading science, executive director Leigh Shemitz said of the program, which takes the kids outside the classroom.
Every eighth-grade class in the city takes part in the water-quality lessons that SoundWaters provides. In addition to a day in Cove Island Park, every city eighth-grader has a similar day along the Mianus River, plus classroom activities with SoundWaters.
Scofield began teaching its students about water quality two years ago. It has received a grant from Hewlett-Packard to acquire the technology necessary to test water. And as the program expanded, the school decided to get the Chinese school involved. Everything just blossomed from there, Kulish said, adding that she hopes to take Stamford students to China in the future.
The 16 Chinese students and three teachers arrived in the U.S. on Wednesday night and will stay with host Scofield families before leaving Tuesday morning. In addition to the water-testing field trip, they will also hike through Stamford and visit New York City.
We hope our students can learn about American culture and teach the American students Chinese culture, said Vivian Jining, one of the teachers with the delegation.
Reporter Anthony Buzzeo can be reached by email at tbuzzeo@TheDailyStamford.com.
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