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HHS students to travel to Shanghai, China
"I look forward to seeing Shanghai through their eyes," Criss said of the three students who are what she terms "very typical, American students." The trip is being totally funded by Mr. Beal, Criss stated, from the flights and hotel rooms, to the tours of the city and meals, and even travel insurance for each member of the group. Criss and Saltz said that Beal has put together a first class trip for the HHS students. Beal, whose world-wide distribution company has an office in Shanghai, is offering the trip to HHS for the purpose of educating them about one of the greatest influences in today's global economy. Criss said the students will get to see first hand how global our economy is and to visit the country where many of the world's products are made. Shanghai has one of the world's busiest shipping ports. During their week long visit, students will be privileged to see one of the world's most modern cities and home to 16 million people. Students will leave from Atlanta, Ga.early Thursday morning and arrive in Shanghai almost two days later when they land at Shanghai's Pu Dong International Airport Friday night at 11p.m. They will spend the next six days visiting many of Shanghai's famous attractions like the Pearl Tower and the Urban Planning Museum. Other visits which are on the itinerary include a visit to Peoples Square and Old Shanghai. As part of the students ' educational experience they will visit three high schools in Shanghai each with a different academic specialty and will also tour a factory which produces goods purchased by American companies like Home Depot and Orgill.Dr. Criss said that Mr. Beal has gone out of his way to make the trip an excellent experience for her students and herself. "Mr. Beal has been so generous with us," Criss stated, pointing out that he is not only fully funding this trip to China but also recently established the Beal Scholarship for HHS Seniors. Criss said that six students will learn that they are the first recipients of one of the Beal Scholarships at the May 21st Senior Awards banquet. One student will receive a fouryear, $40,000 scholarship. "He is such a wonderful friend to our school," she added of Beal. Beal has done an outstanding job putting together a thorough trip, according to Criss, Saltz and the students. He has thought of everything from providing insurance and a detailed itinerary to a little gift bag of items they will need for their long flight. "We wouldn't know where to begin to make certain we see the high points of Shanghai, but they have done this for us," Criss said of Beal and his colleagues in China. "They want to be sure we see how the people there live." Of the trip, Criss said that she is personally looking forward to visiting the many museums on the itinerary. "I am looking forward to the cultural experiences and the historical sites," she stated. As a history major in college, Criss said she is looking forward to seeing first hand many of the things she has studied and read about over the years. Specifically, Criss said she is really looking forward to seeing the only remaining traditional Chinese Garden. Criss explained that during the revolution all of the traditional gardens were destroyed, but the Woo Garden was preserved.In addition to the many hundreds of years of history, Criss said that she is also looking forward to the modern architecture. Many people, she explained, do not realize what a modern city Shanghai actually is, with approximately 20% of the world's construction cranes within the city. Criss is also looking forward to visiting three Chinese high schools and seeing first hand what has long been thought to be one of the most advanced educational systems especially for math and science. "Education is so valued by parents in China and students spend a lot of time in school, more than we do, and they start school much younger " Criss commented. So, Criss is eager to see examples of the Chinese education system for herself.But one of the most exciting aspects of the trip for Criss is the opportunity she will have to experience it all through the eyes of her young students who are being given the opportunity of a lifetime. "I know how I will feel experiencing all this, but I can't wait to see their reactions," Criss commented of her students. For their part, these students say that they are more than ready to embark on this trip of a lifetime. They spent time in Mr. Saltz' class Monday finishing up preparations for their trip, which will include documenting the trip with both still photography and video. As part of their advanced technology class the students will produce a video documentary of their visit to China which they will share with the entire HHS student body. Mr. Saltz said his students are very prepared and Monday he helped them get new digital cameras and other gadgets ready to go.Saltz and his students said that following a twohour presentation by Mr. Beal last week that both the students and their parents were reassured and any fears were laid to rest. "He covered everything," Saltz and the students commented. "It was extremely well done," they said of the power point presentation given by Beal. Students also recently spent some time with Christine Wu, an exchange student from Shanghai who is attending Murphy High School this year. The three students said that meeting with the 17-year-old Junior from China, whom they called "very, very smart," was a wonderful opportunity to ask questions and get an idea of what to expect.All of the students agreed that following the preparation by Beal and the meeting with Wu last week that they are very comfortable with their upcoming trip. Although they all said that they are dreading the 17-hour flight, the gift bag provided by Beal which included chopstick, Purell, candy and Visine has helped to even make that part of the trip bearable. "Mr. Beal did a wonderful presentation," the three echoed. "He really did not leave much uncovered." Mr. Saltz called Beal's presentation "impressive. " "You can tell he is a successful CEO of a large company. "Saltz added that Beal has gone above and beyond in providing the trip for the students. "He hasn't just paid for the trip, he has also done everything to help us with the preparation for the trip. He has been readily available throughout the entire process," he added, saying that they have had anon-going email conversation with Beal and his office. "The opportunity these kids are going to get through this global exchange will open up so much for them in the future," Saltz said of Beal's gift. "The benefit for them will be seen for years." Kortne Walsh said that she is most looking forward to what every female who travels abroad looks forward to - shopping! But she is also very excited about seeing the modern architecture, specifically the Pearl Tower. Jonathan Shively said that he is most looking forward to seeing such a large city upclose. Imagining how 16 million people live in one city is exciting, he commented. "A lot of the time we loose sight of the fact that we are not the only people in the world," he commented of Americans. "Business is so global." All three students said they are interested to see such a big city first hand and to see how advanced and modern Shanghai is compared to American cities. They are also looking forward to visiting several high schools in China to see how students there learn.
Blake Mosteller, who is also looking forward to seeing the huge city of Shanghai upclose, said he has been warned about the food and is not looking forward to the small portions and bland food. He added that they have beengiven chopsticks by Mr. Beal in order to get some practice in before they land in Shanghai. Walsh and Mosteller said that they have been told that there will be McDonald's in China, so all hope for nourishment is not lost. Saltz added that the food is of concern to all of them, but staying at an American hotel should ensure some food choices which are familiar.Upon returning from China, Saltz said his students will prepare a video production and presentation which they will share with the school board and fellow students. Saltz added that he is very eager to see the presentation which will show the trip through the eyes of his young students.
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