SPIRAL’s 2018 China Tour: a band of Vermonters journey to the other side of the world.
A group of 31 students, teachers, and other adults took a 12-day trip to China last spring, organized by SPIRAL and led by Jackie Parks (principal of Williston Central School).
The adventure started in Beijing where they visited the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, and Tiananmen Square (among other sites), and feasted on Beijing duck and Chinese dumplings.
The group flew to Chengdu for another 2 days which gave them time to see the world-famous Giant Panda Center and admire the Giant Buddha statue outside the city. And they spent a full day exploring Shanghai.
The high point of the tour, however, were five days spent in the Changsha area in central China, about 500 miles southwest of Shanghai. Students and adults who wished were able to stay with local host families, and the entire group received a warm welcome from several local schools. The American teachers did some demo lessons to show off US teaching techniques, and everybody enjoyed activities and fun with the Chinese students and teachers.
The participants brought back lots of souvenirs and memories to treasure for a lifetime.