St. Mary’s School visits China
Some of the Chinese and American kids stood tall at the Huluyu Walnut Agra-tourist site.
At the trip to Xi’an, the Shijazhuang Middle School students and teachers smiled with their peace signs with the St. Mary’s students.
Can’t visit China without seeing the famous Great Wall. Pictured, from left, at the great landmark is the whole group: Laura Tolle, Anna Tolle, Mel Mergen, Margie Duwe, Julie Zenz, Katelyn Zenz and Carolyn Tolle. (Submitted photos)
By Julie Zenz
Over the summer, members of St. Mary’s School in Bloomington traveled to China as part of a school exchange with Shijiazhuang Middle School Number 40. Their trip started July 5 and ended July 19. The goal of this program is to create unique friendships and positive connections with others, and to bring a worldly experience to students in a positive setting.
Laura Tolle and her daughters Anna and Carolyn, Margie Duwe, Katelyn Zenz, Mel Mergen and Julie Zenz lived with families and traveled with students in China as the first group from St. Mary’s School to visit China.
“We just went with whatever was put in front of us,” said St. Mary’s School Principal Julie Zenz.
“It can be intimidating to place yourself in the hands of people you barely know, with little or no ability to speak the language, and remain open to unfamiliar food, a city of more than 10 million people and communicate using 14-year-old interpreters.”
The group created strong bonds in a short amount of time with a partnership between a huge urban school and the small rural Catholic school.
“We are committed to creating opportunities for students to experience the world first hand at St. Mary’s,” said Zenz.
China was closed to the U.S. for many years and when the opportunity to establish an exchange program and friendship between schools presented itself, St. Mary’s took advantage of it. Exchanges are an affordable way to travel and experience culture. Once airfare is covered by the traveler, the receiving host family offers their guest a room to stay in, food and a variety of typical family experiences.
Laura and Darren Tolle from Mt. Hope welcomed three students to their family farm. Two of their seven children traveled to China for the first time to stay with the families of students they hosted in the past. Anna, an alumni of St. Mary’s and now a junior at River Ridge High School, has maintained a close friendship with Susan, one of the exchange students who now attends high school in China with dreams of becoming a medical doctor. Carolyn, a seventh grader at St. Mary’s, stayed with Lily in China. When Lily stayed at the Tolle residence, her fondest memory was watching the birth of a calf during her visit to their farm.
“The girls blended easily into our family,” said Laura, the music and physical education teacher at St. Mary’s. “I plan to incorporate ideas from our visit in my classes next year. The trip was an incredible experience.”
St. Mary’s science and religion teacher Margie Duwe’s favorite memories included visiting Chinese museums with middle school interpreters.
“The students were very engaging and eager to share their history, culture and experiences,” said Duwe. “I am excited to return to China some day!”
“I didn’t have a preconceived idea about what to expect in China,” stated Katelyn Zenz, a senior at Lancaster High School, whose family once hosted a student in the past. “My host family and their daughter, Jane, were generous, kind and fun to live with.”
Katelyn joined their family members on a five-hour hike in the mountains. According to Katelyn, the mountains looked like the rock canyons in southwestern U.S.
“[The hike] was a nice break from the busy traffic and noise of the city,” Katelyn explained.
Mel Mergen enjoyed the overnight trip to Xi’an on the train with a group of students and teachers.
“It was nice to really have time to get the know the kids and their families,” she said. “My husband [David] and I can’t wait to invite the next group of visiting teachers and students to the farm.”
The exchange was established in 2012 by principals Yunghong Li and Julie Zenz with the help of the Wisconsin Department of International Education and the China Exchange Program. Since that time, families from St. Mary’s School have hosted students and teachers for several weeks each fall. According to Hou Jianguo, director of International Education in Hebei, St. Mary’s will be included in the U.S. State Department’s list of 1,000 successful school exchanges between the U.S. and China.
“It is important for our schools to learn from each other and to experience daily life in a family setting,” said Julie. “These exchanges are profoundly life-changing for students in positive ways.”
