Expanding their cultural view is just one outcome students from Bellows Falls Union High School experienced this summer as they attended the Governor's Institutes of Vermont and traveled to China, Italy, and Spain.
School officials and the students themselves say the opportunities for these teens to travel to either a Vermont college campus or abroad for a few weeks has been life-changing.
Anna Clark and Nieva Schemm headed to China with Social Studies Coordinator Craig Divis. The two joined 10 other students from throughout the state of Vermont who traveled to China for two weeks through the Governor's Institute on Asian Cultures and the University of Vermont's Asian Studies Outreach Program. They traveled to Beijing, Kunming, Qufu, and Jinan.
“To see the students' expression as they were walking along the Great Wall of China or practicing their Chinese language skills with a Chinese student was incredible,” Divis said.