Nov 10, 2009 - we built when B.C. and Canada came to Sichuan's aid with help for earthquake recovery projects.â ... cl
NEWS RELEASE For Immediate Release 2009FOR0075-000598 November 10, 2009
Ministry of Forests and Range Ministry of Education
HOUSTON CELEBRATES NEW SISTER SCHOOL IN CHINA DUJIANGYAN, CHINA – A special bond between China’s Sichuan Province and northwest B.C. was established today by a sister-school agreement that pairs Xiang’e Primary School with Houston’s Silverthorne Elementary. The agreement between the Dujiangyan Education Bureau and School District No. 54 (Bulkley Valley) was part of a ceremony to mark the rebirth of Xiang’e Primary, after construction was completed this summer. “Xiang’e is the first wood-frame school in China and one of the highest profile earthquake reconstruction projects,” said Bell. “More than that, it is a symbol of the friendship we built when B.C. and Canada came to Sichuan’s aid with help for earthquake recovery projects.” Xiang’e Primary was rebuilt over a 10-month period after the Wenchuan earthquake struck Sichuan in May 2008 and collapsed the school’s previous concrete structure. The new and seismically improved Xiang’e opened its doors this past September to 370 students. “The sister-school agreement extends B.C.’s relationship with Sichuan well beyond the construction phase,” said Nechako Lakes MLA John Rustad. “We expect that the connection between Xiang’e Primary and Silverthorne Elementary will be equally enduring.” Silverthorne students also created a special poster to introduce the Houston school and its classes to their new long-distance friends. “The poster is a start to bridging language and cultural differences as well as the 9,400 kilometres that physically separates us from Dujiangyan,” said Silverthorne principal Mark Fehr. “We want our sister school to be fully aware of life and culture here in Houston as well as greater British Columbia.” Houston is home to two of the world’s largest sawmills, making it a natural fit for a sister-school agreement with Xiang’e, a 5,750-square-metre facility rebuilt with significant help from the B.C. forest products sector. Each student in the school received a 2010 Winter Olympics friendship pin to remind them that the Olympics are another experience they have in common with B.C. since China hosted the most recent Summer Games. The Province also donated 15 laptop computers to help Xiang’e teachers with their lessons and to communicate with their counterparts in Houston. -more-
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Delegates from Bell’s trade mission to expand and diversify wood product sales into China participated in a twinning ceremony with the school. Photos from the trade mission are available online in the Ministry of Forests and Range media room at www.for.gov.bc.ca/pab/media/. -30Contact:
Cheekwan Ho Public Affairs Officer Ministry of Forests and Range 250 387-8482
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