In March 2015, 28 students led by teacher Mr Kuo-Tai Chen from Taipei Municipal Zhong Zheng Senior High School, visited Canberra High School in Australian Capital Territory for 3 days.
Group photo of Taipei Municipal Zhong Zheng Senior High School with Mr Phil Beecher (centre), the principal of Canberra High School, Mr Andy Bi (centre left), Executive Director of Education Division at Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Australia and Mr Kuo-Tai Chen (centre right) teacher at Taipei Municipal Zhong Zheng Senior High School.
The Taiwan students were billeted with Canberra High School families and experienced Australian home and school life. At Canberra High School, accompanied by their homestay buddy, they participated in various practical classes such as Cooking and Art, and in some core subjects. Excursions are organised so that the students can experience the way of life in Australian National Capital.
The highlight of Zhong Zheng’s visit was the welcoming assembly on 4 March attended by Mandarin students from all years to affirm their friendship with the sister school and share information about the different cultures. Mr Andy Bi, Executive Director of Education Division at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Australia, was invited to jointly witness this continuing exchange visit and sister school friendship.
Canberra High School (CHS) is an ACT Government High School located in the Canberra suburb of Macquarie. With approximately 600 students from year 7 through to year 10, CHS has a very multicultural composition and works closely with its local and extended community to provide that all students can achieve their potential, building on their abilities and interests while celebrating their cultural backgrounds.
In the past 3 years, CHS also affiliated with ACT Education and Training Directorate to host one Taiwanese Mandarin teaching assistant annually with the co-funding of the Ministry of Education in Taiwan. The program gained remarkable reviews from both parents and students.
Established in 2013, Canberra High School’s sister school exchange program maintains strong connections with its sister school Taipei Municipal Zhong Zheng Senior High School in Taiwan. Its language students estimated 220 learning Mandarin as second language have the opportunity to visit and experience life in this Taiwanese school and home in its biennial visits to Taiwan.
