Perpich Arts High School serves as setting for cultural exchange for Chinese students

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Published on Monday, 04 June 2012 13:47

The Perpich Center for Arts Education (PCAE), a public arts-centered high school for grades 11-12 in Golden Valley, recently served as the temporary campus for 6 students and a teacher from Luoyang #1 Senior High School, Henan, China.

This exchange is the result of last year’s visit by another delegation from Luoyang that was Perpich’s first Chinese exchange program.  A group of students and teachers from Perpich earlier this spring visited Luoyang.

The purpose of the Perpich program is to immerse students in an experimental cultural exchange.  The visiting students stayed with host families in student homes over the weekends so that they could learn firsthand what life is like in a particular geographic area, building common bonds of mutual understanding. 

During the week they lived in campus dormitories. The delegation began their 2 week visit after their weekend stay with their host families at a welcoming ceremony and was welcomed by Sue Mackert, Executive Director of PCAE.

Perpich is interested in expanding the exchange program to become a designated Confucius Classroom which would be tied to the Confucius Institute at the University of Minnesota. As an agency of the State of Minnesota, the Perpich Center serves students, teachers, artists, schools, and arts organizations throughout Minnesota. The Center’s mission is to provide all Minnesota students the opportunity to develop and integrate their artistic and academic abilities to their highest potential.

The Perpich Center for Arts Education strengthens the arts education community, and improves access to high quality arts experiences to students statewide and is actually comprised of three different components: Resources for Arts Educators, Arts High School and Library.

For more information visit: http://www.pcae.k12.mn.us