The 24 students and two educators from Nankai High School felt the warmth of a La Porte welcome as their bus pulled into the La Porte High School parking lot late Thursday night.  LPHS students and their families who will be hosting the Chinese travelers greeted them with balloons, signs, and cheers of welcome as they began their week-long visit..

The students from Tianjin, China, will be in La Porte through Feb. 12 as part of the La Porte Education Foundation's global studies exchange program. As a result of the Foundation's support, students from La Porte visited China in the spring of 2008, and another 20 have been selected for a trip scheduled for June 2009.

The gathering was a reunion for some, as several participants will be hosting the same student with whom they stayed during their visit to China.  Some of the students from China are new to the program, and families hosting the visitors include those of students who went on the 2008 trip as well as a few who are preparing for the June trip.

After boarding their flight in Beijing, the Chinese group, which also includes a Nankai High School vice principal and English teacher, made a brief stop in New York before traveling on to Houston.  During the bus ride from the airport, the visitors took in the sights of the Houston area at night, listening carefully as trip leader Nancy Li of Easton Resource Development explained their itinerary for the week.

"With a few months of work with the China side, as well as the endless efforts and support from the La Porte Education Foundation, LPISD and the whole community, I am so glad that La Porte's Global Exchange Project continues and starts this year by having 24 Nankai students and two educators arrive in La Porte," Li said.  " I have been very fortunate and grateful to serve as a bridge working with both sides of the world, helping to provide a global classroom so as to open the eyes and minds of young people in dealing with future challenges. I am so happy and proud to see this between La Porte and China Tianjin Nankai."

Li explained that this is the first trip to the United States for all of the Chinese guests.  They began their initial day in La Porte by attending classes with their LPHS buddies, while the Chinese educators had the chance to observe classes and discuss education issues with LPHS principal Joanne Kolius and her staff.

During their stay, the participants will attend the LPHS musical, "Anything Goes," and the La Porte vs. Dobie basketball game.  They will also have the opportunity to tour NASA, where they will hear a presentation by Chinese-American astronaut Leroy Chiao; see a Houston Rockets game; and participate in Career Day with La Porte area professionals who work in their field of interest.

In addition, the group and their La Porte buddies will travel to Round Top, where they will tour Festival Hill and Henkel Square and enjoy a hayride and trip to a farm.  The following day, they will go to Austin for a tour of the Bob Bullock Texas History Museum; that afternoon, they will be recognized by the Senate and have a tour of the Capitol led by Senator Mike Jackson's staff.

Throughout the week, the students will continue to go to classes alongside their La Porte hosts.  The night before their departure, the guests will be honored at a farewell dinner to be held at the San Jacinto Monument. 

"La Porte has opened its school, its homes and its heart, as was seen last night with the welcome of the Nankai High School from Tianjin, China," said Don Empfield, past president of the La Porte Education Foundation and chair of the Global Studies Exchange Program project.  "These young people from both sides of the world represent our future, and our future begins today with an even better tomorrow through this program. Our problems are global today, but so are our solutions."