Decatur educators to visit school in quake-ravaged China

By KRISTINA TORRES
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 05/28/08

See Decatur childrens letters here

School officials in Decatur know him as "David," a tech-savvy, iPhone-wielding educator who is their main contact at Sichuan Normal University Attached Experimental School in Chengdu, China.

But since a May 12 earthquake devastated Sichuan Province and killed tens of thousands of Chinese, David — no one knows his full name — has been a kind of lifeline, full of information, assurance and encouragement.
Come June 2, local teachers hope to return the favor as part of a trip to the Chinese city. It is the first time Decatur will send teachers to the school with which it began a new exchange program last year.

Chengdu is Sichuan's provincial capital. Much of the city, home to 11 million people, was heavily damaged but David's school did not suffer the brunt of the quake. The 3,000 students from the elite school escaped injury and are back in class.

That the trip comes at a time of national tragedy for the Sichuan region has only heightened its importance for those planning it.

"We are going to [plan] a big welcome party for them," the Chengdu school's headmistress, Xie Xiangqiong, said in an e-mail Sunday.

The program got started last summer and was made possible through contacts at Georgia State University, which sponsors an existing program that has sent GSU students to the Chengdu school.

Six Decatur educators are set to make the trip.

Once there, they will shower their hosts with dozens of handwritten letters and pictures from Decatur students offering their peers support and well-wishes. They will be guests in the homes of the Chinese school's teachers and observe classes as well as teach one of their own.

The trip had been planned for nearly a year, but the earthquake "makes it real and even more relevant," said Decatur teacher Karen Newton, who is making her first trip out of the country and will bear a special message from a local student who has relatives in Sichuan Province. "It's all about finding that common thread."

The airport in Chengdu is open. David has repeatedly assured Decatur officials that, despite a number of aftershocks in the province, the city itself is safe and that officials there want them to come. The city also is not threatened by potential flooding that over the last several days has prompted additional evacuations.
David's school serves students from kindergarten through ninth grade. When the quake hit, they evacuated their building in five minutes.

"Oh man, it was horrible!," David said in an e-mail to Decatur on May 12 — the day of the quake — responding to queries about his safety. "I had lessons just now at 2:15...but the land was dancing at the moment! Chengdu is not the center of earthquake; we are about 91 kilometers from the center. We are safe here. We were evacuated to the playground 'till 8:40. We are OK but tired!"

Ninety-one kilometers is equivalent to about 57 miles — the distance from downtown Atlanta to the outskirts of Lagrange, Ga.

Decatur officials plan to keep monitoring the news; a major setback in the region would likely preempt the trip. Chengdu officials have offered September or October as back-up dates should the trip be postponed.

Last August, the exchange brought several teachers from the Chengdu school to Decatur. Kira Wilsterman, a second grade teacher at Decatur's Oakhurst Elementary, remembers them as gracious and wonderful and full of questions.

She only hopes to be the same kind of guest. Given the circumstances, perhaps she can be more, too, she said.

"When I heard the earthquake happened, my heart just sank," Wilsterman said. "It was such a weird feeling for me, because there's a personal connection. Even though I don't know the people yet, they're going to be my friends."