Nine students who attend West High School’s Center for International Studies (CIS) students will travel to China on Friday, Sept. 27 through the U.S.-China Discovery youth exchange program.

The students, who have studied the Chinese language, are travelling to China to learn more about Chinese culture and language. During their month-long stay in China, they will be visiting the Kunming Foreign Language School, Denver West High School’s partner school in this exchange program.

In November, students from Kunming Foreign Language School will visit Denver West High School and attend classes.

The U.S.-China Discovery program is an historic program underwritten by the U.S. State Department, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Office of Citizen Exchanges and Youth Programs Division, and managed by the AFS International Exchanges. The purpose of this program is to advance mutual understanding, support student participation in community affairs, and develop partnerships that serve the needs of the schools.

Denver West High School/CIS was ranked second out of only seven high schools throughout the U.S. chosen to participate in this exchange program.

The students heading to China are Joseph Jaramillo, Kelly Granado, Leslie Mowery, Briana Lucero, Tristan Taylor, Carmen Martinez, Myra Ramirez, Amanda Candelaria, and Miriam Peña. Teachers accompanying them are Li-Mei Ge (West's Chinese teacher) and Dr. Gabriel Garcia. Melanie Grant, president of the CIS Foundation, will also join the group.

The Denver West High School students will leave Denver International Airport at 7:00 a.m. on Sept. 27 and travel to San Francisco to catch an international flight to Shanghai, and then another flight to Kunming, where they will live with host families for three weeks. During their first few days in China, the students will be able to visit sites around Kunming and experience the National Day, a big Chinese holiday weekend.

After the holiday, the students will visit classes at the Kunming Foreign Language School, and attend special classes, developed specifically for them, in Chinese language, history and culture.

Throughout their trip, they will be working on a special project called an “International Passage,” that will focus on and frame what they learn from the experience. They will continue working on the projects when students from Kunming visit Denver West High School in November.

The students will leave Kunming on Oct. 21 and fly to Beijing to discuss their experiences with AFS International Exchanges representatives, and then travel to the Great Wall of China. They will return to Denver Wednesday, Oct. 23.
Denver West High School and CIS will host nine student students from Kunming Foreign Language School Nov. 16 through Dec. 7. During their stay in Denver, the Kunming students will be able to experience the Thanksgiving holiday, visit classes at Denver West and other schools in Denver, tour the city, and participate in forums on cultural perspectives and issues.

The CIS program is a Magnet program of the Denver Public Schools that allows students to earn a Diploma of International Studies in addition to a high school diploma. The program receives additional support from the Center for International Studies Foundation, a nonprofit organization which assists students who are unable to afford international travel in the program.

For more information about the U.S.-China Discovery exchange program or CIS, please contact Dr. Daniel Lutz, Director of CIS, at 303-620-5364.