Dare students planning China trip

Published 7:18 am Wednesday, July 11, 2018

A group of Dare County students will be washing cars from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Southern Bank in Manteo this Saturday, July 14, to raise money for what could be the trip of a lifetime.

According to Manteo High School teacher Suzanne Pack, the trip is part of a partnership exchange program with a school in China.

She said about a dozen Dare County students will fly to Shanghai, China, do some sight-seeing there and take a three hour train ride a to the school Dare County has a partnership with. After three days at that school, the group will head back to Shanghai and fly out to Beijing for some more sight-seeing and then the flight back home.

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It will not be the first trip to China for Pack, she visited both Shanghai and Beijing with a group of North Carolina teachers about four years ago.

Money for this trip, planned for the 2019 spring break, is coming from car washes, popcorn and handbags sales, as well as donations from local businesses. Pack said parents are also helping out with some of the expenses and students are working summer jobs. Cost for the trip is about $3,800 per student. Between nine and 12 students plan to attend.
While our students are planning a spring trip, this coming fall will be the third visit by Chinese students.

“They send a little larger group,” said Pack. “They come with about 30 students and three or four teachers. They stay with us about three days and then sight see other areas like Washington, DC, Philadelphia and New York City. So we want the same experience for our students.”

It should be quite an experience.

Shanghai, with a population of about 24 million, is the most populous city in the world. Beijing, with only 18.8 million people, is China’s capital, its largest city by area, and home to the world’s largest airport.

In addition to the size of the group, there is another difference in where the students will stay.

Pack said when the China group visits Dare County students stay in the homes of host families at Manteo and First Flight, but the Dare County group will be staying at a dormitory at the school for international students, very much like a college setting.

“The reason,” continued Pack, “is that their students don’t live near the school. It’s a boarding school. So it would be difficult for us to go into their homes. ”

Pack said in addition to another car wash in August, the group is looking at other ways to raise money. While the car wash is free, donations are accepted to help with travel expenses.  For more information about the trip or how to make donations, contact Mrs. Suzanne Pack at Manteo High School 252-473-5841.