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Education & Scholarship
Jim Hill and Jan Armstrong’s Visit to The Society Supported Schools
The Society currently supports three rural schools not funded by the school district within the city of Xi’an, Kansas City’s Sister City in mountainous north central China. Individual students in need also are given scholarships at the elementary, secondary and university levels to expand literacy in hard-to-reach areas. A $30US scholarship, perhaps the cost of one book here in the U.S., fully funds an elementary school student for a year’s education at one of these institutions.
At the Society for Friendship with China’s booth at the 2009 Plaza Art Fair, opportunity was offered to win two tickets to the city of Xi’an the following spring of 2010. Jim Hill’s name was drawn and he became our representative in presenting both scholarship checks and awards. The following report details Jim Hill and Jan Armstrong’s visit to our supported schools:
 | On the morning of April 14, 2010 Jim Hill, acting as special envoy for the Society for Friendship with China, arrived in Xi’an accompanied by Jan Armstrong and Teresa Chien. The mission was to deliver checks to provide education scholarships for low-income students. Our first destination was Shaanxi Normal University where we met with faculty members as well as the recipient student scholars, each of whom gave a brief statement of his educational goals. |
The next day we traveled to the Yukou rural school, one of three supported by the Society. Poor road conditions from an overnight snowstorm canceled a planned visit to Hanjiaping School farther up the mountain. That school’s principal traveled down to join Yukou’s principal in accepting scholarship checks for their students. Visiting Yukou’s six classrooms made obvious the need for our help. Its unheated rooms necessitated teachers, students and visitors to remain bundled in coats even inside. A multi-purpose room serves as a computer lab (with twenty-year-old equipment,) a teachers’ “lounge” and the living quarters for the school principal. A plaque on a wall thanks the Beverly Chien Graham Memorial Scholarships for furthering education in this region. A wall and gate need to be constructed to provide security for the school.
Yu Kou School
  
On Friday, April 16 we visited the third of our rural schools. An Shang School is located outside Xi’an but in an area where residents’ lives have improved. This much newer building reflects the influence of that economic growth as well as our help. Students have individual desks which will move with them as they progress through the school, some with metal plates stating the Kansas City donor’s name. On our return to Xi’an that day, Jim presented a recognition proclamation from Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser to Mr. Tang, a bookstore owner who provides 200 books a year to each of the three rural schools the Society supports.
An Shang School
   
During our visit we had the opportunity to see a different side of life from prior visits as ordinary tourists. While there were few surprises, we are more aware of the commitment of the Chinese people to the education of their children and their generosity and hospitality to visitors.
Han Jiaping School
    
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