TEAM MISSISSAUGA - MISSION TO SHANGHAI, CHINA
February 23 – March 4, 2003

Previous Missions

Senior staff from the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board and Directors from CPB visited Shanghai, China to lay groundwork for future student/teacher exchanges with Shanghai University of International Studies' Foreign Language School. Dufferin-Peel Director of Education, Michael Bator, Superintendent of Program, Brendan Barnet, and Vice-Principal of Continuing and Alternative Education, Marilena Tesoro represented the board, along with Andre Mak, Co-Chair, and Amy Tjen, Director, from the Mississauga Board of Chinese Professionals and Businesses. The visit came about as a result of an invitation from the Foreign Language School.

During the visit, the group met with the language school principal, faculty, staff and students. "The visit was extraordinary," said Michael Bator. "We met many students and staff in Shanghai who are equally enthusiastic about the potential for exchange. China has changed dramatically and Shanghai is an incredibly modern city. We are excited about the potential for mutually beneficial linkages between Dufferin-Peel and the Foreign Language School." "We are very pleased to be a part of this wonderful opportunity," said Andre Mak. "The support for the venture and immediate connection between the Dufferin-Peel Catholic board, the education representatives in China, and the Toronto office of the Consul General of the People's Republic of China helped make the visit a successful one. Canada's multicultural society and, in this instance, the large Chinese population in Peel, Toronto, and the GTA, present natural opportunities for Dufferin-Peel and other boards to reach out internationally," noted Bator. "The world is indeed growing smaller. Global Literacy, and the need to encourage our own students to expand their horizons, as well as the importance of language and understanding culture, set the table for exciting possibilities that we definitely want to explore further."

During the visit, the Dufferin-Peel delegation met representatives of the Chinese Foreign Service and the Shanghai school authority, and visited a state of the art high school. A Chinese delegation from the Shanghai University of International Studies' Foreign Language School will be making a reciprocal visit to Canada in 2003.