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Sister City relationship helps make dreams come true After an inspiring trip to China and Japan with the Latrobe City Youth Band, Kaleena DeVries has returned to China to teach conversational English. By Latrobe City Council - 16th June 2004 - Back to News Latrobe City Council organised for Ms DeVries to teach English at Minxin Middle School, the only private school in Latrobe’s Sister City, Taizhou. However, Latrobe City Mayor, Councillor Darrell White said that the experience will not be too overwhelming for Kaleena as she has already visited the school before.
"The Latrobe City Youth Band was a guest of Minxin Middle School when it conducted a tour of Latrobe’s Sister Cities in China and Japan, and the band even performed in the school’s auditorium as part of the tour," Cr White said.
"Minxin is perfect for Kaleena as she knows the environment in which she will be teaching, and the school is also rapidly growing, which will present challenges and experiences of its own. When Minxin opened in 2001 there were only 1200 students, now there are 5600 students and 300 staff members are employed there."
Cr White said that Ms DeVries is teaching conversational English to students preparing for senior school and tertiary studies. "Kaleena wanted to do this on her own, and Minxin Middle School was very keen to have someone young and enthusiastic from Latrobe City to work in their school," Cr White added.
Latrobe City’s Manager City Relations, Mark Brady, said that Kaleena’s work in Minxin is a natural extension of Latrobe City’s long established Sister City relationship with Taizhou.
"Although it was Kaleena who decided to return to Taizhou, her teaching post at Minxin will help to develop positive relationships and bridge the gap between cultures, which is also a focus of Latrobe’s Sister City work in China and Japan. Kaleena has the ability to further advance Latrobe’s cultural and educational exchanges and she will be an excellent ambassador in Taizhou for the Youth Band and the local community," Mr Brady said.
Twenty-one year old Ms DeVries recently completed a Bachelor of Business degree at Monash University’s Gippsland Campus. She is also an accomplished musician and has been performing from an early age.
"I have been playing the euphonium from the age of 10, and since then I have branched out into percussion, trumpet, tenor horn, baritone and the tuba. When the opportunity arose to join the Latrobe City Youth Band, I saw it as a positive step towards improving my musical experience whilst travelling at the same time," Ms DeVries said.
"During the Youth Band’s visit we were treated like royalty and the people were so warm and friendly. Their hospitality was extended to us as if we were true friends, which shows trust and confidence in Latrobe City’s Sister City relationship with the City of Taizhou," Ms DeVries concluded.
Source: www.gippsland.com Published by: news@gippsland.com
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