20th Anniversary Celebrations

Northcote High School and Huaibei No. 1 High School Sister School Relationship

In 1999 our sister school relationship with Huaibei No.1 High School in China, was established and has over the past 20 years, grown into a strong and rich partnership for both the Northcote and Huaibei school communities and beyond original expectations. It has opened so many doors for so many people to experience culture and language in global settings and to work collaboratively to bring about best quality learning outcomes for our students.

Some points of interest:                 

• Over the years Northcote teachers and students have enjoyed the benefits of biannual themed trips to China (Music, Sport & Political), with Huaibei being a favourite part of them. In return, Huaibei teachers and students have visited annually and gained insight into ‘Aussie’ lifestyle and culture as well as the language immersion opportunity.
• The sister school relationship has also fostered many student exchanges from both schools.
• The relationship has also focused on teacher professional development with teacher exchange opportunities for both schools.
• Over the twenty years, more than a thousand students, staff and parents from both schools have been involved in exchange activities.
• Northcote High has been integral in enabling local primary schools (Gold St. Primary School and Alphington Primary School) build sister school relationships with Huaibei primary schools.
•  The Sister School Program has brought opportunity and benefit to the extended Huaibei No.1 High School community, significantly enhancing their reputation in the educational field in Anhui Province.
•  It has also played a leading role in opening a window to the world for Huaibei, a small unknown 3rd tier city in China. Soon after the start of our sister school relationship, there have been noticeably more Huaibei people talking about Australia and participating in more international activities with Melbourne, such as students coming to Australia to study as international students and more Huaibei government officials visiting Australia for business opportunities.  
•  Our sister school partnership has gained a number of official recognitions over the years, including receiving a Sister School Program Grant from DET in 2009.

We recently celebrated the 20 year anniversary of our sister school relationship with Huaibei No 1 High School visiting us from August the 6th to 10th for a week of celebrations and activities and included discussions on future directions of our partnership. A delegation of 4 staff, including Principal Ma Ying, and 20 students attended. We had a formal celebration in the PAC on Thursday which was attended by past Principal Team members and representation from the International Education Division. Emotions were high as we watched a film outlining the 20 year journey to date, evoking many fond memories. Speeches and gift exchanges were followed by afternoon tea.

Again our Northcote High families hosted the 20 students for the week and provided a very much appreciated opportunity for them to experience Australian home life. It is always the highlight of the trip for the Huaibei students. The hugs and tears as we were farewelling our Huaibei visitors was testament to the experience they had with their host families. We can’t thank our families enough for their generosity. The students also visited some of Melbourne’s many attractions and loved our Aquarium and Zoo.