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ACES ECA Furthers Sister City Relationship in Changsha

November 22nd, 2017

November 22, 2017

ACES ECA Furthers Sister City Relationship in Changsha

Changsha, China – ACES ECA, the arts magnet high school on Audubon Street, continued globalizing their school last week as principal, Jason Hiruo and assistant executive director, Tim Howes formalized a new sister school exchange program with Yali Yanghu School. The agreement marks further steps to support the sister city relationship recently established between the City of New Haven and Changsha located in the Hunan province of China.

Hiruo and Howes toured China for eight days connecting to eight cities that marked a rigorous trip highlighting the Arts in New Haven and promoting the rapidly developing division of ACES International. AI is prioritizing global competency and real-world experience for educators and Connecticut students alike under the direction of Hiruo. In November 2018, Connecticut students will be offered the opportunity to participate in their student ambassador service project that will provide a comprehensive international experience including service to disadvantaged students in schools. The student ambassador delegation will also have the chance to experience a litany of cultural destinations while on tour. 

ACES ECA currently works with four sister schools in China, and has grown to offer student learning experiences with schools in four other countries. With additional collaboration in Japan, Australia, Spain, and Germany, this initiative also brings international arts educators to ECA, while sending school delegations abroad. ECA students will travel to Changsha in 2019.

“The school’s current focus is on real-world relevance for students as their world is requiring more and more cultural awareness and hands-on experiences before they reach the workforce. We want to advance this opportunity prior to college by providing them genuine experiences as artist-intellectuals. It’s a natural connection to their study in the arts – bridging it to culture”, Hiruo stated.

Tim Howes, who joined the work with the international initiative over a year ago explained, “The work that we are doing is awesome. It is exciting to see how we are connecting to colleagues around the world, bringing new awareness to the state and region, and providing authentic learning to students. Seeing all of the hard work unfold is rewarding. ACES is really making huge strides in this field as we are committed to supporting Connecticut schools and families in this realm of internationalization. I am excited to see what opportunities Mr. Hiruo and his team will bring to students in the state over the next few years.”

A return trip in March will take Hiruo and Howes to Beijing as they participate in an international expo where over 20,000 attendees will celebrate ACES ECA as a model high school in global arts education.

For more information on the November 2018 student service project, please contact acesinternatonal@aces.org.