A special bond between China’s Sichuan Province and northwest B.C. was established today by a sister-school agreement that pairs Xiang’e Primary School with Houston’s Silverthorne Elementary.

 

The agreement with the Dujiangyan Education Bureau was signed by B.C. Ministry of Forests and Range on behalf of School District No. 54 (Bulkley Valley) as part of a ceremony to mark the rebirth of Xiang’e Primary, after construction was completed this summer.

 

 “Xiang’e is the first wood-frame school in China and one of the highest profile earthquake reconstruction projects,” said Pat Bell, B.C. Minister of Forests and Range . “More than that, it is a symbol of the friendship we built when B.C. and Canada came to Sichuan’s aid with help for earthquake recovery projects.”

 

“The sister-school agreement extends B.C.’s relationship with Sichuan well beyond the construction phase,” said Nechako Lakes MLA John Rustad. “We expect that the connection between Xiang’e Primary and Silverthorne Elementary will be equally enduring.”

 

A special poster created by teachers and students to introduce Silverthorne and its classes was presented to their new long-distance friends.

 

“The poster is a start to bridging language and cultural differences as well as the 9,400 kilometres that physically separates us from Dujiangyan,” said Silverthorne principal Mark Fehr. “We want our sister school to be fully aware of life and culture here in Houston as well as greater British Columbia.”

 

Houston is home to two of the world’s largest sawmills, making it a natural fit for a sister-school agreement with Xiang’e, a 5,750-square-metre facility rebuilt with significant help from the B.C. forest products sector.

 

Each student in the school received a 2010 Winter Olympics friendship pin to remind them that the Olympics are another experience they have in common with B.C. since China hosted the most recent Summer Games. The Province also donated 15 laptop computers to help Xiang’e teachers with their lessons and to communicate with their counterparts in Houston.