Gilman's pre-first and first grade students are hosting Gilman's newest exchange student -- a teddy bear from an elementary school in Taiwan. Lower School language teacher Cecilia Eppler explains.

By Cecilia Eppler

Gilman's pre-first and first grade students are collaborating in a very exciting international cultural exchange with the students from the Shihyung Elementary School in the PingTung County, in Taiwan.

Back in November, Gilman and Shihyung students each packed up a teddy bear and other treats to send to the other school. The package opened by Gilman students included the visiting Teddy (named "Story"), yummy Taiwanese treats, as well as beautiful handmade good luck satchels. In turn, our Gilman boys sent a teddy called Horatio, plus a Gilman Greyhound, New Year's cards, Gilman treats, and pictures. You can see our Shihyung friends holding the GIlman bear and pictures in the photos below.

This semester, Gilman students are documenting their activities with Story in a journal while the bear spends time in the classroom and visits each of the students' homes. The journals will eventually be exchanged too. The goal of this project is for the students from both schools to get to know each other by sharing their activities, lifestyles, school experiences, and culture, as they practice their reading and writing skills, and illustrate and exchange samples of their particular culture.

Can you spot the traveling teddy bears in each of these photos? What about the Gilman greyhound? We'll keep you posted on further adventures of Story and Horatio.