Program Consultant
(Glenys Wignes)

Our sister school consultant, Glenys Wignes began teaching Chinese students in the summer of 1998 when she taught in the Global Language Village (GLV), more recently sponsored by Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota. China beckoned Glenys again in the summers of 1999 and 2000 at which times she was dean of GLV's in Jinan, Shandong, and Zhuhai, Special Economic Zone.

During those GLV experiences, Glenys had the opportunity to meet Xiuwen Wang, PhD, who, at that time, was a partner in the GLV program. Glenys retired after a career of teaching music in the Fargo Public Schools and began a new venture assisting Dr. Wang when he assumed the position of principal of a new school in Jinan, Shandong. In her position as Vice Principal, Ms Wignes was responsible for developing the English program and training the Western teachers. Her experience in teaching English in China includes students, K-12, as well as, teaching Chinese classroom teachers. Additionally, she was sponsored by the Jiangsu Education Department to conduct a workshop for Chinese teachers of English.

Now at home in Fargo, Ms Wignes continues to collaborate with Dr. Wang who is currently principal of the Beijing New Oriental Foreign Language School (BNOFLS) in Yangzhou, Jiangsu. She is building an English library for the school, and securing materials useful for Western teachers who teach English as a Foreign Language to the BNOFLS students. To date, she has shipped 2,500 children's picture books and easy-reading volumes to BNOFLS. In the near future she expects to return to Yangzhou to catalog the books and organize the library for the use of students and teachers. Ms. Wignes continues to seek books by soliciting used books from private donors, discarded books from schools and public libraries, and by purchase in thrift stores. More books are needed for sufficient reading material for this school of 4,500-5,000 students. Those desiring to contribute children's picture books and books of interest to students may contact Glenys by email at gwignes@hotmail.com.

Ms. Wignes applauds the Fargo Public Schools and the Beijing New Oriental Foreign Language School in their Sister-School program where even five-year olds learn from students in another culture. Someone said earlier, "as we learn more about others, we learn more about ourselves." This promises to be an extraordinary experience for students of both schools.

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