On August 1st, the 2nd graduation ceremony, show of the 2008 summer camp, had been held in our Student Center grandly.
Vice president Chen Qun attended and made a speech there, hoping that children from Chicago could remember East China Normal University and love it through this camp, and welcoming them to come back to our university for further study if possible. He also pointed out that we would integrate various resources as ever to make this camp an exquisite project, and to cooperate with Chicago’s on a larger scale and in a more profound way.
Dean of Confucius Institute in Chicago, Robert Davis, congratulated the 56 students in the summer camp on their graduation. He said that he was very proud of all the members’ excellent performance. He cited the Chinese saying “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” to encourage the students from China and America, wishing them to make a small beginning with this camp and to seek for a bigger progress from now on..
Representatives of students from Chicago, Robert and Julius, told in their speech that they had learned a lot in the summer camp. Their Chinese had been improved by leaps and bounds during the 6 weeks’ intensive training and living together with friends from Shanghai morning and night. They made further understanding of Chinese culture through the culture lessons like paper-cutting, shadowboxing, and calligraphy practice in the afternoon and by traveling outside. They said they must come back to Shanghai and the other places of China again.
Representative of Shanghai students Zhang Shuofen expressed sincere thanks on behalf of all Chinese students there to the hosts of this activity, the Public Education Bureau of Chicago and East China Normal University. She said that this time not only her English, in particular, oral English had been greatly improved; more importantly, she also had learned the way of getting along with people of another culture background. She thought that our friendship with Chicago students will last all our lives.
After the speeches, vice president Chen Qun and Dean Robert Davis respectively issued Chinese and American students certificates for their completing of studies. And they had photos taken together.
After the ceremony, the show began with a dynamic dance “Soulja Boy”. Several brilliant programs such as Shadowboxing, saxophone duet Santa Lucia, drama Butterfly Lovers – Liang and Zhu Yingtai, poem Drizzling Lane, opusculum Four Fiascos and guitar Childhood made the atmosphere higher and higher. The show ended in a chorus Friends successfully.
It is reported that President Yu Lizhong met Dean Robert Davis, talking on running Confucius Institute of Chicago well and furthering cooperation between Public Education Bureau of Chicago and our university.
