For the City Times

STEVENS POINT — In conjunction with United States University Pathways and Foshan Foreign Language School-Guangwai, Pacelli Catholic Schools has begun the process of developing an American-style high school in Foshan, China.

Founded by Guangdong University of Foreign Studies and Gouxin Holding Group in Foshan, the school will be staffed by English speaking teachers and is slated to begin educating students in grades 10-12 this fall.

The goals for this venture are multi-faceted with a primary emphasis on helping Chinese students become better prepared to enter a university in the United States. The curriculum, which will mimic Pacelli’s curriculum, will provide the rigor, learning style, and English instruction needed for these students to transition into American universities, with an emphasis on UW System schools including UWSP.

Gregg Hansel

According to Gregg Hansel, Director of Education for Pacelli Catholic Schools, Pacelli was chosen as a partner in this effort because of their rigorous curriculum and framework for academic excellence.

“The goal is to create a Pacelli High School experience in China, from discipline, instruction, pedagogy, and course materials,” said Hansel. “Pacelli staff will serve as a consultant in a number of areas, including development of curriculum, assessment, goal setting, and professional growth of teachers.”

Larry Theiss, Principal of Pacelli High School, will take a lead role in these areas.

While traveling to China recently, Hansel and Theiss met with representatives from the Gaoming District Education Bureau, which represents 80,000 public and private students in China. Besides developing the high school, training teachers in China, student exchanges, summer educational programs, and cultural exchanges will all be a part of the program the two groups collaborate on helping to enhance learning opportunities both in China and here at Pacelli.

Additionally, Skyward, Inc. will be providing the school software for the new school.

“We look forward to partnering with Pacelli Catholic Schools and US University Pathways as they open a new Wisconsin-style high school in China,” said Skyward President Scott Glinski. “It’s always an exciting opportunity when we get to expand our support to schools overseas and provide them with the solutions they need to create the best possible learning experience.”

The Central Wisconsin Information Technology Alliance (CWITA) will also be working with the project as another goal is to focus on bringing additional skilled labor in these crucial areas to Central Wisconsin.