A team of Alexandria City Public Schools administration officials left Wednesday for China, where they will remain through December 10 to participate in the Chinese Bridge educational tour, a week-long program in China meant to strengthen programs and partnerships between China and America.

ACPS educators invited by the College Board and Hanban / Confucius Institute Headquarters to participate in this opportunity are Keisha Boggan, Kris Clark, Dawn Feltman, Mary Gibson, Kimberley Graves, Peggy McLeod, Mimi Carter, Sara Schafer and Linda Whitfield.

The College Board, working with Hanban / Confucius Institute Headquarters, provides for all costs of the trip except a modest registration fee, which Superintendent Morton Sherman said at the School Boards November 16 meeting is $400 per person.

Getting past an initial exploration of Chinese language and culture, the trips focus is on in-depth school visits and educational workshops, which are tailored especially to the needs of schools and districts already teaching Chinese, according to a school spokesperson.