Three months ago, Pine Bush High School Principal Aaron Hopmayer made a trip to Taiwan with a contingent of business leaders from Orange County. He had been invited by the county, which was looking to draw economic investment to the area. Mr. Hopmayer represented the education aspect of the county, and had the opportunity to talk about the programs and partnerships offered here in Pine Bush.

 

Fast forward to June. A contingent of educators and business leaders from Taiwan visited Pine Bush High School last week to get a first-hand view of the facilities and programs offered to our students here in Pine Bush. This delegation included those from the Education Bureau and the Department of Administrative and International Affairs, including Li-Sen Wu, director general of the Taiwan Education Bureau.

 

 

“We want to help build a global friendship and understanding,” said Mr. Wu.

 

That they did. After a meet and greet, that included members of Orange County government and business leaders, Mr. Hopmayer and Mr. Wu signed an agreement making Pine Bush High School and Siaogang High School in Kaohsiung City sister high schools. Siaogang is known for its science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs.

 

 

“We are excited to collaborate with Taiwan,” said Mr. Hopmayer. “It’s great for our students going forward that we will be collaborating with a country so advanced as Taiwan.”

 

After exchanging gifts, they set out on a tour of the building. including a science classroom, woodworking, the pool and, of course, the Haas Center.

 

 

During the tour, they stopped at Dr. Michael Raucci’s AP biology class, where students were and studying the anatomy of the eye and dissecting cow eyes. They watched as students in Neil Lisberg’s class learned about the history of transportation, and programmed cars. They saw picnic benches students made from trees that once stood outside their building. And they visited the Haas Center to see the remarkable machinery and capabilities that are afforded our students, thanks in large part to the partnerships our district has with local industry leaders.

 

Then our visitors were off to the county 911 center in Goshen to take in the facilities there.

 

Mr. Hopmayer said he and his team will work with Mr. Wu developing and sharing plans for curriculum and possibly a cultural student exchange program. He was pleased with their visit and very proud of the connections made.

 

 

“Overall, the great thing is having this opportunity to recognize that now we are doing things internationally,” said Principal Hopmayer. “It just shows what a great school community we are a part of.”