The Bolles School is hosting students from its sister schools in China and Japan. Seven exchange students and a teacher from Qingdao Tourism School in Qingdao, China, arrived on February 5 for a two week visit. A student from Tamagawa Gakuen in Tokyo, Japan, arrived on January 23 for a one month visit.

The visit from the Qingdao students marks the first-ever Chinese exchange for not only Bolles, but for any high school in Northeast Florida and possibly the entire state. Bolles entered into a “sister school” agreement with Qingdao in 2009, with officials from Qingdao visiting Bolles to officially sign the agreement on March 18, 2009.

This is the 12th year of Bolles’ ongoing exchange program with Tamagawa Gakuen. Bolles President and Head of School John E. Trainer, Jr., Ph.D. visited Tokyo in November 2009 for Tamagawa’s 80th anniversary celebration.