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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Emergency services Jacksonville man who summited Everest will help in Nepal relief efforts Since You Asked: Lost Creek outflows are as low as they can go 'Stolen' wheelchair actually traded by owner, police say Two seats contested on Central Point School Board Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency services Jacksonville man who summited Everest will help in Nepal relief efforts 'Stolen' wheelchair actually traded by owner, police say That smoke in Ashland hills likely from underburn Fourth Kairos employee arrested in Grants Pass Politics and Elections Earthquakes hit regularly in Medford (Oklahoma, that is) Medford School Board, Position 6: Curt Ankerberg vs. Janet Lightheart Arthur I. Cyr: Cuba’s enduring challenge to American foreign policy – and American politics Gov. Brown touts need for transportation funding in talk to Medford chamber Kent Bush: Clinton 2.0 is neither new nor improved Education Two seats contested on Central Point School Board Neal Simon: This is a test Four candidates run for two Eagle Point School Board slots Ashland students reach out to help pets in need Ruch students hold Dash for Diapers Environment Earthquakes hit regularly in Medford (Oklahoma, that is) Residents say armed mine supporters sully Josephine County's reputation Armed protesters gather at Medford BLM office over Sugar Pine Mine dispute Jackson County's wildlife services agent seen as both killer and savior Biomass technology: Creating products out of former waste State News Fixit tag for Portland's noted Portland Building: $175 million Fee targets rail cars that haul oil, other flammables Boyfriend of psychic sentenced in con of Oregon timber heir Oregon judge goes light on repeat drunk-driving offender Obama to talk trade in visit to Oregon, Nike Nation - World There's a $10 million precious stone hidden in plain sight at Grand Central Tsarnaev convicted on all charges in Boston Marathon bombing Obituaries Alice Irenia (McFall) Calkins Dennis Dean Ekwall Greg Ansok Thomas H. Love Jr. Death Notices Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Shareable Sports Latest Stories Yreka's late homer sinks Eagles Clippers top Spurs, force Game 7 Despite suitors, Titans were all in with Mariota Ravens visit area where protests started Fowler wins to secure weekend spot Varsity 541 College Sports National champ SOU's spring game is tonight Oregon coaches, players ready to ‘split up and play’ Donahue, Beavers down USC at home King's single lifts OSU over No. 10 USC Emmert, Silver not on same page with one-and-dones Pro Sports Clippers top Spurs, force Game 7 Despite suitors, Titans were all in with Mariota Ravens visit area where protests started Fowler wins to secure weekend spot Will fight live up to hype? History gives a clue Community Sports Bailey picks up modified win Wilson delivers in return of local boxing Palmer breezes to second straight men’s title Business Latest Stories Never enough: New Starbucks proposed on Barnett Road in Medford Comcast deal dropped along with Pac-12 1-800Flowers.com reports $10.5 million loss in third quarter Jackson County debt-ridden homeowners have an option Cars We Remember: Mr. Hot Rod’s 1966 Chevelle 396 Real Estate News Never enough: New Starbucks proposed on Barnett Road in Medford Jackson County debt-ridden homeowners have an option New home in an old house Naumes plans custom-crush winery in former packing house GREEN ACRES: Southern Oregon provides escape from the maddening crowd People In Business Transportation Erickson finds room to work at Medford airport Lithia Motors nets $40.7 million in first quarter Lithia Motors reports second-best quarter ever Business briefs Medford airport's record run continues Agriculture 1-800Flowers.com reports $10.5 million loss in third quarter Naumes plans custom-crush winery in former packing house New bosses take charge at Harry & David Dancin Vineyards covers up Opinion Latest Our View: Bill gives ex-convicts a glimmer of hope Letters to the Editor, May 1 Michael Gerson: A pastor's faith in Baltimore Granlund cartoon: End of the Vietnam war Clive McFarlane: Baltimore reaps the whirlwind Editorials Our View: Bill gives ex-convicts a glimmer of hope Our View: Medical marijuana market not at risk Our View: Don't wait on public records reform Our View: Yes to faster speeds, no to lane splitting Our View: Sensation and sensibility: a balancing act Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, May 1 Letters to the Editor, April 30 Letters to the Editor, April 29 Letters to the Editor, April 28 Letters to the Editor, April 27 Columns Michael Gerson: A pastor's faith in Baltimore George Will: What stands in Lindsey Graham's way Dana Milbank: Billionaire politics Kathleen Parker: Comedy, tragedy and fear of free speech Michael Gerson: Weighing the baggage Hillary brings Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Uniting to restore our sovereignty to we, the people Guest Opinion: This Earth Day, we celebrate the Northwest Forest Plan The Medford School Board was wrong: 'American Pageant' is a political agenda, not history The Medford School Board was right: 'American Pageant' is a fine book, and the board did its homework Guest Opinion: Removing barriers to walking, biking benefits everyone Lifestyle Latest stories Religion Briefs: Friday, May 1 Fishing Report: Friday, May 1 Hike of the Week: Black Butte Trail in the Siskiyou Wilderness Go with the (low) flow Get Out: Friday, May 1 Food Andrea Honaker: Mexican-inspired dips for Cinco de Mayo Page H. Onorato: Enjoying good food just for the fun of it Page H. Onorato: Food items appear in the funnies Community blog: Variations on potato patties please brunch palates Food for Thought: Grill up a storm as the weather gets warm Home and Garden Betty Montgomery: You can have a variety of ferns in your garden Clean out household chemicals Friday and Saturday Dear Monty: 10 tips to avoid tenant complaints Home Help: Upgrade your entryway with simple DIY projects Costa Living: Basking in flower power Health Health Watch: Pack your pantry with healthy items HealthStyle: It’s all in the family dinner 'Game changer' for heart patients Health Watch: Tips for protecting your eyes Dr. Jeff Hersh: Could severe cramping mean endometriosis? Hiking Biking Faith Religion Briefs: Friday, May 1 Religion Briefs: Friday, April 24 Religion Briefs: Friday, April 17 Religion briefs: Friday, April 10 Religion briefs: Friday, April 3 Milestones and Achievements ENGAGEMENT: Sellers-James Witham's birthday bash draws hundreds for 1950s prices Charlesworth-Murphy Drizzle doesn't dampen Pear Blossom Parade spirit New Arrivals: Sunday, April 12 Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Live Music in Local Clubs Firefall tonight at the Craterian Theater in Medford Trio Brasileiro plays Old Siskiyou Barn Master Gardener Spring Fair at The Expo Randall Theatre stages 'Little Shop of Horrors' Theater Randall Theatre stages 'Little Shop of Horrors' 'Much Ado' at SOU Thanks for the Memories stages 'Company' one night only Camelot Theatre presents 'Arsenic and Old Lace' 'Secret Love' playwright Stan Lai appears in Ashland Music Live Music in Local Clubs Firefall tonight at the Craterian Theater in Medford Trio Brasileiro plays Old Siskiyou Barn Interview: Offspring plays hits new and old on tour Maria Muldaur at the Unitarian Fellowship Community Events Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Master Gardener Spring Fair at The Expo A Taste of Ashland pairs food and wine at galleries Rogue Valley Earth Day 2015 Foreign language film festival set at SOU Movies Movie review: ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ knows how to party (No heading) Catching up with the Avengers Interview: Sofia Vergara talks ‘Hot Pursuit’ Quick Flicks: ‘Cinderella,’ ‘Insurgent’ and more Dining Taqueria Picaro offers casual Mexican cuisine Set a table from your local farmers market Let's do brunch! 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EDUCATION St. Mary's reaches out to China Medford school will open its sixth dual-diploma program there this year Comment By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Posted Mar. 10, 2015 at 5:18 PM Updated Mar 10, 2015 at 5:42 PM By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Posted Mar. 10, 2015 at 5:18 PM Updated Mar 10, 2015 at 5:42 PM » Social News In 2008, the Chinese Ministry of Education established its first North American Confucius Classroom at St. Mary’s School. This fall, the private Catholic secondary school will launch its sixth international program in China. St. Mary’s is already partnered with high schools in Shanghai, Wuhan, Shunde, Pinghu and Guiyang, and it has plans to open a branch at a high school in Zhengzhou, the capital of the Henan Province, in September. Frank Phillips, St. Mary's head of school, has been working with Boston-based consulting firm KnowledgeLink to establish these international partnerships. Since 2008, Phillips has taken the more than 13-hour flight to China 26 times — 11 of those since 2012, when the first dual-diploma international program, St. Mary’s-Shanghai, was established. On these trips, Phillips visits each of the campuses to host open houses for interested parents, observe classes and provide administrative support to the 38 American teachers and principals and make sure the curriculum is being implemented properly. In China, Phillips explained, education is mandatory through the ninth grade, at which point students take their high school entrance exam, or “zhong kao,” to determine whether they can advance to high school. “If they don’t get a qualifying grade for high school, then they’re done … and will probably end up making things in a factory somewhere,” he said. Students who pass are placed in schools, ranked by the Chinese government, according to their exam score. “In China, students are excruciatingly aware of their class ranking,” Phillips said. High school students take as many as 11 classes a day, and many attend bootcamps on the weekend to prepare them for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and China’s national college-entrance examination, the infamous "gao kao." The latter test is offered only once a year — it doesn't matter if you have the flu — and determines which students will go to college and the colleges to which they can apply. According to an article published in The Huffington Post, 9.15 million Chinese students were competing for 6.85 million college openings in 2012. Every year, Beijing University, which Phillips refers to as the “Harvard of China,” receives about 300 qualified applications per seat available. “People who can afford to opt out of the Chinese university system do so,” Phillips added. And students who study English in high school or participate in a foreign exchange program have a better shot at getting into an American college. “Many students from China fare poorly at American colleges because their English isn't good, they haven’t been trained for discussion-based classes, and they don’t know how to write essays," Phillips said. Enter St. Mary’s. This year, 68 international students, including 55 from China, attend St. Mary’s. In 2015-16, St. Mary’s will serve about 800 Chinese students at its six international branches. Those students will take electives taught by American teachers, in addition to classes required for a Chinese diploma, and will graduate with a Chinese and American diploma, increasing their odds of being successful at an American university. Phillips said it costs between $15,000 and $20,000 for a student to enroll in an international program on their home campus, compared with $50,000 to participate in a foreign exchange program on St. Mary’s Medford campus. For its role in the partnership, St. Mary’s receives $500 per student per year. This revenue stream, which will be about $400,000 next year, goes toward scholarships for local students to St. Mary’s. Every year, the school awards about $1 million in scholarships, and about 40 percent of the students in the school are receiving at least a partial scholarship. The international programs provided enough revenue during the economic downturn for the school to maintain its financial commitment to local students, Phillips said. Phillips said he would ultimately like to establish international programs in a dozen Chinese schools and facilitate opportunities for local students to study at those schools. Reach education reporter Teresa Thomas at 541-776-4497 or [email protected] . Follow her at www.twitter.com/teresathomas_mt . By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Teresa Thomas Mail Tribune Posted Mar. 10, 2015 at 5:18 PM Updated Mar 10, 2015 at 5:42 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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