Lhasa students return from weeklong Taiwan exchange; board formalizes sister-school partnership

Eagan Middle School students and staff described a weeklong cultural and academic exchange in Taiwan and the Lhasa School District Board of Trustees acknowledged a formalized sister-school relationship and ongoing partnership during its regular meeting.

Students from Eagan summarized visits to junior high schools in Taipei and other cities, classroom exchanges, cultural sites and workshops, and a climate-change summit attended during the trip. Staff said the trip emphasized “learning by doing,” increased students’ Mandarin practice, and produced enduring friendships with Taiwanese peers. Principal Raquel Mataroli and teachers Chi Ling Chang and Joe Patino introduced the group and explained the itinerary, which included host-family stays, school visits, a tea workshop, and a semiconductor literacy class.

Board members and staff framed the visit as reciprocal: Taiwanese delegations previously hosted Lhasa students, and district leaders said the sister-school arrangement will support future exchanges and program collaborations. Catherine Singh, a board member from the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District who helped coordinate the trip, was thanked by staff for assistance.

Students recounted specific activities: attending assemblies, sampling school-provided lunches, cleaning classrooms alongside Taiwanese students, visiting the National Palace Museum and Taipei 101, releasing sky lanterns on Shifen Old Street, and working in tea fields and indigo-dye workshops. Several students noted differences in daily schedules — earlier start times, longer days and designated classroom-cleaning periods — and said the experience changed how they view school routines and global citizenship.

Staff reflections emphasized logistics and student growth. One staff member told the board it was “no small feat to take six eighth-graders across the world and bring them back whole and safe,” and praised students for independence and use of Mandarin. School leaders said the exchange deepened ties with Taiwanese partner schools and that reciprocal visits — Taiwanese students visiting Eagan and delegations focused on educational technology and AI — are part of the formal partnership.

The board did not take a substantive vote as part of the presentation; members thanked students and staff and expressed support for continuing the exchange program. Trustees noted the visit highlighted district programs in Mandarin and global learning and encouraged continued hosting of international partners.

Less critical details: presenters said host families provided daily cultural immersion, and students reported continuing contact with Taiwan classmates through social media. The district noted the trip required chaperones and coordination but gave no budgetary figures at the meeting.