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08/30/2012 SISTER CITIES ADVISORY BOARD MEETING MINUTES CITY OF CLEARWATER August 30, 2012 Present: Terrence Gourdine Chair Linda S. Damsky Vice-Chair Daryl W. Schuster Board Member/Clearwater Sister Cities, Inc. Sallie Parks Board Member Danielle Dilday Board Member/Youth Representative Absent: Paul Gibson Board Member/Councilmember Also Present: Felicia Leonard Administrative Support Manager Patricia O. Sullivan Board Reporter The Chair called the meeting to order at 4:13 p.m. at the Long Center. To provide continuity for research, items are in agenda order although not necessarily discussed in that order . 2 – Approval of Minutes – April 26, 2012 Member Parks moved to approve the minutes of the regular Sister Cities Advisory Board meeting of April 26, 2012, as submitted in written summation to each board member. The minutes were approved by unanimous consent. 3 – Old Business 3.1. Young Ambassadors Trip – June 9 - 27, 2012 Board Member/Clearwater Sister Cities, Inc. representative Schuster discussed the Young Ambassadors June trip to Japan; nine students spent 3 days at a school in Nagano and then visited Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima, and Tokyo, where they met with the U.S. Ambassador to Japan. Richard Wisemiller and Mr. Schuster met with the Nagano Board of Education which supports continuing the annual middle school student exchanges, and also indicated they would thth accept 9 and 10 graders; Nagano’s high school students now travel to Nagano’s sister city in China. Member Dilday said she felt she was well prepared for the trip which was amazing and provided a wide range of experiences. 4 – New Business 4.1. Nagano Teacher Visit – October/November 2012 Administrative Support Manager Felicia Leonard reported a female teacher from Nagano is scheduled to visit from October 14 to November 12, 2012. She requested that Member Damsky schedule school visits and the City then will arrange home stays; she recommended scheduling home stays with teachers. Once arrangements are made, transportation gaps and weekend needs will be addressed. The City will work to arrange tickets for the teacher and her home stay family to Jazz Holiday and Ruth Eckerd Hall events. Sister Cities 2012-08-30 1 Chair Gourdine said Friendship Force members would volunteer to host the teacher for one or two weeks. It was recommended that additional hosts supplement home stay family efforts by taking the teacher out to dinner and to other activities. It was recommended that two week visits to a high school and middle school be scheduled. 4.2. Future Exchanges Ms. Leonard discussed the pros and cons of the City working with CSCI (Clearwater Sister Cities, Inc.) to expand the Young Ambassador program to include high school students and reviewed historical differences between middle and high school exchanges. The Young Ambassador program spends 25% of the trip in classrooms while classroom visits were the focus of high school trips. The board’s preference for alternating years for middle and high school exchanges is not practical for the sustainability of the Young Ambassadors program. The City’s involvement with the Young Ambassador program would require a MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) to establish a formalized structure and preference for City residents. City participation would provide students an opportunity to offset costs with workdays at Coachman Park during City events. The City Council also could be requested to provide some funds. Discussion ensued with concerns expressed that non-residents also should have an opportunity to participate and it would be difficult to send a mix of middle and high school students as their level of maturity differs greatly. Suggestions were made to hold high school trips in abeyance until the economy improves or to limit participating students to grades 7 through 9 or 10. It was stated that students who attend school in Clearwater also could receive a preference. It was reported that only one student on the most recent Young Ambassador trip was a Clearwater resident. It was commented the Young Ambassador trip receives approximately 30 applications each year and attracts many Tarpon Springs students as chaperone Wisemiller teaches at Tarpon Springs Middle School. It was recommended that the program build relationships with Safety Harbor Middle School teachers who are familiar with the program. It was hoped the program will reconnect with Clearwater Fundamental School and Oak Grove Middle School. Concern was expressed the school system is countywide, making it difficult to focus on Clearwater students. It was stated while all private and public school students can apply, Clearwater students should receive a preference as City of Clearwater tax dollars help fund the program. Recommendations were made to market the program via utility bill stuffers, formal presentations to PTAs (Parent Teacher Associations), and by providing flyers to local schools and requesting that the program be mentioned during daily announcements. Mr. Schuster will verify he has an up to date agreement with the School Board to interact with schools regarding the student exchange program. Member Damsky moved for the Sister City school exchange program to place the high ththth school exchange program in abeyance and to accept applications from 6, 7, and 8 grade ththth students who will be going into 7, 8, and 9 grade when they travel to Japan. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously. Member Damsky moved that students who live in or attend school in the City of Clearwater be given preference for participation in the Sister City school exchange program. The motion was duly seconded. Members Damsky, Schuster, Parks, and Dilday voted “Aye”; Chair Gourdine voted “Nay.” Motion carried. Sister Cities 2012-08-30 2 4.3. CSCI Report Clearwater Sister Cities, Inc. representative Schuster expressed concern that the application process for 2013 will need to occur before the City Council can approve a MOU and requested flexibility until an agreement is ratified. Mr. Schuster reviewed the President's report (Exhibit). 5— Items not on the Agenda 2012 Nagano Exchange Teachers It was reported that exchange teachers Nicole Rao and Krista Valenage of Safety Harbor Middle School had traveled to Nagano during the summer. The teachers enjoyed teaching in Japan and were thankful for the experience and opportunity to learn about the Japanese education system and teaching strategies. Sister Cities Board City Council Presentation Ms. Leonard reported the City Council requested each City board to make a presentation. She will advise the board when a date is scheduled. She suggested a teacher or student could make a small presentation regarding their experiences. It was recommended that all board members attend the presentation. 6-Adjourn The meeting adjourned at 5:20 p.m. Next meeting—October 25, 2012 at the Lo i ent r 4111 CU I GUM.. VI a-- Chair- Sister Cities Advis•tiard Attest: / AO :oard Reporter Sister Cities 2012-08-30 3