Kiwi Principal Welcomed To Rhode Island Sister City

COVENTRY, RI — Have you ever wondered what it's like to go to school on the other side of the world? On Tuesday, members of the Coventry found out during a visit from James Morris, the principal of Darfield High School in New Zealand.

Selwyn, New Zealand is Coventry's sister city. When Superintendent Craig Levis found out that Morris was coming to North America, he was determined to find a way to make the visit happen. A flurry of emails, Skype sessions and phone calls later, Morris arrived in Rhode Island for the first time, welcomed by the town's fire and police chiefs, members of the school district and teachers.

"Visits like this are so much more special than what you'd experience just as a tourist," Morris said. "You get to meet people, really learn about the town."

During Tuesday's celebratory luncheon, Morris showed pictures from his hometown, explaining that while New Zealand and America may seem to be a world apart, Coventry and Selwyn are similar in a lot of ways.

"The whole of New Zealand is about the size of Oregon. As a kiwi, I don't really know where that is, but hopefully that means something to you," Morris said with a laugh.

Selwyn is a rural town of about 62,000 people not far from Christchurch and nearly twice the size of Rhode Island at 2,500 square miles.

One of the best things about having sister cities across the globe, both Morris and Levis said, is giving students and teachers the opportunity to learn about education in other countries.

"You learn a lot from seeing what the same and what is different. You can see what works well in one system and maybe apply it to yours," Morris said. "New Zealand is also one of the least diverse countries, so programs like this allow our students to learn more about and interface with students who are different from them and learn about their experiences."

Unlike Rhode Island schools, which are funded primarily by the community, New Zealand schools receive their funding directly from the government.

"It's very different, but one isn't necessarily better than the other," Morris said, adding that their system doesn't foster local school collaboration in the way that that Rhode Island districts do.

Levis said he would love to set up a formal exchange program with Selwyn on all levels, starting with Skype sessions between classes and hopefully one day sending teachers and students to New Zealand.

"Our goal would be to connect our two schools," Levis said, met with cheers and volunteers from the gathered teachers. "The key is to keep the dialogue open."

Morris concluded his remarks by thanking members of the Coventry school district for extending a hand to him and his community.

"Partnerships like this happen over time. Each of these small visits add up in the long run," Morris said. "You don't realize how valuable it is to get together and share food. We're all human."

Before heading back to New Zealand, Morris will have the chance to experience the most American of celebrations—a Fourth of July barbecue at with Levis' family—before heading up to the White Mountains of New Hampshire, another Selwyn sister city, to hike Mount Washington.