Bonsai project at xinglong vocational school 兴隆职中

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Background: 

Xinglong Vocational School lies at the foot of Yanshan Mountain , at the intersection of Beijing , Tianjin , Tangshan , and Chengde. It is conveniently located 150 kilometers from Beijing , accessible by many forms of public transportation via train or highway. The school building is on the West side of the city and faces the highway. Constructed in 1991, the school has an integrated vocational curriculum.

Currently, there are 1,531 students, among which 62 students are of Manchu heritage. 85% of the student population originates from rural villages. 1,014 students (66.2%) reside at the school. There are 755 students who are below the poverty line (49.3%) and 200 students (13%) who live in extreme poverty, as defined by their inability to pay for subsistence. This subset of the student population relies on school funding and communal donations to provide for education-related expenses, which sums to RMB 1,000/person on an annual basis. Living expenses are about RMB 6/person on a daily basis.

•  In November 2005, construction of the greenhouse facilities was completed. 5,000 plants were successfully moved to the indoor facilities.
• On December 8, 2005, Raybin Q. Wong Foundation donated RMB 19,200 to twenty impoverished students.
• From December 2005 to January 2006, the site adopted better technology to foster the growth of approximately 3,000 peach and plum plants, allowing for an overall increase in temperatures within production greenhouses. The seasonal sale of these plants, which are expected to flower in time for the Spring Festival in February, would be extremely profitable in Beijing.

•  On May 5, 2006, volunteer teachers from the U.S., Mr. and Mrs. Cannon, introduced a new method of English language instruction for Xinglong Vocational School 's Grade 10, Class 3 students. The classroom environment quickly livened up. On the second day, Ms. Susan Cannon held a professional teacher's workshop for language instructors, dividing them up into discussion groups. The introduction of novel educational philosophies and participatory methods of mathematics instruction has been a source of enlightenment and inspiration. 

 项目进展和其它材料：(时间倒序)

• 2009年酷暑7月，学校第四次迎来美国斯诺敦国际学校师生一行。中美师生在校内外展开了形式多样的城乡文化交流活动。活动“重头戏”仍然是制作盆景和招生义卖活动。（详细报道）
• 5月果园艺专业师生新育苹果盆景4000盆，梨树盆景100盆，基地存货总数逾万盆。社区议事会成员确立了今年项目工作的重点在于盆景养护，待明年再行产品销售。总体造型思路保持小型、精品化不变。
• 2009年3月，学校多方筹措资金不遗余力加强基地硬件设施建设。基地面积扩大一倍后达到了10亩规模。此外还购置滴灌设备，修缮原有日光温室，铺设防雹网等，整体设施建设日趋完善，标准不断提高。

• 10月11日，中央电视台第七套《科技苑》栏目，以《果树也能做盆景》为题对项目进行了专题报道，播出后引起社会强烈反响。天津、上海等十余个省市的经销商和盆景爱好者纷纷来函来电咨询，寻求合作、代销事宜。有的要求学习盆景制作技术，央视的节目使职中盆景项目知名度大幅提高，从而让学生看到了科技务农的出路。
• 2007年9月1日，园艺（3）班20名新生入校开始了为期两年的园艺专业学习。生源全部来自兴隆境内。学校承诺全体实行学杂费全免教育，所需教育费用由助学项目收益供给。

• 5月5日职业中学高二（3）班课堂上，美国志愿者老师凯能夫妇运用全新的教学方法演绎了英文教学，课堂气氛十分活跃。第二天，苏珊女士针对全县初中英语教师进行了培训。 每一位教师均参与了分组讨论， 开放的教育理念和参与式的教学方法 给予人启迪。
• 4月11日 ， 美国黄汝斌基金会副主席邵培珍女士在惠黎基金会中国代表陪同下，访问了 河北省兴隆县职业中学 。 邵女士与老师及受助学生进行了有关资助和项目进展情况的沟通。访问结束时她肯定了助学项目的成功运作。