Gilbert High Builds International Friendship Through New Sister School Agreement

Over our century-long history, Gilbert High School has continually evolved to build future-ready graduates. As an International Baccalaureate World School offering Mandarin Chinese, we provide our Tigers with everyday opportunities to grow into thoughtful citizens through learning about global cultures.

To create more opportunities for students, we established an official Sister School partnership with Leshan Jiaxiang Foreign Languages School in Leshan, China. A Sister School relationship is a long-term partnership between two schools in different parts of the world designed to promote connections between students and educators, share cultural perspectives, and build meaningful international relationships.

The Sister School partnership began at the end of the 2025-2026 school year, when Mandarin teacher Mr. Jonathan Dangerfield wanted our students to apply their language skills in a way that offered real-world encouragement to peers across the world. Students in the Gilbert High Chinese Club wrote handwritten postcards to Chinese seniors preparing for their high-stakes Gaokao college entrance exams. Soon, our teachers, staff, and community members joined in, sending 300 cards to students in Leshan.

With the support of the Gilbert Sister Cities Association and the Leshan Foreign Affairs Bureau, that simple act of encouragement grew into our formal Sister School agreement. At the beginning of this school year, Principal Lucas Blackburn hosted visiting leaders and exchange students on our campus to finalize the partnership. During the summit, students and staff from both schools participated in collaborative sessions to map out tangible ways our campuses can work together in the years ahead. To mark the occasion, both schools also prepared commemorative time capsules containing letters, cultural artifacts, and student honors, which will remain sealed until future Tigers open them in 2036.

"This is just the beginning," shared Dangerfield during the ceremony. "It's time for our schools to learn from each other, to help each other, to encourage each other, and to move forward together".

Through joint projects and shared language learning, our students are discovering that meaningful relationships can extend across cultural and linguistic barriers. Through this partnership, GHS students will have more opportunities to communicate and problem-solve alongside people from diverse backgrounds long before they step onto a college campus or enter the global workforce.

Mandarin Chinese at Gilbert High is available to all students and is offered in a variety of courses, including standard Chinese Mandarin I & II, Honors, International Baccalaureate, and Advanced Placement. 

To explore our International Baccalaureate courses like IB Mandarin, IB Spanish, and more, visit GilbertHigh.GilbertSchools.net/IB.