Schaumburg school welcomes Chinese visitors

A delegation of city officials from Guangzhao, China visited the Mandarin language immersion program at Schaumburg’s Campanelli School Thursday as part of a four-day tour of the village.

The six visitors are staying near the University of Chicago campus for three months through an exchange program of the 21st Century Institute.

As part of the program, visitors take in an intensive overview of a suburban community, with Schaumburg having proved a popular choice over the past three years.

“We have so much to offer in Schaumburg that I think it’s easier for them,” the village’s Community Services Director Kathleen Tempesta said.

Guangzhou, once known as Canton, is a southern city of 15 million people not far from Hong Kong.

Schaumburg’s residential, industrial, office and retail areas were explored in detail over the course of the group’s four-day tour, with special stops at the Schaumburg Regional Airport and the convention center.

Though the visit to Campanelli School was only two hours, the interest the visitors took and the welcome that was prepared could have lasted the day, Tempesta said.

Lunch breaks throughout the week were at Seasons 52, Lou Malnati’s, Applebee’s and Westwood Tavern.