St. John's Center for Education and Culture
About Us
St. John's Center for Education and Culture is a non-profit organization registered in Hulan District of the City of Harbin, in Heilongjiang Province of the People's Republic of China.
Mission Statement
- 1) Provide Education and Service Programs to the Community
- 2) Increase Job Opportunities through various English Proficiency Training Programs
- 3) Enrich Students' Cultural Life through Cultural Exchange Programs
- 4) Prepare Students for Studies Abroad through Intensive English Language Programs
- 5) Serve the Community through its Bilingual Kindergarten
Directors
The Founding Director is Rev. Paul Tong, previously the Dean of The College of St. John the Evangelist of Hong Kong University.
- Current Board Members are:
- Rev. Paul Tong (retired Dean of St. John's College)
- Professor Homer H.C. Tong
- Rev. Daniel Hsu (Resident Pastor of Mandarin Baptist Church, California)
- Ms. Jennifer Wang (Director of the Board)
- Mr. Robert N. Chan (Executive Director)
- Ms. Emmy T. Chan (Principal)
- Mr. Paul Li Tian Fan (Beijing)
- Advisory Board Members are:
- Mr. Richard Szeto (San Francisco)
- Mr. Ted Whan (Shanghai)
- Mr. Qu Zhen Shan (Hulan)
- Mr. Liu Chang You (Harbin)
- Funding
- 1) Land Purchase and construction funds were spearheaded by the College of St. John the Evangelist of the Hong Kong University, Professor Homer Tong of The Cupertino School District of California,congregation and friends of various Christian churches in Los Angeles and the Bay Area, and the Szeto Unifund Foundation of San Francisco, California.
- 2) Operational income includes fees from English Tutorial Classes for elementary school students, grants from English Training Programs for teachers of the the Hulan District and Harbin City, as well as fees collected from the St. John's Center Bilingual Kindergarten. Deficits have been met with donations from individuals and churches in Hong Kong and the U.S. Christian foreign teachers in Harbin and university students volunteering as teaching assistants have also helped make the St. John's Center Project possible.
Commitments - Then and Now
1) Hope Projects - which included building new rural schools, refitting sub-standard rural schools, putting an extension to the rural teacher training center, offering scholarships to rural children in Hulan District, spanning from 2002 to 2008 and totalling close to three million yuan - have fostered a friendship between the current board and the Hulan District people, leading to the land acquisition and permit approval for the current site of the St. John's Center for Education and Culture in the University Town of Limin, Hulan District.
2) Sunshine Projects - Building upon the friendship between overseas brethren and friends, and the Hulan people, the St. John's Center in partnership with the Hulan Education Bureau will continue to extend services to the community through bridging the east and the west, through bringing in service groups such as the 2007 Northridge Medical Team, and providing on-going English Language Training to the community, starting with its bilingual kindergarten, and extending into elementary English Tutoral Classes, and the new addition of an Intensive English Preparation Program for Studying Abroad.
3)St. John’s Center serves the local community through operating a bilingual kindergarten, a weekend English
tutorial program, and an intensive English preparatory program for students scheduled to go abroad to study.
Serving as a bridge between East and West, it is the long term goal of St. John’s Center to forge friendship
between China and western nations, and provide an excellent bilingual education for the lcoal people of Hulan
District and Harbin City at large.
School Grounds
The lot falls on 3 picturesque acres, surrounded by lush green plantations during the summer, and clean white snow during the winter. Three buildings stand on the lot - a Cathedral like auditorium, a European styled school building with classrooms brightly lit by sunlight streaming through the oversized windows, and a modest headmasters and guest house in the backdrop to host short term visitors. The school building, completed in December of 2006 with its kitchen and dining hall facilities and 9 classrooms, five offices, is roughly 20,000 square feet; the auditorium, completed in December of 2009 with its 5 classrooms and 2 offices, plus the assembly hall, is roughly 10,000 square feet; and the residence building with its 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms is roughly 3,500 square feet.
Located in the College Town of Limin Development District, which is fast becoming a booming suburban town, St. John’s Center is in the midst of 15 colleges, including the Harbin Normal University, Heilonjiang College of Science and Technology, the Heilongjiang Agricultural College, the Heilongjiang College of Consstruction, the Huaxia College of Computer Science, and the Heilongjiang Huade College of Automotive Engingeering. The total college enrolment is now exceeding 100,000, quickly mounting to 150,000 in the next couple years.