January 2022

ASCA Newsletter

Message from the Chair Hanna Eun is the Founder and Principal of HHE Consulting, Inc. where she is a Project and Delivery Manager. Dear Friends of ASCA: Happy New Year! I hope you all had a safe and happy holiday season. For some of our sister cities, the celebrations are not over yet! This time of year gives us all time to pause and refocus on our resolutions, goals, and plans. For ASCA, we are doing the same. During the first half of 2022, we will embark upon a strategic planning process. We will be reaching out to you, our members, to find out what you want from your sister city association. More cultural programs? lectures? kids programs? book talks? international travel? We really want to hear from you! Once we get feedback from all of our stakeholders, we will develop a plan and share with you at our Annual Meeting in June. Although the world is not completely open yet, we are optimistic that we will be able to begin some of our exchanges later in 2022. In the meantime, keep checking in for some exciting new programs!! -Hanna

In this issue: Message from the Chair Sister City / Committee News APS Board Liaison Get Involved Who We Are Follow ASCA on Social Media for the latest news! ‌ ‌ ‌ Upcoming Events: January 2022 10-ASCA Board Meeting 11-Ivano-Frankivsk Committee Meeting 12-Finance Committee Meeting 13-Aachen Committee Meeting 23-San Miguel Committee TBD- Development Committee Meeting TBD-Reims Committee Meeting  February 2022 1-Development Committee Meeting 2-Governance Committee Meeting 15- San Miguel Committee Meeting 26-Reims Committee Meeting 28-ASCA Board Meeting Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to ASCA. AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you know. Same products, same prices, same service! Designate Arlington Sister City Association as your charitable organization and we benefit every time you shop. How easy is that?

Sister City / Committee News & Events

Aachen Sister City Committee

High School Exchanges Happy New Year from the Aachen Committee! We have received inquiries about the Aachen high school exchange program and want to provide the most up-to-date information. As of this writing, the exchanges have been paused until we get more clarity on the safety of international travel for our students. Traditionally, the planning and recruitment for the high school exchanges start in November or December. While we have been continuously working with our Aachen partners in anticipation of a return of high school exchanges for summer 2022, it is apparent, with the current state of the pandemic with increases in infections and lockdowns in Germany, the summer program had to be postponed. We are hopeful that we can resume one of our most popular programs as soon as possible. In the meantime, the Aachen Committee is looking for alternative student programming to help bridge the gap until we can resume our exchanges.  We will keep our ASCA members informed of any updates and changes. Please follow us on social media for the latest information.

Reims Sister City Committee

Interesting facts about Reims Reims is the world capital of Champagne with a rich history creating and storing popular champagnes. The University of Reims was founded in 1547 by Pope Paul III. St John Baptist de la Salle and Jean Baptiste Colbert were both born in Reims. Reims is situated on the Velse River, the northern part of France, its only 30 minutes away by high-speed trains from Paris. Reims is an Administrative and Commercial centre. The Notre-Dame de Reims dominates the Reims skyline, which can be dated back to the fifth century. Many French Kings were crowned in the Notre-Dame de Reims, such as Charles VII. The city’s elevation is 96 meters or 315 feet above sea level. Major Industries in Reims is Tourism and Agriculture and the Major Export is grains. 60% of the region’s lands are used as farmland. The French King Clovis was baptised and turned to Christianity in Reims, 496 A.D. The Porte de Mars is the oldest monument in Reims, dating back to the third century AD and had the widest arch in the Roman World. Reims has three World Heritage Site of UNESCO: Abbey of Saint-Remi, Palace of Tau and Notre-Dame de Reims. The People from Reims are known as Rémoises if females and Rémois if males. Reims was founded by a tribe of Gauls, who are known as the Remi around 80 BCE Source: https://www.isolatedtraveller.com/interesting-facts-about-reims/

San Miguel Sister City Committee

San Miguel Committee Present to Meet with Mayor

The President of the San Miguel Committee, Mr. Orlando A. Gamarra will travel to El Salvador this month to coordinate the 2022 activities with the sister city support group in San Miguel. His agenda includes meetings with the Mayor of San Miguel, Mr. Will Salgado, the Director of the Lisam High School and the Director of the European Academy of Languages to promote the student exchange, cultural and the scholarship programs.

Will Salgado, Mayor of San Miguel

Ivano-Frankivsk Sister City Committee

Exciting News: Introducing Ivano-Frankivsk Committee Co-Presidents  Welcome to our Ivano-Frankivsk Committee Co-Presidents Sophia Tailor and Charlie Toth who will be officially taking the helm of the committee at ASCA's January board meeting. A huge thanks to Eileen Kropf who led the committee for the past 18 months. Although Eileen is stepping down from a leadership capacity, she will be staying on as a member of the the committee. As presidents, they have also earned a spot on the ASCA board of directors.

"As a native Ukrainian who grew up in Virginia and now lives in Arlington, I am so excited to lead the Ivano-Frankivsk Committee by strengthening partnerships between and celebrating the cultures of our two communities." -Sophia Tailor

"I was born and raised in Arlington and recently lived in Ukraine for nearly two years so I have great pride in both places. I am excited to contribute in whatever way I can to further strengthen the connections between my two homes as part of the Ivano-Frankivsk Sister City Committee.”  -Charlie Toth

New APS-Liaison Board Member

Catherin Ashby, Assistant Superintendent of School and Community Relations ‌ Catherine Ashby, Assistant Superintendent of School and Community Relations at Arlington Public Schools, is joining the ASCA board this month as the APS liaison. ASCA is proud of our long standing partnership with APS. This addition to the board will help students build an understanding and appreciation for our sister city connections. WELCOME Catherine!

Get Involved!

ASCA is recruiting volunteers to: The Aachen Committee is in need of a Arlington-Aachen High School Outbound / Inbound exchange coordinator. No experience necessary! Need is not immediate until program resumes, however, we would like to train now! New committee members always wanted! You do not need to have a relationship to the city or country, just a love for culture, travel and history of our sister cities! Email Executive Director to learn more

Who We Are

Arlington Sister City Association (ASCA) is a nonprofit organization affiliated with Arlington County, Virginia. Established in 1993, ASCA supports and coordinates the activities of Arlington County’s five Sister Cities: Aachen, Germany; Coyoacán, Mexico (emeritus); Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine. Reims, France; San Miguel, El Salvador (emeritus). ASCA works to enhance and promote Arlington’s international profile and to foster productive exchanges through arts and cultural partnerships, business development, educational and professional exchanges, and government relationships. ASCA helps the people of Arlington form long-lasting partnerships and friendships with the people of its Sister Cities and beyond through its many activities and programs.

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