Decorah girl wins a trip to China

Decorah MIddle School seventh grader Haley Martin has won a trip for three to Suzhou, China, for her winning submission of a postcard depicting a scene from the picturesque city.

Haley and her classmates in Lisa Witzke's sixth grade social studies class had an opportunity to enter a postcard contest put on by the government of Suzhou to promote its city.

Witzke explained, "The postcard activity with China was really a fun learning experience. The teacher in China approached me with the idea of exchanging scenes from our hometowns. Well, it changed into us doing scenes of Suzhou because the city government was having a big contest to promote its beauty. The city, right on the Yangtze River delta, is known for traveling by canals and its outstanding gardens. My exchange teacher sent us blank postcards, and we researched Suzhou online. Students worked on postcard drafts and then made the real postcards using colored pencils and thin pens. They were just remarkable. It is thrilling to have Haley win this trip to Suzhou with her parents."

Said Haley, "I was very surprised when I learned I was the winner of the postcard contest, and I am very excited to travel to China.  It will be such a cool experience!"