The mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City,South Korea came to Curtis and witnessed Warrior pride at its best. The auditorium was halfway filled during eighth period as students and teachers waited anxiously for the arrival of Mayor Kang Un Tae. Seconds after Mayor Tae and his delegates arrived, ROTC started the pledge of allegiance.

First to present themselves to the mayor was the Jazz Band, and Tae was clearly impressed as he and Dr. Curtis had big smiles on their faces. Tae later commented, “The band was very good.” He was nodding and tapping his feet while Jazz band played.  The orchestra also played the American and South Korean national anthems.

Dr. Curtis’s memorable welcome speech was translated by Mr. Cho.  She said, “South Korea’s outstanding leaders understand the importance of diplomacy. Perhaps in the future Curtis High School might have an opportunity to arrange an exchange program with Gwangju.”

An encouraging nod was exchanged between Dr. Curtis and Mayor Kang Un Tae, opening up the possibility of an exchange program between Curtis and South Korea.

According to freshman Maricela Espinoza, “It would be nice because students could visit and learn about other cultures. It would be something new.”

Tae and Curtis were seated for an excerpt of Curtis’s spring musical “Footloose.” The major scene from the end of the play acquired an ear to ear grin from every South Korean delegate.

Immediately following the performance was  a speech by Sky Wright  who gave a description of what life is like as a Warrior.  “Our thriving educational society compares greatly with South Korea’s. At Curtis, we have global citizens, the International Baccalaureate program, and over 100 different nationalities. Our motto sums up life at Curtis: ‘Once a warrior, always a warrior’,” said Wright.

Following Minhwan Yoon’s presenting  of the gifts in English and Korean, Tae’s delegate congratulated Curtis on how runs the school. He proclaimed, “Dr. Curtis is a true leader and never shrinks from responsibility. The youth is 25% of our population, but 100% of our future.”

Tae’s speech about Curtis being the number one school on Staten Island and how great the concert was, was spoken in near perfect English. He made references to the good relationship between the U.S. and South Korea and how “elite” their communication is, further hinting  at an exchange program.

Mayor Kang Un Tae told the Gwangju News, an international magazine, “Every Friday afternoon, I talk with the citizens of Gwangju. A variety of citizens discuss their problems and I try to solve them. In the near future, I would be very happy to meet international residents.” Mayor Tae’s visit to Curtis may have opened up a whole new window of connection between the United States and Gwangju Metropolitan City.  Mayor Kang Un Tae has lead Gwangju Metropolitan City into being one of the most tourist filled cities in South Korea with over 230,000 visitors every year. He has made Gwangju the South Korean capital for culture and art.