OXFORD – The state’s first Sino-American teacher exchange is expected to take place in February when a Chinese teacher arrives at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School, and a local teacher travels to China.

SAD 17 board of directors were told Tuesday that the long-anticipated program start date was delayed by visa problems the Chinese teacher encountered, but the issues have been resolved and a teacher from Jin Hua is expected to arrive Feb. 13.

“We want to utilize the person as much as possible,” high school Principal Ted Moccia said of the new teacher.

In April, Superintendent Mark Eastman, Moccia and teachers Craig Blanchard and Jason Long went on a 13-day trip to Jin Hua to finalize plans for the teacher exchange program. They visited the Zhe-Jiang Normal University Middle School in Jin Hua, a city of about 1.3 million people. The school educates students who range in age from 15 to 17.

SAD 17 officials initiated the exchange program through the assistance of the Newton public school system in Massachusetts, which established an international sister school with China. Officials say the Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School program is the first such program established in Maine.

Moccia said he attended a recent conference at Colby College that indicated Oxford Hills is in a unique situation with the program. While other schools are teaching Chinese as a foreign language, he said Oxford Hills has the opportunity to actually experience the culture first-hand through the exchange.

Long, the Oxford Hills teacher, will be going to China in February, and he outlined for the board what he hopes to accomplish while there.

“What a perfect opportunity for me to take advantage of, but how does this fit into my teaching curriculum?” he asked.

Very easily, he answered. The Maine Learning Results emphasizes international relations, specifically that “students will learn to make decisions as an active participant in a global economy.”

Long, who has been learning the language and preparing for the change in cultures, said the Chinese experience needs to be brought into the students lives, and will be through the exchange program.

“Not every student of mine needs to learn Chinese or will go to China. I assert that in the marketplace you will need to interact with somebody of a different culture,” he said.

Long said that when he returns from China he hopes to establish a course for the 2008-2009 school year that promotes communication skills necessary for a global environment. “Social interaction will be emphasized,” he said.

He also said there will be community involvement in ways that are still being developed.

Long said the board’s support has been invaluable in the success of the exchange program.

“It’s a bold step to do something a little bit outside the box. I applaud you for that,” he said.

The idea for the exchange was sparked several years ago after a team of teachers and administrators visited the school in Jin Hua.