PORTSMOUTH – Over the next two weeks, Portsmouth High School is welcoming students from schools in the Friendship and Sister Cities of Santarcangelo di Romagna, Italy, (Oct. 4-12) and Nichinan, Japan (Oct. 10-16). The students are staying with Portsmouth host families, attending classes with their exchange “sisters and brothers,” and enjoying a taste of autumn in New Hampshire. The City will also welcome the son of the man who signed the 1994 Sister City Agreement between Portsmouth and Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland for a short visit on Oct. 10.

Mayor Deaglan McEachern is welcoming both groups with Portsmouth mementos. The Sister Cities Committee will be hosting the Italian students and their teachers for a special reception Oct. 9 at the Portsmouth Public Library. On Tuesday, Oct. 14, Portsmouth High School hosts the Japanese students and their two teachers at an all-school assembly where hundreds of high school students provide a joyous greeting as they enter the auditorium and enjoy a program of traditional arts and sports.

In 1956, President Dwight Eisenhower hosted a White House summit on citizen diplomacy. As a result, he envisioned a network that would be a champion for peace and prosperity by fostering bonds between people from different communities around the world. Sister Cities International is that network.

In 1985, Portsmouth signed its first Sister City Agreement, with Nichinan, birthplace of Baron Komura the lead Japanese diplomat for the 1905 Portsmouth Peace Treaty negotiations. In 2019, Portsmouth signed another distinctive Friendship Agreement with Santarcangelo di Romagna, birthplace of dozens of families who emigrated to Portsmouth. Both agreements are reflections of Portsmouth’s motto, “The City of the Open Door.”

“It took the experience of war for Eisenhower to dream of a Sister City world of peace and prosperity,” said McEachern. “Now, it takes all of us, and the strength and resilience of our Santarcangelo roots and Nichinan history – to help the City of the Open Door live up to our promises.”