Partners

The Robert & MeiLi Hefner Foundation has partnered with elite high schools in the USA, China and Asia as part of the foundation’s effort to build long-term positive relations between these countries.

University of Portsmouth

A race with Purpose – The Robert and MeiLi Hefner Foundation collaborated with The University of Portsmouth in the southeast of England to help fund the University’s GB Row Challenge. Rowing teams challenge themselves to row the strenuous 2,000 miles off England’s isles battling tides and unpredicted weather. The rowing boats are equipped with specialized equipment that aims to gather samples of microplastics, environmental DNA (eDNA), monitoring water salinity and temperature, and building a map of noise pollution. The collected samples will be sent to the University for P.H. students to help with the analysis of its findings on environmental damage and the long term impact of pollutants on our seas and oceans. The research will run for four consecutive years, starting in 2022, so comparable data will be tracked each year as trends will change. The first race was set off from London on June 12, 2022. To learn more about the GB Row Challenge, please click the link below.

GB Row 2022 Impact Report

Beijing High School No. 4, China

Beijing High School No. 4 aims to help every student have a comprehensive and balanced development. They strive to develop their students into individuals with a sense of responsibility, national spirit and proficiency in traditional culture. They also hope their students obtain a willingness to perfect themselves, have the awareness and accomplishment a modern citizen needs, and have not only knowledge but also physical and mental health. They reach to cultivate humans rather than just students. BHSF has treated education as the education of humans from the very beginning. The students of BHSF should be independent, optimistic, and proactive.

Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics, USA

The Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics (OSSM) is a prestigious two-year residential public high school located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Established by the Oklahoma legislature in 1983, the school was designed to educate academically gifted high school students in advanced mathematics and science. OSSM opened its doors in 1990 to its inaugural class, the class of 1992. It is a member of the National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Science and Technology. Students are accepted from all over the State of Oklahoma, and students from each of Oklahoma’s 77 counties have been selected to attend. OSSM fulfills its educational mission at no charge to its students; tuition, as well as room and board, is provided by the State of Oklahoma. Visit and read more about OSSM at www.ossm.edu

The Webb Schools, California, USA

The Webb Schools, located in Claremont, California strives to develop leaders from its students, men and women of character who demonstrate through their actions virtues of enduring worth. The Webb education inspires and nurtures high school boys and girls to become men and women who think creatively and boldly, act with honor and distinction, lead with the courage to do what is right and serve with a generous spirit. The entire school community is dedicated to preparing our students to be leaders in both their public and private lives. Students on campus come from 16 states and 18 countries to comprise of the school’s 400 students enrolled on one campus. Visit and read more about The Webb Schools at www.webb.org