MERIMACK – The tomahawks now have a warrior in their midst.

A six-foot-tall terracotta warrior was given to Merrimack High School on Wednesday, a gift that represents the school and community’s strengthening bonds with China.

The statue was first given to the Merrimack Chamber of Commerce from Citslinc International, a California-based company that has joined with the chamber to offer a China trip for local residents this fall.

Given that the high school has also forged relationships with two Chinese schools in the past few years, it seemed the natural place to house the statue, said Deb Courtemanche, the chamber’s executive director.

“The statue itself symbolizes how far our program has come in three short years,” said Principal Ken Johnson. “It was a goal at the beginning for the program to involve kids, teachers, administrators and the whole community. … People are beginning to see more and more the relevance of our program.”

The school has participated in student exchanges with the Tanggu Foreign Language School for the past few years, and this fall, Merrimack hosted two teachers from the Bin Hai Foreign Language School for an extended stay. The teachers taught a Chinese knots course and conversational Mandarin.

Merrimack teachers Tray Sleeper and Jeff Capone will leave later this month to teach eight weeks of media literacy at the Bin Hai school. Also in April, Merrimack will send 10 teachers and 12 students for a two-week exchange.

More Merrimack connections to China will occur in October, when 100 travelers from Merrimack and nearby communities go on the chamber-endorsed trip to China. Participants are scheduled to the Shanghai World Expo, Tianamen Square, the Temple of Heaven and the Great Wall of China.

Back at the school, the replica warrior statue weighs 520 pounds and was shipped to Merrimack from China. It is symbolic of an army of statutes ordered made by the first Chinese emperor, who was buried with them for accompaniment in the afterlife. The statue will remain in storage until there’s a proper case and stand for it, Johnson said.

The Merrimack School Board unanimously accepted the gift at its meeting Monday.

Karen Lovett can be reached at 594-6402 or klovett@nashuatelegraph.com.