By Ikuko Karacsony | Program Officer
Starting in September, over 1,500 students from 50 U.S. and Japanese high schools will be participating in the Global Classmates online exchange—the most KAC has ever had. We are excited to see the students become friends with their peers from the other side of the world while learning about each other.
One of the pairs participating in Global Classmates got to have a head start in their exchange when Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Maryland visited their partner school Yokohama Suiran High School in Japan this summer. Tetsuo sensei of Eleanor Roosevelt High School, who is participating in the program for the second year, took his students to Japan and shared with us the unforgettable experience his students and the Japanese students had.
Tetsuo sensei:
“This summer, sixteen students, three teachers and two administrators from Eleanor Roosevelt High School visited our two sister-schools in Japan. Thirteen students went to Yokohama Suiran High School for the annual Culture Festival, while three other students went to Atsugi Super Science High School, for the first time, to participate in their Science Fair. During the first week, each of them stayed with a Japanese host family that took them in and treated them as part of their family.
For some of them, this exchange was more sentimental because they had hosted students from Japan earlier this year, in February or March, and this trip allowed them to meet those same students as well as the other students who came to America again. All of the students in Japan were very welcoming and excited to meet them. I know that everyone who went to Japan this year had a tremendous amount of fun and made many friends that will last for a lifetime. The teachers at both schools were exceptionally friendly andhelpful, as well. They welcomed our students into their school and classrooms and made them feel like their own students. Many times after school, the host students would take them out as a group to tour the city or go shopping. It was a week that our students will never forget.
During the second week, while we traveled around Japan, our students roomed together in multiple hotel rooms. Some of them were already friends before, but this trip and their interest in the Japanese culture, brought them even closer together, along with everyone else. For two weeks, the students and teachers were a small family as we toured the beautiful sights of Japan. We also traveled to some of the popular cities of Japan, such as Kyoto, Osaka, and Tokyo. In Shizuoka, everyone had the chance to try the onsen.Early in the morning, we were even able to catch a small glimpse of Mount Fuji.
This year we are very excited to be able to participate in the Global Classmate Program with Yokohama Suiran High School. This program will enable students of both schools to gain an international perspective and cultural awareness through an active participation in exchanging ideas on various topics. I hope that they will be able to connect regularly and deepen their friendship which will be cherished for a long time.”
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