The School Year Continues in Japan for 13 DMPS Students
When classes end for summer, 13 DMPS high school and middle school students head to Kofu, Japan.
June 2nd and 3rd mark the last days of school for tens of thousands of DMPS students, but for thirteen high school and middle school students, the learning continues. On Thursday June 5th, they will fly to Japan as student ambassadors in one of the longest running student exchange programs in the country. They will stay with host families and tour Yamanashi, Iowa’s sister state, for nine days. The final two days will be spent in Tokyo before flying home on June 16th.
According to Cate Miller, Student Coordinator for the trip, the exchange began over 30 years ago.
“Last year marked a milestone for the program,” she said. “One member of both delegations was a second generation ambassador. Their mothers had traveled on the exchange almost three decades ago, and now their sons continued the legacy.”
In August, 27 Japanese students and teachers will travel to Des Moines and stay with the DMPS student ambassadors.
Middle school students applied for the program in the fall and the ambassadors were chosen in November. Three high school senior ambassadors were also chosen. The students participated in biweekly meetings beginning in January. The classes taught basic Japanese and cultural literacy. Field trips included a trip to Aparre Japanese Steakhouse where the owner prepared traditional Japanese dishes to sample. While in Japan, the DMPS delegation will visit many cultural sites including Buddhist temples, Shinto Shrines, Matsumoto Castle, and Mount Fuji.
According to Miller, “The highlight is always the host family stays. In some cases there are language barriers, but students learn very quickly to communicate and there are lots of tears as we say goodbye.”
This year’s student ambassadors are Naomi Adams, Cowles Montessori (7); Chase Agans, Weeks Middle School (6); Montgomery Cason, Roosevelt High School (12); Nathan Lee, Hoyt (7); Emma Mattes, Cowles Montessori (8); Eleanor McKinley, Roosevelt High School (12); Jacson Niccum, Cowles Montessori (7); Aiden Palmer, Roosevelt High School (9); Grant Sargisson, Cowles Montessori (6); Arleen Schumde, Meredith Middle School (8); Arleen Wilson, Weeks Middle School (8); and Cody Yaw, Goodrell Middle School (6). Chaperones are Denis Hildreth and Miller.
Goodrell sixth grader Cody Yaw applied for the program because he wanted to learn about the Japanese culture and learn the language. Through the classes, Emma Mattes, a Cowles eighth grader, learned about the differences in the educational systems. Chase Agans, a sixth grader at Weeks Middle School, is not nervous about the trip but is excited to experience what Japanese culture is like.
While in Japan, the student ambassadors will visit an elementary school and perform an original song for the students there.
In addition to the student exchange, DMPS also participates in a teacher exchange by sending 4-5 teachers to Japan each year. The teachers are hired by the Kofu Board of Education and work beside a Japanese English teacher. Miller, who participated in the exchange twice, says it is an invaluable learning experience that’s especially helpful when working with English Language Learners. “I understand how frustrating it can be to not be able to communicate and that is what many students here experience daily,” Miller said.
Follow the group’s trip on the Kofu Exchange Flickr page or on Twitter at @KofuExchange.
If a student is interested in applying for the 2016 trip or hosting a Japanese student in August, please contact Cate Miller at cathi.miller@dmschools.org. Note—every 5th year, 2015 being that year, the Japanese delegation visits China and there is no exchange. The program will have two rounds of applications for the 2016 trip, one in the fall of 2015 and again in the fall of 2016. That provides a year to fundraise for the $3,500 cost of the trip.
