ABC Observes 10th Anniversary of Sister School Exchange Program

By Jerry Bernstein

One of the least known programs in the ABC Unified School District is its Sister School Program. Every summer ABC students fly to Japan to participate in a summer school program, and Japanese students fly to the United States to participate in a week of school in America.
The program was initiated during a May7-9 2001 visit by Asano Hiromitsu, Superintendent of Education in the Japanese city of Kakamigahara to promote the sister school concept with ABC that has provided teachers, administrators, and students from both countries opportunities to learn about each other’s culture and their schools.
Initially co-sponsored with the Cerritos Rotary Club, the program has grown into a
strong partnership between both school districts with the Rotary Club continuing its participation in the program.
Kakamigahara has a population of 135,000 residents. During May 16-23, 2001 an ABC team flew to Kakamigahara and visited K-12 schools and other local attractions, resulting in a signed initial agreement establishing the sister school relationship that would encourage exchanges in the fields of education, sports, visual and performing arts.
Since then teachers and students from both districts have visited each other. The City has provided all costs related to the visits to Kakamigahara.
At the Oct. 19 meeting of the ABC Board of Education the 10th anniversary of the sister school agreement was observed. Students and teachers relived their visits to Kakamigahara. Superintendent Dr. Gary Smuts, Deputy Superintendent Dr. Mary Seiu, School Board President Celia Spitzer and three principals recently returned from Kakamigahara, having been invited by the city’s mayor, Shin Mori, to visit Kakamigahara as part of the 10th anniversary of the partnership at the city’s expense.
Looking to the Future
Deputy Superintendent Dr. Mary Sieu said that ABC’s 21st century students and staff must become international minded in order to be better prepared for the future. “Learning a world language and increasing our world understanding has been part of our district’s fabric for many years.” She said ABC has been in the forefront of promoting international programs with “our” Pacific Rim Countries for more than 15 years. The District has sister school agreements with Taiwan, Japan, and the People’s
Republic of China, providing opportunities for ABC students, teachers, administrators, board members and parents to learn about life outside our classrooms, homes and borders.
She said more than 150 ABC students since 2001 have participated in the 11 day Japanese High School Program in Japan, with the students staying with a host family. In addition approximately 300 middle school students has visited Japan in the same time period. She said the three-day program in October affords the opportunity for Japanese students to visit ABC middle schools and also stay with host families.
Since 2002 under the Japanese Summer Teacher Training Program, ABC has sent two teachers to train Japanese ESL teachers in the city of Kakamigahara during the summer. “They have trained move than 200 teachers on various strategies to use in teaching English as a second language to students in Japan.
In 2004 and 2005 the Adult School provided a Senior Adults Program for more than 50 Japanese senior adults from Kakamigahara. They participated in ESL classes at the Adult School as well as provided cultural lessons for various elementary District schools.
Another program is the ABC Jazz Band that in the fall of 2005 performed at several venues in the City of Kakamigahara under the Direction f Music Director Alan Hallback.
All the visits and programs in Japan have been sponsored by the City of Kakamigahara. No District funds were used.
Programs Described
Gahr/Artesia High School Japanese teacher Kim Suzuki described the program as broadening her students horizons. She said there was only so much she can teach in the classroom, but the exchange program has allowed the students to go to Japan and experience what we have learned in the classroom.
“It really has broadened their horizon,” she said. “Whey they come back they are a changed person. They are more tolerant to different individuals, open to new ideas and see things from a different angle. They have also forged new friendships across borders and cultures helping them grow as a person.”
Juan Cortez, a former student at Gahr High School participated in the 2007 program He related how the program benefited him. He said, “We like to think through globalization the world is slowly becoming one culture. But it is not. If you visit Japan you will notice there is an extreme difference between American Culture and Japanese culture.” He said anyone could go to Google and bring up pictures of Japan. but a truly experience in Japan is a totally different thing.
Cortez noted that in America, the culture is very individualistic, me myself and I. “In Japan I noticed anyone helps everyone. He said their schools are a good example. The schools are very clean. Nothing on the floor. Everything goes into the trashcans. “I thought, they must have the world’s greatest janitors but it’s the students who clean the schools, and take pride in it. They make sure their schools are presentable to everyone.” He said he learned to look through the eyes of the Japanese students, and by doing that learned to appreciate their mindset.
Ofie Chancowhose daughter participated in the program and is now in college. She said she was the Philippine parent of four Whitney girls. In the eighth grade her daughter chose to learn Japanese as opposed to Spanish like her sisters did. One day she said her teacher asked if we could host a visiting Japanese student during her stay here. “I said yes, I had four girls, one more wouldn’t matter.” She said she believed her daughter thought if the student lived with us for a few days, she could go to Japan. She did in her sophomore year at Whitney. When she came home she said, “Mom, I think I want to live in Japan.” Her plan was to go to college in Japan, but her counselor told her to go there for one year, come back here and finish her schooling so she would bring something new to the country. When she graduated Whitney she was given a special staff scholarship from the Foreign Language Department in the class of 2010.
“What I’m saying is the Japanese influence changed her personality. She has discipline. She always said she was m pushover child, but I told her she was my most obedient child. I believe she got that from her visit to Japan. She is not here tonight, because she was accepted at San Diego State where she is studying Japanese. She plans to move Japan when she graduates.
Mrs. Chancowhose concluded by saying she hoped parents will consider sending their child to Japan and being a host family.