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Reminder Assistant Editor LONGMEADOW A group of seven teenaged Japanese students and the mayor of their city were welcomed to Longmeadow High School (LHS) by the applause of 100 American students gathered in the school's Business Technology Center last Thursday. The Junior Ambassador Delegation came from Takikawa, a city of approximately 46,000, located on the island of Hokkaido. This is the second year a group has come to visit Longmeadow. Dr. William Clark, president of Amherst College over 100 years ago, traveled to Hokkaido and established a partnership between the Japanese island and the state of Massachusetts. Takikawa and Springfield are considered to be sister cities. As the visiting students introduced themselves, they stated their purpose for coming to Massachusetts was "to study American culture, meet many people and make many friends." With a slide show presentation, students from Kouryo Junior High School, Takikawa West High School and Takikawa High School described different aspects of their schools. There was even a sound clip of what the toilets sounded like when flushed. Differing aspects of the schools were highlighted as well at Takikawa High, the color of the uniform a student is wearing will signify what grade he or she is in while Takikawa West High touted their 16-member judo team. Once the students finished their presentation, they stood and performed a traditional Japanese dance for the select group of Longmeadow students in attendance. The dance signified the importance of fishing in Japanese culture, with a pushing motion representing a fisherman pushing a net out into water. After the dance, the delegation were asked a number of questions about their school life by LHS students. All the Takikawa students have been studying English between two and five years and take three or four English classes at week at their schools. A school day in Takikawa runs from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with mandatory club hours from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Junior high students (seventh, eighth and ninth graders) must choose one club to join for all three years, but high school students may join as many clubs as they please. Additionally, students must pass a test to determine which high school they may attend. A higher score means a better high school, Yasuhiro Yamauchi, interpreter and assistant to the mayor, explained. When asked what they thought of America, the students replied, "It's so great," "It's exciting," "Fantastic," "Big" and "Beautiful." The Key Club presented the Junior Ambassador Delegation with roses to welcome them to Longmeadow at the end of the presentation. Lori Snyder, advisor of the East Asian Club and chair of the History Department at Longmeadow High School, said Takikawa is the second sister city of Springfield in Asia, with the other located in China. "We plan on taking 15 or 16 Longmeadow students to visit Takikawa in February," Snyder said. "We plan on keeping this hosting program as long as there is interest in it." The Junior Ambassador Delegation, who stayed until Oct. 14, attended three special classes at Longmeadow High, took a field trip to Northampton and watched an LHS football game. Two other students from Takikawa West High School, Tomoya Takahashi and Honami Kanai, will be in America for another week, shadowing Longmeadow students to learn about the culture and the education system. | ||||||
