This spring, a number of Katoh Gakuen Gyoshu Junior High and Senior High School Bilingual Program students made the most of their spring break by choosing to spend three incredible weeks in Iowa, US as part of the school’s annual intercultural and educational program.
The group was comprised of first year junior and senior high school students. Each student involved had the opportunity to put their English language skills to the test by being billeted with families from various communities near the Cedar Rapids area. The program also gave students the opportunity to learn English in an immersion environment and they benefited from having an American education experience.
The value of this trip was an experience of a lifetime for all. Weekly extra-curricular activities such as ice-skating, watching a professional hockey game, a university campus tour, just to name a few, rounded out their busy schedules.
This mixing of cultures and backgrounds between Japanese students and their host families and schools provided everyone involved with an unforgettable awareness and lifelong appreciation of each other. —CARL HADLEY
