A global opportunity in friendship
DCS Montessori middle school students together with their new lifelong friends from Shibaura Institute of Technology Junior and Senior High School, Toyosu, Tokyo, share a day of fun amid cultural differences and language barriers.
DCS Montessori is committed to providing cultural experiences with middle school students. In 2017, now- retired DCSM teacher Ryoko Fusatani began a partnership with Shibaura Institute of Technology Junior and Senior High School. Each year, the Japanese high school sends roughly 30 students to DCSM for a day filled with language and cultural exchanges. Fusatani shared that this year was no exception. Japanese dance performances, music, an Origami craft workshop, a quiz show, and a Shinbunshi (or newspaper tower) contest were a few of the Japanese activities.
The opportunity helped both the American and Japanese students to better understand the connections individuals can make despite cultural differences and language barriers, and the interconnections of teens worldwide. This was a day students will remember for a lifetime, and as the Japanese students said, “Sayonara,” which means peace, love and safe travels.
DCSM and Japanese students enjoyed playing basketball and gaga ball (a variant of dodgeball).
DCS Montessori middle school students communicated using English and Japanese to welcome and introduce themselves, and to provide their Japanese guests a glimpse of an American school’s daily schedule.
By Julie Matuszewski; photos courtesy of DCS Montessori
