Two classrooms, one story
DCS Montessori OWSB program class shows one of their book illustrations to be included in their first published book coauthored with Japanese students. Left to right: Kinsun Brabant, Jake Rossi, teacher Jessica Bunch,Calista Carcoana, Willa Sanguin and Hailey Edwards.
By the end of the school year, middle school students at DCS Montessori (DCSM) will write and publish a special book through a unique multicultural program. The students will coauthor the fictional, bilingual book, Earth’s End: The Journey to the Mountains,with counterparts from across the globe: the all-girl Nakamura Junior High School of Tokyo (Nakamura). After the book is published, the Japanese students will travel to America to meet their co-writers.
Jessica Bunch, English teacher at DCSM, is the founder of nonprofit OneWorld Stories. She implemented the OneWorld Stories Books (OWSB) program at DCSM with the help of retired DCSM teacher and Osaka native Ryoko Fustani.
Ryoko provided the DCSM students with an interactive presentation highlighting the traditions and treasures of Japanese culture. She helped in the translation of the first paragraph that DCSM students wrote and then sent to Tokyo. The Nakamura students then wrote the second paragraph and sent back along with illustrations. The book’s themes are friendship and adventure.
OWSB is part of the Action Creation Exploration (ACE) class at DCSM, which combines creative writing and cultural awareness. The goal of the OWSB program is to enable students to recognize similarities, respect differences and never forget the experience of collaboration with different cultures.
“It is my passion to provide the experiences to the students who have never stepped outside of their own town. The world is vast and mysterious. There are many enormous opportunities for all to learn,” said Bunch, who founded OWSB at the University of Mississippi while writing her honor’s thesis on intercultural competence.
The book is scheduled to be published and on bookshelves by late May and a to-be-determined local book store will host a book signing event. The book will be available for purchase online through Amazon and Barnes & Noble and proceeds from sales will go to both schools.
In August, the Nakamura students will travel to Denver to meet their coauthors. This visit marks the first time in OWSB program history that participants will have the opportunity to meet each other. “We are so excited to launch this exchange and meet the authors,” said Bunch.
“I really loved this experience and I am so excited to do the book signing. I learned how books are made and published and how to work with others who don’t even speak the same language,” said student Calista Carcoana.
For more information about OWSB, visit oneworldstories.com.
Students at Nakamura Junior High School in Tokyo writing the second phase of their OneWorld book; the theme is friendship and adventure.
Ryoko Fustani (far right) in a traditional Japanese kimono takes time to share Japanese culture and traditions with DCS Montessori students.
By Julie Matuszewski; photos courtesy of Jessica Bunch
