10 High School Students Selected to Travel to Hokkaido
The Educational Team at the Japan-America Society of Hawaii (JASH) has been busy selecting and preparing students for our inaugural Hokkaido Snow Camp program, held in collaboration with the SOSHI Educational Group in Japan. This program was originally planned to travel to Sapporo in March 2020 as the Hokkaido Spring Camp. After a long hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, JASH is excited to be working with students as they get ready to travel to Sapporo in January 2024.
With support of a Grant-In-Aid from the State of Hawaiʻi, high school sophomores and juniors from across the islands were invited to apply for this program. Out of over 120 applicants, 10 outstanding students were selected following a rigorous review of their written applications and Zoom interviews. The group will be accompanied by JASH NexGenners and JET alumni Lynn Lethin and Kristian Lipumano. JASH President Reyna Kaneko will also accompany the group for this inaugural trip.
Congratulations to our Hokkaido Snow Campers:
Annika Houghton from Kahuku Intermediate & High School
Ashley Yu from Roosevelt High School
Connor Straube from Punahou School
Donovan Morikone from Kalani High School
Hilinaʻi Faulkner from Punahou School
Kaden Rogers-Escobar from Kapaa High School
Kaylee Gono from Kaiser High School
Noah Gurtiza from Moanalua High School
Sean Fitch from Pacific Buddhist Academy
Sera Chang from H.P. Baldwin High School
(L-R) Front Row: Chaperone Lynn Lethin, Hilinaʻi, Ashley, Sera, and Chaperone Kristian Lipumano
Middle Row: Noah, Annika, Kaylee, and JASH President Reyna Kaneko
Back Row: Kaden, Donovan, Sean, Connor
On October 14, all ten of our campers, including those from Kauai and Maui, gathered at the JASH Office for their orientation meeting. They were buzzing with excitement as they learned about the details of their trip itinerary and chatted with their new friends about what to pack for their adventure. In order to prepare for the many student exchanges, which includes participation in a high school environmental summit with students from SOSHI Educational Group’s schools and other high schools in the Sapporo area, campers broke into small groups to brainstorm how they can share about local life and culture in Hawaii, and begin research on major environmental issues.
Our campers gathered again on November 4 prepared for a busy workday. First, the group met with three teachers, including the principal of Clark Memorial International High School! They were excited to learn more about the plans for their January trip and took notes on what to pack to protect them from the cold Hokkaido winter. Then, they continued their group work on their cultural exchange project and their environmental summit preparations. Campers were tasked with researching topics such as: the environment and media; environment and education; environment and food (in)security; and environment and tourism. During the summit, they will be divided into groups with the Japanese students to discuss and create an action plan related to one of the five topics.
Learning about the hosting school, Clark Memorial International High School
The final preparatory workshop took place on December 9. Campers busily worked on and practiced their cultural exchange project, for which they decided to share about the importance of the art of storytelling in Hawaiian culture. Parents also joined part of the workshop via Zoom to review and discuss the January departure logistics, packing list, and other details.
Practicing their script for their cultural exchange presentation
Our Hokkaido Snow Campers will be traveling to Sapporo in mid-January. In the spring, JASH will welcome students from Soshi Educational Group to Hawaii. Through these programs, JASH hopes to motivate high school students to pursue their interest in Japanese culture and inspire them to study abroad in the near future.
