High school SAGE (Students Advocating Gender Equality) students began hosting workshops for fourth and fifth-graders last May and throughout the month of November. SAGE focuses on advocacy activities within our community and the workshops, titled Breaking Barriers, largely focused on gender equality. SAGE members Anna Milstein (grade 12), Zen Suzuki (grade 12) and Cora Eaton (Grade 11) write on their visits to the elementary school. Continue reading
Tomoko Nakai’s HS Japanese 9 classes recently began their unit on traditional new year’s food and traditions are exploring traditional new year’s ozoni and how the soup differs in every region. Renowned Chef Hajime Kimura visited ASIJ to help introduce students to the world of washoku, and to introduce the techniques and ingredients used in making ozoni. Head chef at Takehashi Japanese Restaurant in Otemachi’s KKR Hotel Tokyo, Chef Kimura has more than 22 years of experience and served an apprenticeship for four years to legendary “Iron Chef” Koumei Nakamura. The Japan Center arranged Chef Kimura’s visit to help introduce this unit, at the end of which Japanese 9 students will present their research on a specific region’s ozoni soup. Continue reading
On Tuesday, October 30, Secretary Leon Panetta made a visit to the Chofu campus. Panetta’s long career in politics has spanned over half a century, and seen him serve in Congress, as the Chief of Staff for President Clinton, the Director of the CIA and the Secretary of Defense under President Obama. But when he came to speak to our high school students this week, what they saw was not so much a well-regarded, high-ranking official, but a humble, public servant who has dedicated his life to the betterment of his country and fellow citizens. Continue reading
If you read our most recent article about our sixth-grade students heading off campus the first week of October for real-life, experiential learning, you might be wondering, “what about the seventh-grade students?” Despite remaining on-campus, they also explored some new adventures themselves! In an event called “October Days,” the seventh-grade faculty and administration set about teaching their students mindful and engaging lessons on one of our core values: compassion. Middle school teachers write on the week. Continue reading
Transitioning from elementary school to middle school is a significant time in a child’s life. It can be filled with many different demanding emotions, challenges and significant events in their development. But for the sixth-grade students at ASIJ, an important (and fun!) educational and social step in their journey is a three-day trip to the Kiyosato Educational Experiment Project (KEEP) center in the mountains of Kiyosato, east of Tokyo. KEEP is a recreational complex set in dairy farming land among the Japanese Alps, with sweeping views of Mt Fuji on cloudless days.
Our mission at ASIJ is to foster a community of inquisitive learners and independent thinkers, inspired to be their best selves and empowered to make a difference. Through KEEP’s activities, including hiking, nightly explorations, and engaging in forest challenges, our students learn to embody our mission and vision for learning. Throughout this three-day learning adventure, each student finds deeper bonds with their peers in their advisory and their teachers.
Eighth-grader Rintaro Mori went along with the sixth grade to cover the experience and share some fond memories of KEEP.
