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.

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