Tag: Students

Panetta Inspires with Call for Leadership

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 →

October Days in the Middle School

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 →

Jumping for Joy at KEEP

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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The 20th Annual Fun Run

On October 16, students, parents, faculty, staff and the Mustang dedicated their time (and feet!) to help raise funds for a charitable organization through our 20th annual community Fun Run. We believe that by infusing philanthropy into our community activities we can embody our core values and purposefully engage with our strategic priorities, especially our mission to empower our students to make a difference. 

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Mahalo to Ukulele Virtuoso Ben Ahn

Hawaiian musician Ben Ahn recently made a return visit to ASIJ and spent a week working with our elementary school music teachers and their classes. Ben taught students the art of ukulele and gave a special community performance as part of Spirit Week. Karolee Kent (elementary school teacher) writes on Ben Ahn’s visit.  Continue reading →