The Ambassador. Spring/Summer, 2020

The Ambassador Fostering a community of inquisitive learners and independent thinkers, inspired to be their best selves, empowered to make a difference.

CHRIS LEGASPI ’08

On his career in fashion

Spring/Summer 2020

NIKE COLLABORATION

High school students collaborate with Nike

The American School in Japan

BETTY MANCHESTER ’24

The creator of the iconic Bete Mu'umu'u

DISTANCE LEARNING

How schooling has changed with the pandemic

In this Issue Features

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Fashion Forward

18

Blue Ribbon Ideas

25

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Chris Legaspi ’08 on his career in fashion at Vanity Fair and Louis Vuitton

High school students partner with Nike in our Introduction to Entrepreneurship class

Going the Distance Karen Noll reports on the impact of COVID-19 and ASIJ's move to distance learning

Musubi Project

A look at ASIJ's COVID-19 response and our outreach to the wider community

A Stitch in Time

More

The life of Betty Manchester ’24 and her iconic Hawaiian fashion brand

03 \\ Head of School’s Message 27 \\ Fundraising Update (Yumi Matsuo Studio)

33 \\ Reunions 40 \\ Class Agents 42 \\ Alumni Portal 43 \\ Artifacts 44 \\ Obituaries 48 \\ The Big Short

Director of Communications Matt Wilce Assistant Director of Communications Jarrad Jinks Graphic Designer Ryo Ogawa Communications Assistant & Graphic Designer Matthew Worsley Interim Director of Advancement Mary Margaret Mallat Assistant Director of Development and Alumni Relations Claire Lonergan Photography Jarrad Jinks Ryo Ogawa Illustration Matthew Worsley Editorial Inquiries communications@asij.ac.jp alumni@asij.ac.jp —

The American School in Japan 1-1-1 Nomizu, Chofu-shi Tokyo 182-0031, Japan The Ambassador is published

by The American School in Japan ASIJ alumni, families, faculty and friends receive The Ambassador

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HEAD OF SCHOOL

A lot has changed since the last issue of The Ambassador magazine in the fall—at school, in Japan and globally. Firstly, I hope that our extended community around the world remains safe and healthy during these challenging times.

As a result of the global pandemic many of our plans this spring changed, our students and teachers adapted to new ways of learning and teaching, and our campuses closed.

Our entire community has had to modify our behavior and expectations for what we consider “normal life.” For the first time in 118 years, our graduation ceremony moved online.

Other traditions such as the Spring Musical, field trips, sports tournaments and the senior walk were paused this year. What I would tell you though is that our students and teachers are incredibly resilient, creative and caring and a lot of great work continued this semester.

Message

One class that thrived—albeit in a modified form—was our Introduction to Entrepreneur course, which is offered as a concurrent class with Syracuse University. Turn to page 10, to learn more about the exciting work students did for athletic brand Nike on a real world marketing challenge. Thank you to the alumni who were part of that project and provided coaching for our students. As programs such as this and our Strategic Partnerships take off, we look to our alumni and extended community to help us be successful. If you have an interest in working with us in any capacity, please get in touch with our alumni program at <alumni@asij.ac.jp>.

I wish you and your family good health during these difficult and uncertain times and look forward to welcoming you back on campus sometime in the future.

With warm regards,

One initiative that originated from a student's concerns for those less fortunate in our local community was the Musubi Project. You can learn more about this outreach program and how our new Director of Strategic Partnerships, Ryosuke Suzuki, is helping steer it on page 25. Former English teacher and current staff member Karen Noll also takes a deeper look at how we transitioned to Distance Learning and its impact on many areas on page 18.

Jim Hardin Head of School

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(Yumi Matsuo Studio) 4

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Fashion Forward Men’s PR Manager for Louis Vuitton Chris Legaspi ’08, speaks with Claire Lonergan about his career and work at Vanity Fair.

It was a gray, chilly January afternoon in New York City when Chris Legaspi ’08 met us in a quaint little macaron shop in Midtown. His friendly face and radiant smile brighten up the gloomiest of mid-winter afternoons. The fashion industry often has the reputation of being full of cut-throat fashionistas— certainly that’s the impression films like The September Issue and The Devil Wears Prada have given—and so we were relieved to find Chris is a far cry from the stereotype. Being shy and humble, certainly hasn't held Chris back and he rose quickly through the ranks of New York’s fashion media before jumping across the runway to work for Louis Vuitton.

Chris is someone who instantly makes you feel like you’ve known them for years, despite self-identifying as an introvert— surprising as he attributes so much of his professional success to relationships. “My first boss is still my mentor today,” Chris says of his manager during his first internship at Details magazine in the summer of 2011. “We keep in touch all of the time and he has helped me along every step of the way.

He helped me get my job at Vanity Fair later down the road and I will say I owe my career to him.”

A major in media and society at Hobart College at the time, Chris wasn’t really into fashion, beyond having fun dressing up. The summer before his senior year of college, he knew he wanted to do an internship in the city, but “I really didn’t know what I wanted to do.” The internship at Details, owned at the time by Condé Nast, opened his eyes to a new world.

"It was like the best time. I had the best summer. I loved it.”

After graduating from Hobart, Chris returned to Details as a fashion assistant. Like many starting out in the industry he found that while his “permalancer” position was paid, it came without benefits, so it was certainly not easy.

“There was a lot of coercing of my parents to let me do what I wanted, but I wouldn’t say they were unsupportive, I would say they were just very cautious which I think is very normal,” he says. “My parents are very big believers of ‘do what you love and the money will follow.’ But it was hard taking that job and not getting benefits and saying I swear it will be worth it.” Chris ended up working for the magazine for about a year and half before leaving for a short foray into PR at an agency.

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(Yumi Matsuo Studio)

Fashion media wasn’t ready to let Chris go just yet and within weeks he got a phone call from GQ, another Condé Nast title. “They had an opening and I was like I’m going back,” says Chris, who joined the magazine as a sittings assistant. That meant he was “on ever y photo shoot, runthrough and fitting that we did at GQ” working closely alongside the magazine’s creative director. “It was amazing to meet all of these people, and do what I did and get to travel. It was men’s fashion—Like the mecca of it.”

After 18 months of working for GQ, which Chris claims “felt like 10 years of my life,” another major opportunity appeared. Chris’s mentor put him in touch with a good friend of his who was a men’s director at Vanity Fair. The friend was looking for an assistant. The position was freelance, which made it a risky move for Chris who was full-time at GQ. The gamble ultimately paid off and Chris was soon promoted. “It was nice to be making my transition to more of an editor role. I was there for over a year and then my boss left. Instead of hiring someone above me, they decided to promote me, which was amazing. So I got the title of Menswear Editor at Vanity Fair.” The promotion made Chris responsible for all of the products used in photo shoots featuring male talent and for the men’s market pages. “I got to travel to all of the fashion weeks,” he says. “And I think then I really got to put my name out there and make a career out of all of this.”

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Working closely with the magazine’s Creative Director, Chris helped to take concepts from sketches on a page to the finished page in the magazine–or even the cover. That included working on some of Vanity Fair’s iconic Hollywood covers shot by renowned photographer Annie Leibowitz. Her 2018 Hollywood cover—the shoot for which Chris participated in—featured a who’s-who lineup of Tinseltown’s stars that included Oprah Winfrey, Robert De Niro, Nicole Kidman, Tom Hanks and Reese Witherspoon. “We would prep anywhere from a week to just about a month for her shoots. Every single thing was thought out, down to the furniture used in the shot and candles that were lit for talent in the studios.” As part of the fashion team, “we would call in the best clothing from around the world, and from the best designers and we would show up with sometimes over 100 trunks worth of clothing,” Chris says. “The set up would include racks and racks of wardrobe and more shoes you could even think of.” The photo shoots themselves were equally extensive and could sometimes last about a week or more depending on the preparation, lighting, and location with shoots often partly done in LA and partly in NY. “The outcome was always beautiful and expressed that old Hollywood elegance that Vanity Fair stood for,” Chris comments.

Another standout moment for Chris from his time at the magazine was getting to go to the legendary Vanity Fair Oscar party. “I actually assisted with doing their Twitter.

They do a red carpet live stream and I was up there with

Karamo Brown from Queer Eye and Catt Sadler [from E! News], so the three of us talking fashion was pretty amazing. It was one of those moments! Miley Cyrus was in the background—it was amazing.”

One of the magazines most talked about covers in recent years featuring Caitlyn Jenner was kept a secret even from Chris as “only about four people at the magazine were in the know about that one,” he says. “We were all told that we were shooting a different woman who was the same size so no one would think otherwise. Most of us only found out the day that the cover was released online. I actually remember one of my friends sending me the link to the images before I even saw it.”

For anyone who has seen The Devil Wears Prada, you might imagine that Chris was able to pilfer the magazine’s closet to style his own looks. Chris however admitted that it’s really not like the movies “but you do definitely have access to fashion.” He went on to share “I think really the most important perk was all the relationships.” And, when asked what his favorite perk from working at Vanity Fair was, he sheepishly shared “this sounds so stupid, but obviously I love Japan, and one of the things I missed about coming to New York was not having a Toto toilet seat. And somehow I got the PR contact and I got a Toto toilet seat! So that one. Honestly people have asked me before what the best

(Courtesy of Chris Legaspi)

gift I got was, and I think probably that.” He went on to share that “I think really the most important perk was all the relationships.”

Despite Chris’s ambitious work ethic, he shared that his path has not been without its challenges. “A lot of blood sweat and tears went into it for sure,” he shares. He explained the biggest difficulty is “the ever changing landscape of publishing. Publishing companies are dealing with all of these changes, the merging of brands, and all of that. I think it has been really challenging to kind of maneuver through that. It’s not like it was back in the 90s.” Chris, who started out in the industry in 2011 feels that he "came in at a pretty turbulent time.” Details, where he got his start as an intern is no longer around.

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Chris leaving the Thom Browne show in Paris (Courtesy of Chris Legaspi)

In July of 2019, Chris left Vanity Fair and the publishing world to take on new challenges at mega-brand Louis Vuitton. When asked about the move, Chris explains that he had “been looking but not actively, just trying to see what was out there.” And, as is often the case, when he had decided to give up for a bit to enjoy summer, he was actually approached by the brand. Louis Vuitton “had been missing a Men’s PR team in the New York Office and I think they were very interested in me because I was coming from the editorial side.” Chris explains that gave him a different perspective on the industry. Just over six months into the new gig when we talk, Chris cheerfully shares “it’s going great. We are always very busy—there is never a shortage of news at Louis Vuitton.”

Of course since we met Chris back in Januar y the business world, New York City and the planet have changed significantly. “The current climate has definitely affected the fashion and retail landscape and we are all trying to find our footing. I do not think that it will go back to the way it was, but what that new world is, I am not sure at the moment,” Chris says. “With all of our retail stores closed at the moment, we are putting a big emphasis on our online retail business. We started to feel the effects of Coronavirus during the previous Women’s fashion show in March. A lot of editors were called back to the US before our show, which happens to be the last show in Paris

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during Fashion Week. We had a lower attendance than usual because of that and I think that it will make brands rethink their fashion shows going forwards.”

In early March 2020, Louis Vuitton’s artistic director, Virgil Abloh released a collaboration with Japanese fashion designer Nigo, who is most known for creating the urban clothing line A Bathing Ape. Mega-brands like Louis Vuitton are known to play a major role in setting fashion trends globally. Chris explains that the vision of people like Abloh influences many up and coming designers “may not be a direct reference citing the shape or colors, but the arc of menswear as a whole.” When Abloh first began, he brought streetwear to Louis Vuitton and into the luxury sector like it had never been seen before. “Streetwear then blew up on the men’s scene and with his latest show for Fall-Winter 2020, he has gone back to men’s tailoring” Chris notes. “Men are beginning to dress up again and with that brands are following. This will be a big trend starting in the Fall and will trickle down from major brands down to fast fashion brands.”

Chris’s own style he admits “is a bit of everything, actually.”

He certainly has a personal style and whether he is in a precisely tailored suit or trendy streetwear, he always looks incredibly put together. He explains “I love suiting just as much as I love a good hoodie. A few of my favorite

designers are Haider Ackermann for Berluti, Kim Jones for Louis Vuitton, Ralph Lauren, Brunello Cucinelli, Massimo Alba, Alexander McQueen, Boglioli, and Dries Van Noten to name a few.”

Born in the United States, Chris moved to Tokyo with his family at the age of 7. He attended ASIJ from Elementary School until graduation in 2008. Chris confesses “I was not so great academically. I will be honest I never took an AP class. My siblings were all the exact opposite; they took all APs.” Although he admits “if I could I would go back and probably try harder, but I am here with what I did and how I did it so I wouldn’t change that.”

Chris with his colleague Devan Wallace, Public Relations Manager at Louis Vuitton, at a New York Times event celebrating Bill Cunningham (Angela Pham/ BFA.com)

Even though Chris may not have made the honor roll, he credits a lot of who he is to his time in Japan and encourages current students “to take in the culture and the surroundings as much as possible.” He opened up about Japan and shared, “I think that it has helped me and my work ethic and just in life more than anything else. And it’s weird but people and bosses will always be like the way you work, or there’s something about the way I present myself and I think honestly I attribute that to growing up in Japan.” His attitude is “always stay humble, work hard.”

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Blue Ribbon Ideas Introduction to Entrepreneurship students take on a surprise challenge from athletic wear giant Nike. Jarrad Jinks follows their progress.

“It starts with an idea”—a common refrain for marketers, makers, writers and builders. The “idea” is at the heart of innovation and anyone who seeks to make an impact begins at that first step. The rise of startup culture and the emphasis on entrepreneurship has placed a high value on the “idea.” It was one such idea that seeded an exceptional opportunity for high school students in our Introduction to Entrepreneurship class and their second-semester project.

Introduction to Entrepreneurship is an elective course for eleventh and twelfth-graders offered as a concurrent enrollment class with Syracuse University. Emily Bidle ’20 thinks back to why she joined the class initially, saying “I was inspired to join Mr. Cancella’s entrepreneurship class due to my fascination with social entrepreneurship. I feel that it is a great way to hone in on my passion and use my skill sets to improve society and the lives of others, while also being able to sustain my own life.”

Modeling the entrepreneurial mindset he hopes to instill in the 19 students that signed up for this course’s first year at ASIJ, high school teacher Jason Cancella sought to offer authentic, project-

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based opportunities to develop and employ the skills relevant to entrepreneurship. “I want them to do entrepreneurship, not study it.” Cancella kept his ear to the ground and, on a campus teeming with opportunity, learned that Tobi Howe ’18 son of high school social studies teacher, Dale Howe (AP ’16–’18), had recently completed a summer internship with retail giant, Nike. Cancella recalls that the project Tobi navigated during his internship was very similar to what he aspired to do in his Introduction to Entrepreneurship class. Tobi introduced Cancella to Ron Sinha, Senior Manager of Consumer Direct Sciences, Eleonora Ferrero, Director of Nike.com and Nike App Business, and Mai Berger, Analyst of Consumer Direct Sciences, all working with Nike Japan, in August. Over the course of the next few months, they developed a plan with Cancella.

In the lead-up to the Nike partnership, Cancella guided his students through three challenges to explore the nature and skills of entrepreneurship.

The Young Founders Summit, a pitch contest led by a Singaporean organization called Smarter Me, challenged students to identify a problem, develop a solution of their own and create a three to five-minute pitch. Students shifted gears after

Hugh McGuire â&#x20AC;&#x2122;20 presented his findings with his group

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Eleonora Ferrero provided additional insight on Nike’s business operations

The Young Founders Summit, participating in a partnership with MyMizu, co-founded by alum Robert Lewis ’06. They developed go-to-market plans that would enable people to refill water bottles through MyMizu anywhere they go in Japan.

Finally, students worked with Gerhub, an organization that seeks to address social issues in the Ger areas of Ulaanbaatar city, to create a market launch plan for the Ger that could enable Gerhub to become a self-sustaining social enterprise.

In addition to pitch development, market planning and launch strategizing, each of these projects also required students to conduct research using all four MISO domains (Media, Interview, Survey, Observation). “The field research, which involved going downtown to interview business owners, customers and random people on the street was the most impactful part of this research experience,” for students, Jason reports. These collaborations helped prepare students for the Nike Challenge, which would utilize all of the separate skills that they had built.

The Nike project officially began on February 28, 2020 with a surprise visit from four Nike representatives. Alum Zac Oshima ’12, Manager of Brand Running, and Riu Kawashima, Analyst of Consumer Direct Sciences, joined Eleonora and Ron to offer an introductory presentation about Nike and the project as well as a Q & A for the course’s students.

“Your Challenge,” they began, “is to design a plan to help

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Zac Oshima ’12, Manager of Brand Running at Nike, spoke to students about the challenge they would be undertaking

Nike engage more kids and women in Tokyo in more active lifestyles in ways that benefit Japan, the Nike brand, and Nike’s financials.” They reflect on the core inspiration for this challenge, “compared to other major cities, the ability to do sports in Tokyo is limited.”

Students broke into six groups, each joined by up to three of eighteen volunteer mentors from Nike, with whom they would work to develop an executive summary and company description. One additional alum was among the available group mentors, senior analyst Winston Pool ’08. The project then called for market analysis, organization and management, the creation of a service or product, marketing, and sales strategies, a funding request, and final projections. The project would culminate with each group presenting their proposals to representatives from Nike, Shark Tank-style.

But first, each group needed an idea.

The ideation process began and with the problem fresh in their minds, each group of three to four students set out in search of a unique, marketable solution. In an effort to develop a more narrow focus for their proposals, groups sought to outline both their target demographic and their target demographic’s definition of what an “active lifestyle” means, relying, again, on media, survey, interview and observational research to better understand the nature

Faith Suzuki ’06, Communications Manager for Samurai Sports, talks with Daniel Elad ’20 to provide additional context to similar challenges they faced when growing their own brand of the problem. They laid the groundwork using resources such as field research, public corporate research (ex. Rakuten Consumer Insights), web-resources and academic databases like JSTOR, coming to a better understanding of culture, trends and current statistics. An additional requirement of the process, as well as an invaluable resource, each group interviewed their mentors and at least one other expert in the field.

All Introduction to Entrepreneurship students benefited from the knowledge of one expert in particular, alumna Faith Suzuki ’06, the communications manager for Samurai Sports—a Tokyo-based organization exploring similar challenges Nike posed to our students. Samurai Sports’ goal is to make living an active lifestyle in Tokyo easier for expats and non-Japanese speakers. Faith visited with our Introduction to Entrepreneurship students and spoke about the nature of her work—how to build relationships, marketing, building a brand, and discovering what customers really want. She also provided students with her thoughts about the process—defining the problem, developing a solution, piloting that solution, market testing the solution and iteration.

When asked about the most valuable learning experience from this project, Arman Balian ’20 referred to the motivating factor that drives any ambitious ideation process, but may fall short of student ears, “students can actually contribute.” He continues, “starting off this year, we as a class had a mindset

that we knew nothing. When businesses and organizations came to us for ideas, we felt that whatever we came up with would be recognized then abandoned because, at the end of the day, we are just students.” Arman describes his realization while working on this Nike project that “the entrepreneurial mindset is to innovate with peers and partners. One person can’t do it all. Even though we are students, everyone’s brain is different. We have our own perspectives. And that is extremely important in entrepreneurship.”

With a wealth of knowledge at hand, students explored possible influences on their target demographic’s perceptions of exercise, active lifestyles, and drew their own conclusions.

Several of the groups came to similar conclusions regarding roadblocks to activity for women and children in Tokyo.

Alongside lack of opportunity and space, the groups uncovered a “mendokusai” (inconvenient) mindset, societal expectations of women and children, and corporate culture as major culprits standing in the way of physical activity among their target demographics. They gathered that sports may have a negative reputation as a result of what one group called “bukatsu conditioning”—school clubs that dichotomized sports vs culture and only allowed students to pursue one sport to a higher level of perfection, rather than exploring likes and dislikes. Beyond bukatsu, our students found a high social pressure on mothers to fulfill time-consuming domestic roles, an issue further compounded among working mothers.

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Sachie Ariga ’21 practices her pitch alongside her team Although the target-demographic data was fairly narrow, and each group came to similar statistical conclusions, what they did with that information varied greatly and would lead each group to one, potentially multifaceted solution.

One group explored a Nike-sponsored social movement, drawing up plans to inspire people to redefine physical activity for themselves, addressing perceptions that develop from shortcomings in youth such as “bukatsu conditioning.” Others designed plans to address Japanese corporate culture and inspire a work-life balance that promotes personal health and a more active lifestyle. Mina Ohashi ’20 describes her group’s focus, “My group and I wanted to provide opportunities for working Japanese women to incorporate exercise in their regular routine while juggling other responsibilities such as their job, housework, and taking care of a family...So, we decided to create a chance for them to explore the recently popular practice of yoga within their offices so it is easily accessible and beneficial for their health.” Their pitch focused not only on benefits to the person, but also leveraged data on employee health to inspire change in corporate perspective, as she continues, “I feel that the most valuable thing I’ve learned is the importance for companies to improve upon the holistic wellness of their employees, and how that translates to increased productivity and commitment.” And another group, focusing on childhood activity, scouted unused time at Tokyo sports facilities and fields to rent out for proposed Nike Sports Camps.

As an entrepreneurship course, the end goal is always to turn a profit. While our students often seek to meet that end in an altruistic, world-changing way, the effectiveness of their proposals are tied not just to sustainability but also scalability.

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In that respect, and with their central ideas for this challenge researched and developed, students began tying their proposals into Nike’s core revenue stream, researching competitors, and developing marketing plans. With much of Nike’s profits coming from sportswear and merchandise, many of the groups worked sales and access to said merchandise into their strategies.

Students researched companies, such as Roxy, Core Beauty, and Lululemon Athletica, that may compete with their particular ideas, drew both correlations and identified differentiating factors that they may message as putting their proposals ahead of the competition. They explored tools to deliver their message through marketing campaigns, including social media, and public advertising spaces to reach their target demographics, as well as leveraging Nike’s status for access to corporate connections.

Students saw opportunities to creatively engage other skill sets into their plans as well. One such group went so far as to produce an actual commercial as part of their marketing plan and pitch. With a strong interest in video production and as the leader of the Sports Video Crew Club, Sachie Ariga ’21 seized an opportunity to go the extra mile. “I have taken a lot of video footage from high school sports at ASIJ...the footage seemed very fitting for our project theme and I didn’t have much trouble putting it all together. However, I've never made a short commercial before this so it was challenging to fit the whole message in around 20–30 seconds.”

Each group rounded out their pitch preparations with cold, hard, funding requests and revenue projections. It takes money to make money, after all. Their calculations involved deep-dives into employment costs, space fees, advertising budgets and other overhead expenses, counter-balanced by three-to-five-year profit projections.

Aimee Dossor ’21 presents to fellow classmates on her group’s research As students made final preparations to deliver their pitches, in person at the Nike offices in Tokyo, the threat of COVID-19 rapidly became a homefront reality. Even as school remained open, more and more activities and excursions had to be canceled—including the Introduction to Entrepreneurship field trip. Just as Cancella and his students finalized plans to stream the pitches from the classroom, campus had to close as well, and our distance learning plan went into action. Further adapting, students recorded their presentations from their homes to send for evaluation. Nike, too, has been affected by COVID-19.

Given the situation, all involved pushed back the original timeline for feedback. Our Introduction to Entrepreneurship students expect to hear back by the end of the school year.

What they don’t expect, however, is a small thank-you gift that Nike prepared in secret with the help of Cancella and their parents.

just because he is interested in the field, but also because of the hands-on learning strategies involved, “It gave me a chance to take a class that followed an unconventional method of learning, which was too intriguing to pass up. It was honestly a no-brainer.”

Their first entrepreneurship class draws close to its end and while the students may or may not continue down the entrepreneurial path, they’ve learned and practiced skills that are transferable to any number of fields and concentrations.

They’ve also learned the value of an “idea” and some may go on to generate ideas that could change our future. Jason share’s his hopes for all of his students, “I am not yet sure how the class will influence students in the future but I hope it provides them with the confidence to put themselves out there, maybe as an entrepreneur, or maybe as a researcher, or an artist or an activist…”

Reflecting upon their time in the course, the name may be a bit misleading. Although an “introduction,” the course saw students through a full ideation, research and proposal process and to pitch for representatives of one of the world’s most successful companies. The representatives of Nike who facilitated the challenge with our students saw the practical value in this course as well, “When the team first met with Jason, we immediately felt his vision for learning was unique; his goal was to expose students to real world problems and apply their thinking there, rather than in a purely academic way that might seem isolated and irrelevant.” Ron continues on behalf of his team, “This really resonated with all of us.

We all thought back to our school days and wished we had a teacher like Jason and a class like this one.” Hugh McGuire ’20 further iterates that he took this course not

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(ASIJ Archive/Courtesy of Honolulu Star-Bulletin)

A Stitch in Time Matt Wilce on how Betty Manchester ’24 re-invigorated Hawaii’s fashion scene with her distinctively designed mu'umu'u.

When Elizabeth Manchester (neé Davison) ’24—that's class of 1924—began designing traditional Hawaiian mu'umu'u, she took her inspiration from her grandfather's night shirts. “Grandfather was staying with us and he had woken in the middle of the night.

I got up and saw him standing there in his white nightshirt, with the long sleeves and the slit on the sides up to here,” she told the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. “Years later when I was thinking of my designs, I remembered him with his nightshirt.”

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Manchester launched Bete Inc in 1959, changing her first name to the Hawaiian spelling when creating the brand.

“I chose the Hawaiian spelling of my name, Bete, because I plan to do collections of Hawaii's favorite garment, the mu'umu'u!” she said at the time of the launch. Her take on the nightshirt-style kapuna became an enduring favorite and led to widespread recognition of her designs.

Born in Sendai on March 27, 1906, Betty Davison grew up in Japan where her parents and grandparents were both missionaries. Her grandfather was one of the first Methodist missionaries to enter Japan, arriving in Nagasaki ten years after the death of the last Tokugawa Shogun. When the family relocated, Betty attended Tokyo Grammar School—as ASIJ was known at the time. The school had an enrollment of 77 students and was housed at No. 17 Tsukiji in the Foreign Settlement. Her father, Rev Charles Davison, served on the school's faculty and was in charge of manual training and partnering with a local technical school the Furitsu Kogei Gakko.

Betty left Japan for the United States at the age of 11, first to the East Coast before the family settled in California. She (ASIJ Archive/Courtesy of Honolulu Star-Bulletin) began designing and sewing early in life as she couldn't stand the clothes her mother Initially it was a cottage industry with Bete—as she was now would make. “They were old looking for me, so I complained and known—cutting the garments herself before sending them out was told that if I didn't like them I should make my own,” Betty to women to sew at home. She would make her own labels and told the Honolulu Star-Bulletin in 1970. As a result she would grab odd pieces of cloth every Friday at Bullocks remnant sale then deliver the finished mu'umu'u to stockists herself. Two years later she hired Rene Kubo as a cutter and Rene became and sew them into clothes for herself and her sister. her right-hand—years later ultimately taking over the company.

She would go on to attend Occidental College in Los The business steadily grew in scope and reputation and soon Bete’s name and designs were a fixture in the local press.

Angeles, where she majored in education and joined the Delta Delta Delta Sorority. On July 27, 1928, Betty married At the height of her popularity, a Bete mu'umu'u was a Francis B Manchester, a Stanford graduate, in a ceremony wardrobe essential for many women—both on and off the officiated by her grandfather Dr J.C Davison. She had put islands. Jackie Onassis preferred the black velvetine mu'umu'u her tailoring experience to work and wore a modified version with a scoop neck and leg of mutton sleeves she was gifted of her mother's bridal gown with a cape constructed from following a visit to Hawaii. Queen Elizabeth II was also a lace from her grandmother's wedding dress. Betty would go recipient of a Bete mu'umu'u following a stopover visit to on to parlay these skills into running a dress shop in Laguna Honolulu. Many of Hawaii’s Miss America contestants headed Beach. Her interest in fashion ultimately endured longer than off to compete with one of their runway looks provided by her marriage, which ended several years later.

Bete Inc. In 1980, Bete’s contribution to the local fashion industry was formally recognized and she was inducted into Betty began a new chapter in her life and a new career in Hawaii starting out in 1941 working as a fashion buyer for several local the Hawaiian Fashion Guild's Hall of Fame, having previously companies before branching out on her own. At the time, very been honored with their Golden Hibiscus Award in 1966. few holokus (traditional Hawaiian dresses) were being made and In her advanced years, Bete remained as sharp and good those that were available tended to be produced from rough, humored as ever although she stepped away from the day un-Hawaiian fabrics. Betty saw an opportunity and studied historical photos, conducted research at the Bishop Museum and to day operations of the business and moved into a local then began designing her own mu'umu'u. With contacts in the nursing home. She passed away on April 7, 1984. Her business passed first to Rene Kubo and then to sisters Nola and Linda fashion business already she gauged the reaction of the buyers Nahulu who continue to maintain and honor the classic Bete she knew with a fashion show of daytime and evening designs.

The buyers encouraged Betty to go forward with her plan and mu'umu'u. The firm still operates as a family business in the so she went full steam ahead, leaving almost immediately to go spirit started by Bete and her fashion legacy continues over 70 years after Bete designed her first “night shirt” mu'umu'u. to Los Angeles to buy fabric. On her return, she rented a space in the Aloha Tower—furnishing it with tatami and Japanese furnishings—and set about creating her first collection.

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Going the Distance Karen Noll charts the course of ASIJ's move to Distance Learning and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the school.

Second-grade student Patrick and his classmates pack in preparation for Distance Learning on studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; last day on campus

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In Japanese the word for air is 空気, pronounced koo-kee.

The phrase 空気を読む (koo-kee oh yoh-mu) means literally reading the air, inviting an intersection between literal and emotional atmosphere. The science of breathing is placed next to the wisdom of comprehending a situation.

In a mid-April message to the ASIJ faculty and staff, Head of School Jim Hardin used the Japanese phrase 空気を読む to encourage emotional comprehension of the world we found ourselves in. He invited us to invoke the phrase in our work with students, to read their air—their confusions, disappointments, longings, ambitions, fears. As long as we kept reading the air, our students would be safe. He would do the same—for teachers, for staff, for families.

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The first official ASIJ communication about the coronavirus was not alarming. Yue Takigayama, Head Nurse in the Health Center emailed the community—parents, students, faculty and staff—and asked for everyone to be vigilant about handwashing, face touching and mask wearing. That was January 23. It seemed like a typical winter season health reminder. Later that week, a message from the leadership team addressed a few items on the PTA calendar and pitched the Kyogen performance—nothing at all about the virus that would eventually transform our lives.

During the four weeks of Februar y that followed, communication from the school became increasingly more specific and more serious, and slowly life began to change.

Bus cleaning would be more frequent and more vigorous.

High fevers would be treated with more caution than usual.

Families were asked to stop bringing home-made food to share on campus. School-sponsored excursions outside of Japan were canceled. Professional development with colleagues from other schools ended abruptly. Guests to the campus postponed their visits. But still we enjoyed each

other’s company every day—traveling to and from campus, sharing lunch, laughing with wide smiles and open faces.

A Crisis Response Team (CRT) convened in the first week of February and consisted of Jim Hardin (Head of School), Bhupesh Upadhyay (CFO/COO), Yue Takigayama (Head Nurse), Jackie Douglass (Counseling), Monica Clear (Student Safeguarding), Matt Wilce (Director of Communications), Brian Kelley (Athletics and Activities Director), and each Division Head—Christy Carrillo (Early Learning Center), Marc L’Heureux (Elementary School), Pip Curtis (Middle School), Jon Herzenberg (High School). On February 11, the World Health Organization gave the new disease its official name—COVID-19.

Early in the month, the CRT discussions prompted Scott Wilcox (Deputy Head of School for Learning) and Jim Hardin to have a look at the school’s Distance Learning Plan (DLP)—a document that had been sitting mostly unopened in Google folders. It was first drafted in 2009 when the H1N1 pandemic raised the possibility that the school might have to close, and was revised again in 2011 after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Triple Disasters. Neither of those historical events closed the school for more than six days. The document was solid but needed revisions. Others headed to the mountains for the mid-winter ski holiday, but Hardin spent his time at home pouring over the document, tightening its message and honing its relevance to COVID-19.

By the Monday after the ski break, the pace of developments in the region warranted a message to all faculty and staff.

Wilcox solicited feedback on the DLP while still using phrases such as “if we were ever to implement the plan” and promising to share it with parents by the end of the week—just to ensure the community that the school was prepared but certainly not to declare a school closure. On Wednesday Hardin shared the Distance Learning Plan with parents and stressed that the school was not facing imminent closure. He was reading the air as he wrote that “Most members of our community will not have previously experienced something

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The Leadership Team gathers on March 2 to finalize the roll-out of our Distance Learning Plan quite like this, which is why it’s important to understand what a major shift Distance Learning would be.” Then, the next day—Thursday, February 27th—Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced a formal request that all schools across Japan should close the following Monday.

No one saw that coming. Within hour s of A be’s announcement, Hardin sent a “hold tight” message to the community. He assured everyone that Friday’s school day would take place as usual—buses, classes, lunches—and that a more conclusive message would be sent by Friday mid-day.

Friday, February 28 turned out to be the last day the whole community shared common spaces on the two campuses—Chofu and ELC. There was a suspended sense of time that morning, a heightened intensity to the luxury of being together, of breathing the same air. Eye contact was perhaps more frequent and more extended. In a paradox of knowing uncertainty, we prepared to depart from the rooms that defined us and begin our lives in spaces that confined us.

It was announced that school would be closed until the first day back after spring break. Teachers encouraged students to gather what they would need to sustain Distance Learning for three weeks. After-school activities were canceled.

Everyone went home.

After that unsteady Friday, that final day of the old normal, the first two days in March featured a flurry of activity on campus—teachers working together, mastering Google Meet, modifying or sculpting plans for the remainder of March. The words synchronous and asynchronous became consequential

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vocabulary and contentious ideological camps. Then, on the morning of March 4, the flurry of campus energy was transferred to screens for 199 teachers and 1670 students.

Distance Learning began.

The DLP is a 17-page document. It includes a summary of technology management systems but not a list of specific tools and apps. It offers broad strokes of pedagogical philosophy for each level of the school. For example, Early Learning Center philosophy emphasizes interactions at home that focus on holistic language learning and emotional needs, specifically the historical context which has created Distance Learning. Whereas at the elementary and middle school levels, the DLP shifts focus to the role of parents.

There is a distinct recognition that MS students should be less dependent on parents than ES students. While the ES teachers “will provide direction to families on how best to support student learning and the expected level of adult involvement,” for MS students the learning experiences are “designed to be completed independently or in collaboration with other students. Tutoring is not recommended, nor should a parent/guardian be too involved.”

The DLP’s core lies in the two sections called “10 Guidelines for ASIJ Teachers” and “10 Guidelines for ASIJ Parents.”

The heavy lifting during Distance Learning will be done by teachers and parents. For teachers, designing assessments will be one of “the most challenging adjustments.” Without the constraints of a classroom which offers options for ensuring the security and reliability of an assessment, teachers will have to “think differently about the end goal to performance

instead of forcing a traditional assessment method that doesn’t fit distance learning.” For parents, creating physical learning spaces and ensuring regular daily routines will be their job. Screen time and social interactions are also the responsibility of the parents—keeping an eye on too much or not enough. The document even asks parents to both monitor exercise and to model it! And, of course, emotional health. Working from home will be stressful; wondering about the world will be stressful; feeling sad about everything that has changed will be stressful. Educators have always known that parents are critical in the support of learning institutions and the development of healthy, kind, smart, happy kids—but Distance Learning demonstrates more than ever that ripening apples need massively steady, robustly rooted trees from which they fall.

ASIJ’s Distance Learning Plan was openly available on the internet with a Creative Commons License. As Jim Hardin explains, “We are experiencing trials that amplify the importance of generosity and service. We have learned from other schools. If ASIJ’s planning helps another school, perhaps we make a difference as an institution, which can only be good.” Numerous requests came in from teachers and administrators around the world asking permission to use parts of the plan for their schools. The same was true with other media ASIJ shared online. For example, ASIJ second-grade teacher Lo Wood uses her Instagram account to share ideas with other teachers and to be a positive source of energy for her students and their families. In the first weeks of Distance Learning she received up to 30 requests a day for her mindfulness, indoor recess and brain break ideas. Even in late May, after nearly three months of teaching from her apartment, Lo’s optimism was generous.

She was awash in gratitude for her colleagues, her students and their parents. She said her students “have continuously shown honesty and awareness of how difficult this has been.” Also, they have surprised her daily “with different passion projects they dive into with their extra time at home.” One second-grader designed his own chemistry project by working with his mom to make homemade bath bombs. “He was giving me advice on epsom salt to oil ratios,” Lo explained.

Because a DLP is meant to be applicable in any type of school closure, it does not address the specific needs of a spring semester including standardized testing administered by external organizations. For example, at ASIJ grades 3–8 use the MAP tests (Measure of Academic Progress) to generate data for both families and curriculum specialists.

The organizing body for MAP testing—NWEA (Northwest Evaluation Association) recommended not taking them. On its website, NWEA explained that the data would likely be unreliable. In their attempt to imagine the implications of this unprecedented situation, they explained that “While it is difficult to speculate on what missing months of school may mean for student achievement, research on seasonal learning

and summer learning loss can offer some insights.” For the high-school students, however, it was a completely different situation. Canceling external exams meant compromising an essential part of a student’s college application portfolio.

SAT and ACT college readiness tests are nearly as rock solid in the life of a graduate as a mortar board and tassel. But those exams take place in crowded rooms for hours-long sessions and were simply canceled. The College Board AP (Advanced Placement) exams, however, required a more creative solution.

Scheduled every year across the globe during the first two weeks in May, Advanced Placement exams are a big deal. Nearly five million exams were taken in 2019. When Distance Learning began, 418 ASIJ students were preparing for exams—naturally many students, teachers, parents and counselors were worried. Then, in mid-March, The College Board announced that all AP exams would be taken from home. At first it seemed ludicrous. How would that work?

But slowly the details emerged, and we all began to imagine millions of students sitting at desks in thousands of towns and cities spanning dozens of time zones, all unified by the same question prompts about Virgina Woolf or The Monroe Doctrine or the Laffer curve. It had a kind of “We Are the World” quality, and everyone dug in to make it happen.

The person on whom the bulk of this heavy work rested was Doug McQueen, high school counselor and the ASIJ coordinator for AP exams. Doug spent nearly as many hours on this task as exams taken in 2019—millions. He was mastering the details of the new exam-taking conditions and requirements and then ensuring that all students and parents understood what they needed to do. In his downtime, Doug was often seen in the ASIJ fitness room, working off the stress of the task and building new muscle for the weight of his responsibilities. Dates shifted. Exams were shortened.

Content was truncated. For example history would be only 45 minutes instead of three hours. Essays could be typed or hand-written. Chinese and Japanese would be only fifteen minutes instead of two hours. Skills demonstrated would be only speaking and listening, no reading or writing. And most disruptive of all, The College Board decided to offer only one exam time which meant that students in Asia would be taking their exams in the middle of the night—either 1 AM or 3 AM or 5 AM. Despite pleas from many voices, the decision held firm. Jet-lag-like symptoms disrupted sleep-wake cycles, and technical problems led to a bevy of disgruntled students who have to retake some exams in June. While the adjustments were challenging, most students and teachers were happy to proceed with the concrete, rigorous focus of external exams.

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On the first day of Distance Learning grade 5 teachers eagerly observe what it looks like from a student perspective thanks to Jackson Rolls ’27, son of faculty members Joanne Harris-Rolls and Grant Rolls.

In the weeks before spring break, it seemed unlikely that we would be returning to campus on March 30. COVID-19 had been declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization. On March 19 Jim Hardin wrote to explain that the ASIJ Board of Directors had approved of the decision to extend Distance Learning to April 6. On March 27 it was extended to April 13. And on the afternoon of Wednesday, April 1, we learned that the school would not reopen for the remainder of the school year. The slowly unfolding announcements of extensions and then closure each came with a kind of jolt, a kick in the gut.

Surges of creativity and resilience were of course happening at kitchen tables and study desks all over Tokyo and its western suburbs, but this work was not easy. For teachers.

For students. For parents. For counselors. For administrators.

For administrative assistants. For coaches. For cafeteria and Kiosk staff. For librarians. For tech specialists. For the Japan Center. For the Health Center. For the Advancement Office. For the Business Office. For bus drivers. For guards.

For maintenance staff. Not easy at all.

Another task force was assembled to discuss and draft guidelines for reopening in August—the Roadmap for Reopening. The Tokyo 2020 Olympics were canceled on March 24, and following that so were ASIJ’s summer programs. On April 7, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared a State of Emergency through Golden Week for Tokyo and several other prefectures, so Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike requested all of us to "stay home."

One critical communication link throughout the difficult spring months were the FAQ pages. Parents could use a Google Form to ask any question anytime. Teachers could do the same. Two separate lists for those two separate audiences were kept up-to-date. The amount of text was exhausting, but the pay-off was immense. Hardin and Upadhyay penned most of the answers with help from divisional principals and others. These documents grew weekly like spring bamboo sprouts in Kyoto gardens. The bi-weekly community updates occasionally offered a lighter side of the situation we found ourselves in—for example, a math problem for reopening.

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A standard ASIJ bus has 26 seats and can fit 53 passengers.

The width of a bus is 240cm and the length of the interior of a bus is 890cm. Seats are 65cm apart. If guidelines recommend a distancing norm of 1.5 meters between passengers, how many passengers can safely fit on one bus?

As we all witnessed during stay-at-home orders, quarantine, self-isolation and lockdowns in whatever corner of the world we found ourselves in, the technology that made it possible for us to feel togetherness was amazing. We all learned to Zoom.

We all marveled at the ways that entertainment professionals continued to provide much-needed art and humor using tech magic that created virtual symphonies, comedy sketches, global poetry readings and even the public performances of politics via the Parliament of the United Kingdom or SCOTUS hearings. At ASIJ our technology professionals were providing the same behind the scenes magic for teaching and learning.

Very early in the planning for Distance Learning, it became clear that the elementary school students and teachers would need a tool for delivering lessons. The middle and high school programs were already using Edsby and Google Classroom. Those students would not feel the same lurch that grades 1–5 would feel. ES teachers were happy with the learning platform called Seesaw, but IT Manager Josh Raub contacted support services to request a specific improvement. We wanted to access the “use logs” so teachers could identify who needed nudging and who was just fine.

Seesaw programmers made the changes for the ASIJ site, liked it enough to integrate it into the dashboard and roll it out to other clients. Our needs and initiatives prompted changes that ended up helping out other schools. However, Seesaw turned out to be clunky for posting links, so most teachers migrated to Google Sites. Both teachers and tech teammates were reading the air.

Warren Apel, ASIJ’s Director of Technology, was busy keeping track of the many new tools that teachers across all four divisions were discovering and making useful. In late

Students were able to virtually speak with authors, such as best-selling writer Joelle Charbonneau

“I’ve slowly been going crazy in this lockdown, no sports or friends,”

April he wanted to help make the transition from “free trial” to licensed ownership of the software and applications that were worth paying for. He eloquently articulated the specific moment in time we found ourselves in: “Never before in history have teachers been able to have fully functioning versions of expensive software with all of their kids using it in real-world situations for so long. It's like the very best imaginable pilot testing ever. Just based on the value of the 23 programs that I am aware that we're using for free right now, we are using nearly $200,000 worth of software. It's pretty awesome.”

He helped teachers differentiate between what we already pay for, what is always free, and what will need to be purchased. Just the naming of the many tools of tech magic for teaching and learning can be entertainment itself: Flipgrid, Prism, Perusall, CK-12, Nod Reactions, Padlet, Screencastify, Newsela, Sora, Exam.net, Albert, Zoom, Miro, Edpuzzle, SmartMusic, WeVideo, Explain Everything, Education Perfect, PearDeck, Membean, Kahoot, Epic, BookFlix, Book Creator.

Of course, while Apel and Raub were busy-beavering on the official learning apps used by faculty, students sustained their social nourishment using other tech tools—Instagram, SnapChat, TikTok, Discord, Netflix Party.

“My mom was panicking and I really did think she was craz y and over exaggerating,” “I really want this pandemic to end as soon as possible, so I can live the way I did a few months back.”

“In my head, all of the worst-case scenarios came up,” “The NCAA college basketball tournament (March Madness) got canceled entirely...that was also the moment I took in the seriousness of the situation.”

By late April, the writing had become calmer, more joyful —“I made chocolate chip scones with my mom the other day and it went really well.” And in one particularly figurative passage, Aina Matsumoto ’24 shows us how to appreciate the mind-bending task of slowing down to focus on threading a needle.

“Yesterday, my sister and I Facetimed my grandma to learn how to sew. I didn’t enjoy it so much at the beginning because I got frustrated when the thread didn’t go through the needle.

As I did more, I really enjoyed it and I got to talk to my grandma too. My grandma also enjoyed it because she got to talk with us and also learn how to Facetime. I realized that I’ve been discovering new things during the quarantine and I don’t feel stressed or tired of the time I’m spending at home. Many of the activities that I didn’t like very much before are now one of my hobbies. I’m still trying to discover new things that could possibly become my hobby and I am in the learning zone.”

/////////////////////////////////////// /////////////////////////////////////// Almost in protest of all the fancy learning technology, the simple act of writing emerged as a steady friend to help process emotions. The eighth grade humanities students kept daily diaries and then chose one entry to share with classmates at the end of every week. In the early days of April, the writing was honest and frustrated:

Although every student felt the grief of ending the year without final goodbyes and thank-yous—without the hug of a classroom teacher, a coach, bus monitor, a counselor— perhaps none felt it as deeply as the 2020 graduates. As May drew near, a special website with the specific purpose of

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Social studies teacher Bapi Ghosh ’90 filmed his speech for the online graduation ceremony on campus. Many events that are usually held in the spring were canceled or switched to a virtual format to accommodate social distancing. honoring the 2020 graduates launched. The senior tradition of creating ema boards continued virtually. Photos from senior year events nudged nostalgic hearts. And Facebook profile pic frames helped ASIJ fans around the world show support for the senior class.

Sakiko Miyazaki ’20, an aspiring astrobiologist since she first looked through a telescope, chose a quote from a personal hero for her virtual ema board—Katherine Goble Johnson, the NASA scientist whose story was told in the 2016 film Hidden Figures. “Like what you do, and then you will do your best.” Johnson passed away in late February this year, the same week ASIJ’s world changed.

With the end of the school year approaching, thoughts also turned to what would happen after the summer break.

Following weeks of work, ASIJ's Roadmap for Reopening was shared with the community, laying out five guiding principles that would inform the School's decisions: to act with fidelity to ASIJ’s Commitment, Mission, and Core Values; to privilege face-to-face learning over remote learning whenever it is safe to do so; to prioritize health, safety, and wellbeing over other principles; to ensure hygiene and health-related policies are research-based, clearly communicated, effectively implemented, and diligently enforced; and to promote practices and policies which reduce risk of virus transmission and support our capacity to be responsive and agile when facing changing health circumstances. When the Association for the Advancement of International Education (AAIE) asked Jim Hardin for permission to share the document with its

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9,000 members as part of their COVID-19 Briefing, he proudly wrote, “Our Roadmap is the work of dozens of people, none of whom asked for credit, recognition, or praise. We've also benefited immensely from the experiences of other schools that have so generously shared their work in these tumultuous times.” Continuing in the spirit of shared knowledge, Hardin added, “Over the next few months we'll continue to follow the science, assess lessons learned by schools worldwide, and refine our protocols and learning models.”

As preparations for graduations continued, nearly every senior came out to the closed Chofu campus for a short visit on a designated day in mid-May for a chance to pick up their cap and gown and take photos, naturally with masks on, under the iron gate or in front of a wall of classmates’ faces. The graduation ceremony itself was a stay-at-home live Google event featuring student graduation speaker Solomon Kim ’20 who is headed off to Emory University. His was the very difficult task of speaking words that might transform distanced companionships into strong, resilient bonds. Solomon joins the group of resilient Mustang graduates who had to make ceremony from calamity as we remember the graduates of 1918 after WWI, 1923 after the Great Kanto Earthquake, 1945 after WWII, 2011 after the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Dressed sharply for the occasion, Solomon told his classmates, “Our community is not defined solely by a special program, team-building event, or morning assembly—we are more than that. It is defined by genuine human connection—the willingness to support others when they need it and the vulnerability to ask for support when we need it.”

Musubi Project

Max Murakami-Moses ’22 and Ryosuke Suzuki started the Musubi Project to help the local community (Kayo Yamawaki/ Tokyo American Club INTOUCH magazine)

We take a look at ASIJ’s COVID-19 response and the creation of the Musubi Project “I’ve seen many communities uniting around the world to fight COVID-19, whether through donating food to local shelters which house those most impacted by the pandemic, creating grocery delivery services for the elderly, or simply encouraging healthcare workers by cheering them on every night out their windows. It’s become clear to me that uniting as a community and watching out for each other is the best way to overcome the pandemic,” says Max Murakami-Moses ’22. From this initial desire to reach out to help those most severely impacted by COVID-19, the Musubi Project—Food, Family, Friendship was created.

“ASIJ is determined to use the pandemic as an opportunity to learn, evolve, and align ourselves with fidelity to our mission, core values, and vision,” says Jim Hardin, Head of School.

With that in mind ASIJ created a COVID-19 Response Fund to support initiatives such as the Musubi Project that help

the wider community, address emerging financial needs in our own school community and impact ASIJ’s sustainability as we respond to the pandemic.

The first initiative funded through this approach is the Musubi Project. The word 結び means “to tie,” or “to connect” in English and the same word written with a different kanji can mean “rice ball.” The goal of the project is to deliver meals to families in crisis, thereby connecting with our local communities and establishing on-going relationships and partnerships. The project began on April 25th with a delivery of 55 meals, 20 5kg bags of rice and 10 coloring books to a local facility that supports families and children in crisis. NHK’s morning new show Ohayo Nippon followed the launch of the project, reporting on how the school is connecting with the surrounding community in this time of need.

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In the initial stage of the project the meals are being produced by a neighborhood restaurant that has struggled since the government’s declaration of a state of emergency, with the long term goal being to have ASIJ's cafeteria help provide food in the future. The project is also supported by a local family-owned rice shop that has been in Fuchu since 1923. Thanks to this rice shop, the Musubi Project has also been able to donate freshly processed rice to local families in need. Alumnus Dean Aizawa ’12 helped things get started with a special design he created for the rice bags.

“We hope to support 20-40 families through the Musubi Project, including providing additional supplies the children may need,” says Ryosuke Suzuki, ASIJ's Director of Strategic Partnerships. "Another facility has also contacted me, and they are very interested in receiving meals and rice and so we hope to expand the project there as well."

“The families and children have been so grateful for the meals and supplies the Musubi Project has been providing,” Suzuki reports. “While we continue to provide meals and needed supplies to people in the local community, the Musubi Project has also made a commitment to donate needed supplies to Second Harvest Japan. ASIJ and Second Harvest Japan have a long relationship, and we are happy to support them through the Musubi Project.”

An often overlooked fact that the project aims to highlight is that there is a significant poverty rate among children in Japan. According to the Nikkei Asian Review, this means that today, one in seven children in Japan lives in relative poverty, with that increasing to one in two for single-parent households. “The families and children we are supporting through the Musubi Project were living under tough and challenging circumstances even before the COVID-19 pandemic,” notes Suzuki.

“The Musubi Project fits perfectly with what I strive to achieve as the Director of Strategic Partnerships,” says Suzuki. “One of the key responsibilities for this role is to identify and develop strategic partnerships for the school that result in transformational experiences for our students.

ASIJ is committed to developing lasting partnerships and relationships with the local community based on respect and trust.” Projects like this allow ASIJ to be an active member of the local community and some local partners have already approached Suzuki to ask how they can work with the School. “I’m excited to see how these partnerships will lead to various curriculum-related programs in different divisions in the future,” he says.

At the time of publication 2024 meals had been provided as part of the program in addition to many other types of support. The Musubi Project is supported by donations to the Annual Fund: ASIJ COVID-19 Response. For more information, please see page 31.

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Dean Aizawa ’12 illustrated the design on the rice bags Students Lila Daver-Massion ’23, Alina Otsuji ’23, Ryan Haddad ’23 and Shin Okuno ’23 were some of the students that helped make lunches for the project

FUNDRAISING UPDATE

19–20 Dear ASIJ Community:

As this reaches you, we hope you and your family are healthy and safe. As the new reality of the world settles in, we missed the traditions of school in the springtime, but are grateful for the connections and community that is ASIJ. Your encouraging words and fond memories of our school always remind us of its importance in your lives. In today’s world, we want to build on those connections, to grow your awareness of the school and cherish the memories of your time here.

Back in September, we spoke of measuring the Annual Fund’s success by an increased level of participation this year. While our monetary goal of ¥78 million yen is important, we placed a premium on increasing the number of donors from our worldwide ASIJ community. Many of you have answered our call to donate and we THANK YOU! Our goal of 600 donors is within reach, but we need 42 more to reach our goal. Donations of any size are equally important since each gift is evidence of your connection and participation in the school we share.

Giving to ASIJ this spring also means helping address the impact of COVID-19. The newly established ASIJ COVID-19 Response Fund is part of the Annual Fund and is designed to address the unique needs brought on by the pandemic. It will serve to offer scholarships for ASIJ families in need, address costs to safely reopen our campus, and fund new efforts with local governments to assist Japanese families in crisis, provide Tokyo hospitals with medical PPE and help the local Japanese community as needs arise.

A gift is an expression of your connection to ASIJ, your desire for today’s students to have an impactful experience, and your hope that ASIJ will remain financially strong long into the future. Won’t you please join us in making a gift today?

Warmest regards,

Mary Margaret Mallat Interim Director of Advancement

Claire Lonergan Assistant Director of Development and Alumni Relations

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ANNUAL FUND UPDATE Results Summary ¥78M

Our Goal

¥66M

We appreciate being in touch with so many of you this year. Thanks to your engagement with the school and deep We’veto ASIJ, we have raised over a half million US commitment dollars (¥57 million) to benefit our school. Participation is Raised 25% ahead of where we were this time last year and we look forward to additional support from those who still plan to donate before June 30, 2020, to get us closer to this year’s goal of ¥78 million. If you prefer to donate after June 30, your gifts will begin our 2020-21 Annual Fund year.

¥57M

*Please note that current year numbers are as of May 28, 2020. Previous year numbers are the end of year total.

Participation

Fund Year 19/20

Fund Year 18/19

Our Goal

558

Fund Year 18/19

505

2019

214

Alum

229

175

154 135

Alum Parents Faculty and Staff

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121 86

Fund Year 19/20

90

163

Fund Year 18/19

Current

Faculty/Staff 558

Fund Year 19/20

218

505

175

Parents

154 135

Alum Parents Faculty and Staff

121 86

163

2019

Our Goal 2018

600

ASIJ’s faculty and staff are key to reaching our participation goal in this year’s Annual Fund. We asked for their support and they astonished us with their response! Not only did Fund Year they donate in greater numbers, up 81% on last year, but 18/19 total funds donated also increased from this group. Faculty and staff donations clearly demonstrate support for the direction the school is going. When asked why they donate to ASIJ, they said they were “invested in the school’s future” and “believe in the program.” They declare that ASIJ’s is a “great place for students and teachers,” and they believe funds are “used wisely” to “support teaching 214 and learning.”

Alum they say “we are in this together.” We hope their Ultimately, 229 vote of confidence will encourage you to donate as well.

By Constituency

By Constituency Parents

600

¥66M

Total Ra We’ve Total Raised ¥57M Raised 2019 2019 ¥10,084,296 2018 2018 ¥6,114,361 Total Gi Total Gifts

Our Goal 2018 Current

Fund Year 19/20

¥78M

As a parent to two alumni and a current member of our community as part of the Japan Center, I donate because I believe in ASIJ’s missions and commitments to shaping the future global leaders of our world. I believe that with our resources, our ASIJ students have access to everything that Japan has to offer and they can go on to build a better world and I would love to be a part of that in any way that I can.

—Kyoko Takano

Japan Center Co-Director

As Amy and I have been a part of the ASIJ community for many years, we are happy to give as we believe in the product that ASIJ helps to produce; global, considerate and hard working people that can make the world a better place.

—Amy & Pete Vriend Current Faculty

THE AMBASSADOR \\ SPRING 2020

29

Our Goal

¥78M

We’ve Raised

¥57M

¥66M

2019

Your outpouring of support on Giving Tuesday this year helped us raise over ¥10 million in just one day! We more than doubled our participation receiving 218 gifts—up from 90 donations last year on Giving Tuesday—with 129 of those coming from current faculty and staff. We are so grateful for the overwhelming community support.

Fund Year

Fund Year

Mark your calendars for 19/20 Giving Tuesday 2020,18/19 which is the Tuesday following American Thanksgiving—Tuesday, Dec 1.

Current Fund Year 19/20 Fund Year 18/19

2018

558

600

505

—Junpei & Mai Kawakami 214

Alum

229

175

Parents

154 135

Alum Parents Faculty and Staff

THE AMERICAN SCHOOL IN JAPAN

121 86

163

218

2019

Our daughter is going through an amazing experience at ASIJ and we are happy to continue supporting the effort to make ASIJ an even better place.

By Constituency

¥10,084,296 ¥6,114,361

Total Gifts

Our Goal 2018

Current Parents, 1902 Society Donors

30

Total Raised

90

Annual Fund: ASIJ COVID-19 Response ASIJ’s COVID-19 Response will seek to raise additional donations to address the economic impact of this pandemic on our school and local communities. We know these are difficult times for everyone and we are sensitive to the uncertainties we all feel. However, some of our families will face serious challenges to pay tuition next year and our school will also face an array of expenses to safely reopen and maintain our program. Additionally, our students have expressed concerns about those in communities surrounding ASIJ. Donations will address COVID-19 related needs such as • Tuition assistance for returning students facing unexpected hardships • Ensuring the safety and health at school with essential improvements • Guide and support student-initiated projects including • Manufacturing and procurement of PPE for Tokyo area hospitals • Securing prepared meals and food donations for families in crisis • Sourcing and delivering essential supplies to local food banks ASIJ’s Office of Strategic Partnerships is working closely with local agencies to build bridges in the community enabling ASIJ students to fulfill ASIJ’s strategic framework of making a difference. ASIJ’s PTA is supporting school efforts to extend our outreach into the community and contributing to our COVID-19 Response Fund.

Those who are able to contribute to our ASIJ COVID-19 Response will help impact ASIJ’s sustainability, support families at school who may have financial challenges and those in our local community in need.

I have been thinking about what the ASIJ community can do to help people affected by the coronavirus crisis. Believe it or not, Japan has one of the highest poverty rates of children among the developed economies. As hard as it is for the ASIJ community to deal with the campus closure, it is perhaps even harder for others who live in the same area/community. I thought this may be a good way to show our support to those who are severely affected by this crisis.

—Yumiko Murakami-Moses Board of Directors

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Advanced Biological Research at ASIJ Help Us Go Further

We believe that the cutting edge biological research students conduct in our signature science program is unique in Japan.

Students are involved in ongoing collaborations with Tokyo Tech University and Duke University and collaboration with Stanford University.

Our aim is to develop students’ skills through the discipline of fundamental science research as well as applied science opportunities that include working on projects focused on diagnostics, therapeutics, energy and environmental degradation. Such opportunities require an investment in advanced science equipment to allow our students to work on advanced projects in genetics and synthetic biology to solve real-world problems.

Students are taught the process of online bibliographic research and are able to access various scientific databases. They then will work in the lab on authentic research from finding a gap in the research, development of a hypothesis, experimental design, data collection, analysis and presentation of results.

ASIJ is committed to acquiring this equipment to serve students in the following courses: • Synthetic Biology (~15–20 students a year) • AP Biology (~55 students a year) • iGEM (since 2016 this group has served 87 students) • Organic Chemistry (~15–20 students yearly)

I can currently only test one sample at a time. The new microplate reader will allow us to test 96 samples at once, and track enzyme activity over time.

— Misaki ’20

• Biosystems (~130 students)

Synthetic Biology Student

Essential Advanced Science Equipment Microplate Reader and Full-Service Contract (1 year):

¥5,987,360

Inverted Microscope:

¥7,561,950

Additional Supplies for Stanford Collaboration: Carbon Dioxide and Room Anchoring:

¥44,605

Stanford Professional Development for Teachers:

¥1,500,000

Training for various ASIJ Faculty with Dr. Kim at Stanford:

¥1,500,000

Grand Total:

32

¥365,000

THE AMERICAN SCHOOL IN JAPAN

¥16,958,915

Stanford Collaboration Principal Investigator: Dr Seung Kim MD, PhD Professor Of Developmental Biology and, by Courtesy, of Medicine (Endocrinology), Stanford University This program is essentially an advanced genetics course using drosophila (fruit flies). We have proposed integrating this into the grade 12 synthetic biology class initially, and then expanding to grade 11 if the program is successful.

ASIJ offers students transformational experiences, allowing them to make a difference, follow their passions and engage in high-level research. Won’t you help us go further with your donation to our Annual Fund?

ALUMNI

Reunions

2020 New York City, New York

ALUMNI RECEPTION THE AMBASSADOR THE AMBASSADOR \\ SPRING/SUMMER \\ SPRING 2020

33

ALUMNI

2020

Reunions

Alumni Reception New York City, New York January 31, 2020

Once a year, ASIJ hosts a community reception in the United States, for our alumni, alumni parents, former faculty and friends. This special event is hosted for former classmates and peers to reminisce about their time in Tokyo, but also an opportunity for our community to make new connections with those living in their same area.

This year, the annual affair was held on Friday, January 31 in New York City. Close to 200 community members gathered at The Manhattan Penthouse overlooking Union Square, with sweeping views of the city, to celebrate their shared ASIJ connections. Mary Margaret Mallat, Interim Director of Advancement, and Claire Lonergan, Assistant Director of Development and Alumni Relations were in attendance from Tokyo, and they both enjoyed meeting new members of the ASIJ community and re-connecting with those who they have previously met.

Alumni from across the generations attended the reception — from the Class of ’55 to recent graduates from the Class of ’19 — with a very large cohort coming from the graduating classes within the past 5 years. Beloved former faculty Thurman Dennis (FF ’62–’93), Irene Gilman (FF ’94–’99), Sandy Jacobsson (FF ’72–’77, ’81–’87, ’95–’96) and Bill Jacobsson (FF ’75–’08), Barbara Carr (FF ’05–’10) and former head of school Tim Carr (FF ’03–’10) were also in attendance.

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THE AMERICAN SCHOOL IN JAPAN

Rebecca McVeigh and Rod McVeigh ’70, Maya Krueger ’83 and Jack Neitzel ’77

Tim Carr (FF ’03–’10), Jon Winslow ’83, Bill Jacobsson (FF ’75–’08), Barbara Carr (FF ’05–’10) and Sandy Jacobsson (FF ’72–’77, ’81–’87, ’95–’96)

Reunions

ALUMNI

Scott Trickey ’89, John Pette ’94, Jeff Slutzky ’91, Kari Kohl ’87, Yuki Yokoyama’91 and Dina Rabiner ’87

Thurman Dennis (FF ’62–’93), Frank Guillot ’65 and Ann Guillot

Casey McLeod, Marisa Bohm ’15 and Tamara Fou ’14

Rito Tanaka ’19 with guest

Rachel Rakocy ’12, Mika Yoshii’12, Sofia Estay ’12

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35

ALUMNI

Reunions

We were fortunate to have Yumi Matsuo ’07 as our photographer for the evening. Yumi was recently featured in The Japan Times for her work as a cross-cultural lifestyle and wedding photographer in New York City. We only had to step in to assist when it was time for her class's photo to be taken so she could join in!

The evening was filled with lots of laughter, and lovely music playing in the background from the grand piano.

Guests enjoyed light appetizers as well as a full sushi buffet.

The event also featured a special ASIJ customized daruma, which was later given away as part of a lucky draw to attendee Micheal Towers ’67.

As the evening came to a close, many groups began planning their own nijikai (after parties), as it was evident the celebrations were not ready to come to an end.

Be on the lookout for information on our next community gathering, which will take place in Tokyo in fall 2020!

Albert Huber ’05, Yuriko Macarios (AP ’08–’19) and Henry Macarios (AP ’08–’19), Allen Yang and Max Taffel ’04

Dino Ewing ’83 and Akiko Hasebe ’85

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THE AMERICAN SCHOOL IN JAPAN

Katharine Dow and John Pette ’94

Takuya Matsumoto ’09, Jon Staff, Michael Thornton ’06, Andrew Carr ’09 and Alex Guo ’09

ALUMNI

Maureen Murchie ’96 and Katie Steele ’96

Reunions

Susan Yamaguchi ’73, John Greer ’73, Victoria Harnik ’73 and Pamela Channell ’73

Tom Cavanaugh ’80, Keith Barraclough ’81, Will Walsh ’80, Mary Harada ’81 and Nat Larson ’80

Yumi Matsuo ’07, Emiko Yoshii ’09 and Julie Siegel ’08

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37

ALUMNI

2020

Reunions

Hawaii Reception Honolulu, Hawaii February 19, 2020

Christina Oishi-Chun ’78, Linda Suzukawa-Tseng ’72, Rita Benson ’78 and Korey Halsch ’78 On Wednesday, February 19, ASIJ hosted a reception in Honolulu, Hawaii—something we hadn’t done in over a decade. Alumni parents, John Moorefield (AP ’14–’19) and Tiffany Farrell (AP ’14–’19) graciously opened their beautiful home on Portlock Road for the evening. Tiffany and John relocated to Hawaii after spending several years in Tokyo, and they were thrilled to have the opportunity to connect with so many members of the ASIJ community in their area.

Tiffany, a former ASIJ trustee and member of the Board of Directors, had as guests Paul Yonamine (AP ’06–’15) also a former trustee and director, and Linda Suzukawa-Tseng ’72 (AP ’96–’11), a current trustee and former statutory auditor for many years.

Over 40 guests attended the get-together with alumni spanning the decades from James Ballou ’67 to the host’s son Makana Moorefield ’26. Several alumni parents, former faculty and friends also attended the event on what turned out to be a windy evening and swapped memories about their time at ASIJ. Former faculty Taryn Loveman (FF ’02–’17), who is now at Punahou School, and Lynn Loveman (FF ’06–’16), who works at Waikiki School were also in attendance as well as Matt Wilce, ASIJ’s Director of Communications, from Tokyo.

Guests enjoyed a delicious buffet of local treats from Flyin’ Ahi and traded stories of their time at school that included tales of modeling work, hijinks, trips and favorite teachers.

Mahalo to all that attended.

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THE AMERICAN SCHOOL IN JAPAN

Deborah Kam-Belhaj ’79, Toshiko Tsukahara ’79

ALUMNI

Reunions

Jonn Reagan ’76, Jason Cook ’07, Tyler Cook ’11 and James Ballou ’67

Paul Yonamine (AP ’06–’15) and John Moorefield (AP ’14–’19)

Matt Wilce (Director of Communications), Lynn Loveman (FF ’06–’16) and her husband Taryn Loveman (FF ’02–’17)

Maria Kawata Price ’05 and her husband Mike Price with Tiffany Farrell (AP ’14–’19)

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39

ALUMNI

Class Agents

Classes pre-1955 and those noted below need class agents. Please contact alumni@asij.ac.jp if you are interested.

1955 William L. Cryderman

wcryderman@comcast.net

1956

Mei Sun Li meisunli@comcast.net Sandra L. Maclver Thompson sandra.thompson3@comcast.net

1957 Charles C. Wu

wucc57@gmail.com

1958 Class Agent Required 1959 Class Agent Required 1960 David E. Bergt

dbergt@comcast.net

1961 Stu Bennett

stu.bennettCEO@ SanFranciscoSeamaster.com

1962 Katherine C. Bauernschmidt Clarke kcbclarke@gmail.com

1963 William L. Martino

txmartino@yahoo.com Nancy Wu naninvan@me.com

1964 David Bonner

dbonner@regenevita.com

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THE AMERICAN SCHOOL IN JAPAN

1965 Scott Hutchinson

jshutch47@gmail.com Susan Broe Parmelee Sparmelee2@gmail.com

1966 Annie Nichols Campbell

campbell.annie@gmail.com

1967 Grenda F. Penhollow Moss grendamoss@yahoo.com

1968 Nicholas D. Connor

ndconnor@yahoo.com David T. Sakamoto dave.sakamoto@infoontheweb. com

1969 Laura B. Hertenstein Swanson laura@swanson.com

1970 Daniel Garnitz

dangar46@yahoo.com

1971 Kathy K. Kobata

kkobata21@gmail.com

1972 Linda Suzukawa-Tseng

sutseng@wonder.ocn.ne.jp

1973 Class Agent Required 1974 Class Agent Required

1975 Reiko E. Niimi

rniimi@gmail.com

1976 Elizabeth M. Yanagihara Horwitz liz@lizhorwitz.com

1977 Carl E. Sundberg

carl_sundberg_ja@yahoo.com

1978 Deanna Adams Smith

deannasmith1959@gmail.com

1979 Cheryl Wise

shareallwise@gmail.com

1980 Class Agent Required 1981 Sherry L. Davis Tighe

tighezoo@sbcglobal.net

1982 Lisa Bastick

omalasq@mac.com

1983 George Mimura

georgemimura@yahoo.com

1984 Judith Walsh Baumhover

baumhover@earthlink.net

1985 Sandra L. Orton Tweed

sandra@prestonmatthews.com

ALUMNI

1986 Diane E. Stewart Wack diwack@msn.com

1987 Robert L. Sharp

robert@redgiant.com

1988 Sergei P. Hasegawa

sergei@purekitchen.com Kathrine L. Schmitt Simon schm0495@gold.tc.umn.edu

1989 Linnea M. Hasegawa

tamagomeshi@yahoo.com Samantha Fritz Hurd samf@austin.rr.com

1990 Kentaro K. Relnick krelnick@me.com

1991 Maiko Galles

Class Agents

1999 Naomi D. Hayase

naomidhayase@gmail.com Tamina M. Plum taminaplum@gmail.com

ktsakuma@yahoo.com McMahon T. Reid homereid@mit.edu

1994 Midori Kano

mkano128@gmail.com Margaret R. MacCallum margaretreiko@gmail.com

1995 Yuki P. Maddox Vos

pearlvos@hotmail.com

1996 Hisashi A. Shimizu

sunny_shimizu@hotmail.com

1997 Vicky (Carter) Chen

vickycarter@hotmail.com Sarah Godfrey sgodfrey617@gmail.com

1998 Rose E. Hastings

rosehastings@gmail.com

Philip T. Tseng philtseng7@gmail.com

2012 Seung Joon Sung

2001 Kyoko Minegishi

2013 Lia Camargo

gtyamada@gmail.com

kyoko.minegishi@gmail.com

2002 Anna L. Tuttle Delia

annalynnosu@gmail.com Mitsuhiko Tsukimoto moonbook@gmail.com

2003 Class Agent Required 2004 Jason Mothersill

jasonmothersill@gmail.com

2005 Tatsuya Izumi

izumtat@gmail.com

dbrandttennis@gmail.com

1993 Katherine S. Sakuma Moore

hannahtsiegel@gmail.com

2000 Gary T. Yamada

maikomizutani@hotmail.com

1992 Daniel Brandt

2011 Hannah T. Siegel

2006 Tai Dirkse

tdirkse@asij.ac.jp Mana Sasaki Kalohelani mkalohelani@gmail.com

2007 Carly Baird

baird.carly@gmail.com Rosalind E. Onions rosalind.onions@gmail.com

2008 Miles Bird

miles.t.bird@gmail.com Jemil Satterfield jemilsatt05@gmail.com

2009 Caitlin E. McHose

sjsung94@gmail.com

lollia1108@gmail.com Andrew Deck andrewdeck227@gmail.com

2014 Akira Camargo

akinicamargo0125@gmail.com Sayuri Sekimitsu sayuris@stanford.edu

2015 Mina F. Hattori

minahattori@me.com Haruka Higo jjriko@aol.com

2016 Jayne K. Harris

16jkharris@gmail.com Ray M. Hotta ray.hotta@yahoo.com

2017 Allessandra Rogers

rogeal01@luther.edu Andy Takagi andy.takagi@gmail.com

2018 Hikari Shumsky

hikarishumsky@gmail.com

2019 Kenichiro Bernier

b.kenichiro@gmail.com

2020 Arman Balian

caitlin.mchose@gmail.com

armanbalian@me.com

Ashley Teslik ashleyteslik@gmail.com

Celine Maeda-Tarumoto celinemaedatarumoto@gmail.com

2010 Janet H. Kanzawa

janet.kanzawa@gmail.com Kana Maeji kanamaeji12@gmail.com

Kacie E. Rosenberg Leviton kacie_r@hotmail.com

THE AMBASSADOR \\ SPRING/SUMMER 2020

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Stay Connected

It’s all about connections... ... that’s why our new alumni portal is designed to make it easier than ever for you to stay in touch with us and your fellow ASIJers around the globe. Mustangs Online is a dynamic site for alums, alumni parents and former faculty packed with news, information about upcoming events and reunions, photo galleries, internship and job opportunities, and directory. It will also host digital copies of yearbooks going back to 1919, past issues of The Ambassador magazine and a selection of Hanabi articles and content from the archive.

To make the most of this service, we’ll need your email so we can send you information about the launch and help you get started. If we don’t already have your up-to-date email, please take a moment to drop us a line at alumni@asij.ac.jp.

Our Alumni Services Alumni Directory Alumni Events Internships & Jobs Ambassador Magazine Monthly Newsletter Regional Receptions Class Reunions Photo Galleries Yearbook Archive Alumni Portal Transcript Services

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THE AMERICAN SCHOOL IN JAPAN

Don’t miss out! Contact us: alumni@asij.ac.jp https://asij.ac.jp/alumni (+81) 0422-34-5300 ext 703

Follow us on social media: asij_official

asijtokyo

asij

asij

Artifacts

This silver pin marks a brief moment in time when ASIJ was known as Tokyo American School. Following WWII, the school reopened in 1946 under military jurisdiction with Major Herbert Ingraham supervising its operations. During the Occupation period, the school remained known as TAS until 1952. Although novelty silver items such as this pin were manufactured from the Taisho Period, they experienced a boom post-War as military personnel and civilians snapped up the relatively cheap but well-made silver items as souvenirs. This example is the first of its kind that we have seen and was recently purchased for ASIJâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s archive.

The pin measures only 1cm by 1cm.

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ALUMNI

The surviving members of the Monuments Men receive the Congressional Gold Medal in 2015. Motoko is in the center.

(Courtesy of U.S. House of Representatives)

Sayonara

MOTOKO FUJISHIRO HUTHWAITE (FF ’55–64) died on May 8, 2020 in Taylor, MI aged 92. She was one of 345 people from 14 countries—known as the Monuments Men and Monuments Women – who helped preserve cultural treasures and artworks during and after World War II. Robert M. Edsel, founder and chairman of the Monuments Men Foundation, reported the cause of Motoko’s death was due to complications from COVID-19.

Motoko was the last of the 27 Monuments Women.

Motoko Fujishiro Huthwaite was born on August 24, 1927, in Boston, MA to her Japanese immigrant parents.

Her father, Shinji Fujishiro, was a professor of dentistry at Harvard and her mother Yasuko Fujishiro, was a homemaker. After the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941, Motoko aged 14 at the time, her mother and brother; Katakazu, were relocated to Japan as part of an exchange of nationals while her father stayed behind to continue to teach and practice dentistry. The FBI later arrested him on suspicion of being an enemy alien and sent him to an alien detention center in Montana. After a year, he was deported from the United States and sent back to Japan. The family settled in Tokyo, surviving the American firebombing of the city but her father died shortly after the war ended.

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THE AMERICAN SCHOOL IN JAPAN

Obituaries

During the war, a small, special force of American and British art historians, museum directors, curators and others came together and began steering Allied bombers away from cultural targets in Europe and oversaw temporary repairs when any damage occurred to them. Their numbers grew, and after the war they tracked down more than four million objects stolen by Nazi Germany and returned them to the countries from which they originated. In the Pacific theater, their mission was chiefly to assess the damage to cultural treasures, prevent looting and return stolen objects. In the course of their work they came across many works of art that no one from the West had ever seen. This required a tremendous amount of inventorying and record keeping.

When the war was over, a family friend, Langdon Warner became an adviser to the Monuments Men in the Pacific and encouraged Motoko to apply for a job.

As an American who spoke both English and Japanese, and who was vouched for by Mr. Warner, she was hired as a clerk-typist and became a valuable asset. She prepared field reports and correspondence. She also worked directly for Lt. Commander George L. Stout, who helped create the Monuments Men.

ALUMNI

Obituaries JOYCE HOFFSOMMER POOLE ‘33,of Lansdale, PA, passed away peacefully on December 3, 2019 in Somerset, PA, aged 104. Born April 11, 1915 in Midland, PA. Joyce spent most of her childhood in Japan. She was a student at ASIJ through her middle school years and attended the school with her siblings Abigail ‘27 and Alfred ‘29 who both graduated from ASIJ and younger sister Kay ’39. In 1920, her father, Dr Walter Edward Hoffsommer was asked to serve as superintendent of The American School in Japan. Joyce's mother, Grace Hoffsommer also worked at the school as a secretary, managing student documents, as well as in the cafeteria.

In 2014, the group was immortalized in the movie, “The Monuments Men,” directed by and starring George Clooney. In 2015, Congress presented the Monuments Men and Women with the Congressional Gold Medal. Motoko was one of four out of the six surviving members to attend.

With her Monuments work over, Motoko went on to complete her childhood dream, and was accepted to Radcliffe College in Cambridge, Mass in 1948.

She graduated in 1952 with a major in English and returned to Japan, where her mother was still living. In 1955, she began teaching at ASIJ where she worked as a 4th grade teacher from 1955–63 and an English teacher from 1963–64.

She later moved with her mother to South Carolina, where her brother had also settled. In 1967 She earned her master’s degree in education from the University of South Carolina and her doctorate in elementary curriculum and instruction in 1974 at Wayne State University in Michigan. In 1971, She married William Ernest Cecil Huthwaite, a US Naval officer during World War II. They stayed in Michigan where Motoko continued to teach. She spent 30 years of her life as a teacher, teaching at elementary, highschool, college and grad school level.

She is preceded in death by her husband, William and survived by her brother and her five stepchildren.

The Hoffsommers were survivors of the devastating 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake. Their fate was not immediately known and worried relatives went as far as to enlist the help of a local Congressman to contact the State Department on their behalf. A cable from the American Ambassador in Tokyo to the Secretary of State confirmed Joyce and her family were alive. Later the family returned to the United States, where Joyce attended Edison Junior High School in Harrisburg, PA. She then attended the Allentown State Hospital School of Nursing and graduated in 1936. She stayed on at the hospital as a general duty nurse before signing up to serve as a registered nurse at the outbreak of war. Joyce also helped establish the Volunteer Medical Service Corps of Lansdale, PA. She was a longtime, dedicated member of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Lansdale, was an avid bridge player, and enjoyed painting in her free time.

She was preceded in death by her late husband Cyril E. Poole, her sister Abigail ‘27, brother Alfred ‘29 and sister Kay ’39. Joyce is survived by her five children.

HEIDI LANG BREWER ‘60, age 78, passed away on Monday morning, December 16, 2019, in her home in Wheaton, IL. Heidi was born in Kikuna, Japan to her German missionary parents, Rev. Ernst and Dorothea Lang. Heidi’s life was significantly influenced by the time she spent growing up in Japan as a young German girl. Heidi and her siblings attended ASIJ throughout high school and she graduated in 1960.

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ALUMNI She was very involved in the ASIJ community, participating as a co-captain on the girl’s basketball team and on the Homecoming Court. According to her family, Heidi was said to have enjoyed her years at the school greatly.

Upon graduation from ASIJ, Heidi travelled to the United States to continue her education at North Central College in Naperville, IL, graduating in 1964 with a Bachelor of Arts in education. It was at the school that she met her husband David Brewer and they were married in 1968.

Heidi made her career teaching in the Lisle Public school system from 1965–1974. It wasn’t until the late 1990s that Heidi returned to teaching as an aide in District 200 at Washington Elementary School and later at Longfellow Elementary School. She retired in 2012.

She is survived by her daughters, grandson and her siblings Ehrhardt, Martin and Theodor. She was preceded in death by her husband, David, and her siblings, Ernstfried and Dorothea.

DR WILLIAM HENRY “DUB” JACKSON (AP ’54–’69) born April 23 1924 passed away on January 19 2020 in Fort Worth, TX. He was born in the home of William Henry and Margaret Gilbreath Jackson. As one of three children growing up in a Missionary family during the depression, Dub developed a deep faith, a love for music and a passion for aviation. He attended Hardin Simmons University in Abilene, TX until his studies were interrupted by World War II. His work took him to Japan where he worked as a missionary before returning to Hardin Simmons University where he met wife Doris Shirley Jackson. He received degrees from Hardin Simmons University, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fortworth, TX, and an honorary doctorate from Hardin Simmons. William returned to Japan with his family where he established and ministered at several churches including Tokyo Baptist Church and Asahikawa Baptist Church, as well as the Hotel New Otani’s Garden Chapel.

Dub is survived by his children: Shirley ‘70, Lynda ‘71, David ‘72 and Juanita ‘73 as well as 25 grandchildren and 18 greatgrandchildren. He is preceded in death by his wife, Doris (AP ’54–’69) and son William ‘67.

AKIHIRO KAWANABE passed away suddenly on April 26, 2020. Along with his partners, Neil Warren and Karl Studnicka, Akihiro was part of the architectural team that oversaw the seismic retro-fit of the highschool, designed the cafeteria building and the ASIJ Theater.

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THE AMERICAN SCHOOL IN JAPAN

Obituaries In the 13 years since our theater was constructed, Akihiro has been a tremendous supporter of ASIJ's theater program attending virtually every HS Fall Play, MS Musical, and HS Musical. He genuinely enjoyed seeing students bring life to the facility he helped create.

MIRIAM MILLER (FF ’66–’68, ’69–’70) born in Butte City, CA, lived in Japan on several occasions with her husband, Richard. During her time in Japan, She worked at The American School in Japan between ’66–’68 and ’69–’70 as a school nurse. She also worked as a professor at ICU in Tokyo. She had a BS in Nursing from University of California and Public Health Nurse Certification from the University of California in Berkeley, CA. She is survived by her husband, Richard Miller and their two children.

LILY OKINA MORITA '91 passed away on January 24 2020. Born June 1, 1973 she attended ASIJ from 1988 until graduation. She is survived by her father Akimori Okina and her mother-in-law Mari Okina.

JAMES KEDWARD MURRAY ‘90, aged 48 passed away on March 2, 2020, in his apartment in New York, NY. Born on May 12, 1971 to parents Henry and Carol Murray, James attended ASIJ in 1986 with his younger brother Steven ’92 and graduated in 1990. After ASIJ, James returned to America to train at the United States Military Academy West Point, as a mechanical engineer. In 1992, James attended Purdue University, graduating in 1994 with a Bachelor's of Science and a minor in industrial management. After college, James spent the next several years working in finance and as a management consultant. He lived and worked all over the United States before settling in New York, where he worked as transaction banking controller at MUFG for five years. He is survived by his parents Henry and Carol Murray; brother Steven Murray ‘92 and sister-in-law Sarah.

ALUMNI

ARLENE HAZEL TAYLOR PARISOT (FF ’81–’82) passed away on November 23, 2019 in Boise, ID. She was born June 27, 1942 in Idaho Falls, ID, to Art and Hazel McClure Taylor.

Arlene met her husband, Neil at Idaho State University and they began a journey that spanned over thirty years—taking them around the world from the United States to Japan, Germany and Turkey. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in education and went on to complete her master’s degree from MSU-Northern and doctorate in education from Montana State University.

Her career took her to The American School in Japan, the US Department of Defense Dependent School at Hahn Air, West Germany as well as adjunct faculty for the Universities of Oklahoma and Maryland in their programs on military installations in Europe. Arelene taught extensively in Great Falls—holding many positions with MSU College of Technology. In 1999 Arlene moved to the Montana Commissioner of Higher Education where she worked as the director of workforce until retiring in 2008.

JACK SONNABAUM (FF ’87–’98) passed away on January 17, 2020 at Tara Home in Santa Cruz, CA, due to complications with cancer.

Jack graduated from San Diego State University in 1971 with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a minor in religious studies. He became interested in humanistic psychology and decided to pursue his master’s degree in human development at St Mary’s College.

Following his graduation from St Mary’s College in 1975, Jack worked as an instructor and technical editor before moving to Tokyo where he worked as the director of English language training. He worked at The American School in Japan for 11 years as the math resource centre supervisor and briefly as a high school math teacher from 1991–92. He was also an instructor of Tai Chi Chuan at Temple University.

Jack and his wife, Judith Anne Scurr Hunt (FF ’86–’95), were devoted followers of Tibetan Buddhism. Soon after returning to America from Japan they started attending Tse Chen Ling and used their home outreach center of San Francisco’s Buddist Temple. It was early July 2001 that Jack and Judith lost their home to a freak fire. Luckily the

Obituaries two went unharmed. Despite the tragedy, they used this experience as a lesson in life’s impertinence, one of the teachings of their faith.

Jack is survived by his wife, Judith.

ELAINE STEELE (FF ’55–’56) a retired English teacher, passed away in Berkeley, CA, on December 27 2019. Elaine loved books, ballet, theater and her house. She loved her children and grandchildren.

She was a world traveler but considered Berkeley “the hub of the universe.” Elaine lived through rheumatic fever and brain surgery. In her 20s, she spent two years in a sanitarium with tuberculosis.

She was born in Crosby, ND. to her father, Carl Jacobsen, a Danish immigrant, and mother, Grace Peabody. Elaine graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of North Dakota, ND, and attended graduate school at UCLA, CA before transferring to Berkeley CA, where she was a teaching assistant in English. Her love of travel also took Elaine to Tokyo, Japan where she taught at the American School in Japan. Returning to the US, she began working at Mills College before transitioning to Diablo Valley College in 1969 where she retired 24 years later in 1993.

She is survived by her four children, seven grandchildren and a great-grandchild.

LIA NICOLE VARTANIAN ‘89 attended ASIJ from 1984 to 1989.

She earned her BA from Stony Brook University in Long Island, NY in 1993 and completed her master’s degree in education from St. Thomas Aquinas College in Sparkill, NY in 2004.

Lia was passionate about many things, but closest to her heart was her over-20 year career as a 7th grade English teacher with the Clarkstown Central School District. She enjoyed traveling, listening to music, yoga, a good glass of wine and quality time with her friends and family. Lia also found joy in just being home with Remy and their two dogs, Twyla and BeeGee.

THE AMBASSADOR \\ SPRING/SUMMER 2020

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The Big Short Big questions, Short answers

Jake McCullough joined ASIJ's Middle School in 2018 from Seoul to teach design technology. He is joined in Tokyo by his wife Angie, who will be the Director of Admissions next year, and their two sons, while their college-aged daughter studies in the United States.

Where are you from?

I was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio (Go Reds!). It’s a great place to grow up and to raise a family.

What kind of student were you in school?

I excelled through elementary school and was a fine university student—the years in between, however, were a bit rocky. Let’s just say that thanks to some very caring and stubborn adults in my life, I made it through in one piece.

Why did you choose to go into education?

I’ve always loved to learn, and I suppose I thought teaching would allow me to continue pursuing my own learning while sharing that love with my students.

If you weren’t a teacher, what would you do?

Eight years ago, when I decided it was time to leave my teaching job in Cincinnati, I decided that if I could not find a great international teaching assignment, I would go to law school and become an attorney. I was in the midst of preparing for the LSAT when we were hired by Korea International School.

It’s a career that has always held some interest for me, but I’m very glad things worked out as they did!

What is your favorite thing about Japan?

Probably the climate. Fall is my favorite season, and here the fall seems to go on forever.

What is your favorite thing about ASIJ? The kids, of course! I’m also blown away by the knowledge, creativity and professionalism of my colleagues. I feel challenged and inspired by them every day; it’s definitely made me a better teacher.

What advice do you give your students?

Find connections between your learning and your interests. Rather than trying to please a teacher or find the “right” answers, I want my students to engage with their work in ways that they find meaningful.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

“Close your laptops and point your knees at me, please.”

Which talent would you most like to have?

I wish I could play an instrument, or at least carry a tune.

Who are your favorite writers?

I tend to read mostly realistic fiction, but I also really admire writers like Erik Larson and Laura Hillenbrand who can weave nonfiction material into a compelling narrative structure. Two fiction authors

I’ve really enjoyed over the past few years are Ian McEwan and Richard Russo. I love the way McEwan takes small events and misinterpretations and lets them unravel into the absurd. And Russo just makes me laugh out loud.

Which living person do you most admire?

Definitely my wife, Angie. The fact that she’s put up with me for the past twenty years practically makes her a saint! She has taught me that sacrifice and love aren’t about grand gestures; rather, they are about the hundreds of small decisions we make every day. And her decisions seem to always be focused on meeting the needs of others. On top of that, she has a sincere amazing smile for everyone she meets.

When and where were you happiest?

Some of my favorite memories are the times I’ve spent traveling with my family.

We spent two summers on RV trips around the western United States, and though we had some unpleasant adventures along the way, those trips made our family stronger and closer. In hindsight, I wouldn’t trade those experiences for anything.

Who are your heroes in real life?

I think I can answer this best with a quote: “Do you know who the real heroes are?

The guys who wake up every morning and go into their normal jobs, and get a distress call from the Commissioner and take off their glasses and change into capes and fly around fighting crime. Those are the real heroes.”

—D Schrute What is your most treasured possession?

To be honest, now that my family photos are all safely stored in the cloud, I can’t think of any single possession that I’d be heartbroken to lose. We have quite a few pieces of beautiful pottery that my daughter made for us when she was in high school. If the house was on fire and I could only grab one item, it would be a piece of her pottery.

Illustration by Matthew Worsley

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THE AMERICAN SCHOOL IN JAPAN

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