NIS Connections #25 (2020)

nisconnections N AG OYA I N T E R N AT I O N A L S C H O O L N E W S L E T T E R

名古屋国際学園季刊誌

J uly 2020

connections JULY 2020

3

4

FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

Ready for #NISonline!?

| Online Learning at NIS

10 The NIS Vision, Soon to be Unveiled!

16

Everyone Needs a Hero

20 Democracy Rules!

| 2020 Vision Project Nearly Complete!

| Nagoya Action Heroes Advocate for Inclusivity

| How a UOI Ends up in a Sleepover

24

Highlights from 2019-20

26

Congratulations Class of 2020

28

Parent Partners at NIS

30

Books Document work in ELC

Alumni Pages 32 • Notes from a Cluttered Desk |

Andy Vorland (‘82)

33 • DolphinNet 34 • Alumni Interview I : Holly Hunter ‘82 38 • Alumni Interview II : Yumiko Morishita ‘01 |

Interviewed by Paul Hoshizaki (‘80)

42 • Alumni Interview III : Masamune Nakagawa ‘09 44 • Alumni Interview IV: Bob Matsuoka

(Former Staff, 1985-89)

46 • Alumni Updates 47 • Farewells

“Connections” is published by Nagoya International School for alumni, parents, students, faculty and friends of NIS. Letters, photos or news items from alumni, former staff and alumni parents are always welcome!

Nagoya International School 2686 Minamihara, Nakashidami, Moriyama-ku, Nagoya JAPAN 463-0002

TEL 052-736-2025 FAX 052-736-3883

WEB www.nis.ac.jp EMAIL alumni @ nis.ac.jp / info @ nis.ac.jp FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/NISofficial TWITTER www.twitter.com/NagoyaIS INSTAGRAM www.instagram.com/Nagoya.is YOUTUBE www.youtube.com/NagoyaIS

E

OO

INT

RN

LS

M. PARR | Head of School A. CURRAN | Whole School Principal for Learning G. NAFTEL | Whole School Principal for Well-Being M. FARRELL | Associate Principal, Secondary H. JOHNSON | Associate Principal, Primary C. WALTER | Director of Business and Operations E. OLSON-KIKUCHI | Director of Admissions & Development A. VORLAND ‘82 | Alumni Relations Coordinator

AT I O N A L S C H

Inquire Inspire Impact NIS MISSION STATEMENT: We inspire and empower our students to think creatively and critically, pursue lifelong learning, and contribute positively to the global community.

SCHOOL-WIDE OBJECTIVES:

2

Each student at NIS will...

• Articulate their dreams and creatively engage in activities toward achieving them; • Demonstrate the confidence and desire to continually question and expand their knowledge, skills and understanding; • Choose to consistently contribute to their communities.

学校長より Matthew Parr Head of School

A Window of Opportunity in a Time of Crisis Learning from the Virtual and Physical Spaces

ピンチはチャンス

Welcome to the Spring/Summer 2020 edition of Connections magazine; a spring - and a year - like no other in memory.

As the world continues to experience the life-changing events of COVID-19, here at NIS we have had our own journey through the crisis, which provided us all with an opportunity to reflect upon what is important to each of us, our communities and to advancing learning in these places we call ‘schools’.

These pages shine a light on the window of opportunity we found in online learning. While taking the NIS community into this completely virtual space was nothing we ever intended, there were some very real positives and benefits to learn from being outside of the physical boundaries of campus. The loosening of barriers and newly discovered personal space within

これまでにないほど深く記憶に刻まれるであろう春（そして１年）の 2020 春夏号「コネクションズ」をお届けします。 世界中が新型コロナウィルス感染症に翻弄され続ける中、ここ NISで 私たちはこの危機を乗り越えるため独自の軌跡を辿り、またそれは、私た ちひとりひとりにとって、コミュニティにとって、そして私たちが「学校」 と呼ぶ場所で学びを深めるために、何が大切であるかを顧みる機会と なりました。 今号では、オンライン授業の中で私たちが見出したチャンスに光を当 てています。NIS のコミュニティの皆様と、このような完全なオンライン 環境において交流することは全くもって予想外の事態でしたが、キャンパ スという物理的境界から離れることにより、いくつかの利点や恩恵も明

the online environment helped our students and teachers

らかとなりました。境界の緩和、そしてオンライン環境のうちに新たに見

engage with learning that was sometimes deeper, more authentic,

出したパーソナル・スペースは、私たちの生徒と教師が時により深く、よ

and possibly even more creative. This unique personalization

り真正で、より創造的な形で学習に取り組むうえでも役立ちました。こ

of the learning journey allowed for more equity among our

のようにより個人に特化した学習環境は、生徒の間により大きな公平性

students, and a deeper connection with our parents.

Paradoxically, this is also the summer in which we finish our new ‘East Building’ – a timely reminder of the crucial

をもたらし、保護者の皆様との繋がりを深めることになりました。 逆説的ですが、この夏は私たちの新しい「イースト・ビル」の完成の時

importance of the physical space we call school. This exciting

です。折良くこの「イースト・ビル」は、私たちが学校と呼ぶ物理的空間が

new building, and the potential it releases for our students, is

極めて重要であることを思い起こさせてくれます。この心ときめく新校舎

the ultimate symbol of why the physical place of school is

と、それによって広がる生徒の可能性、これらは学校の物理的空間が何

actually so very important. How ironic it is, that in this same year

故それほど重要なのかを究極的に象徴しています。オンライン環境での授

our school has had such a juxtaposition, celebrating not only our online learning environment, but the physical one as well.

I think this year we have learned that the ultimate truth is that no matter how good the online experience can be, there

業の成功を称えるだけでなく、物理的環境の完成も祝う、この二つが同じ 年に実現するとはなんと皮肉な巡り合わせでしょう。 私たちは今年、オンラインでの経験がどれほど素晴らしくとも、総体

can be no replacement for the human connections that are

的な学習の礎となる人と人との繋がりに代わるものはないという究極の

fundamental to holistic learning. Yet we have also learned of

真理を学びました。しかし同時に、生徒が学び、世界と繋がるうえで、

the immense creative and empowering potential of technology

テクノロジーがその創造性と可能性を引き出す計り知れない力も知りま

to connect children to their learning and to their word. This deeper understanding will have a long-lasting impact on the way we ‘do school’ in the future.

The years ahead will surely be defined by uncertainty

した。これは、今後私たちが「学校を運営する」方針において永らく大 きな影響を与えることになるでしょう。 世界が新しい生活様式の中でのバランスを探る今後数年間は、不確実

as the world finds balance in new ways of doing things. Here

な時代というほかありません。ここNISでは、コミュニティの皆様のご支

at NIS we are now, thanks to the support of our community,

援のおかげで、時代がもたらす試練への備えがこれまで以上に整ってい

better positioned than ever to respond to the challenges of our

ます ー コンピュータの画面越しであろうと、対面であろうと、NISの次の

times – whether through our computer screens or face-to-face – to deliver our mission for the next generation of NIS students.

Inquire, Inspire and Impact – online or on site; it is the connection of learners to each other and to their world that defines what effective learning really can and should be.

世代に私たちの使命を実現するために。 Inquire、Inspire、そして Impact。オンラインでも、キャンパスでも、 真に意義のある学習とは何か、またどうあるべきかを決めるのは、学習 者同士の、そして世界との繋がりなのです。

NIS connections

3

Ready for

#NISOnline!?

4

Inquiring, Inspiring and Impacting Online (of course!)

NIS のオンライン授業 As the COVID-19 situation started to unfold around the world, NIS, armed with international and local information and connections, began anticipating what inevitably became the global phenomenon of ‘learning from home.’ With software tools already in place, the school had a good head start in pivoting

emotional and physical health and safety of NIS learners.

Suddenly, NIS parents became a much larger part of the learning experience, from helping to set up spaces (not an easy task when there were several students in the house!) and the tech tools needed, to coaching, tutoring, and even cooking a

quickly to ‘NIS Online.’

Preparation happened over the first three days in March.

Teachers sharpened their skills in tech training, and teams worked to transition the curriculum to an online platform smoothly. It was a new challenge, but rewarding knowing that the students would still have the opportunity to learn and connect with their teachers and classmates in a new way over the next few weeks.

Launch day was March 5, and everyone was nervously excited.

When teachers logged on to see their students’ faces, there was a visible sigh of relief that they were ‘back together,’ even if only through a computer screen. The Yomiuri newspaper was there to capture the moment in some poignant photos that eventually made their way to CNN, ABC News (in the U.S.), and even the scientific journal, Science.

Over the next few weeks, teachers and students eased into this new way of doing school. Teachers worked to deliver the curriculum which our students deserved, knowing that this would need an entirely new approach that was mindful of not only the increased limitations - but also exceptional collaborative and connective opportunities - of the online learning environment.

On top of that, staff also knew that being separated from their

lot more! Parents were inquiring and inspiring along with their students and, along the way, had a significant impact on the success of NIS Online. Through doing this, the relationships between staff and parents became stronger and deeper than ever before. Teachers gained a whole new appreciation for the ways in which families supported one another in learning, while parents gained a much deeper understanding of the NIS approach to teaching and learning and the thought and planning process of our staff.

As days turned into weeks (and then months!), teachers and students became more comfortable with their new routine, and creativity began to flow. And as school began to wind up for the summer we could reflect on what we had learned.

Not only did we have a deeper value of the physical space of school and of the importance of human connectivity and physical interaction within the learning process, we also had a much clearer appreciation of the transformative power of technology as a tool for learning. Whether it be the ability for students to connect to experts globally via a googlemeet or the democratization of the classroom we have seen through collaborative virtual engagements, the potential of technology

students would mean that we would need to care for student well-being in different ways. The corridor conversations and check-ins, the availability of the counselor’s office, the ‘hey how’s it going’ of the lunchroom chatter - all of this would be gone.

Staff worked to develop virtual and online systems to care for the

to create equity of access for students and to bring the world into the classroom and the classroom into the world will not be forgotten. This experience has made us stronger and wiser, and when COVID-19 is behind us, what we have learned will have enriched our entire learning program.

NIS connections

5

#NISOnline

新型コロナウィルス感染症が世界中に蔓延し始める中、NISでは国内外の

突如として NISの保護者は子どもたちの学習に大きな役割を占めることと

情報網を頼りに、自宅学習を余儀無くされる事態を想定しつつ準備を進めて

なりました。学習スペースやデバイスの確保（子どもが多いとなかなか大変

いました。幸いなことに既にソフト面での環境はほぼ整っていたこともあり、

です） 、学習の指導やサポートに加え、食事の準備まで！ 保護者も子どもた

「NIS オンライン授業」への移行は速やかに行われました。

業の成功に非常に大きく Impact（貢献）しました。この経験を通し、スタッフ

でカリキュラムをオンラインに移行する作業に取り組みました。決して容易で

と保護者の関係性もより強く深いものになりました。家庭内で家族が支え合

はない初めての試みでしたが、生徒たちに新たな形でその後２、３週間の学

いながら学習する様子に教師が感謝の念を新たにした一方で、保護者もNIS

習機会が確保されること、そして、教師やクラスメイトとの繋がりが維持で

の教育や学びへのアプローチ、教師がどのような狙いでどう授業を計画して

きることが励みになりました。

いるかなどへの理解を深めました。

3 月 5 日、誰もが緊張と期待の入り混じった気持ちでオンライン授業初日

教師も生徒も日を追うごとに新しいルーティーンに馴染み、創造的になっ

を迎えました。ログイン後、スクリーン越しとはいえ生徒たちと「再会」した

ていきました。学年度が終わり、夏休みを迎えるにあたり、この経験から学

瞬間、皆どれほど安堵したことでしょう。取材に訪れていた読売新聞がその

んだことを振り返ってみました。私たちは、物理的な空間としての学校の存

瞬間を捉えた写真は、CNNやアメリカの ABC ニュース、化学雑誌「サイエン

在意義、そして、学習プロセス上及び子どもの社会・情緒的発達における、

ス」にも掲載されました。

人と人との繋がりや触れ合いの重要性への認識をより深く、新たにしただけ

その後２、３週間のうちに、教師も生徒も次第にこの新しい授業のあり方 に慣れていきました。オンライン環境であるがゆえの新たな制約もありまし

6

ちと一緒になって Inquire（探求）とInspire ( 啓発 ) を重ね NISオンライン授

3 月の最初の３日間の準備期間中、教師陣は ITスキルを磨き、チーム体制

でなく、学習のツールとしてのテクノロジーの持つ革新的な力の真価をより明 確に認識しました。

た。しかし同時に普段以上に繋がりや共同作業のチャンスを生み出すことも

生徒が世界各国のエキスパート（専門家） とグーグルミートで繋がることが

教師たちは見逃さず、全く新しい視点から、生徒たちが本来受けるべきカリ

出来ること、オンラインでも生徒が共同作業や話し合いなどを通し、民主的

キュラムにアクセスできるよう努めました。また、生徒たちと会えない期間中、

な教室環境を構築できること、これらは生徒に公平な学習環境をもたらし、

普段とは違った形で心のケアをする必要があることも課題でした。廊下での

教室と世界の境界線を取り払ってしまう、テクノロジーが秘めた可能性を物

会話や挨拶、カウンセラー室での相談、お昼休みの「元気？」などといった何

語っています。この経験により私たちはさらに強く、賢くなりました。コロナ

気ないおしゃべり・・・これらが全て無くなってしまうのです。生徒たちの心

の時代が終わるとき、私たちが得た教訓は、私たちの学習プログラム全てを

身の健康と安全を守るためのオンラインシステムの構築にも取り組みました。

より一層豊かなものにするでしょう。

#NISonline Case Study 1

Celebrating UN “Day of the Worker” 「労働者の日」バーチャル・クラスルームの可能性

Regardless of where learning takes place, NIS teachers have always tapped into the experience of outside experts to enrich the learning. Since people around the globe have been working mostly online, this became much easier to do within our virtual classroom.

From a Biology Q&A session about COVID-19 with a doctor in

いつでも、学習の場がどこであろうとも、NISでは学習をより豊かなもの にするために可能な限り授業に校外のプロフェッショナルの声を取り入れて きました。世界中でリモートワークが主流になったことは、 私たちのバーチャ ル・クラスルームにおけるこのようなセッションの実施を更に容易にした

Miami to talking with someone who grew up in Cold War Russia

といえるでしょう。新型コロナウィルス感染症についてマイアミの医師との

in Individuals and Societies, learning literally comes to life when

Q&A セッションを行った生物クラス、ロシア冷戦時代の経験者と対談した

guests like this can be with students online in this way. But on the

個人と社会（社会科） クラスなどの例が示すとおり、生徒がこのようにオン

UN-designated “Day of the Worker,” NIS teachers went a step further and created a full day of inquiry and inspiration with an event called “Meet the Workers Day.” This event was a full day of interactive learning that brought 36 professionals to NIS (online!).

Inspired by MYP teacher Gary Pearlz (Individuals and Societies), and assisted by other teachers and staff, NIS was able to reach out and bring in professionals from around the globe to ‘meet’ the secondary students. They came from an array of different fields - business, politics, science, the arts, and much more. The school even welcomed a Broadway actress and a pilot for British Airways!

ラインでゲストと交流するとき、 そこには文字通り生きた学習が生まれます。 国連「労働者の日」に合わせ、NIS ではこうした交流を更に発展させ、生徒 が総勢３６名の様々なプロフェッショナルな人々と交流し、探求を深める啓 発的対話型学習の 1 日、 「Meet the Workers Day」を企画しました。 MYP のゲイリー・パールズ教諭（個人と社会）の発案によって教職員がそ れぞれの人脈をたどり、世界中から生徒と「会って」くれるプロフェッショナ ルを集めました。ブロードウェイ女優、ブリティッシュ航空のパイロットを はじめ、ビジネス、政治、科学、アートなど、その分野は多岐にわたります。

The idea behind the event was to provoke thinking around work

イベントの目的は、生徒たちが仕事や職業について知るとともに、将来

and what it means now, as well as into the future. Another objective

について考えるきっかけを生むこと、更には、ゴールデンウィークを目前に

was to bring the students some “outside of the box” learning before

控え、それまで約２ヶ月もの間自宅学習を続ける生徒たちに、型にはまら

the Golden Week holiday, after studying from home for nearly two months! The secondary students flooded the one-hour sessions with various thoughtful questions. The presenters enjoyed their

ない、新鮮な学習機会を提供することでした。各１時間のセッションには 生徒たちからの多様で思慮深い質問が溢れました。プレゼンターたちも生

interactions with the students as well, and asked some of their own

徒たちとの交流を楽しみ、 彼らからも質問を投げかけました。これはまさに、

questions! It was demonstrative of one of the benefits of online

オンライン授業が生んだ恩恵の一つといえるでしょう。世界がこのような自

learning: without the world on a temporary slow-down, it would

粛ムードのときでなければ、光栄なことにもこれほど幅広い分野からのプ

have been more challenging to pull in the breadth of professionals we were honored to invite.

We are grateful for all of the workers who participated and hope

ロフェッショナルをお招きすることは更に困難を極めたことでしょう。 ご参加くださいました皆様に御礼申し上げます。来年、その頃にはオン

that we can do this again next year, even if we are no longer only

ラインのみの学習環境でなくなっていたとしても、是非また実施できること

working online!

を願います。

NIS connections

7

#NISonline Case Study 2

Virtual Self Portraits from Home バーチャル・プロジェクト 「わたしのおうち時間」

There are so many subjects that, at first glance, would seem difficult to teach in a virtual world—some that come to mind are chemistry, physical education, and music. Although there were many challenges, NIS teachers learned that for online learning to be successful for all students, flexibility and adaptability were key.

One of the particularly difficult subjects to teach online is visual arts. In the physical art classroom, students have access to a variety of tools and supplies. Teachers are able to explain techniques and provide guidance if needed. So, how to foster creativity through a computer screen? Creatively, of course! New tools helped teachers organize and curate student work. Another important ingredient was the participation of parents who helped make spaces that inspired, collect materials, or document their work for collaborating in class.

One project that shows how visual arts learning came to life happened in the 11th week of learning from home. Naomi Feil, the Primary Art Teacher, challenged her students to reflect on their online learning experience and create a “Virtual Learning Portrait.” The project was inspired by photographer Gregg Segal, a professional photographer that uses photography as a medium to explore culture and society. He has two notable and interconnected projects called ‘7 days of Trash’ and ‘Daily Bread’ that portray how our consumption is affecting our bodies and planet.

The students needed to depict what learning at home looked like for them. They gathered such things as their learning materials, items from their learning spaces, and other objects that reflected their interests and personalities. Then they had to arrange everything, including themselves, into an aesthetically interesting setting! The results were so inspiring and showed how the students have been learning and dreaming from home.

This project was one of the many examples of how creativity flourished despite being separated by a computer screen. NIS art teachers found ways to inspire the students to find their unique creative process from within, and uncover the resources they had at their fingertips. The results were pure magic!

8

一見、オンライン環境での授業が困難に思える科目は多いものです。例 えば、化学、体育、音楽など。試行錯誤を繰り返し、NIS の教師たちは、 全生徒にとって有意義なオンライン授業の実現のためには、柔軟性と順応 性が重要であることを実感しました。 美術も、 オンラインで行うのがとりわけ難しい授業に挙げられるでしょう。 実際の教室での授業においては、生徒は様々な道具や画材を利用します。 教師は技法を説明し、必要に応じアドバイスを与えます。では、スクリーン を通して創造性を育むにはどうしたらいいのでしょう？ 答えはもちろん、創 造性です。まず、 「Padlet」のようなツールを活かし、教師が生徒の作品を まとめ、 共有するのに利用しました。もうひとつ重大な役割を果たしたのは、 創造性を掻き立てる空間の確保、素材の収集、作品の記録とクラスでの共 有にあたりサポートしていただいた保護者の存在です。 オンライン授業の１１週めに取り組んだプロジェクトからは、生き生きと 躍動感溢れる美術のクラスの様子がよくわかります。小学部の美術教師、 ナオミ・フェイル教諭が出した課題は、各自のオンライン授業の日々を振り 返り「オンライン授業ポートレート」を制作すること。写真を通して社会や 文化に迫る写真家のグレッグ・セガール氏の作品から着想を得ました。セ ガール氏の代表作である２つの作品群「７日間のごみ」 「毎日の食事」は、 互いに相関性を持ちながら私たちの消費活動がいかにして私たちの体や地 球に影響を及ぼしているかを描いています。 家庭での学習の様子を表現する課題を与えられた生徒たちは、教材、自 身の学習スペースにあるもの、自らの関心や個性を反映する品々を集めま した。それら全てと自身を、見た目に楽しく配置した作品を制作するのが 課題です。提出された作品はどれも非常に興味深く、また生徒たちが自宅 で学び、夢を追いかけた様子を鮮やかに物語っていました。 このプロジェクトは、スクリーンに隔てられつつも豊かに花開いた創造性 を示すほんの一例です。芸術科目の教師たちは、生徒がそれぞれに持つ独 自の創造的プロセスを引き出し、すぐ目の前にある題材に新たな光を当て るよう仕向けました。まるで魔法のように。

Together we can do Anything!

Voices from the Other Side of the Screen スクリーンの向こうから Going into online learning, despite the unknowns, there was

先が見えないオンライン授業の最中にあって、コミュニティとして一貫

definitely a sense of community collaboration and an understanding

して確かだったのは、力を合わせて困難に立ち向かい、可能性を模索し、

that we would need to tackle the obstacles, reimagine possibilities,

解決にあたらねばならないという思いでした。

and find new solutions together.

To help connect with the community, Head of School Parr sent

コミュニティ内の繋がりを維持するため、パール校長から保護者には定

regular evening updates, held weekly virtual coffee mornings with

期的に最新情報が共有され、毎週のように保護者とのオンライン・ミーティ

parents, and surveys also went out to learn more about how students

ングが開催されたほか、生徒の意見を調査するためのアンケートも実施さ

were feeling. It became clear that while everyone was generally positive

れました。学習環境の継続という点では総じて肯定的な回答を得たもの

that the learning was continuing, there were lessons to be learned.

の、学ぶべき教訓もありました。

Parents also were necessary participants in their children’s learning.

One Gr. 2 parent commented about how her schedule also changed.

“I am assisting him in his homework and I am sitting together

保護者にはまた、子供の学習への参加という役割もありました。２年生 の保護者は、 「息子の宿題を見ていて、彼が宿題を済ませる間、私もずっ

with him to complete all the tasks. He is doing [work] independently

と一緒に座っているんです。手を借りずに一人で出来るので、見ているだけ

also, but I am watching him.” But then she added, “When he was

なんですけど。 」と自身の日常の変化について語ります。さらに 「学校に行っ

learning at school, I had no idea about his progress but now I can feel

ている間は全く分からなかったのですが、今は毎日の学習の中で彼が日々

the change happening to his learning day by day.” Indeed, parents were surely feeling the difficulties of being a parent, a coach, a teacher and more!

進歩している様子が分かります。 」保護者、コーチ、教師等々、様々な役 割を同時に果たしてさった保護者のご尽力には頭が下がります。

All in all, despite an initial novelty, everyone settled into online

開始当初はちょっとした違和感もありましたが、結果的には皆、１１週間

learning over the 11 weeks. “Teachers have been implementing a

のオンライン授業をこなしました。 「先生方が様々な教え方を取り入れて下

variety of teaching styles and I think this is great. I think some teachers

さったのがとても良かったです。先生によっては、対面の授業よりも強い

built an even stronger rapport with students than they were face-to-

信頼関係が生まれたのではないかと思うこともあります。うちの娘は、先

face. I have found my daughter finding more bond with her teacher.” wrote a Gr. 6 and Gr. 11 mother.

“Everything is easier, they can do it more independently, and they

生との絆がより深まったようです。 」とは、 ６年生と１１年生の母親の声です。 「最初よりは楽に出来るようになりました。一人で集中して、手を借りず

can concentrate more hours and ask for less help, but now they really

に出来る時間が増えました。でも今は本当に学校が恋しく、お友達や先

miss school and they want to go back with their friends and teachers.”

生に会いたいようです。 」とのお声もいただきました。

wrote one mother.

These sentiments were reflected often, and underlined the very human need for connecting face-to-face with others that everyone felt. Although for now, the plan is to re-open in August, 2020 as always,

直接会って人と繋がること。誰もが感じたこの人間的欲求が、これらの コメントに集約されています。現時点では、2020 年8 月に通常どおり授 業を再開する予定ですが、これだけは確かです・・ ・オープンなコミュニケー

one thing is for sure - going forward with open communication and

ションとサポート体制を維持すれば、学習コミュニティとしての未来は必

support helps us do anything as a learning community!

ず拓けます！

#NISonline Case Study 3

GIN Donates Face Shields Members of the NIS GIN Club (Global Issues Network) looked for ways to help from home during the COVID-19 crisis.

They learned about the growing network of home 3D printers in action across the world printing face shields for medical staff and thought, ‘we can do that!’ A connection was made with a local hospital and soon, 25 face shields were delivered!

This in turn inspired other families to also join in the production! Thanks GIN students, for having an impact in our community in this way!

コロナ禍に立ち向かうため自宅で出来ることを模 索していた NIS GIN (グローバル・イシューズ・ネッ トワーク) のメンバーたちは、 家庭用３Dプリン ターを用いてフェイス・シールドを製作する動きが 世界中に広がっていることを知り、 「これなら自分た ちも出来る！」と立ち上がりました。地元の病院に 連絡をとり、早速２５枚のフェイス・シールドを届 けました。ここからフェイス・シールド製作の輪は 更に広がりました。GIN の皆さんのコミュニティへ の貢献に感謝します！

NIS connections

9

105 ENSEMBLE ROOM

103 PRACT. RM 104 PRACT. RM

STOR 2a ST-2 106 STAGE ENTRY

NIS East Building 名古屋国際学園 イースト・ビル

The NIS Vision Soon to be Unveiled!

P

107 MPR

未来のキャンパスは目前に

4F

300 SCIENCE LAB-1 S

FUME HOOD

ST-2 302 PREP RM

PS

FE +800

304 MECH. EQUIP. RM 10

STOR

309 CORRIDOR 1

303 OFFICE

EV エレベー

30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16

202 M

201 W

DN

207 CORRIDOR 1

15

1 2 3

9 10 11 12 13 14

UP

JAN

ME SPACE

204 STORAGE

17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Designed for our Mission

DN 16

14 13 12 11 10

15

4 3 2 1

UP

Over the past several years, as enrollment at NIS kept creeping up, NIS needed innovative ways to allocate spaces for learning, 205 collaboration, performances, and more. The new East Building TECH will provide that much-needed space for our students. But BOOTH what is not so widely understood is that the East Building is not just another set of classrooms in which students can sit in rows to be taught. It is a design concept embedded in the research on collaborative learning and social constructivism. Through the East Building, not only will NIS have more space, but it will mean that our campus as a whole has the right kinds of spaces to enable us to collaborate as we deliver on our mission to inquire, inspire, impact and include.

FE

CONCESSIONS DF

208 LOBBY / COMMONS

Construction is nearly complete on the new “East Building” - the space needed for NIS to continue delivering on our mission to inquire, inspire and impact!

Multi-Purpose Hall (MPH) • The room can convert with the touch of a button from an open-floor gym space to a performing arts space with a stage, auditorium seating, and orchestra pit!

• The MPH will hold assemblies, presentations, tests, drama performances, and musical productions. NIS will finally have an auditorium!

The Kawanabe Room (Multi-Purpose Room) • Named after one of the architects who designed the building but tragically passed away only months prior to its opening, the Kawanabe Room is an open collaborative space to forge new ways of thinking.

新しい「イースト・ビル」の建設が 進んでいます− Inquire, Inspire, Impact を

East Lobby

培う最新鋭の校舎がもうすぐ誕生します！

• The East Lobby will welcome students from the courtyard between the Raymond and Wing buildings into the new East Building, and for most it will feel like the ‘main entrance.’

• This flexible space can be used for collaboration and group projects, study time, and will also host a satellite kitchen.

400 CLASSROOM 1

401Deck East Roof CLASSROOM 2

• Another purposefully designed area for collaborative space, the East Roof Deck is a semi-enclosed space offering an open-air area on rainy (or sunny!) days.

ST-2

JAN

�

ST-1

The new East Building was deliberately and artfully designed not simply to fit more kids onto our campus. On the contrary ME SPACE it has been designed to liberate the passions, dreams, creativity and innovation of our students and staff by investing in the flexibility and openness of space necessary for ideas to thrive 402 COPY RM and identities to evolve. The East Building is not just ‘another 405 CORRIDOR building’, it is the culmination of a mission to Inquire, Inspire, Impact, and will deliver to future generations of students the promise of a mission that places learning and wellbeing at the center of all we do. �

STOR

�

B

404 ART ROOM

�

ータ

�

G 409 EXERCISE AREA

ELECT. EQUIP. SPACE 403 MULTIPURPOSE SPACE

NIS connections

11

26 27 28 29 30

202 M

2 JAN

ME SPACE

17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

207 CORRIDOR 1

DN 16

14 13 12 11 10

15

UP 4 3 2 1

未来を創る空間

FE

CONCESSIONS DF

205 TECH BOOTH

過去数年にわたり在籍生徒数が増加し続ける中、学習、ディスカッ ション、パフォーマンスなどのスペースを生み出すため、NISは革新的 な一手を必要としていました。そのニーズに応えることができるのが新

208 LOBBY / COMMONS

しいイースト・ビルです。しかしイースト・ビルはただ生徒が列をなして席

につき、教えを受けるだけの空間ではありません。共同作業を通して自 ら学び、想像することを重視する研究に基づいてデザインされた特別な

Tour the Construction Site!

校舎です。イースト・ビルの建設によりNISにはより多くのスペースが生 まれるだけでなく、キャンパス全体で「Inquire, Inspire, Impact」 、さ らに「Include」の使命を遂行するためのコラボレーションが以前にも 増して活発になるでしょう。

多目的ホール（MPH）

Join us on a tour of the new East Building and get a sneak preview of the future of NIS! Mr. Parr hosted a LIVE Facebook event on May

• 体育館としての利用に加え、ボタンを押すだけで舞台と階段式の座

20 and again on June 16, and explained the various features of the newest addition to the NIS campus.

席、さらにオーケストラピットを備えたパフォーマンス用の空間に生

From the MPH to the East Roof Deck, you will be able to see all the new learning spaces for math and science, the large, airy rooms designated for art classes, and the stunning areas that will house music! Scan the QR code and you’ll be on your way, touring the new East Building with us. Of course we are also waiting to show everyone in-person so we hope to hear from anyone wanting a tour after the building opens in August!

まれ変わります。

• 集会、プレゼンテーション、試験、舞台芸術などに利用可能な「講堂」 がついに誕生します！

カワナベ・ルーム（多目的室） • イースト・ビルを設計した建築士の 1 人であり、校舎の完成を前に

4F

惜しくも急逝された川鍋明弘氏を偲んで名付けられました。新しい

新しいイースト・ビルの建設現場ツアーで、未来の NISを体感してみま

視点を生み出す共同作業などに利用できる空間です。

せんか？ ５月２０日と６月１６日の２度にわたり、Facebook上でパール

イースト・ロビー

校長の案内によるバーチャル・ツアーが開催され、NIS キャンパスに加 わる最新の校舎の様々な設備が紹介されました。１階の多目的ホール

• レーモンド・ビルとウィング・ビルに挟まれた中庭へとつながるイー

から４階の屋上デッキまで、数学科や理科の教室、自然光の差す広い

スト・ビルの「正面玄関」です。

美術室、音楽のための素晴らしいエリアなどをご覧いただくことがで

• アイディア次第で様々に活用でき、共同作業やグループワーク、学習

きます。QRコードをスキャンして、私たちと一緒にバーチャルツアー

などの利用に適しているほか、売店も設置されます。

にご参加ください！もちろん実際にお越しいただくのが一番ですので、 400

401

CLASSROOM 1 CLASSROOM 新校舎がオープンする８月以降に現地でのツアーをご希望される方は

屋上デッキ

お知らせください。

• 共同作業用のスペースを増やすため設計された屋上デッキは、晴れ の日はもちろん雨でも活動可能な広い空間を擁します。

s

新しいイースト・ビルは、単により多くの生徒を収容するためにデザ インされたのではありません。アイディアを育て、アイデンティティを発 PROJECTION SCREEN

達させるために必要な柔軟性と開放性を重視したスペースを作ること

Join Construction Tour #1 HERE!

ME SPACE

で、生徒と教職員の情熱、夢、創造性、革新性を解放することができ

200

405 CORRIDOR

るよう、 入念かつ巧みに設計されています。単なる 「別の建物」 ではなく、 MPR 「Inspire, Inquire, Impact」の使命を体現する校舎であり、 「学習」と「心 身の健康」を全ての活動の中心に据えるというミッションの提供を未

Join ST-1 Construction Tour #2 STOR HERE!

�

�

s

DN

B 15

404 ART ROOM

G �

9 10 11 12 13 14

JAN

1 2 3

UP

ME SPACE

�

30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16

EV 201 エレベータ W

�

202 M

STOR

来の世代に約束する校舎となるでしょう。

JAN

207 CORRIDOR 1 12

204 STORAGE

409 EXERCISE AREA

Farewell Kawanabe-san The ability to leave a tangible legacy of a life well-lived is a privilege that many strive for, but few can actually do. The vision that Akihiro Kawanabe left on the NIS campus will be a lasting gift for generations to come. His creativity and vision have touched almost all of the spaces we utilize today, including the Raymond Building, the Annex, the Charles Barton Memorial Garden, and, most recently, the new East Building. Kawanabe sadly passed away on April 26, before the 2020 Vision Project was complete.

“Kawanabe-san was an artist, a designer, and also a technical specialist who could understand and control everything about the practical details in every field: architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical, lighting, landscaping, interiors, furniture, color design, theater design -- everything necessary to turn ideas and mental images into reality” said Neil Warren, long-time DesignLink partner.

“And above all, he was someone who was always aware of the needs and visions of everyone that we worked with at NIS over the years.”

As we look forward to cutting the ribbon on the new East Building in August, we wish to celebrate the visionary that Kawanabe was, and for his dedication to making NIS the wonderful international school campus that it has become.

善く生きた人生の証として形に残る遺産を残すことは多くの人が望 むことですが、実際には一部の限られた人しか叶えることはできな いものです。しかし川鍋明弘氏がNISのキャンパスに残したビジョン は、末長く後世に語り継がれることでしょう。彼の創造性とビジョ ンは、今日私たちが利用しているキャンパスのほぼすべての空間に 息づいています。惜しくも川鍋氏は、NIS東棟校舎建設プロジェクト 完成目前の2020年4月26日に急逝なされました。 「川鍋さんは芸術家でありデザイナーであると同時に、建築、構造、 機械、電気、照明、景観設計、インテリア、家具、カラーデザイン、シ アターデザインなど、アイディアやイメージを現実のものにするため に必要なあらゆる分野の実用的な細部を理解しコントロールできる 技術を備えたスペシャリストでもありました」と、建築設計事務所 デザインリンクの長年のパートナーであるニール・ウォーレン氏は語 っています。 「何よりも、彼はNISで長年一緒に仕事を進めてきた皆 様のニーズやビジョンを常に理解していました。」 新しいイースト・ビルのオープニングセレモニーを８月に控え、明確 なビジョンをお持ちであった川鍋氏と、キャンパス作りを通してNIS を素晴らしいインターナショナルスクールへと導いてくださったその 献身的な努力をここに称えます。

NIS connections

13

2020 Vision Mid-Campaign Report Thank you to the many donors below for their generous contributions made towards the 2020 Vision Project!

NIS東棟校舎建設プロジェクト 寄付金募集キャンペーン中間報告

Individuals ご寄付総額 （お申込み含む）

¥338.8 Million Pledged & Donated (as of July 16, 2020)

NIS 東棟校舎建設プロジェクトに多大なご支援をいただきました 数多くの企業・団体・個人の皆様に心より御礼申し上げます。 ¥400 Million

Corporations & Organizations • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Aichi Goodwill Guides Network AICHI STEEL CORPORATION Aichi Techno Co., Ltd. Aichi Television Broadcasting Co., Ltd. Aichi Tokei Denki Co., Ltd. Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd. Amano Enzyme Inc. The Bank of Nagoya, Ltd. Boeing Brother Industries, Ltd. Central Japan International Airport Co., Ltd. Cezars International Cezars Kitchen Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc. Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting Co., Ltd. Chubu Steel Plate Co., Ltd. Chuden Real Estate Co., Inc. Chukyo TV. Broadcasting Co., Ltd. The Chunichi Shimbun CKD Corporation Daido Steel Co., Ltd. The Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company, Limited DENSO CORPORATION DesignLINK Furusho Electric Industry Co., Ltd. HANWA CO., LTD. Himeno Co., Ltd. Honda-Logicom Co, Ltd. Honda Plus Co., Ltd. Imano Jidosha Interior Shin Ishizuka Glass Co., Ltd. Itochu Corporation Japan Mobility JTB Corporation JTEKT CORPORATION The Juroku Bank, Ltd. KAWAKITA DENKI KOGYO CO., LTD. Kondosanko Co., Ltd. Kotobuki Seating Co., Ltd. Kowa Company, Ltd. Marubeni Corporation Meiji Electric Industries Co., Ltd. Meiko Trans Co., Ltd. MEITETSU DEPARTMENT STORE CO., LTD. Meitetsu Real Estate Development Co. Ltd.

¥300 Million

¥200 Million

¥100 Million

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Meitetsusangyo Co., Ltd. MIC Co., Ltd. Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation Mitsubishi Corporation Nagoya Adventure Marathon Nagoya Kanko Hotel Nagoya Railroad Co., Ltd. Nagoya Tokyu Hotel Nagoya Toyopet Corporation NDS Co., Ltd. NGK Insulators Ltd. Nikken Office System NIS NHS NIS PTA Nomura Securities Co., Ltd. NORITAKE CO., LIMITED Okaya & Co., Ltd. The Okazaki Shinkin Bank Okuma Corporation OPTON Co., Ltd. Pasco Shikishima Corporation Rinnai Corporation RNA Group S.S. Sangyo Co., Ltd. Seiki Shokai Shidami no Mirai wo Kangaeru Kai Shin-Nippon Wex Co., Ltd. Shinsei Technos Co., Ltd. Sintokogio, Ltd. Sumitomo Corporation Takihyo Co., Ltd. Takisada-Nagoya Co., Ltd. Togo Sangyo Co., Ltd. Toho Technology Corporation Tokai Sports Corporation Tokai Tokyo Securities Co., Ltd. Tokura Corporation Toyo Corporation Toyo Logistics Co., Ltd. Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd. Toyoshima & Co., Ltd. Toyota Auto Body Co., Ltd. Toyota Boshoku Corporation Toyota Industries Corporation Toyota Motor Corporation World Service YAHAGI CONSTRUCTION CO., LTD. Yasuda Printing Co., Ltd.

- Anonymous (9) - Aichi Prefecture - Nagoya City

14

84% of Target 寄付金募集目標 達成度

104 Companies &

Organizations 企業・団体

223 Individuals & Families

個人・家族

69 Alumni 同窓生

92 Staff 教職員

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Kenji & Kaoru Adachi Christopher Ammons Takuro & Akkiko Aoyama Andy Baker & Kim Humphreys Paul Baldwin ‘70 Julian & Mari Bashore Gretchen Beane Moai Bokumoto ‘19 The Oliver Bold Family Steve & Mayumi Burson Richard & Kelly Butterfield Richard Carbin & Marimo Yagi ‘87 Sterling Carbin ‘19 Aileen Chuah ‘19 Koryeh Cobb Patricia Condon Bryce Conlan Jesse Covner & Ikuko Haga The Creamer Family Aubrey Curran & Brenda Schaefer Paul Curran & Maira Rodrigues Kurt & Yuki Davis Jose De la hera Keith Dixon Kirk Dixon ‘07 Wesley Dobbs Schun Doi ‘97 Eric Drowatzky Jenny Dwyer Ivar Eimon ‘80 Anne Entwisle Carter Fahy ‘83 Christina Fahy ‘82 Marika Farrell Jaylen Fast ‘13 Aileen‘12, Mimi ‘15, Hitomi & Pete Frotten Ai Fujii ‘22 Hikaru Fujii ‘18 Masahiko Alex Fujii ‘20 Takeyoshi & Chiharu Fujishiro Hirooki Fujiwara Ganesh, Usha, Shubham & Saanvi John, Hiroko, Johnny ‘13 & Dennis‘14 Gathright Arthur Gaudefroy ‘19 David Gilbertson‘69 & Carolee Matsumoto Desmond Gomez Morgan Gooding Peter Goodman Katsumi & Yoshiko Goto Drew & Tomomi Graeber Cameron Hart & Natsuko Iida Yoshihisa & Masako Hattori Mitsuru & Makiko Hayashida Rika Hayashida ‘12 Hailey Henak Dean Hester Marcela Hester Haruo, Makiko, Yuki ‘16 & Risako ‘20 Hibi Joyel Hidber (Weick) ‘83 Aya Higa Ryu & Hitomi Hijikata Yui Hirabayashi Takeshi Hirose The Hobo Family Samadhi Holland ‘19 Tomoko & Lala Holsey Gary Horner The Hoshizaki Family

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Chieko Imamura Peter Ingraham Hideaki William Inoue Hiroshige & Miyo Ishida Shusaku Isomura ‘11 Erina Iwahara Donny Jensen ‘77 Holly Johnson Scot Johnston Sylvia Johnston The Joo Family Tom Kaeslin & Mikiko Kajiura Atsushi Kagawa Seiko Kamada ‘91 Yoko Kamikokuryo Ai Kato ‘10 Ken Kato ‘07 Koji, Rieko, Chiaki ‘05 & Yamato ‘03 Kato Misa Kawauchi ‘19 Abha Kelkar Roy Kelly ‘72 Ayano Kihara Satoshi & Sachiko Kikuchi Eric Killion & Monique Palmer Christopher Kim Dongseob Kim & Jiyoung Yoon HanJoon Kim Gregory & Yuko King Leah Krumbhaar Kayo Kurachi Paul Lalis & Reiko Iida Ruho & Jiho Lee Michael Lindstrom ‘19 Diederik Lugt Carol Lund The Ma Family Ken & Lina Makino The Makitsubo Family Noel & Konomi Maley Collin Maplethorpe Mio Masuoka ‘19 The Mayer Family John McCarthy Hideto & Yuka Mitsuoka The Mitsuoka Family & The Yambe Family Haruki, Hinata & Takara Miwa Yuzuki Miyake ‘29 Tamiki Mizuno Yoshihito, Wine, Yoshiki & Kana Mizuno Dr. Kenji Mizutani Saverio Molinari ‘19 Saori Azuma Morgan Kaitlyn‘08, Sean ‘09 & Kerry ‘12 Morrissey Jennie Mossman Yujiro ‘92 & Tetsutaro‘83 Muraki Takanori & Kumiko Nagakusa The Nagata Family Kyohei Nagata Sayo, Sakura ‘12, Hayato ‘15 & Yuki ‘17 Nakamura Shuji Nakamura‘19 Kazuyo Nakata Koji & Mai Nishihori Hiroshi & Chiaki Nomura Mark ‘75 & Ikuyo Offner The Ogino Family Yoshiko Ogura Tokuichi Okaya Masa & Satoko Okuno Victor & Debbie Olson Eimi Olson-Kikuchi ‘15 Jens Olson-Kikuchi ‘12 Mie & Erik Olson-Kikuchi Misato Ota James Ovenden Matthew, Yuka, Kai & Emily Parr Joshua & Gabriela Patrick Gary & Sarah Pearlz

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Reid Pierce The Pretto Family Ginger Puffer Megan Radigan The Rogers Family Matthew Russell Andrew Ryan Masami Sai Kaya & Taishi Saito Hiroshi Sakai Erin Sakakibara Ryan, Mari, Adelle & Anthony Sample Justin Sato Charles Schreuder Steven P. Schultz The Robert Sears Family Minami Seki Jacob Semm The Smiths: Emery, Pamela, Wilford ‘90, Andrea ‘91, Barbara ‘94, James ‘97 & David ‘01 Etsuko & Kimberley ‘16 Steffe Hugo Sugano Ryosuke & Riana Sugimoto Emily‘16, Masaaki & Jillian Sugiyama Taisuke Sugiyama ‘19 Hironori & Maiko Suzuki Takenobu Suzuta Andrew & Chelsea Sword Mami Tachibana Shikino Tada Tomoko Takayanagi Seiji & Chaiwong Tanaka Rach Thomas Hiroshi & Miwa Tominaga Nanako Toyoda The T. Toyoda Family Yoshitaka Tsushima Mayumi, Makoto, Gentaro & Yujiro Ueki Joshua Ueno-Smith ‘19 Harune & Yuki Utsugi Andy Vorland ‘82 Carol Walter Mari Watanabe ‘82 Takuhiro, Kayoko, Shin & Suzu Watanabe Yoko Watanabe Leila & Brian Webb Michel & Keiko Weenick Elaine Willis (Hash) ‘78 Luci Willis Ashitaka, Hayabusa, Rurihi, Tsubame, Kaori & Masahiro ‘91 Yagi Setsuko & Hirotaro Yagi Takaya Yamabe Ryusuke Yamada ‘19 Tetsu Yamada Yume Yamada ‘19 Sarina Yamahata ‘19 The Yoko Yamashita Family Kanako Yamazaki ‘15 Misako Yamazaki ‘12 Rikuto Yamazaki ‘12 Takashi & Yaeko Yamazaki Yuriko Yamazaki ‘14 The Yasui Family Yoshihiro Yasui (BROTHER) Shunji Yogo Miyoung Yun Chris & Ryoko Zarodkiewicz Shari Zemmol

• Class of 2020 • Anonymous (13)

Leave Your Legacy!

Though the 2020 Vision Project is nearly complete, we are still short of our fundraising goals and we hope you can help by leaving a lasting legacy of your time at NIS. For each gift of ¥250,000 you can keep a memory of you, your child, or your family with NIS forever. Your name will be engraved on one (or more!) of the retractable seats, a featured component of the new Multi-Purpose Hall (MPH). In addition, you will be helping to create the MPH that was originally envisioned...one with the proper lighting and sound system that enables magic to happen! Please use the QR code or go to the project website [www.nisjapan.net/2020-visioncampaign/ways-to-support] to secure your seat. It is the perfect way to honor your graduate or your current student! Please help us complete the project with a Legacy Seat!

NIS 東棟校舎建設プロジェクトの完成が近づいてきたものの、寄付金 募集目標を達成するためには引き続き皆様のお力添えが必要です。 NISで過ごした時間の記念に、末永く形に残るご支援をご検討いた だけますと幸いです。 ２５万円のご寄付ごとに、皆様ご自身あるいはお子様やご家族のご芳 名を、新しい多目的ホールの目玉となる格納式の座席に刻印させて いただきます。夢に描いてきた、素晴らしい公演を可能とする照明・ 音響機器の備わった多目的ホールの実現をご支援いただけましたら 幸いです。プロジェクトのウェブサイトより、ご寄付をお申し込みい ただけます [www.nisjapan.net/2020-vision-campaign/ways-tosupport]。プロジェクトの成功のために皆様のご協力をお願い申し 上げます。

s

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

QR Code for Supporting the Project!

Campaign Continues Through August, 2020!

(See page 7)

NIS connections

15

みんなヒーローを待っている

Everyone Needs a Hero

16

Nagoya Action Heroes Advocate for Inclusivity in the Community インクルーシブなコミュニティを目指して The Nagoya Action Heroes is a service action group at Nagoya International School, inspired and affiliated with Blank Noise, an organization based in India that advocates for the elimination of the culture of victim-blaming and making public spaces safe and inclusive for all.

was fundraising for #StopTransBill. The #StopTransBill was a protest against the oppression of transgender people in India and students were able to raise 36,120 yen for the cause. They then took part in an online protest to show support for Caster Semenya, a South African runner, who was born with a higher

Although an NIS student organization, their work crosses into the local and national community in a way that demonstrates the impact students can have on affecting change, and NIS is grateful for their work to improve the community for everyone.

Their work goes beyond the school community to spark meaningful conversations on the themes of gender, sexuality, identity, and privilege. They aim to facilitate dialogue that questions the notion of shame and challenges perspectives on gender and sexuality through an intersectional, rights-based approach.

One key issue for the Nagoya Action Heroes is to raise awareness on topics that society often neglects, and they are not afraid to face them head-on. They have participated in conferences all over Japan to address issues surrounding gender and sexuality, and close to home they conducted their first workshop at Nagoya University (NU) in 2018, where they talked about consent and its importance, one of their main topics of discourse. The NU workshop helped clarify their message to have more of an impact with consent workshops held with classmates at NIS. Further opportunities found the group heading to Kyoto Sangyo University for a conference on diversity and inclusion

level of testosterone, causing her competitors and the IAAF to push for her to be banned from competing. The Heroes went all out to make her case known by making posters and posting on social media to protest the unfair treatment. And in April 2019, they took part in the Tokyo Pride March to show support for the LGBTQ+ community in Japan, something personal for some club members as they identify with this community.

But arguably, one of their most significant impacts happened at home on the campus of NIS, where they brought to light the need for a comprehensive sexuality education program.

Prior to their work, NIS had limited sexuality education that only included lessons about puberty. As a club, the Heroes firmly believe that education about your body and identity can influence your life not only at school but, more importantly, out in the world. In most schools, sex education has traditionally been “fear-based” and often takes a purely biological approach.

Comprehensive sexuality education is pleasure-based and focuses on how to express ourselves. Sex education is almost always hetero-normative, but the program the Heroes advocated for is diverse. According to advisor Bathija and the Nagoya Action Heroes, “withholding information from young people is a

to address topics such as gender and sexuality, including the challenges of being a woman and being part of the LGBTQ+ community in Japan. More recently, the Heroes were invited to speak at Kita-Kyushu University, where, despite presenting to university students and adults, they were able to help their audience learn how to advocate for new programs by sharing what they did to create a comprehensive sexuality education program at NIS (see below). Through outreach like this, the Nagoya Action Heroes hope to inspire others to take initiative and build more Action Heroes clubs around Japan.

fear tactic. Advocating for pleasure-based, rather than fear-based sexuality education is at the heart of our work.”

To campaign for this system, they made a proposal to the school administration that included data from a whole-school survey and their own experiences at NIS. It also included examples of successful programs from around the world. After the proposal was submitted, the administrative team responded by sending topics they wanted homeroom advisors to discuss.

However, many of the advisors were uncomfortable with the idea because they were reluctant to teach sexuality education to young people without training. The Heroes then decided to run consent workshops to show what an ideal lesson would look like.

They took the workshops from grade to grade, demonstrating just how it could be done. After witnessing the results of the workshops, the school decided to hire a teacher to teach the course - one that would emphasize pleasure-based, rather than fear-based, knowledge.

Advocacy into Action The Nagoya Action Heroes are not just all talk. As one of the most active student organizations at NIS, they are quick to advocate for causes for which they are passionate, with advisor Tulika Bathija. One of the first projects they tackled

NIS connections

17

みんなヒーローを待っている

くためなら素早く行動を起こします。トランスジェンダーの人々への抑圧に対

ナゴヤ・アクション・ヒーローズは、名古屋国際学園の社会貢献活動を行う

36,120円もの募金を集めました。他には、高テストステロン症のために国際

生徒のグループです。性暴力の被害者非難の風潮に立ち向かうインドの組織

陸上連盟などから競技への参加を禁じられた南アフリカの女子陸上選手、キャ

「ブランクノイズ」とともに、誰もが安心できるインクルーシブな社会を目指し

スター・セメンヤ選手を応援する抗議活動にオンラインで参加しました。ポス

抗するためにインドで巻き起こった #StopTransBill 運動を応援するために

て活動しています。

ターやソーシャルメディアを通じ、セメンヤ選手への処遇の不当性を訴えまし

生徒の課外活動でありながら、近隣地域から国内の他地域のコミュニティ

た。2019年4月には、 東京レインボープライド・パレードに参加しました。こ

にまで広がる彼らの活動は、生徒が変化をもたらす力を持っていることを示

れは、日本の LGBTQ+コミュニティへのサポートを表明するため、一部のメ

しています。誰もが居心地のよいコミュニティにするために活動する彼らに

ンバーにとっては自身のアイデンティティを守るために大切なことでした。

感謝と敬意を表します。 ジェンダーとセクシュアリティ、アイデンティティ、特権などをテーマに、学 校コミュニティ内だけでなく、広く社会に問題を提起するアクション・ヒー ローズ。交差性と人権に基づいたアプローチにより、恥の概念に疑問を呈し、

NISにおける 包括的性教育プログラム導入のための活動

ジェンダーとセクシュアリティに対しての視点に一石を投じ、対話を促進する

しかし、間違いなく彼らがここ NIS にもたらした最大の功績のひとつは、包

ことを目指しています。

括的性教育プログラムの必要性を浮き彫りにしたことでしょう。 当時 NIS に

ナゴヤ・アクション・ヒーローズの重要なテーマのひとつは、社会において

は、思春期にまつわる限られた内容の性教育しかありませんでした。

見過ごされがちな問題への人々の認識や関心を高め、真正面から立ち向かう

アクション・ヒーローズは、身体とアイデンティティについての教育は、学校

こと。ジェンダーやセクシュアリティにまつわる問題を議論するため、これま

生活だけでなくむしろ社会に出てからの人生に、より重要な影響をもたらすと

でに日本各地でのワークショップや会議に参加してきましたが、名古屋では、

固く信じています。これまで多くの学校の性教育は、生物学的な観点を中心

2018年に名古屋大学で初めてのワークショップを開催しています。このワーク

に恐怖感を煽るものが一般的でした。包括的性教育は、幸福感を高めること

ショップでは、アクションヒーローズの主要なテーマのひとつ、性的同意に

と、自己表現に重点を置いています。異性間の性行動を前提としてきたこれ

まつわる問題とその重要性について語りました。この経験により、 その後校内

までの性教育に対し、アクション・ヒーローズが支持する性教育プログラムは

で行った性的同意についてのワークショップにおいて、他の生徒たちに向けて

多様な側面を持っています。顧問のバシージャ教諭とナゴヤ・アクション・ヒー

より明確なメッセージを発信することが出来ました。

ローズは主張します－「若者が知るべきことを知らしめない事こそが、不安

また、京都産業大学での多様性とインクルージョンについての会議では、

や恐怖感を生むことと信じています。恐怖感よりも幸福感を高めることを目

ジェンダーとセクシュアリティ、女性や LGBTQ+の人々が日本社会で直面す

指す性教育を支持すること、私たちの活動の中心はそこにあります。 」

る課題などをテーマに語りました。 最近では、北九州市立大学からワーク

それを実現するため、彼らは全校的なアンケート結果と自らの NISでの

ショップに招かれ、NIS において包括的性教育プログラムの導入を実現させた

体験をもとに、さらに世界各国でのプログラムの成功例も含めた提案書を学校

彼らの活動（詳細は記事後半をご参照ください）を紹介し、どのように新しい

管理職に対して提出しました。それを受けた学校管理職は担任教師に対し、

プログラムの導入を成功させたか、大学生や一般の方々を前にプレゼンテー

授業で取り上げて欲しいテーマを提示しましたが、 教師の多くは適切なトレー

ションを行いました。このように学校外の人々への働きかけを通し、日本中

ニング無しに性教育の授業を行うのに消極的でした。そこでアクション・ヒー

にアクション・ヒーローズを広げるきっかけづくりが彼らの願いです。

ローズは、自らワークショップを実施することで、どのような授業を求めてい るのかを示すことに成功しました。性的同意をテーマに、学年ごとに少しず

18

サポートはアクションで示す

つ内容を変えたワークショップは、彼らが理想とする授業の形を表していま

ナゴヤ・アクション・ヒーローズは NISで最も活動的な課外活動グループ

その成果が確認されたため、恐怖心を煽り、知識に頼るのではなく、幸

のひとつですが、彼らの活動はプレゼンテーションやワークショップだけ

福感を高めることに重点を置いた性教育を実施する教師が NISに雇用される

に留まりません。顧問のトゥリカ・バシージャ教諭と共に、自らの信念を貫

ことになりました。

した。

Moving Forward アクション・ヒーローズのこれから The Heroes report that there are many issues in the community they still want to tackle, including gender-based separation during school camping trips when assigning rooms. This norm pushes the idea that gender is binary to students, and the Heroes believe it is worth discussing how the format for ‘lounging’ can be better adapted to fit all identities. There is also hope to participate in annual events such as Nagoya Pride and the Creating Connections Conference, held at Nagoya International School.

The Nagoya Action Heroes choose to advocate for global issues involving the power structures society is built upon, and they always strive to question how power structures within any community are affecting different groups of people. This type of advocacy is crucial in ensuring that the NIS community can truly be a safe place for students of all backgrounds and beliefs, and we are grateful for the opportunity to have a group of students who can help us shape what it means to be a caring and inclusive community.

If you are interested in learning more about their work or wish to contact them, visit: https://nagoya-action-heroes. webnode.com アクション・ヒーローズには、 コミュニティ内で取り組んでいきたい課 題が沢山あります。学校で行くキャンプなどの性別による部屋分けもそ のひとつです。性別二元制を標準化するような方式を改め、寛容に全て のアイデンティに合致するやり方を模索する意義があると考えています。 名古屋レインボープライドや、NIS にて開催された「つながりを広げよう カンファレンス」といったイベントへの参加も希望しています。 ナゴヤ・アクション・ヒーローズは社会に根ざす権力構造にまつわる グローバルな問題に取り組み、そしていつでも、権力構造がコミュニティ 内の様々なグループの人々にどのような影響を与えるのか、疑問を投げ かけていきます。NIS コミュニティがあらゆる背景や信念の生徒にとって 真に安全な場所であるためにこのような活動は非常に重要です。思いやり のあるインクルーシブなコミュニティとしてのあり方を確立するうえで大 きな力となる生徒中心のグループがあることに感謝しています。ナゴヤ・ アクション・ヒーローズの活動にご興味がある方は、https://nagoyaaction-heroes.webnode.com をご覧ください。

NIS connections

19

Democracy Rules

20

Policy and Pillow Fights…

How a UOI on Democracy Came to Life PYP「探求の単元」ー 民主主義を実践するアクティブ・ラーニング Democracy, what is it? What is it in the context of the wider world, in our individual countries, and even in our classrooms?

These are the questions that Grade 4 set out to explore in the early weeks of Quarter 3 after returning from Winter Holiday.

They started big and first learned about the overall history of democracy. The students learned about the current climate and looked into the global situation…what countries are democratic?

What other types of governance are there? Then they learned how the cornerstone of a democratic society, ensuring the voice of the individual, was implemented in different civilizations and how that changed over time. Their unit included the students’ process of electing representatives to stand for and support their opinions on their behalf.

So, what better than a simulation in the classroom to demonstrate how democracy works? Indeed, it was time to plan a class sleepover!

The first task was to decide what was needed to be decided on!

The date was set, but there was much more to work out. First, there was the timetable for the evening. What kinds of games would they play? Would they watch movies, and if so, which ones? Of course, food would be involved, but what kind and who would provide it? Where would everyone sleep – certainly an essential logistical matter to be settled! And finally, laws needed to be made around devices and their use during the evening.

So much to be decided, but who was going to do it?

To decide who would decide, the students needed to form political parties, i.e., groups of people who wanted the same things. The parties would then nominate a president and representatives. These would be the students who would try to make other voices heard through decision-making.

In the first step, students interested in designing a sleepover itinerary became presidential candidates and gave persuasive speeches to classmates. The ‘voters’ listened to the speeches and voted in a primary election for one candidate who represented their ideas the most. From there, the top two became the presidential candidates and thus the leaders of the political parties. The voters then chose who they would support.

During this time, the students needed to learn more about political parties and what it meant to be represented by someone.

They studied both parliamentary and presidential systems, and what representation looked like in those two different types of governments. They also learned more about the local structure in Japan. They studied about Shiori Yamao, a member

of the Japanese House of Representatives, who is the local representative for Aichi Prefecture.

And with that wealth of background information, it was time to put all this learning to work! It was time for the presidential candidates to stage a debate where the voters could ask the candidates questions about their vision for the sleepover. After the debate, they held the general election, and a president was selected by an anonymous vote!

With the president decided, the students had to create the government by selecting representatives from the two parties: the president’s party and the opposition party. Each party was given several representatives in proportion to the votes they got in the general election. To determine who would serve as a representative, each party had internal elections.

Now each student had a role – they were a citizen, a representative, or the president. Citizens made requests to their representatives and learned about a variety of channels in which to do that. What would be the most effective? Perhaps talking directly, or maybe through a written article or speech? Or did they need to be more active and organize a protest or create a petition? The students learned about all the different ways in which citizens voiced their concerns and opinions.

What information was needed for the representatives to know about their constituents so they could make the right decisions about the sleepover? They had to figure that out, too! In the end, they needed to learn about power and how to influence it or use it. Each student was then required to reflect on the experience, considering if they felt their voice was heard (or not) and why.

They also pondered the power structure. Who had more when it came to decision making: the people or the government? Let’s see what some of the students had to say: “I think people and the government had power. The people have a right to talk to the government. Government can do whatever they want, and make the decisions.” (Lisa) “The government has more power of decisions because they are only posted out when the government accepts it.” (Haruto) “I think people had more power, because many of the choices were sort of made by us. Mainly because we voted for what we wanted so we had a bit of power.” (Yolin) “The government has more power because the people only say what they want; it doesn’t mean they get the things they want.”

(Romy)

NIS connections

21

民主主義ってなんだろう？世界で、私たちの国で、そしてクラス内での 民主主義ってどういう ことだろう？ それが、冬休みが明けた直後の第３ クオーターで４年生が取り組んだ探求のテーマでした。

山尾志桜里氏についても調べました。 民主主義や政治の仕組みについて十分な知識を得たところで、いよ いよ学習したことを実践に移す時です。２人のプレジデント候補が有権

まずは民主主義の歴史を学び、そして現在の世界情勢に目を向け、 民主制を採用する国はどこか、その他にはどのような政治体制がある のかを学んだのち、民主主義社会の基盤である国民の声が、歴史上、

者の前で各々の展望を語り、 質疑応答を行う候補者討論会が開催され、 その後、無記名投票の総選挙によりプレジデントが選出されました。 プレジデントが選出されると今度は、両党から代議員を選出し、 「政

そして様々な国でどのように国政に反映され、どのように変化してき

府」つまり実行委員会の結成です。プレジデント選挙での得票数に応

たかを学習しました。その上で更にこの単元では、生徒たちが実際に、

じた数の代議員が、与野党両党から選出されました。誰が選出される

自らと主張を同じくし、意思を反映してくれる代表者を選出するという

かは、党内の投票で決まりました。

プロセスを体現しました。

有権者、代議員、そしてプレジデント・・・各生徒には各々果たすべ

民主主義の仕組みを学ぶには、教室で実際に体験するのがいちばん。 折しも４年生のお泊まり会を計画する時期にさしかかっていました。 まず取り掛かったのは、何を決めるのかを決めること。日にちは決まっ

き役割があります。例えば、有権者が代議員に要望を提起するために は様々な手段があります。最も有効な手段は何だろう？ 直接話すべき か、文書を提出するか、 それともスピーチをするのがいいのだろうか？ いっ

ていても、その他にも決 めることがたくさん・・・スケジュール は？ そのこともっと活動的に抗議運動を起こすか、請願書を提出しようか？ ゲームは？ 映画は？ 観るなら何を？それからもちろん食事も。何を食べ

生徒たちは有権者として自らの意見や懸念を表明するための様々な

る？ どうやって手配する？ どこで寝る？ これらお泊まり会を実施する上

方法を学習しました。

で必須となる事項に加え、夜間の電子機器の使用についてのルールを

また、どのような情報やデータがあれば、選出された代議員が有権

定める必要もありました。あれもこれも決めなければならないし、一体 者の意見を反映した正しい意思決定ができるのかも考えました。さら 誰がやるんだろう？

には、権限、権力について、そしてそれらに影響力を持たせ、行使する

そこで誰がその任にあたるのかを決めるため、同じ意見を持つ生徒

方法も学ぶ必要がありました。そして、実際に自らの要望や意見が採

同士が集まり、 「政党」を結成し、その中から党の代表者としてのプレ

用されたか否かを振り返り、その理由を考察し、また、権力のあり方に

ジデント （実行委員長）候補と代議員候補を選出することになりました。

ついても考えました。意思決定の際、有権者と政府、どちらに主権が

選ばれた生徒はその後の意思決定の過程において、皆の意見が反映さ

あるのでしょうか？ 以下は生徒の意見です。

れるよう務めることになります。 まず、お泊まり会の計画を主導したい生徒は、プレジデント候補と して、有権者である他の４年生を前に自らの方針を簡潔に訴えました。 演説を聞いた有権者は、自分の意見を最もよく代弁する候補者１人に

●「有権者と政府の両方に権限があると思う。有権者は政府に 意見する権利がある。政府は自分たちのやりたいように意思決定 （リサ） が出来る。 」

投票します。この予備選挙で得票数の多かった２人が、最終的なプレ

●「政府が承認した事例だけが公表されるので、政府の方が権

ジデント候補者かつ党首となりました。同じ候補者を支持する有権者

（ハルト） 限を持っていると思う。 」

が集まり２つの政党が結成され、プレジデント選挙の結果により一方 が与党、もう一方が野党ということになります。 こうした活動の一方で生徒たちは、政党について、そして民意を背負い 意思決定をするとはどういうことかを学ぶ必要がありました。議院内閣

●「有権者である私たちが多くのことを決めたようなものなので、 有権者の方が権限を持っていると思う。どうしたいかは私たちが 投票によって決めたので、私たちに権限がある。 」 （ヨリン）

制と大統領制、それぞれの仕組みや権限などについても学習しました。

●「政府の方が権限を持っている。有権者は要望を出すだけで、

日本の政治制度についても学習する中で、愛知県選出の衆議院議員、

それが必ずしも通るとは限らない。 」 （ロミー）

PYP Points Six transdisciplinary themes guide learning throughout the PYP years, providing an opportunity to incorporate both local and global issues and enable students to “step out” beyond the confines of subject areas and instead see the world with a wider perspective. One is an inquiry into the interconnectedness of human-made systems and communities, and using this theme, the Grade 4 students successfully navigated their Unit of Inquiry on democracy and ended up with a fun sleepover in the process!

PYPプログラムには６つの教科横断的なテーマがあり、身近な問題から地球規模の問題までを織り交ぜながら教科の枠組みにとらわれず、 より広い視点で世界を捉える機会を提供します。そのうちのひとつが、人為的なシステムとコミュニティの関係性についての探求の単元です。 この単元で４年生は、民主主義についての探求に取り組み、楽しいお泊まり会を成功させました。

22

NIS connections

23

HIGHLIGHTS from 2019-20 OCTOBER

Rocking Under the Sea!

YouTube *

Congratulations to the Gr. 3-5 sea creatures who performed Rocktopus the Musical to packed audiences for two performances.

The sharks, stingrays and turtles supported a cast of other sea creatures hoping to make it big on the stage‌but coming up against the evil hammerhead sharks.

YouTube *

AUGUST

NOVEMBER

NIS opened the 2019-20 school year with a record number 503 students on the first day of school (and eventually got to 541!) .

The NIS Model United Nations (MUN) delegation participated in the THIMUN Singapore 2019 Conference, representing South Africa.

Welcome Back!

MUN in Singapore

YouTube *

NOVEMBER

Walkathon Charity Recipients Visit NIS SEPTEMBER

Secondary Club Recruitment Day A staggering 45 student groups were represented at the NIS Clubs Recruitment Fair, showing that students really do live the mission at NIS! Contributing to communities allows students to learn through taking on responsibility and challenges, helping to shape our world!

YouTube *

Representatives from over 20 local charitable organizations visited NIS to receive donations from the 2019 ACCJ Walkathon Committee in November at a ceremony hosted by the Gr. 10 JNL (Japanese Native Level) students. It was a great opportunity for students to hear first-hand about the work being done by these organizations (and to practice their Japanese!)

NOVEMBER

Impacting in Cambodia NIS Homebuilders worked hard on building and painting a fence, and creating a vegetable garden in rural Cambodia. They also visited the sites the NIS team has worked on for the past two years.

NOVEMBER

NIS Hosts Service Learning Conference Over 40 educators from across Asia came to NIS for an EARCOS (East Asia Regional Council of Schools) Weekend Workshop on Service Learning to share ideas about how we can help students extend academic connections beyond the classroom to impact our communities!

NOVEMBER OCTOBER

Rainy Sports Day Elementary students had a great 2019 Sports Day, despite the rain. Both Green and White teams showed great spirit and sportsmanship! YouTube *

24

Celebrating the Arts in Middle School!

The Gr. 6 and 7 classes celebrated their talents in the arts at the Winter Arts Performance. Reinterpreted traditional folk stories, a middle school hallway performance and musical performances combined with art displays for all to enjoy!

FEBRUARY

Global Issues Conference The Global Issues Network Club hosted service club leaders from other schools in Japan to learn and share, as well as develop a stronger network between our schools and projects.

DECEMBER

MAY

Marching for Change

MS Monsters Rock Online for Musical!

NIS Cli-mates and Global Issues Network Club marched at a “Fridays for Future Nagoya“ demanding reductions in carbon emissions.

FEBRUARY

The Middle School Musical (“The Rocky Monster Show”) made it to the big screen (well, the computer screen!) with music, songs and sound effects, all online! The cast made sure their hard work would not go to waste (with help from teachers!). Great job everyone!

YouTube *

International Mother Language Day

DECEMBER

Middle School Robotics Competition Middle School students competed in the Western Japan FIRST Lego League Robotics Tournament. As part of the tournament, they presented a project on how to prevent flood waters from entering doorways to judges.

Excellent work Dolphins robotics team!

NIS celebrated UN Mother Language Day again this year. High school Home Language Club leaders used songs and games to reveal the diversity we share at NIS, and Primary students used a ‘Language Passport’ to travel between language groups. Later, secondary students worked in groups to share their home cultures.

The day helped us better understand ourselves and others! YouTube * MAY

Walkathon Online!

The ACCJ/NIS Walkathon also moved online this year, with a combination of taped and live events, streamed through the official Chubu Walkathon Facebook page.

MARCH

NIS Moves Online!

Just when enrollment was at a record high of 541, NIS joined all schools in Japan to pause on-campus learning in early March, and like schools around the world, moved to an online platform to continue inquiring, inspiring and impacting. On-campus learning resumed on June 1. YouTube *

DECEMBER

ELC Winter Showcase ELC children inquired into exploring and sharing their creativity, and chose a range of expression through creative movement, music, dance and drama, and a visual arts showcase as well at the ELC Winter Showcase!

DOLPHIN SPORTS 2019-20

ToughYear for Dolphins NIS Athletes started with strong tournament finishes, but all activities were unfortunately cancelled in Q3 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ending the sports year early.

NIS connections

25

Congratulations

Class of 2020!

It was a historic day in an unprecedented year; a day that no one was certain would happen. But on June 5, the graduates from the Class of 2020 (those able to attend!) donned their caps and gowns and proceeded onto the Keith Dixon field in front of physically-distanced teachers and families in a rare outdoor graduation at NIS. For this class, with so much that was uncertain during their last two quarters at NIS, the moment was bittersweet. While they were saying hello again after being apart for weeks during online learning, the day was also a reminder that they were saying goodbye to their high school selves, their friends, and for some, even their families as they prepare for other adventures after NIS. It was a wonderful day that offered the graduates a chance to celebrate their growth and achievements, and to acknowledge their triumphs over adversities. Kotomi Tanaka and Olivia Sykes gave moving speeches as the Salutatorian and Valedictorian, and Andy Baker, a beloved teacher, was selected to give the Commencement Address, despite being away on paternity leave for their last year.

In addition to those in the audience on the field, friends and family from around the globe looked on via Facebook Live as the students stepped up to the podium one by one to accept their diplomas. There was a tangible feeling of resilience and tenacity in the air knowing that this class had been through - and triumphed over - a difficult end, only to come out confident and ready to take on their next challenges.

26

前代未聞な年の歴史的な一日でした。誰もが実現するとは思っていませ んでした。6 月 5 日、2020年度卒業生（一部欠席）は教師や家族が見守る 中、ドルフィングリーンの帽子とガウンを身に着けフィールドへ進み出まし た。NISの学生生活を先の見えない数ヶ月で締めくくった彼らにとって、そ の瞬間はどこかほろ苦いものでもありました。この日はオンライン学習中会 うことのできなかったクラスメートと挨拶を交わす姿が多く見られましたが、 その様子はまた、この日が卒業生にとって大学や新たな冒険に向かうための 準備をしながら高校時代の自分や友達、あるいは家族に別れを告げる日で あることを思い起こさせました。 卒業生の成長と成果を温かく祝福し、逆境を乗り越えて学業を修めた彼 らを称える素晴らしい一日となりました。卒業生総代のオリヴィア・サイク スさんと次席の田中琴美さんがそれぞれ胸を打つ挨拶を述べました。そし て卒業生の最後の年に育児休暇中だったにも関わらず、卒業生が来賓とし て祝辞を依頼したのは、彼らが慕うアンディ・ベイカー助教諭でした。 会場の出席者だけでなく Facebook を通じて世界中の友人や家族に見 守られる中、卒業生は一人ずつ壇上に上がり卒業証書を受け取りました。大 変な困難を乗り越えたこの学年には強く自信を持って次の挑戦をする準備 ができていることが、そして逆境から立ち直る力と不屈の精神が備わってい ることが確かに伝わってくる卒業式となりました。

GRADUATION

Articulating Dreams

One of the NIS objectives is for students to not only have dreams but to articulate what these mean or how they may be achieved. Below is a peek into possible future paths for the graduates of the Class of 2020 as announced at the ceremony on June 5:

• Alex will attend a college in the U.S. and major in biology with a concentration in health sciences. She hopes to become a dentist and open many practices, maybe around the world • Amillia is planning to attend university in Australia to study veterinary science with a holistic approach so she can learn about the world’s most amazing creatures, and how we can thrive alongside them. Her dream is to explore the beauty and wonders of nature around the world and share it with others • Ana is planning on taking a gap year and hopes to major in hospitality management. Her dream is to have her own hotel one day • Boqian is going to attend university in Tokyo. He plans to study in the Faculty of Global Management to pursue a job in the financial sector and get an MBA. He hopes to have his own company one day • Catherine will study culinary arts in the U.S. Her dream is to travel the world, tasting and exploring different desserts, meeting amazing new people, and experiencing different cultures • Lucy is planning to attend university in the U.S. and major in economics. Her passion is business and economics, and she wishes to start a business or work in an international company/organization • Coco will attend university in Tokyo and major in economics to learn green economics to promote global sustainable development in the future • Daito is planning to attend university in Kyoto to major in Global Liberal Arts. He hopes to go on and get an MBA in the U.S. somewhere and then start his own company • Emalee is planning to attend university in the U.S. and major in political science and economics, or maybe international relations. She is considering a career in either law or politics and will utilize her time and resources at college to figure out what she wants to do • Ethan plans to study art and design in Canada, to develop his skills in art and film. His dream is to be happy, travel the world, and meet tons of people with various cultural backgrounds • Himeno will attend a university in the U.S. and pursue a pre-health pathway as a chemistry major. Her dream is to become an anesthesiologist, a cardiothoracic surgeon, or a plastic surgeon • Ibuki will study art and design in Canada. He hopes to become successful as a designer, and his dream is to become rich like Jeff Bezos • Isabella’s dream is to get married, have children, and take care of her family.

She plans to take a gap year and then go to law school in Brazil • Jihoon will be applying to college in Korea to study economics or Japanese • Jonas plans to study at a university in the U.S. and major in applied behavioral sciences to work in law enforcement. His dream is to travel the world and make each community he works in a better place • Juntao will attend a college in the U.S. Her dream is to be able to help other people in some way • Kai plans to attend a university in Australia and major in economics to study how resources can be allocated to create a sustainable environment. His dream is to contribute to major environmental issues that are threatening the world • Kenzo is planning to attend university in Canada, and wants to major in biochemistry and then study medicine because he enjoys learning about the human body • Kise is planning to attend university in Tokyo and study either economics or Social Science. Her passion is dance, and she will keep dancing at university! • Kotomi will attend university in the U.S. to major in architecture because she

loves the interdisciplinary nature of architecture and design. Her dream is to become a designer/architect, and to create designs all around the world • Maika hopes to attend university in Tokyo. Her dream is to become a music therapist, psychotherapist, or a counselor. She also dreams about producing her own music and sharing it with the world! • Manato will attend university in the U.S. and major in mechanical engineering. His dream is to buy a house in Iceland and live there someday • Megan will attend university in the Netherlands and major in cultural anthropology and developmental sociology. Her dream is to become a social worker to enhance the quality of the lives of children, families, and communities and promote social justice • Natsuki will attend a university in Osaka and major in global liberal arts and Asia-Pacific affairs • Olivia hopes to attend a university in Scotland and study geography, history, international relations, and maybe anthropology. Her passion is to advocate for the environment, and one of her long-held dreams is to work for an NGO in violence prevention or environmental activism • Ran will take a gap year to prepare for university in Tokyo and wants to someday be in a well-respected position so her voice can have some influence on society • Ray will attend college in the U.S. His dream is to someday manage a Hilton Hotel in Japan, and he will be majoring in Hotel Management to help him achieve that dream • Roxanna will take a gap year to pursue her passion for dance and volunteer work.

She is still deciding between the universities in Canada or Australia to eventually study economics because she hopes to understand better how to help others through economic development • Seine will attend a university in the U.S. to study commercial aviation. His dream is to become a pilot because it would be the best way to say thank you to his father, whose dream was also to become a pilot • Shuma plans to attend university in Tokyo, where he intends to major in computer science. It has been his passion since he was in kindergarten. He hopes to work for Google or Microsoft one day • Taiga will attend a university in the U.S. and take pre-major courses in the College of Arts and Sciences. His dream is to become a professional soccer player who will be loved and supported by many around the world • Taro is planning to attend a university in Japan or Canada and major in computer science, learn to program and make video games. His dream is to outlive every one of his generation and see the evolution of technology with his own eyes! • Tatijana plans to attend university in the Netherlands and major in humanities and digital sciences to understand how different kinds of digital media impact groups and individuals. She wants to support people to become their best version of themselves through digital media • Teresa plans to attend university in the Netherlands and major in Economics because it unites many topics of interest. Her dream is to keep traveling and have a positive impact on the world with her work • Ulysses, always the dreamer and schemer, couldn’t reveal just one plan but he thanks all the teachers and students at NIS and will always remember that the class of 2020 will be known as the class with the weirdest graduation • Yooto will attend university in the U.S. and major in business or engineering. His dream is to be rich so that he can one day own a huge lake and give back to those who showed him love and support.

We wish the graduates well as they continue to inquire, inspire, and impact their communities, and make a difference in the world. Congratulations!

Where were they accepted?

USA • College of Charleston • Culinary Institute of America • Emmanuel College • Fordham University • George Mason University • Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences • Michigan State University • Northeastern University • Oberlin College • Pace University • Penn State Altoona • Penn State University • Purdue University • Seattle University • Texas A&M University • University of California Berkeley • University of California Davis (2) • University of California San Diego • University of California Santa Cruz • University of Colorado • University of Florida • University of North Dakota • University of North Texas • University of the Pacific • University of San Francisco (2) • University of Texas • University of Utah (2) • University of Washington (3) • Washington State University CANADA • Dalhousie University • Emily Carr University of Art and Design • King’s University College at Western University • McGill University • McMaster University • Mount Allison University • Ontario College of Art and Design University • Queen’s University • University of British Columbia (3) • University of Saskatchewan • University of Toronto (2) • York University UK (Conditional) • City London College • King’s College London (2) • Queen Mary University • University of London College • University of St. Andrews JAPAN • Chuo University • Hosei University (2) • Keio University • Ritsumeikan (3) • Sophia University (3) • Waseda University (2) OTHER • Tilburg University (Netherlands) • University of Amsterdam (Netherlands) • University of Leiden (Netherlands) *Bold indicates planned college of enrollment 進学予定の大学は太字で表示されて います。

NIS connections

27

Parent Partners 2019-20

Parent Partners Making all the Difference!

NIS is fortunate to have a strong core of involved parents to help make NIS an exceptional place for learning. The framework for parent support at NIS is unique in that it consists of three different groups: Outreach, Transitions, and the PTA. Quarterly meetings as a whole group help the cohesion between the three separate but coordinated pillars of the parent organization as they work behind the scenes (or in front!) to improve the school in a variety of ways.

Outreach parents help extend the NIS mission out into the greater community so that other parents not involved with NIS - but possibly aligned with the NIS mission and ideals - can learn more about the school and our community. Transition parents help connect families seeking more specific information about the school with parents who are already NIS parents, to help these potential new parents consider applying to the school or answering questions or concerns that they may have. PTA parents serve our current school community through a variety of activities - such as providing support for some of the school’s regular activities, organizing cultural field-trips or simply by supporting families as they integrate into the NIS/Nagoya community.

Collectively, the Parent Partners support NIS in other important ways as well. This past year, our Parent Partners participated in a series of brain-storming sessions to help the school identify the qualities that NIS values in its teachers to help with future staff recruitment. Also this year, our parents helped envision how the school community should develop into the long-term future as the school embarked on a multi-stage planning process for the next “Strategic Plan”, laying the groundwork for improving NIS. Unfortunately, that work was put on hold due to COVID-19, but there was a good start to that process.

Without this strong base of parent involvement, our school and the experiences of our students would not be as diverse and dynamic. As the saying goes, it really does take a village, and we greatly value the contributions made by our Parent Partners. If you have not already, please consider joining to help strengthen our community through any one of the three groups!

NIS は長年にわたり、質の高い学習の場をつくるという保 護 者の皆様 の 熱 意 に 支 えら れて 参りました。NIS の Parent Partner は、Outreach、 Transition、PTA ボランティアの３本の柱で成り立っています。四半期ごとに行 う Parent Partner 合同ミーティングを通し３本の柱の間で緊密な連携関係を 保ち、様々な方法でより良い学校環境をつくるため陰日向に活動しています。 Outreach チームの役割は、NIS のミッションに通じる考えを持っていなが ら NIS をご存知ないご家族に、NIS の教育やコミュニティについて広めて頂く ことです。Transition チームは、 NIS への入学を検討中のご家族に手を差し伸べ、 お子様の教育のために最善の決断が出来るよう、そして入学が決まった際には １日も早くコミュニティに溶けこめるようお手伝いします。PTA ボランティアは、 学校の定例活動のサポートをしたり、フィールドトリップの企画や、新しくコミュ ニティに加わるご家族のお手伝いをしたりと、様々な活動を通して学校コミュ ニティに貢献しています。 また Parent Partner は、他にも重要な方法で学校を支援しています。今 年度は、今後の職員採用に向けて NIS の教員が持つべき大切な資質とは何か を話し合う複数のセッションにご参加いただきました。また他にも、NIS が長 期的な未来に向けてどのように発展していくべきか、その成長と進歩への基礎 を築くために、次の「運営計画」に向けたプロセスの最初の段階にご協力いた だきました。残念ながら COVID-19 のために本活動は保留されておりますが、 Parent Partner のご支援のおかげで良いスタートを切ることが出来ました。 保護者の皆様の力強いご支援がなければ、NIS の生徒は現在のように多様 でダイナミックな経験を積むことは出来なかったでしょう。子どもは地域ぐるみ で育てるもの、と昔から言うとおり、Parent Partner の皆様のかけがえのな い貢献に深く感謝しております。より充実した学校環境をつくるため、ぜひ３つ のグループのいずれかへの参加をご検討ください。皆様のご理解とご協力をよ ろしくお願い申し上げます。

Want to Get Involved!?

Sign up HERE! www.nisjapan.net/community/parent-partners/sign-up

28

Parent Partners The First Ever NIS Soirée!

It started with a ‘what if’ discussion between a parent and a teacher. It culminated in an event that celebrated all that is good about NIS – a sense of community and giving back along with the added bonus of astounding student talent! Thanks to the hard work of the PTA, NIS was able to have the first ever NIS Soirée at the Hilton Nagoya in the breathtaking One-O-Five room on Valentine’s Day, looking over the glittering lights of Nagoya. It was a perfect setting for parents, teachers, and friends of NIS to come together for a night on the town, celebrate the Community Raffle, and celebrate the school. It ended up being one our last, public events before COVID-19 changed everything.

それは、 「もしこんなイベントがあったら…」という小さなアイディアから始 まりました。コミュニティとしての連帯感や才能豊かな生徒たち…このような NIS の良さを祝福し恩返し出来るようなイベントがあったなら。保護者と教師 の思いつきは、やがて特別なイベントへと発展しました。PTAボランティアのご 協力のおかげで初の「NISソワレ」を、バレンタインデー当日、名古屋のきらび やかな夜景を眺めながら、ヒルトン名古屋の最上階で開催することが出来まし た。保護者、教師、ご支援下さる皆様が共に、キャンパスを離れ街中でリラッ クスした時間を過ごしながら、コミュニティ・ラッフルや学校を祝福する貴重な 機会となりました。奇しくも、COVID-19 が全てを変えてしまう前の最後の公式 なイベントとなりました。

As in last year, proceeds from the raffle were earmarked to support

昨年に引き続き、ラッフル抽選会の収益は NIS 東棟校舎建設プロジェクトの

the 2020 Vision Project. The main prizes, donated by generous company

支援に充てられました。H＆R コンサルタンツ、ヒルトン名古屋、ヒルトン沖縄

sponsors, including top prizes from H&R Consultants K.K., Hilton Nagoya,

瀬底リゾート、ヒルトン小田原リゾート＆スパ、ミレニアムヒルトンソウルなど、

Hilton Okinawa Sesoko Resort, Hilton Odawara Resort & Spa, and the

スポンサーとなってくださった企業のご厚意により、豪華な賞品が用意されまし

Millennium Hilton Seoul were drawn for everyone who participated in the raffle by purchasing a ticket, regardless of whether or not they could attend the Soirée.

By the end of the evening, guests were already making plans for how to make it even bigger and better in 2021, with hopes that it will become a new tradition at NIS. It was a fantastic way for the community

た。予めラッフルチケットを購入した方全員を対象に抽選会が行われ、ソワレ への参加者も出席出来なかった方にも数々の商品がプレゼントされました。 この楽しい夜がお開きになる頃には既に翌年度に向け、このソワレを NIS の 新たな伝統とするため、更に大きく素晴らしいイベントにする計画が持ち上がっ ていました。コミュニティが一堂に会するだけでなく、NIS を特別にしているコ

to come together and strengthen the ties that make NIS special!

ミュニティの絆を強める貴重な機会となりました。改めて PTA ボランティアの

Thank you PTA!

皆様のご協力に感謝申し上げます。

NIS connections

29

s k g o in e Bo n r ea Mad L g elf- た ! n i r し S a りま h h な S oug が本に r クト ェ h ジ T Cのプロ EL

、 たり 書い 、 を がら が絵 しな ども 察 子 ュ は、 が観 ドキ 子（ 室で 教師 様 教 を の もの 子 する 子ど 方式 す様 たり に ア 話 っ う リ 階に 達と を撮 のよ エミ の段 、友 写真 。こ ョ・ 、 次 り す ジ り ま と 新た んだ びを レッ られ モを また の学 で遊 メ け 、 が そ ク 受 ッ 見 をと で、 傾け それ you ブロ ）が れ、 がり こと 耳を LC, 記録 生ま や繋 する 声に d IS E ／ が り 録 n の N わ び e ョン -a す。 、記 , そ の関 ら学 e th ーシ ing ing ので 察し った 識と s lik 問か ent eth ンテ いく を観 知 m 疑 m メ m て つく o u o 程 過 す。 oc 存の gs sro Cが ns. 広げ d s n の L ま 既 o 、 i a i l E これ t k び き や に 学 で 者 す。 rsa 深め ing ma ed c ため 、他 s, nve とが りま aph 解を ren spir s の r る o り d こ e n が g l c 理 i i す c が く o r 上 る 以下 に な ch 導 ot iopro hei 対す 出来 うぞ らか につ egg s ph erving to t d’s ing に r が l R ど 明 問 i い。 e g n と r 目 n h 、 を h n 疑 s I i 程 な ださ hc t のご ３冊 r lea c んが ten 過 teac hile ob a i く s a も く e i h d せ l 覧 e の t 、 ま n ご て び fin もな g th , or s in sw stio おし 程を すぎ な学 、ま will ing tep ntin ote que よう 例に の過 s by 増え xt s gn me raw a g e u n d の び 一 と i h c n n こ it 学 の in di tak do ２冊 the ng ts w erstan 達の ほん 冊、 and guide agi star d 生徒 びの ed 本が１ ing C n d eng の 学 o v i L u t r C c E の e EL de ble ger he obs ELC Sの s.

LC big e re a in t By 、NI らは nd hes tion r, the E rs a ing a c e ら T n s e h ! r か er nn ea ク tion yea teac oth g. L リン g co ne ues nin d an kin er q ing ld, o a n h o n a t f r lear m . o ! d un lea r. . s to ore he ess g an the of t lead roc rn m atin ano s p r a e n e l s o l i e p ab to am w th And th coll low e ex sho L be ok.

To f th o R o b a eU ew ake e th taf . Se to m are jus C L ks eE boo n th ss i e c pro

Teargarten ing f o n r t nde lear

a o A LC Ki pon xing t e du i h e r m E faru d t T -16 n n n i a e n v s

5 201

n re n ng otio r child Starti arte erg . o mp ind nt fro cern f of Tea w the K xt o ELC Art con t we nH r ne The ey tha fe and gh the uiry o o thei e t n a q s u r n c a i n o u I c r jo ed th ga of he Emilia atin ds, all P Unit t merg as is t io cre c lan B PY But e Regg began oje y r . a I t p e h e ot aw their ey t n h a n t hh Pl s, g in l jour h bot wit d Work ng the arnin ica tea be i g e l r l a r Sha f their Wo ’s m y can ren o t on h から uni much e child n: “W o i 実験 h h t t s , e h wit ぜる 援する u c q a 混 o e l r 。 のを 達を支 app a simp なも の旅 供 h ろん 探求 wit old?” の子 ld い r る 、 地 o わ c り た W まつ and 始ま く離れ 」 the か） 茶に 」に ow 遠 H お ン の 、 ョ 「 いる 経て f Tea ー ーシ ing 単元 r て を ポ a の っ h o り 「 探求 にな 「S Art ェ作 融合 単元 ムの 仕 組み カフ 至った 」と グラ 次の ） な に ロ か と う プ ミリ し こ よ まで エ 育 つ う の い い ョ・ 等教 はど に、 ると トは ッジ ク す IB 初 （ 世 界 レ ェ よう 。 有 。 ロジ 球を共 rks ある した o プ ま で W です し た う の地 たの まっ 発展 がそ まっ に始 anet (こ クトに とんど 始 」 ぜ？ から Pl ほ ジェ はな the 疑問 習の プロ るの つの る学 一大 す と け た り し お もひ った 式に い旅 たか ア方 晴らし り冷 た 素 っ この 熱か 茶が 「お

h re s c e! g/p nlinet/learnin O d n.n Rea isjapa ww

30

w.n

ool-

k

rg a inde

r te n

/bo

oks

の 人公 、主 める ちは 始 た 作り 作 生徒 品 を 作品を んだ 、 た を読 ）から作 い 本 徒は を用 いう る生 、草 （点 ト と ト あ ッ 」 ッ s ド った うちに なド Dot 様に 感 にな he る プル 、同 「T 夢中 探求す 大変 シン を抱き に が ” ト 品に 間彌 を t 女 味 ッ o 作 ト 少 ド D 興 の ー 草 わけ そのア すに The れら トや うし 。そ ad “ よう た。とり や アー ・こ s re ame ット した ットの t s ・ r し ド a ・ ま a l ま c ず に c い d e ド り e n れ 緒 b t 会 e で a t n ら と一 em と出 gar hildre ho cre 学校 はい 家族 の作品 d th der 早速 えずに Kin s, the c cter w nspire dent 生 。 は、 C 伝 彌 た 彼 u a L i t に E ld s 間 s た ar まし Thi t one the Reyno in ch んな 受け まり en a oi ot. u 銘を とを、み が始 Wh ter H. the m le d ork, b of Yay he 求 p こ e 探 m w t n i k 生の 新たな

by P ested i ith a s wn art e wor d wha . and h e r . た o w ed t y shar eir rk . inte rting てま r o h o t l l w ta d rt in xp cite ma’s a by s e dots and e x e e r a s to u furthe me. H d Kus gan! n t ho ts a ney be o wen ma at d ur ut a Kus ed abo ing jo rn n lear ext lea n the

n arte g r s LC Kinde t o D 7-18 E 201

t jec o r n Pool & e ng i d m r Co GaC Presch e of h the eed T 8-19 ELrten n n hoped one as i y s n ..

Soo

.

ver ce w her 201 derga spa e teac ce so e s en h it a n d t f i p r , ay K ga ion k the s tage o ry, pl e ent ELC

att van he cov ng thin ce t re and elp re tter ad n, dis learni Sin e h a b c atio their e ld e e r h u k o t l o m a so nc ld t exp nicles cles in ldre C cou es for ro cy chi EL k ch . . . bi liti i e o b o h i 場と s b th s i s i in t o w びの p . Th ted ny 、遊 て有効 見 ma nquiry h star i 。 とし ic 、発 たい and ey wh 環境 探求 かし れる rn なの ? ! は u 活 ま ん o m り j o アを が生 、み 始ま sro イデ ンを 学び トの clas ア デ の ク の く ェ ガー も達 プロジ 、多 ELC 子ど 深く の より に、 したこ て め し た 発 車？ する 端を 自転 活用 願いに 内で 室 な 教 そん ・・・ と なん

NIS connections

31

Alumni

Pages

Dear Fellow Alumni,

te, especially , for me, uncomfortable to wri and e eiv rec to n pai a are s because it is for Solicitation letter a letter that I need to write is s thi d, sai t Tha es. tim in these uncertain ieve: Education. something in which I truly bel Please, read on.

x stay small or go big. The cru a decision was needed to either re whe , nt ing poi a pen d hap che was rea ly ich ent (wh NIS rec ial students stay as is and turn away potent we do ts? s: den thi stu was of on ber isi num dec of the greatest possible ring a great education to the or do we grow to continue offe ing its “small town” feel, possibility of the school los the was wth gro t ins aga ced voi l. But NIS will never One concern ger schools and made NIS specia lar m fro us ted ara sep has ch to 50 years and without the spirit whi one way or another for close in NIS h wit ed olv inv n bee e lose that. I’v . It is about the teachers, rit isn’t about the buildings spi NIS the t tha say can I reservation, been, always will be. students, and staff – always has make space for more students. ision was made: NIS needs to After much discussion, the dec construction.

East Building which is under the to led ce spa e mor for d for a top-level The decision made, the nee still need classroom equipment We . ugh eno not is , ugh tho s room; we need Having a building itself a state-of-the-art visual art for ks des and als eri mat d science education; we nee do this, NIS needs more funds. for the Multi-Purpose Hall. To seating, lighting, and sound ject, but about a quarter of ng the cost of most of the pro eri cov are ns loa and es erv Cash res to fundraise, which includes about US $4 million) was needed or n, lio we mil 00 (¥4 ts cos al the tot good news is that as of now, ations, and friends of NIS. The don ate rt. por sho cor , 16% nts y gra onl t are men govern other words, we goal - nearly ¥339 million. In have raised 84% of the total we are short? mni could help make up the 16% Wouldn’t it be great if we alu l is greatly appreciated. that can help us reach our goa Every donation, large or small, 12, I all the way through to grade t kindergarten class and went good NIS how ed liz rea I t As someone who was in the firs lege in the US tha col ing end att il unt n’t was It mni, as well believe in this school. hear this same story from alu en oft I or, nat rdi Coo ons ati was for me. As Alumni Rel as from current students. p NIS continue to provide a can join me in donating to hel and e sam the l fee you lly Hopefu and grow. tions of NIS Alumni to learn great place for future genera n.

Thank-you for your consideratio Sincerely,

Giving is easy and tax-deductible!

Andy Vorland (’82) Go here for info! u

Alumni Relations Coordinator https://www.nisjapan.net/

2020-vision-campaign/ ways-to-support

Giving in US dollars !? Check out Friends of NIS on the next page!

32

*

Join!

It has been about a year since our NIS Alumni Community website DolphinNet (nisjapan-alumni.net) has been up and running. So far the number of alumni signed up has been far below what we were expecting. In the current world situation with the inability to gather in person, DNet is a perfect platform to “meet up” and we really hope to see everyone sign up soon!

So far DNet has been a private, secure, ad free social network for alumni in general, but now we are going to step up our game and roll out the Groups function.

Groups will be small communities within DolphinNet that allows smaller groups to communicate, post/host events, and generally stay in touch within specific networks. While these networks can be anything from geographic regions to common interests, it has been decided that our initial groups will be set as “Class of __”.

u This is where the communication starts. From here you can post upcoming trips, events you are having, or just check-in with fellow alumni.

For this to happen we need at least one volunteer from each group/class to be an administrator for their group. If you can spare just a little bit of time to help us out please email Andy Vorland (’82) at avorland@nis.ac.jp or direct message him within DolphinNet. Thanks!

p DolphinNet gateway

p Keep up to date with the latest news about the school today, alumni, etc…

If you have news we should share, send it in and we will !

https: //nisjapan-alumni.net

p Let’s get this map filled with NIS Alumni that we know are all over the globe!

Late last year we announced the foundation of Friends of Nagoya International School, Inc. Our Board of Directors - David Gilbertson (’69) President, Paul Baldwin (’70) Treasurer, and Andy Vorland (’82) have succeeded in setting up Friends of NIS to be able to collect donations online at fonis.org.

Friends of NIS can also accept U.S. checks made out to Friends of Nagoya International School, Inc. sent to: Friends of Nagoya International School, Inc. c/o Hurwit & Associates 1150 Walnut Street, Floor 2 Newton, MA 02461 U.S.A.

FoNIS is categorized as a Public Charity under Section 501(c)(3) by the U.S. tax code which allows donors the maximum amount of deductibility for their donations. The organization is operated exclusively for charitable, scientific, and educational purposes providing support to NIS. Please keep Friends of NIS in mind when making donations to the the 2020 Vision Project!

https: // fonis.org/

NIS connections

33

ALUMNI inter view 1

Reading Holly the Leaves Helt (‘82)

34

Alumni

Pages

ANDY ( A ) : Hi Holly, how're you doing, can you remind me what years you attended NIS? HOLLY: From 1969-1973.

| A | That would have been kindergarten through third grade. If you were that young (and that is not to insult us), do you remember much of NIS?

Holly (left) with the Gr. 3 (1973)

Oh yes, I remember a lot about NIS and our days in Japan. For example, in kindergarten (do you remember this?!), the Pepsi man came to our class and gave us these whistles shaped like the Pepsi bottle, and when you blew it, a string circled around it. It's so strange why on earth I recall that!

| A | The moment you mentioned that I

ALUMNI

i n t e r v i ew

1

Interviewed by Andy Vorland from Austin, Texas

Holly Helt was a classmate of mine a looooong time ago. I saw on Facebook that she had opened up a Tea Shop in Kyushu a while back and then in Kobe. Ever since, I have been hoping to catch up with her - little did I know how impressive her story truly is. Though we weren't able to sit down and talk in person in Kyushu or Kobe, I finally did catch up to her in Austin, Texas. Curious?

Read on and see how she has been doing since I last saw her in 1973.

LEFT With tea farmers in historic Kitsuki city (Oita Prefecture) (2016) TOP RIGHT With brother Edwin, Marion Bohm and Santa (dad!) (1973) UPPER RIGHT Second Place winner as the witch's hat, NIS Halloween Party (1973)

remembered it! The delivery guy gave us those.

After getting those whistles, I remember that if we saw him during recess, we would chase him down.

I also remember the amazing Halloween events where we had dress-up parties. My brother won first place for the Tin Man from Wizard of Oz, and I won second place for being a witch's hat… just the hat with tiny legs scurrying around! I also remember each classroom had to do an activity for Halloween. Our combined 3rd and 4th grade class did a haunted house, and all I remember is the peeled grapes in a bowl that were eyeballs, and we had people put their hands in to feel them… blood-curdling screams were the result of that!!

I remember doing plays, and I was a toothbrush… funny what we remember!

| A | I don't remember the play, but the haunted house rings a bell. Didn't we have spaghetti in a bowl to creep people out too? Do you keep in touch with anyone from NIS? YES! I'm in regular contact with Marion (Bohm) Riedl. I connect to Patty Fink on FB. I actually met Shino Yamamoto when I worked in Tokyo, and we are friends, but she is a much later class.

| A | Marion was in our class, and I know, and Patty was our kindergarten teacher's daughter if I recall correctly. Have you been able to make it back to NIS for a visit?

Sadly, no, I have not been back to visit NIS, but that doesn't mean I won’t!

| A | Call me when you do, but just a heads up, you will barely recognize it. In 1973 the circular building, now called the Raymond Building, wasn't a full circle yet. It is amazing how the school has grown, and now with the 2020 Project, it is changing even more to accommodate the large student body. Can you share some fond memories from your time in Nagoya and at NIS?

daughter, Akiko Asano, who lives in Chiba.

One of the funniest memories I have is the day that McDonald's opened in Tokyo, and several of the dads in our compound took the bullet train to Tokyo with empty suitcases to stuff with burgers and fries and bring back for the freezer. I can't tell you what a HIGH that was after so many years without anything remotely tasting like an American burger!

On a sad note, my father passed away last April, and before he died, we trolled through 8,000 slides of our time in Japan and converted about 2,000 into digital format. It was such a wonderful way of remembering the best days of our lives. Japan was truly one of our family's greatest times in life.

| A | And now with a McDonalds on every corner… I'm sorry to hear about your father. I would love to see some of those slides you went through. Not only NIS, but Nagoya has changed so much, I bet there are some interesting shots.

What was it your father did in Japan?

Dad was working at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries as an aerospace engineer.

| A | Where did you go after Japan?

We returned to St. Louis, Missouri, for a short time before moving to Iran.

| A | Iran? Wow. What kind of school did you attend in Iran?

I went to Tehran International School, a brand new school, which ended up being bombed! School was canceled after six months of living there, and we barely escaped.

We had really great family friends, the Watanabe family (used to own a radio control hobby shop near the castle). I am still in touch with their

NIS connections

35

| A | Well, compared to that, I guess NIS would look good… But how did NIS compare to other schools you went after you left?

Hands down, the best – no comparison. NIS was the best! I went to many schools, but what stands out is the close community we had at NIS. It was like "we're all in this together," and back then, there were very few foreigners in Japan… so we did have to stick together! One big happy family sharing similar life experiences of the weird and wacky!

| A | Surprisingly, while the school physically grows, the "small-town community feel" of it has not changed at all. Now, even though it was a long time ago that you lived in Japan and attended NIS, I understand your work/company today is involved with Japan. Can you tell us what it is you do now?

Having tea with mom and brother Edwin in a ryokan. Mom made green tea for me every day!

"I think deep down, the reason I am so determined to make a success of Chiki Tea is to pay homage to Japan for the amazing childhood I had there and for the wonderful friends we made."

36

After 20 years in international commercial property marketing in London and Paris, I finally quit to do what I really love, and that is Japanese tea. I fell in love with Japanese sencha when I was at NIS because my mom used to make it for me every day. My uncle invented Kool-Aid, and since we couldn't get that in Japan, my mom said sencha was "Japanese Kool-Aid," so I fell in love with sencha assuming it was the same thing my cousins in Nebraska were drinking in the summertime!

| A | The little white lies our parents tell us that shape our lives… and I really would like to hear more about your uncle, too, someday. "My friend's uncle invented Kool-Aid" is now in my vocabulary! Please continue…

That love and passion for Japanese green tea are what fuel my company today. Chiki Tea will celebrate its 8th birthday this May, and we are now shipping Japanese tea to customers in 28 countries.

When you start a company, you never can predict where it will go. Sure, you have a 5-year plan, but that usually gets blown out the water pretty quickly!

When my British co-founder and I started the company in London in 2012, we thought we would open green tea cafes around the UK, but after a 21day trip from Kanazawa in the north to Kagoshima in the south, with a videographer in tow, I realized we needed to move the company to Japan, and

plant our roots firmly in Kyushu, from where the very best artisanal teas come.

| A | What are artisanal teas?

Artisanal teas are made by tea masters using leaves cultivated on their small farms or purchased at auction, then blended in small batches and adding their signature style with drying and heating methods. A master will select the best leaves from the crop and use his skill in blending different cultivars to achieve the flavor note and other characteristics like color of brew, fragrance, and so forth. Blending doesn't mean adding things to the tea, like say a Chinese jasmine tea.

I also work with the masters and blend some of our own signature teas.

And did you know that only 1% of all tea in Japan is exported?! Most tea produced in Japan, especially in Shizuoka Prefecture, is destined for bottled tea. These artisanal producers aren't exporting for many reasons, including the language barrier. When I appeared on the tea scene, with a long history of living in Japan as a child, a lot of the producers saw Chiki Tea as some kind of Marco Polo.

We are passionately doing all that we can to help the tea industry here, but it is still a small business, and it has to be. Almost all of our business is selling directly to our passionate tea lovers. We can share their comments with the masters, and this, in turn, builds a very strong loyalty among all of us: the masters rely on us, customers depend on us, and the masters create for the customers. Our customers feel like the masters are making tea just for them (and sometimes they do!) because the quality is simply unavailable anywhere else in the world. We are in a very privileged position to be able to export these masters' teas to customers in 28 countries and counting!

In 2013 we moved to Buzen in Fukuoka Prefecture. I came on a cultural visa to study Yabunouchi school of tea ceremony. I already had several years of study with the Urasenke school of Sado under my belt. In fact, the immigration office in Oita suggested this path because they simply couldn't figure out what type of visa to give me, but they had a hunch I was good for the tea industry's survival.

During that year of study, I completed the book Green is the New Black - the glorious rise of Japanese tea as well as established Chiki Tea Japan K.K., our Japanese subsidiary.

The following year, after renovating a 150-

Alumni

Pages

LEFT In tea field with a widowed farmer who has taken over the family business, a difficult fate for most tea farmers now as younger generations leave for jobs in the big cities.

MIDDLE With colleagues at an exclusive, private industry tea auction in Kyushu RIGHT Discovering the finest organic tamaryokucha with Chiki Tea's newest tea master, Takahashi-san, in Oita Prefecture.

"I fell in love with Japanese sencha when I was at NIS because my mom used to make it for me every day."

year old building in Nakatsu, Oita Prefecture, we opened the Chiki Tea Cafe & Bakery as a test pilot to see if we could make a go of it in Japan, but there was an even bigger reason!

We dearly wanted to export the very best matcha from Yame. But to qualify, the producers wanted us to operate in Japan for at least a year, using their matcha. I said OK, and my life has never been the same. So January 2, 2014, we open Chiki Tea in Nakatsu and operated it for two years using their matcha under their watchful eye. Nothing was going to stop us! At one point that first summer, I thought I was going to die, literally, from baking in a kitchen without an air-conditioning unit and hoards of hungry folks begging for cheesecakes, brownies, muffins, and scones!

| A | This was when I started following you on Facebook. You did all the renovations to the building by yourselves, right? I thought that was amazing. I was impressed and a little jealous that you made such a leap. And I didn't even know the whole story.

After closing the test cafe to move to a more vibrant and bustling city, we headed to Kobe.

Some city officials asked us to open a matcha bar in a building in the heart of Sannomiya, which was destined to be torn down in about a year. It was their way to say thank you to the tenants they were kicking out after 40 years of operating in that building. We agreed and renovated a small unit, and operated that for about a year.

These two cafe experiences helped us validate our assumptions: foreigners are our market, not the Japanese! Most of our customers in Kobe were foreigners. Those that were Japanese were not interested in our sublime sencha and kabusecha teas - they had no clue what hon gyokuro was…

they just wanted our homemade American cheesecake, British scones, and all the homemade sweet treats they could get their hands on!!

So yet again, we are adapting our business model to fully focus on our foreign market by shipping the best artisanal loose leaf teas and matcha from Japan. But as a crazy entrepreneur, one company is never enough.

After closing our cafe in Nakatsu, we created an organic skincare company with another co-founder based in Cambridge, England. 11:11 Limited is 50% owned by Chiki Tea Ltd, our holding company. Our organic skincare line is strictly chemical-free and made by hand in the UK. We use our matcha from Yame as one of the key ingredients along with sacred Palo Santo oil from Ecuador. To extend the shelf life, we use biophotonic glass bottles that infuse the product with life force while keeping the harmful light spectrum out. After two years in development, we just launched our first two products: matcha rejuvenating cream for him and her (Agent 88, Grace, respectively). There are seven products in the range with three more launching next month.

At the same time as launching our skincare products, my 5-year search for the ultimate organic matcha from Kyushu culminated in the launch of HALO on Valentine's day.

| A | Sounds like you've been extremely busy in that last few years.

It has been a wild, wild ride, and we are just getting started! I recently moved to Austin, Texas to develop the US market for both companies from the health capital of the south, while running Chiki Tea Japan (based in Tokyo now) and 11:11 Angel Organics (Cambridge, England). I have the power of angels backing me as my entire family is watching this show from heaven! It would be nice to find a life partner, but I've been on a big, busy mission to spread love and joy with the essence of Japan: green tea!

way making you who you are today?

I think deep down, the reason I am so determined to make a success of Chiki Tea is to pay homage to Japan for the amazing childhood I had there and for all of the wonderful friends we made.

It's so sad for me to see the decline of green tea in Japan. The real loose leaves are being replaced with bottled tea, and even that is moving aside for the more western drinks like milk tea and coffee. There is a crisis going on in the tea industry in Japan. The farmers are passing away, and there is no one to take over because their children are moving to the city and abroad for jobs.

If I can inspire more and more foreigners to embrace Japanese tea, it might then inspire more young Japanese to drink it, and perhaps that would rally the folks to get back to basics and return to rural Japan to nurture the green leaves.

| A | I'm very impressed with what you have done and appreciate the time you took to share your story. One last question - do you have any advice for students attending NIS today?

To paraphrase Steve Jobs, when you grow up, you tend to get told that the world is the way that it is…. that your life is just to live inside of this structured world and not make too many waves. And to play it safe and not take too many risks, but that is a very limited life!

Life can be much broader than that when you discover one simple fact: Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that are no smarter than you! You can change this life, and you can influence it, and you can build your own things that others can enjoy. Shake off this erroneous notion that life is there for you to just live in, versus embrace it, and improve it, and make your mark on it. Once you discover this, you will never be the same again.

| A | Again, thanks for your time Holly, it was great to catch up!

Learn More:

• www.chikitea.com • www.1111angel-organics.com

| A | I know K-3 may not have been a trigger for the forming of the entrepreneur you have become, but was Japan / NIS and influence in any

NIS connections

37

ALUMNI inter view 2

A Passion forYumiko Fashion Morishita (‘01)

38

Alumni

Pages

ALUMNI

i n t e r v i ew

2

I first met Yumiko Morishita very briefly during a NIS reunion several years ago, recalling only that she was in the Class of 2001 and working for a very famous fashion brand.

So being practically a generation apart as well as fashion blind, I was initially reluctant to do this interview. However, I was pleasantly surprised that we had a few things in common and I can now claim to have another amazing “kohai”. Enjoy Yumiko’s fond memories of NIS and her “brand” of work.

PAUL HOSHIZAKI ( P ): When were you at NIS? YUMIKO: I started in the preschool program at NIS with Maeda-sensei. That must have been 1985 when I was three. I attended from preschool through 9th grade, and then for my junior year. My sophomore year, I was in Dallas, Texas. I returned to NIS for a year, then returned to the same school in Texas for my senior year. Though I didn’t graduate from NIS, I spent the majority of my time growing up there. NIS was my life!

| P | So you graduated in Dallas?

Yes, an Episcopal school there, the only coed private school in Dallas.

| P | No kidding? I went to college just south in Waco, Baylor University. Small town.

My life at NIS began because my parents, who had never been abroad, thought the preschool teachers, like Mrs. Larkins, seemed more mature and serious than other schools. Our neighborhood had a yochien, but the teachers there were in their twenties, and the teachers at NIS were more seasoned compared to them. Plus, we lived only a 10-15 minute car ride away, making it convenient for my mom to drive me to school.

| P | Ms. Larkins was definitely experienced. She was at NIS since I started! Do you still keep in touch with anybody from your class, NIS?

Yumiko Morishita ('01) Interviewed from Austin, Texas by Paul Hoshizaki ('80)

PAUL HOSHIZAKI (‘80) Paul was the last of four siblings to attend NIS at one time or another. Paul says his small claim to fame is that his class was “the original First Grade” when the then-revolutionary round school building was completed. After receiving a wellrounded education at NIS, Paul spent the next several years attending college and working in the U.S. before returning to Japan in 1994. Currently he serves as a program manager for a NGO in Tokyo. He hopes that NISers everywhere are staying safe and sound.

LEFT Yumiko, holding a "KEEP ALL PRISM" bag up from the SS19 Mens Show, Virgil Abloh's first collection ReSee (where products are displayed right off the Runway)

Not really. It’s difficult because the size of our class was very small. I do keep in touch with maybe one because he’s married to another good friend from school who is a year older, and I’ve met up with some upper class-men since I have been back to Tokyo, though.

| P | When did you come back to Japan?

I came back two and a half years ago. Until then, I had been in the U.S. for 20 years, including high school and college.

| P | Where were you after Dallas?

I went to a university in San Francisco. My experience there was very different from my time in Dallas, and I quickly looked into a study abroad program since I wanted a challenge and a change of environment.

I signed up for a “Semester at Sea” study abroad program where you get on a cruise ship – which is such a taboo these days – and spend a semester, about a hundred days, traveling to ten different countries while taking classes. You learn about all the countries, such as their social economics, women's studies, history, and current events – the whole nine yards – before visiting. It was a handson education, traveling with 600 other college kids from all over the world. Not only did I learn about other cultures but also how privileged we are growing up in Japan.

After returning, I transferred to Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. Pepperdine was a much better fit for me. There I accelerated in my

studies, earned my business degree, found an internship that led me to my current career path as well as friends I will treasure for life.

| P | Did you live in LA for a while?

Yes, for eight years. And that’s where I got into the fashion industry.

| P | Have you been back to NIS to visit?

Not recently. When I imagine NIS, it’s that old gym, the “dungeon” underneath the classrooms, and that “pentagon-ish” building. [PH: Hear, hear]. I was sad when they started rebuilding the gym; I think it was between my freshman and sophomore years. When I got back for my junior year in Texas was the first time I used the new facilities, which was nice, but it just wasn’t the same. Whenever I dream about school, I still dream about that old gym and the old classrooms, having music classes with gym classes going on upstairs. It was something you got used to, became part of your comfort zone.

| P | Yeah, I can sympathize. I went back a few years ago, and it was completely different, so modern...The last time you visited was while you were in school?

No. I’ve been back a couple of times, but there wasn't anyone to talk to. None of my teachers were there, maybe only Mr. Olson-Kikuchi. But no old friends.

| P | Do you have any good memories? Favorite teachers?

Yeah, there were lots of favorite teachers who changed my life...

My kindergarten and Gr. 1 teacher, Ms. Patricia Zimmerman. She was dear to my heart because she taught our class for two years. She talked with Don Bergman (the headmaster at the time), requesting to teach our class for two years consecutively. She did not want to lose what we had accomplished together in kindergarten. No other teacher in the elementary school was able to keep the same class. My class thought it was special for her to fight for us.

| P | So you did not speak English at all?

A little but not much. My parents only speak Japanese, and I learned English in preschool, but Japanese was also spoken during preschool hours. From kindergarten, we had Ms. Zimmerman, and she was like Mary Poppins to me. I had such a great connection with her, and while we were learning to speak English, she would open her mouth really wide to show how to pronounce words. Because of the way she taught us, I feel like I can speak like a native speaker of English.

I remember the connections we had. I had a cat, and she had a cat. In the classroom, we adopted a stray cat. We named him Tommy Tuna, and we fed him. I’m sure whether or not we were supposed to have a pet on campus, but...

NIS connections

39

ALUMNI inter view 2

| P | Interesting because one of my favorite teachers was Ms. Collins, my first and secondgrade teacher, and she had a pet dog, and we always played with him as our mascot.

I don't know where Ms. Zimmerman is now, but we kept in touch initially. Ms. Zimmerman also always wore this one perfume, and every time we walked into her room, we could smell that scent. That was also super impactful, but of course, she was much more than that. We idolized her.

| P | How would you compare NIS to the other schools you attended?

TOP First day of school at NIS (1985) ABOVE Yumiko (second from top right) with Ms. Zimmerman's K2 class (1989) TOP MIDDLE Science Classroom (Gr. 9) TOP RIGHT HS Girls Basketball Team (Gr. 9)

Nagoya was where I grew up, so I didn’t know any other school than NIS. I didn’t know any other community either. At the time, it was my everything. I looked forward to going to school.

The environment, I guess even for anybody going to other schools at that time, was such that you were hungry for knowledge and different experiences. The American influence was definitely a huge part of it because it was such a novel experience compared to other parts of my daily life in Japan. I took it in like a sponge. It wasn't just the school curriculum, but also developing a personal relationship with teachers.

Also, I am super, super thankful my parents decided to put me in such a school. My mom had to convince the other family members, who were against attending NIS. They were like, “It’s a private school...You don’t know where this is going to take you...It’s not an approved educational system in Japan…” And the tuition is not cheap. It was a commitment for my parents, but knowing English, and knowing it well, opened such huge doors allowing me to communicate with so many different people and to understand different cultures – which has made me who I am now.

You look around and see students from different countries – diversity is a normal thing – so you grow up with an open mind and accept others beyond race and cultures.

| P | Yes, I think you become more aware of the world as well. You’re involved in work at Louis Vuitton. Can you tell me about what you do?

I am a merchandising manager at Louis Vuitton, Japan. My role as a merchandiser in Tokyo is different from when I was a merchandiser in the US. Another way to understand my role is that I’m a buyer. I work on assortment and buying,

40

monitoring sales, and inventory. Things like scarves, fashion jewelry, sunglasses, belts, bag charms, home goods, and perfume are my categories. I buy for all of the stores in Japan, which entails going to Paris six times a year. We make sure the products are desirable for the Japanese market.

The company strategy is for all of our clients to have the same shopping experience at any Louis Vuitton store. Japanese clients are very sensitive to seasonality and have specific needs for sizes and functions. We make sure that our qualitative feedback on products helps lead the designers in Paris to make the right product for our market.

| P | So basically everything sold here in Japan as far as accessories, you're involved with?

Yes. I oversee both men’s and women’s collection accessories, which are a lot of products to memorize.

| P | You’ve been doing that for the past two years?

Yes, I moved back here for this job opportunity.

Before that, I was in New York for eight years working for brands like Marc Jacobs and Opening Ceremony. My role there was more on the product side, specializing in Ready to Wear, a merchandiser working with the designers to come up with a collection based on data analysis and trends.

| P | So, you were involved in design as well. Wow! How did you get into the fashion business?

I started with a college internship, but I always had an interest in fashion. As a teenager, I would go into stores flipping through magazines like Seventeen and Vogue. I also wanted to be in some kind of business, but I knew I would also need to have a passion for the product I would be selling, and that was fashion.

| P | Were your parents involved in any kind of fashion-related business?

Not at all. Perhaps the way my mother dressed and dressed me has a lot to do with my love for fashion.

| P | Did your parents have any objection to you going into the fashion business?

They weren't really restrictive at all. They allowed me to do anything. So when I said I wanted to go to the U.S. to study or go on Semester at Sea or to Houston, they would just say, “OK, as long as you have a logical reason.” They were very open-

Alumni

Pages

FAR LEFT At the Asnier Louis Vuitton House, a house that the Louis Vuitton family owned, now a museum and atelier for Hardsided Trunk LEFT Yumiko and team member with Kanye West and Virgil Abloh, the Louis Vuitton Mens Artistic Director

minded and positive when I told them the reasons why I wanted to go to the U.S.

| P | What was the reason you wanted to go to the U.S.?

That would be my second-grade teacher, Ms. Karen Axtle (now Tyler). I think she taught at NIS for five years. When she was about to leave, she wrote a very life-changing, kind letter to my parents. Ms. Axtel wrote that if and when I wanted to come to visit and or wanted to move to the US, whenever that might be, then she would like to help.

We stayed in touch, and I even went to visit her for a month during summer vacation. She lived in Houston at the time, so I would go visit and experience a little bit of the US. Then, right after my freshman year, maybe I was looking for a little bit of a change and seeing what else was out there. I think being in the same community was restrictive because we had been at school together “forever,” and I think we all knew that we would eventually go to college in the States. I started looking at options, and I thought maybe I should study abroad to test my knowledge/experiences gained at NIS. Everything happened naturally after that. Ms. Axtle introduced me to a family friend who had an extra bedroom. We applied and enrolled at the school. At the time, it sounded so crazy to leave home at age 16, but living outside of my comfort zone gave me the opportunity to become more independent and taught me that you have to take chances to gain something big.

Ms. Axtle was a significant catalyst to my lifechanging decision, and I still keep in touch. Without her, I don’t know if I would have gone to Dallas, and I wouldn't have become who I am now.

| P | Do you have any hobbies besides fashion?

I love to travel. After Semester at Sea I continued to travel to interesting places – visiting friends from college or friends I made after college. At Pepperdine, I met a lot of international students and made some good friends from different parts of the world, and I would visit them ANYWHERE. I still travel a lot for work too! Traveling...and eating!

| P | Do you have any favorite food from your travels around the world?

Of course, French cuisine – the butter and bread – is excellent. The cheese is intoxicating! I always like traveling to Mexico and enjoy Tex-Mex, the best!

[PH: Oh yes!] I also like to eat at places and try to recreate dishes at home since I like to cook as well.

My other “hobby” would be that I’m kind of a health nerd. I read about all these superfoods and natural foods and try to make them. But the downside is that I would always find new things, and can’t continue doing the same thing, you know, “mikka bouzu”!

| P | Do you restrict your diet at all?

No, not really. Nowadays, with the virus and everything, I just try to build up my immune system by eating healthy foods and take supplements.

| P | What brought you back to Japan?

Work, and because I had been gone for over 20 years and as the only child, I have been neglecting to be a good daughter. So I thought I would come back and do this job. It’s a great opportunity.

Louis Vuitton is the largest luxury brand. Also, I’ve never lived in Tokyo since I grew up in Nagoya and spent the rest of my years abroad. In the U.S., people would ask me if I knew anything about Tokyo, which I didn’t, so I guess it was important for me as an adult to experience the fast pace of Tokyo.

| P | Do you think your education and experience at NIS helped prepare you for the future?

Yes. Now that I’m back in Japan working with Japanese who have spent their entire life and education here, I’ve come to realize how amazing our education was at NIS. We were taught to have our own opinions and have the freedom to voice and express our feelings – and at times encouraged to stand out if we chose to.

One of the reasons why I was brought into Louis Vuitton is to close the gap between the cultures.

Not only for the native language skills but for the way we think and how we communicate. Japanese companies and branch offices are looking for “change” because, with globalization, international trade, and the kind of business that I’m in is such that we have to be able to communicate our needs effectively and without always being told what to do. Also, within the political aspects of the company, it’s not always about business, so it’s about building personal relationships so that you can get closer to your counterparts. Whether

finding commonalities in your first favorite band, TV series or notable being you researched for "Night of the Notables", the fact that we were exposed to so many different things and cultures at NIS makes this 'people connection' part with others an easy task. Of course, everyone has different personalities and experiences, but I think NIS sets a good foundation for nurturing future leaders of Japan.

| P | Any teachers you wish to mention?

I would love to thank them all but just too much to edit all the memories... So many important events in my life! Musicals, sporting tournamentswinning MVP of all athletes Freshmen year. I would like to thank all the teachers I’ve had over the 14 years at NIS but especially Mr. Barton, Mrs. Mongardi, Ms. Hovde, Ms. Zimmermann, Mrs. Axtle-Tyler, Mrs. Froude, and Mr. Greene.

| P | Do you have any advice for your "kohai"?

The world is at your fingertips now with the internet, and there’s a lot of information out there.

But I think it’s important for you to experience things first hand and judge for yourself. Living abroad or even in different cities, talking to different people and traveling is very important.

There will always be some kind of problem, but being outside of your comfort zone is when you actually grow and learn a lot. So you need to have the courage to step out, and everything will be okay. It'll work itself out.

NIS is such a nice place to learn, but it's also how and what you make of the experience, too.

| P | Fair advice! I’m not a good interviewer, so when Andy proposed this, initially, I was hesitant and considered refusing. But now I’m glad that I agreed to do so. I even found a few things we have in common (in addition to going to NIS forever), like living in Texas (actually liking it) and Tex-Mex!

Queso and guacamole!

| P | Ole!

NIS connections

41

ALUMNI inter view 3 ALUMNI

i n t e r v i ew

3

Mr. OK (O): Where are you and how did you end up there!?

Masamune Nakagawa (‘09)

MASAMUNE: I am living and working in Dubai, and it has been almost a year and half. I will try to break this down as easy as possible…I joined my current company, KYB Corporation in 2016. Usually, when you join a typical Japanese manufacturing company, things go quite slowly. You first work in the factory for a few years to learn about the product and how they are produced, and about logistics, and all of the basic knowledge. Then, for the next year, at least in our company, we need to go to the head office in Tokyo to learn about sales, and then, after around five years, they start to consider people to send out of Japan. As for me, I went to Dubai from November, 2018.

| O | How many company locations are there?

Oh, there are many places actually – Germany, Russia, the U.S., Mexico, Brazil, Thailand, and even more if you count factories, but for my department, after-market business, these are the main places.

Interviewed from Dubai by Erik Olson-Kikuchi

| O | I am assuming they sent you there because

I remember Masamune well when he was at NIS. Ms. Kunnen's Gr. 4 class was across the hall from my office. The year was 2000, and Ms. Kunnen always had her students out and about doing things - partially because the classroom was kind of small and narrow, and kind of cold in the winter! It became one of the classes that I remember well as I often spied on them from across the hall, and Masamune was just one of those kids who always caught my attention. So it didn't surprise me years later when I found out that he was going to university in Egypt. Masamune always seemed to do things in his own unique way, and his passion for history and cultures, including his own (Japan), has helped him find his current path. I was eager to learn more about his experiences that led him to where he is now, and potential future paths as well . . . .

Partly yes, partly no. My background didn't matter that much. The thing about this department is that, as a typical Japanese manufacturer, not many people want to join because there is a lot of travel. And, there is a belief that you cannot send women to so-called “dangerous” places for sales, so it is considered a little difficult to send staff to the Middle East and Africa.

of your background and that you speak Arabic?

| O | After NIS, what did you do?

I went to Egypt! I went to the American University in Cairo, and majored in Egyptology, with a minor in Business.

| O | I remember being worried, hearing you were there during the Arab Spring.

That was actually scary. I was trapped in my apartment for almost six days. I couldn't get out until one of my friends, who was participating in the demonstrations, was able to get me out. I was living within a three-minute walk to the main area where the demonstrations were. That was just on the surface of things where the reporting was focusing on – once you got one or two streets away from there it was not as dangerous.

| O | So, it was unsafe to continue studying?

42

No, so, I came back to Japan in the middle of university for one year, to take a leave of absence, which allowed me to see what is going on in Egypt from afar, and to work part-time or something.

| O | But you always intended to go back, right?

Right, I was not an exchange student, like other Japanese _ I had to return to finish my degree.

| O | Did you have a lot of Egyptian friends?

I cannot say “a lot”, but there are a few who I really consider close friends, and when I go on a business trip even now, I try to meet up with them.

| O | Were they involved in the demonstrations?

Everyone was involved in the demonstrations.

One was a close friend I knew from before the demonstrations, but the others I met through him, after the demonstrations. Everyone was involved.

They told me stories, about their families, about how everyone was involved. Some people were more involved. I mean, some people were just watching from afar, in the square, but others were actually more dangerously involved, throwing things like smoke grenades. Those are the people who died, but my friends were relatively safe.

| O | When were you able to go back?

About one year later.

| O | Were you happy to get back?

Yes, I was. After I went back, I was able to meet up with my friend who helped me get out of the country, and when I arrived back, he was so happy to see me, and introduced me to his friends. They are my close friends now, too.

| O | After graduating, did you try to work in Egypt, in Egyptology?

To be honest, after studying Egyptology for four years, my options were very limited. I thought I needed to get a “proper” job, especially as the only child in my family, even though my parents were very supportive of me to do what I want to do. The main reason was that I learned that there are too many politics involved with a career in Egyptology in Egypt. It is not something as fantastic or romantic as people think.

I thought a background in Egyptology would lead to making many discoveries and historical things like that. In the end, all of the “good work” and discoveries are taken by the historians already in the

Alumni

Pages

FAR LOWER LEFT Masamune testing a Prototype FAR LEFT Stopping for a moment in a market in Pakistan (2019) MIDDLE LEFT With Senry and Mrs. Adachi in Gr. 1 (1997) LEFT At graduation (2009)

field, and younger people need to have many years of experience before landing a good job.

| O | So, it was time to look elsewhere?

Yes. First I came back to Japan and started to find interesting opportunities, but since our graduation timing is different than Japanese universities, it was difficult to find work. Also, I was not totally sure about what I really wanted to do. My father suggested that I go to the Tokyo Motor Show with him and suggested I consider this one particular auto parts company that he thought would be interested in someone like me. He thought this was a good company since they also supply other auto companies besides just Toyota _ like some of the European car companies. When the PR people learned about my background they were interested in a person like me and they contacted people in their HR department. Luckily, even though they had already closed the slots for the 2016 new hires, one person had cancelled. So, the HR department wanted to interview me, and...they ended up hiring me and I started in April, 2016!

| O | Where did they send you to work first?

I started working in a factory in Gifu, in Kani.

| O | You started in Kani?

Yeah, and you know funny thing, it is like 10 minutes from where Senry Ogino (also from the class of 2009) is working. So I was able to go out with him a couple times.

| O | After all this world traveling, you both end up in the middle of Gifu. Who would have known!?

Yes! After six months of training, I joined the "AfterMarket Department".

| O | Please explain...what is “After-Market”?

We supply to the distributors in other countries, and these distributors supply the parts to the garages or repair-shops. Most of our customers are those distributors – not the garages or dealers.

In addition to Japanese cars like Toyota, Nissan, Subaru, we also supply parts for Peugout, Citroen and Renault. After market business allows us to sell directly to the distributors. In other countries, people just go anywhere to get things fixed, but in Japan, people always go to the dealer.

Japan in the office, and at the same time, I have to work to generate profits in the Dubai office.

So I need to fully understand both – but never forget that I am Japanese.

| O | How did you end up in Dubai? Were you

| O | You are not the only person that has said

nervous?

this. I think some people don't fully understand or appreciate this.

I was everything – nervous, happy, worried. As I said, usually it takes five years of getting to know everything in the company before going abroad, but I was told to go after only two years. Even though they knew I wanted to go abroad, I didn't expect it so quickly. Soon after I joined, someone was sent Dubai, and, I thought I completely missed my chance since those assignments usually last for four or five years. But, there was a sudden change in things since the person sent to Dubai spoke Chinese and needed to replace someone in China, so a spot became open in Dubai. Dubai is only run by one Japanese person – a French boss and a Japanese person. And that is me now!

| O | How many people are working with you?

There are 16 other employees with me. It is interesting in Dubai since it is so international.

| O | Did you imagine while you were at NIS that this is what you would be doing in the future?

Not at all!

| O | Is there anything that you look back on that makes you appreciate what you learned at NIS? Or that you wish you could have studied but didnt?

For example, our company makes shock absorbers, for suspensions. In Japan, if you drive a car for 70,000 kilometers, rather than replace the shock absorbers, most Japanese will just buy a new car.

Only if you really like that particular car would you bring it to the dealer to replace the parts.

Not so much about a particular class or subject, but I think the mentality or mindset that I nurtured at NIS has really helped me. I felt it was important to keep the Japanese side of me, or my Japanese identity, as everything else was in English.

| O | So, most of your after-market business is

actually because they are at a place like NIS that they realize how "Japanese" they really are, or how important Japanese culture is to them.

outside of Japan?

Actually we don't even do this after-market business in Japan. The only after-market business in Japan is for upgraded parts, not replacement parts, since the emphasis is on selling new cars.

| O | Often times, for a Japanese student, it is

| O | So you definitely feel that you have to be able to navigate many cultures there?

Yes, that is something that I definitely feel that I learned at NIS. It was not so much about the curriculum, but it was the mindset.

Yes, I think I have come across that as well, when I was there. I never felt like I was at NIS to study English or just to study English.

| O | Is there anything that you wished you would have studied more?

I probably should have studied more business or economics at NIS.

| O | Are you happy doing what you are doing?

Yes, I am happy. It is different here in Dubai of course, and in Japan it was a bit difficult for me, but the office atmosphere here is very comfortable.

| O | Is there any advice you would like to share with your "kohai", the current students at NIS? Definitely, that what you study does not necessarily mean that it will lead to what you will be doing or working on. I understand this does not apply to every kind of career, but if there is something interesting to study, I think you should go for it, but that you know it is OK to not let that restrict your work options in the future to only something that you focused in your studies.

It may sound odd, as if all that you studied will be wasted, but I don’t think that is true at all. You can apply those skills and knowledge to your work in many ways. There is no such thing as useless experience or knowledge, no matter what career you end up doing.

| O | That is very true - and good advice. Thanks Masamune for waking up early to talk with us!

No problem – it was not that early!

That is exactly what happened to me. I need to use this mindset every day. There are eight other nationalities represented in my office. I represent

NIS connections

43

ALUMNI inter view 4 ALUMNI

i n t e r v i ew

4

ANDY (A ): So, Bob, remind me, what years were you at NIS, and what was it you taught?

BOB: From 1985-1989. In the last couple of years, I was part-time. While there, I taught science, computing, and math.

Bob Matsuoka Former Teacher Interviewed by Andy Vorland

I haven't seen Bob Matsuoka for over 20 years.

We weren't at school together, but I would often see him around town and when playing in his band.

| A | What was it that brought you to NIS? My dad is Japanese, and I lived in Japan when I was young. I always wanted to go back.

| A | I knew your father was Japanese, but didn't know you lived in Japan as a child. In Nagoya?

No, I visited (my grandmother and aunts lived there), but we lived in Nakayama outside of Tokyo.

| A | Okay, so where did you go after NIS? I went to grad school in New York City.

| A | What did you study? Was it something that Japan or NIS got you interested in?

I attended Columbia University. A program in Instructional Technology, so yes – connected to the work I did with computers at NIS.

| A | What was the plan after grad school?

I had no specific plans. I did work at a school associated with my research institution – The Dalton School, a private school in Manhattan – but not as a teacher. I ran the tech group there. What we did was implement tech programs as part of our research. Our group built software (called Archeotype, an experiential history teaching simulation), and experimented with LANs and social networking. I did that for five years before I did start my first start-up.

| A | Can you tell me about the start-up? Where

did the idea came from and what motivated you to take the plunge?

I saw the wave of tools and services that were going to come online and wanted to help build them.

One of my coworkers was planning to leave, and I got a firm to give us co-working space in exchange for some consulting. Our first office was literally a desk. From there, it grew to a cubicle, multiple desks, and then we leased our own office.

| A | What did your start-up do from that desk, and what did it grow into? Did it turn into Tripadvisor where you are now a Director of Software Engineering? Can you tell us more about that journey to where you are now?

We started as an ISP (provided dial-up service) but morphed into a Content Management System (CMS) developer. We had several customers in the NYC area (Columbia University used it) but never really broke out. I burned out on running my own company and went into consulting for a while.

Citymaps was another company I helped start, and TripAdvisor bought us in 2016.

| A | What's your personal life like these days?

I have two daughters, 19 and 15. I spend time snowboarding, traveling, exercising, and playing guitar. I also enjoy riding my one-wheel around town. I also do drone photography. While I have lived in Manhattan for 20+ years, I now spend most of my time just north of the city on the Hudson

44

Alumni

Pages

River. I do still have an apartment in the city, but with the situation now, I may stay here after COVID. During my time in Manhattan, I saw a lot, including being a direct witness to the tragedy of 9/11 (I was only 500 yards away). We still have an office downtown two blocks away from my start-up office. One other thing I was a big fan of for many years, was the "Tough Mudder" style races. I also ran the New York City Half Marathon several times.

| A | We have quite a few alumni in New York, I'm assuming some former teachers also. Have you kept in touch with anyone from NIS? A few people. I've spoken with several online, and met with Mitsuko Holland when she passed through NYC.

| A | Have you had the chance to visit NIS? I did visit once, 18 years ago. I think I'm overdue for another visit soon.

| A | You will be surprised and impressed by the changes. Do you have any fond memories you can share about your time in Nagoya and at NIS? So many. I loved teaching there and getting to know the students. We won the girls' volleyball tournament a couple of times. I also coached the boys for one year. I remember a ski trip with other teachers. Aside from school activities, I played bass in a band at Country Joe and Across The Border (long gone). We played every other week to big crowds for a couple of years. I remember chaperoning a senior trip to Okinawa too.

Nowadays, I play guitar for my girls, mostly. Don't play much bass anymore.

| A | Any other memories from school?

Once for class, I ordered a tank of liquid nitrogen and gave science demos to the whole school – froze a goldfish and brought it back to life! Seeing a goldfish rock hard and then coming back to life was pretty memorable. We also poured the liquid nitrogen on the floor to show the steam, froze a banana, and a rose. We took it to all the grades. The younger kids were particularly jazzed.

| A | How did NIS compare to other schools where you taught?

NIS was unique. I have never worked at a school that felt so tight – like a family. I really liked the cross-age interaction.

| A | Do you have any advice or messages for NIS students or teachers there today?

NIS is a special place, enjoy it for what it is. You can't be a bystander - you have to get involved.

You'll never be as close to another group of students or faculty colleagues.

| A | Good advice, Bob! Thanks for your time!

| A | Do you still play in a band?

NIS connections

45

Alumni Updates Dawna Tolman Class of '70 I went to a business college and worked as a private stenographer upon graduating. I went to Germany about two years later and married an Army helicopter pilot in Switzerland. He later graduated from college in Utah and flew for the Air Force. He served 32 years in the military and flew for Pan Am airlines for three years – they went bankrupt after those three years. We have five daughters and one son and 15 grandkids.

Hopefully we will be great grandparents this year.

Life at NIS was the best experience EVER and may the current/ future students make the best memories they can there!

Teresa Davenport (Tolman) Class of '72 Me and my two sisters Becky (’69) and Dawna (’70) all live in Utah. I would really love to catch up to some people who were there with us. Would love to have a yearbook from when we were all there together.

Anne (Rodolico) Polce Class of '73 I retired from United Airlines and continue to fly to Japan for vacation and visit lifelong friends I made. My two daughters go to Japan as well and have studied Japanese online. My Japanese comes back to me as soon as I land. I majored in Japanese at San Francisco State. I mastered 2000 kanji but forgot most by now. Living in Japan was life changing and I am so glad my Dad took a job there in Gifu to assist Kawasaki Heavy Industries.

I made so many friends at NIS and locally I had so many pen pals when I returned in 1971 to the USA. I still love going to Japan although I liked it better when it was 360 yen to one dollar.

46

to-jesus moments, passed away in 2004, after 30+ years of private school teaching.

I often think of returning to NIS, having not been there now for 40 years. I'd like to, but at the same time, the physical location has changed so much, you really "can't go home again.” Based on the stories in Connections, I'm proud of how the school has progressed, and yet has kept its same close-knit nature and spirit that is still so present in the eyes of today's students and faculties.

Gambate, NIS!

Julie Johnson Class of '79 I went to NIS for 4th (Mr Bowles) & half of 5th grade (Mrs Peterson) in 1971-72. Married 36 years to Stephen Johnson (no we weren’t related ha!ha!) Moved to Houston in 1975. Children: Thomas (Heather) Johnson, Honalei 11, Sterling 9, Emily (Cody) Guidry, Lilly 11, Dalton 9, Ryder 4, Cooper 1 month old. Two dogs, Bevo (boxer) & Maverick (Australian Sheppard/pitbull). Retired from State Farm after 25 years. My mother Brenda is 80 & father Lester is 83 and living in Houston.

Tracianna (Fabain) Bales Chavous Class of '82 My brother Geory C. Fabian (’86) passed away in 2018. He was not married and had no children.

I was married for 21 years when my husband passed in 2007. We had two boys, Aaron and Levi.

I have two granddaughters, one from each son. I remarried in 2009 and now retired in Florida.

Carter Fahy Class of '83 Our family has always felt a strong connection to NIS - I mean, let's be honest - when you've got a total of six people in a school with a (then) high school size of 56 students, we were almost elevated to Kelly, Nishimoto, Minert, Eskildsen, Kern, Kido, or dare I say, Steenberg status (maybe not quite). I think you had to have at least threefour family members in school to qualify in that lofty league. Regardless, we loved our years from 1975-79 and it frequently serves as a touchstone for conversations when we get together.

Catch-up: I am married with two kids (17 & 20) and work as a manager at Ocean Spray Cranberries' Corporate office in Massachusetts after serving in the Coast Guard for 20+ years; Nat (’85) is married with four kids (8-16) and is the public affairs officer for the Marine Corps in Camp Lejuene, NC after serving in the Corps for 20 years; Tina (’82) works as a scientist for the National Marine Fisheries Service in Long Beach California, and Richard (’81) works for a non-profit conservation group in New Hampshire after 30 years in the Navy. My mom, Anita (former 3rd and 4th grade teacher), is retired and splits time between Cape Cod in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. My Dad (former Asst. Headmaster), best known at NIS for finding all the secret smoking locations for all NIS juniors and seniors and hauling them into his office for some come-

Mitsu Nishiwaki Class of '85 It's been over 40 years since I left NIS so there is so much to report. I left Nagoya because of my dad's transfer to New York and I never went back to Japan to live again. My parents, sister, and I are now all in the Washington, DC suburbs. I am happily married (25 years) with two daughters (both in U.S. universities). I have gone back to Japan many times because of work and also to visit family. In my most recent trip, I reconnected with Kohbun Kawamura after 35 years. As for work, for those that remembered me from NIS, it should be no surprise, I pursued employment related to mathematics. I am an actuary working for a HR consulting firm. Hope to reconnect with old friends from NIS!

Stacy Fischer Class of '86 The past 35 years have flown by. After graduating from Southern Illinois University in 1990, I have spent 30 years in social work including Child Welfare, HIV/Hep-C, and Geriatrics. I left Santa Fe, New Mexico in May of 2019 and moved to St. Augustine, Florida. I’m married and I have two grown sons, Nicholas and Colin. I also have two grandsons, Rylan and Rowan. My mom passed away in 2007. My dad will be 80 this year and is still in contact with the remaining McDonnell Douglas F-25 group that brought us to Japan. It’s time for another East Coast Reunion!

Carol (Stringfellow) & Craig Welle Former Teachers We are living in Hot Springs Village, AR on Lake Cortez. Craig is Executive Director of Arkansas Learning Through the Arts, a non profit that puts artists in classrooms to support literacy goals.

Carol is happy!

Alumni

Pages

NIS Farewells Norman Olson (Member, NIS Board of Trustees, 1964-68) Norman Olson passed away peacefully on June 25, just 2 weeks from his 98th birthday. Norm was born in Faith, South Dakota in 1922 and served in the U.S. Army’s 8th Armored Division in Europe during WWII. In 1951 he moved to Japan with his wife, Nellie, a teacher at NIS, where they were missionaries for 22 years with the Lutheran Church. He was on the NIS Board of Trustees from 1964, the first year of NIS, and continued to 1968. He served as Treasurer on the NIS Board of Directors during its first years when funds were being secured for the new school building. In 1973, Norm and Nellie left Japan and moved back to the U.S.. He served as pastor in South Dakota for several churches. After retiring, he served for many years as pastor of Trinity Church in Watertown, MN. Norm was a wonderful father who loved to travel and visit family, and he was always willing to help others no matter what the situation.

Guy Lott, Jr.

(Former NIS Headmaster 1971-77)

Guy Lott, Jr., former NIS Headmaster, passed away peacefully in his sleep on June 19 at the age of 91.

Until he lost consciousness at the end, he continued to be cheerful and happy. Mr. Lott devoted his life to caring for people and he never failed to see good in everyone he met. Karl Lott (’78), wrote: It was my father’s dream to see as much of the world as he could, and he chose to do that in an absolutely immersive way. He decided, back in the early 1950s, to work overseas. For a boy who grew up in rural West Virginia, and who had never traveled, that must have been a courageous decision. In 1953, he boarded a ship for a voyage to India, where he became a teacher at a small school located in the Himalayan Mountains.

It was there, in that most unlikely of places, that he met my mother, Mae. She had made a similarly bold and courageous decision to leave her home in a small town in Florida to take a ship to India, where she worked in an orphanage in a small village near my father’s school. I have often tried to imagine what their romance must have been like in the mountains of India, in villages that were so different from the towns back home. They fell in love and got married, and had two sons – my brother Stephen and me. And thus our family started our decades of living in places that were incredibly diverse, where we were able to learn about different cultures and histories and meet such interesting people.

Our years in Nagoya were deeply fulfilling. For us kids, Nagoya was a great place to grow up, but for my father, the school provided him with an opportunity to build on a thriving community by focusing on academic excellence and developing a strong arts and music program. He made sure NIS was accredited by WASC, and he expanded the sports and arts facilities at the school. And he developed a strong program for students who did not speak English as a first language.

But even with all of these achievements, the most rewarding thing about living in Nagoya was how we developed close friendships with so many people. My father had an ability to support and mentor teachers and administrators in an effortless way, ensuring that they had the resources they needed to excel at their jobs, and making sure they were happy. If he saw that someone was struggling, either with the job or because of a difficulty adjusting to living outside the United States, he made sure to reach out and offer guidance, advice and friendship.

Nagoya was a special place to my family. We spent some wonderful years there, and it is gratifying to see that my parents’ work in Nagoya is still remembered today.

Christopher 'Chris' Jon Rummé ('71) Chris attended NIS from its inaugural year. Chris graduated from Luther College in the class of ’75 and went on to become a ceramics artist and master potter. He later settled in Asheville, North Carolina, a hub for folk arts in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Chris passed away in the spring of 2018 due to complications stemming from Parkinson’s. He is survived by his two children, Demetria and Florian Rummé.

Joel Timothy Rumme ('75) Joel attended NIS for eight years and later graduated from Yokohama International School. After attending Luther College, Joel moved to Minneapolis where he lived for fifteen years. It was there that he developed his interests in photography, computers and mechanics. He later settled in the Dayton, Ohio area to work as an interpreter and technical assistant at a Japanese firm. Joel passed away in spring of 2000.

NIS connections

47

The Back Page

Looking Back

1964 Dee Van Leeuwen, part of the first cohort of NIS teachers in 1964, watches over Ann and Stephen Knutson during typing class.

Back when times were simpler . . . ?!

It has been a challenging year at NIS, in Japan, and around the world. Looking back at ‘simpler times’ often leaves us longing for days that seemed easier, slower, less technology...more peaceful. But was it really?

NIS has come a long way from borrowed classrooms in a drafty old school building in Gokenya-cho (Showa-ku) to today, in Nakashidami, about to unveil the newest addition to our campus, the new East Building.

This year may have been challenging, but we also know that our founders had their own set of challenges as well.

What has remained unwavering is the dream for a place where children can grow, learn, and thrive.

Some things never change!