THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 2008
Welcome To Elk Grove
High School Prepares For Arrival Of Students, Faculty From Japan
Elk Grove High School is gearing up for a visit from seven exchange students and two faculty members from its sister schools in Japan, Ashikodai High School and Ashitandai High School, from Mar. 7-21.
The guests will be here as the first part of the schools' 20th annual exchange.
In June, Japanese teacher and exchange program coordinator Cliff Darnall and 10 of the EGHS host students will travel to Ashikaga, Japan, for the second half of the program.
Elk Grove will provide its guests with a variety of American and Chicagoland experiences.
Several EGHS teachers will invite students to sit in on their classes. There are also other activities planned at school, including a student council welcome assembly, which will include performances by EGHS student groups.
The agenda includes excursions to Chicago to ride the "L," ice skating at Millennium Park, taking in the Sears Tower, visiting the Museum of Science and Industry and the Art Institute, and attending a Chicago Symphony Orchestra concert and a Chicago Bulls game.
Fourteen EGHS-related families are involved in hosting. Head chaperone "Terry" Yamaguchi, program coordinator in Japan and head chaperone, is splitting his stay between Darnall's family and that of former EGHS counselor Maxine Levy, who chaperoned previous groups to Japan.
The cultural activities EGHS provides its guests are made largely through various donations over the years, mostly from local Japanese companies and individuals, and through the continued support of EGHS parent organizations and the EGHS Student Council.
"The Japanese Exchange Program is proud to celebrate 20 years of existence," said Darnall. "It has given hundreds of students on both sides of the Pacific the chance to experience life in another culture and make close international friendships, and it's an annual event eagerly anticipated by EGHS and the wider community."