ISD Students Welcome Students from Japan

ISD students welcomed students visiting from Japan in August.  The students visited William Chrisman High School and Glendale Elementary. At Glendale, members of the Japanese Club helped the visiting students feel right at home. The students are visiting from the Independence sister city of Higashimurayama, Japan.

The Japanese students toured police and fire stations, the National Frontier Trails Museum and the Truman Library. The students also went horseback riding at Big River Ranch in Lexington, visited Worlds and Oceans of Fun and spent a day in Kansas City. They stayed with Independence host families.

Through this exchange program, a delegation of ISD students visited Higashimurayama for two weeks over the summer. While there, ISD students visited and interacted with students at Megurita Elementary, Higashimurayama 2nd Jr. High, and Tsudajuku University. They toured city government services and local civic centers and museums. Students also enjoyed visiting Japanese cultural sites including Nikko World Heritage Site, Tokyo Disneyland and Meiji Shrine. Throughout their two week stay, students lived with host families to get an authentic experience of Japanese life. At the end of their stay, students gave a formal speech that reflected upon their experience in Higashimurayama.

Independence student delegates become citizen diplomats for Independence. More than 300 students have participated in this program and say this is a life changing opportunity.