Honouring our Japanese friends
Taiko drummers captivate the audience at Assembly.
I have been immensely proud this week to see the positive way in which our College community has responded to the crisis faced by our friends in Japan, as they deal with the massive cleanup following the earthquake and tsunami.
A series of events held across College campuses this week has not only raised money to help our Japanese friends in practical ways, but has also helped deepen our understanding of Japanese culture and further strengthened the bonds between our two countries.
This week we have seen students and staff hold special ‘Japan Days’ which have raised thousands of dollars to go to both the Red Cross and directly to our sister school in Ibaraki. Students and staff dressed in the red and white colours of the Japanese flag and there were raffles, sales and clothing donations.
Middle and Senior School students at Pakenham have folded 1000 paper cranes which will be sent to our sister school as a sign of hope and courage.
We have had a visit from Japan’s TBS Network to film a young Japanese student, Nao Togawa, who is at the College for a week after winning a Japanese Children’s English speech contest.
Nao’s visit will be featured in a children’s TV show in Japan called CatChat. Both Nao and the film crew were thrilled to be able to enjoy some typical Australian experiences here, such as an Aussie Rules footy clinic, tasting Vegemite and meat pies and meeting some local wildlife including kangaroos at Cardinia Reservoir.
However, the highlight of the week was undoubtedly the Middle School and Year 9 Assembly held at Pakenham on Thursday which was an opportunity not only to send our prayers and support to our Japanese friends, but to appreciate some of the fascinating aspects of Japanese culture.
We were treated to a fantastic Taiko Drumming performance and a series of martial arts displays including the styles of Aikido, Karate-do and Kendo. I think students particularly enjoyed seeing their Japanese teacher Junji Sakamoto being swiftly disarmed as he demonstrated ‘knife’ techniques.
This week has been a heart-warming show of solidarity and certainly a true expression of our College theme this year of Embracing Diversity.
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