Katoh Gakuen students during their graduation trip to Kyoto and Nara. KATOH GAKUEN
Put together three days, 62 students, 1,000 kilometres by bus and train, an incredible number of World Heritage Sites and National Treasures, combine it with the tastiest food and most welcoming accommodation you would be likely to find anywhere, and you have Katoh Gakuen’s grade 6 graduation trip!
This year’s trip to Kyoto and Nara was — although dampened by rain on the first day — a trip that the class will surely remember for years to come. Staff spoke of how usually reluctant speakers of English “came out of their linguistic shells” during the trip, and thereby created lasting memories for teachers as well as students.
There were opportunities for some students to show off what they had learned in Japanese history and explain it in English for the first time. There were others who took advantage of the immersion in Japanese culture to wonder, in English, about what really makes them Japanese. Finally, there were those who just wanted to sit down and have a chat in the hotel lounge after dinner. — GEOFF PARMENTER
