MARCH 31, 2015 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2015, 8:44 AM
BY MALCOLM HERBERT
FOR THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Building bridges – when it boils down to it, that’s a big part of what education is really all about.
The Kakehashi Project, operating with the slogan “The Bridge for Tomorrow,” extended that bridge to Ridgewood when 23 Japanese students visited the village as part of the cultural and educational exchange program.
The Kakehashi Project is the United States-focused portion of an effort by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan to “enhance bilateral youth exchange and mutual understanding” between the U.S. and Japan, according to the Ministry.
Ridgewood families hosted the Japanese students from Takamatsu High School from March 23 to 26. While in the village, the students “shadowed” fellow students at Ridgewood High School (RHS) by attending and participating in classes with them. The students will also visit San Francisco before returning to Japan.
The 23 Takmatsu students’ arrival in Ridgewood represents the second and final phase of the project. Last summer, 23 Ridgewood students took a 10-day trip to Japan, where they toured various parts of the country. They traveled through Tokyo and the mountainous Nagano Prefecture, exploring the cultures and educational foundations that have shaped that country.
Tokyo’s Fuchie High School served as the host school for the Ridgewood students. RHS was selected as one of just 47 American high schools to participate in the Kakehashi Project.
https://www.northjersey.com/community-news/ridgewood-japanese-students-share-cultures-1.1299407
