Fall 2017 Vol. 59
The Internationalist
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Nishimachi International School Fall 2017 Vol. 59
Head of School
Director of Development Managing editor Editor
Michael Hosking Philippe Eymard
Mayumi Nakayama ‘90 Anne Papantonio
Art design Akira Tomomitsu (Mashup)
The Internationalist, Fall 2017 vol. 59, is published by the Development Office for alumni, parents, students, faculty, and friends of Nishimachi International School.
Article contributors
Matthew Brady Mihoko Chida Philippe Eymard Nancy Hashima '83 Michael Hosking Carol Koran Meredith Lawson Kacie (Rosenberg) Leviton ’95 Kit Pancoast Nagamura
The Internationalist Fall 2017 Vol. 59
In This Issue...
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“The Well-Vetted Life of Gary Tateyama” an Interview with Gary Tateyama ‘85 Kit Pancoast Nagamura
Feature Article Photo credits
Coelacanth and Associates Hi Cheese! TOMURO Atelier + Kenichi Nakamura and Associates SchoolPix.Me
Nishimachi International School Development Office 2-14-7 Moto Azabu, Minato-ku Tokyo 106-0046 Japan Tel: Fax: E-mail: URL:
03-3451-5520 03-3456-0197 development@nishimachi.ac.jp alumni@nishimachi.ac.jp http://www.nishimachi.ac.jp
学校法人 西町インターナショナルスクール 〒 106-0046 東京都港区元麻布 2-14-7 渉外開発室 電話： 03-3451-5520 ファックス：03-3456-0197 メール： development@nishimachi.ac.jp ウェブ： http://jp.nishimachi.ac.jp
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Fall 2017 Vol. 59
New Building Project
“Campus Development Project” Michael Hosking Head of School
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Welcome to Nishimachi
“New Members of Leadership Team”
Carol Koran, Director of Learning, Matt Brady, Director of Digital Learning, Nishimachi International School
Table of Contents The Well-Vetted Life of Gary Tateyama ’85............4 Campus Development Project..............................8 Outreach Scholarship Program.......................... 11 A Community of Learners................................... 12
ES & MS News “A Community of Leaders” Meredith Lawson, MS Principal, Mihoko Chida, ES Principal, Nishimachi International School
New Members of Leadership Team.................... 14 Alumna Returning as Nishimachi Staff................ 16 2014 University / 2017 High School Choices....... 17 Message from Nishimachi-Kai............................ 18 Congratulations Class of 2017............................20 Postmarks..........................................................20 Yokoso, Retirement, Bon Voyage........................28
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The Internationalist
The Well-Vetted Life of Gary Tateyama
an Interview with Gary Tateyama ‘85 Kit Pancoast Nagamura
It’s the kind of sunny September school day when every child in the world wants to play outside. Naturally, the courtyard at Nishimachi International School is filled with youthful shrieks and laughter that infiltrates the Matsukata House windows as I interview Gary Tateyama, class of ’85. He gazes at the door as though he’d too like to be running around out there. “I’m too young to be 47,” he says, with a charming grin. “I’ll be 48 soon, and that’s way too old. I still feel 20.” In fact, I assure him, he looks closer to 20 than his actual age. “That comes from being active, and keeping the mindset of a child,” he tells me. “Active” might be an understatement, I soon determine. “I do gym stuff, like Zumba and cardio kickboxing, about 3 to 4 days a week,” Tateyama admits. In addition, he’s recently signed up for a Spartan Race, where the goal is “to kill yourself, apparently,” he groans. “I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. I’ve done the Camp Pendleton 10K race through mud, and I’ve done ridiculous obstacle challenges. But with this one, I’m in for a lot because it’s hard upper-body work.” Tateyama spent his comparatively relaxing toddler years in Colorado. His father’s job with Beckman
Instruments, the medical tools manufacturer, moved the family first to Georgia for 3 years, then California for 4 years, and finally to Tokyo, to help Beckman compete with Hitachi. “At the US going-away party for my dad, there was this big picture of him standing with a samurai sword, saying ‘slash Hitachi’ or something like that,” Tateyama says.
ADR (Ain’t Doin’ Right) What for his father was a samurai posting held for Gary the trials of the ronin. “I was not a happy camper to come here,” he recalls. “I cried myself to sleep every night before we moved to Japan.” Aside from parting with junior high friends, Gary’s family also chose to leave behind their pets, fearing the strict quarantine period would be too stressful for them. “We gave one dog to our friends, and had to give away the other one through the Pennysaver, along with my goldfish, Fred,” Tateyama says. For some kids, relocation is a breeze, but for others, it’s traumatic. Tateyama is refreshingly honest about the challenges he encountered during his first few months at Nishimachi International School. Though he had amassed “a ton” of good friends in California, Tateyama was a fairly shy teenager. Not so his sister, Tanya (’86). “She made about forty-two friends right away, but it was a lot harder for me to meet new people,” he says. When Tateyama joined Nishimachi International School, the 8th grade had 13 students, a dauntingly tight group in which Tateyama had to find his place. Back in California, where he had pulled straight A’s at school, he had studied together with similar high-achievers from his large classes. At Nishimachi International School, he brought his usual game, asking lots of challenging and competitive questions. “That did not go over too well here,” Tateyama says. “I even had a teacher pull me aside and say, ‘hey, you might want to tamp it down a bit, because other classmates have complained.’ ”
BAR (Bright, Alert, and Responsive) Tateyama was smart enough to adjust to circumstances, and by 9th grade, when his class had dwindled to only 4 students, he had learned to fit in. “By then, as a class, we had grown much closer, really enjoying our time together, and I was
Fall 2017 Vol. 59
the only foreigner. My Japanese social studies class was me, that was it. Me and Mr. [John] Engstrom. I had no one to help answer the questions, no one to copy off of,” he laughs “Social studies is one of my least favorite subjects, but one-on-one with a teacher, it was less rigid or boring. I had some say in the way the course went.” Among his teachers, Tateyama remembers having tea time with English teacher Robert Zielinski who sometimes let his students get ice cream at Baskin & Robbins, as well as Susan Feringer-Coury, who led the class trip to China. “I ran into Feringer a decade ago, with her husband and two children,” Tateyama says, “and I still see her posts on Facebook, too.”
Teacher’s Pet Tateyama reserves his teacher superlatives for Jill Damplo and Dan Fujino. “Jill was my most fun teacher, and she made geometry, the Pythagorean theorem and stuff, fun, but honestly, I don’t remember it anymore because I don’t use it that much,” he admits. “Dan Fujino was my favorite, though,” Tateyama says, “but it’s funny to realize that back then, in computer class we were learning DOS!” Clearly, what was taught is not as important in Tateyama’s mind as how it was taught, and how relationships were formed. “I still keep touch with Fujino,” he says, and mentions his plans to visit his teacher in Canada soon. Tateyama’s time at Nishimachi International School was full of basketball games, ski trips, and hanging with classmates Taichu Jiang (’85) and Riko van
Santen (’85) as well as with Tom Jewel (’86), one year below him. The picture he paints of his time on campus is staid, for the most part, except when earthquakes occurred. “Those were really fun,” he says, to my surprise. “The whole Matsukata House would move. I remember being in the computer lab on the second floor and all the tables would shake violently. I enjoyed that. I’ve always liked earthquakes,” he says. Sorry to put a damper on things, I inform him that in 2009, the Matsukata House was made earthquake-proof. He nods, sadly. You might think the kind of kid who likes shaking buildings is the sort who gets into mischief. “Nope,” Tateyama says proudly. “I was a goody-two-shoes and actually, I got buzzed my senior skip day on wine coolers. That’s how wild and crazy I was.” Something in the tilt of my head makes him think back, harder. “Okay, yeah, my sister Tanya and I went to a disco once, and we drank the gin fizzes and the berry fizzes, all that fizzy stuff,” he allows, “but then we came home. My mom gave us the lecture about how disappointed she was that we drank anything, and I took that to heart.” It occurs to me, at last, to ask about Tateyama’s family, and the role that Japanese language played in his Nishimachi International School studies. Because his father is third-generation JapaneseAmerican, and his mother is “an English-IrishGerman-Scotch-Dutch very white blond,” Japanese was new to the whole family. Tateyama enjoyed the patient lessons of Toshiko Ohta, but insists that it was entirely possible to get around Tokyo without any Japanese language at all.
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The Internationalist
Dog Days When Tateyama talks about a gift from a neighbor that made him feel at home in Japan, his entire demeanor relaxes. “We lived at the Homat Riviera, and one night my parents went to a party, where my parents got a puppy as a souvenir.” I allow as to how I go to parties all the time in Japan and I’ve never received a puppy as a party favor. “Apparently you go to the wrong parties,” he quips. “When my parents came home that night, I was sleeping, and they put the puppy, Aki, on my chest. She came with us when we moved back to the states, and lived to be about 16. We got a Samoyed later, named Yuki, to go with her,” he recalls. Tateyama completed high school at ASIJ, and by then had amassed a solid group of friends. Upon
for 21,000 spots. The odds at getting into vet school might appear better, but in addition to pre-med classes, those who hope to matriculate at vet school need to take regular pre-med classes as well as clock in hundreds of hours of hands-on animal work, attend classes in animal biology, animal nutrition, vertebrate embryology, and zoology. “There was an organic chemistry class required,” Tateyama recalls, “which knocked a lot of people out of the running. I was THIS close,” he says, his thumb and forefinger a dog’s hair apart, “to quitting. I had transfer papers in my hand, to transfer into education. But I’d heard rumors that entrance requirements were about to accept a less difficult organic chem class, so I took the chance. I’m so glad I did. I’m not sure I have the real patience it takes to teach.”
Animal Attractions By the time Tateyama got accepted to the vet program at Colorado State University, his life began to mature and blossom in crucial ways. “I started going out a lot,” he says, “and I also came out about that time, too. I confided in my sister first. My mom knew from when I was about 22, I think.” Tateyama then says that he only told his father after his parents decided to dissolve their 38-year marriage. “My dad has the Tateyama temper. We do have that running through the family, so my dad and I didn’t have the closest relationship growing up,” Gary says. “But when my parents got divorced, the good thing about it was that my dad came to re-evaluate himself. He and I got closer, and that’s when I came out to him as being gay.” It’s a mark of Tateyama’s sensitivity that he confided in his father by email first, providing his dad with time to think things over. “His response was really nice,” he says, smiling. “He was very supportive.”
graduation, he matriculated at Colorado State University, bringing his peregrinations full-circle. As an undergraduate—during which time the goodytwo-shoes thing ended, he notes—he harbored a vague predilection to follow in his mother’s footsteps as a teacher. By his junior year, however, it had dawned on him that veterinarians could command a much better salary. “Anyway, I love animals,” he says, “so I thought that I could do that. But, it turns out that it’s harder to get into vet school than even med school.” In fact, according to recent figures from the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges, in the U.S., over 7,000 graduates apply for the 3,800 slots available for vet degrees. At med schools, the pool of applicants totals about 53,000,
Tateyama’s life seems one of good timing and cultivated connections. During his college years, he returned to California over summers to work with vet Dr. Steve Dunbar. Tateyama started with kennel duty, then worked his way up to a tech assistant position. When he graduated from vet school, Dunbar called him up and offered him a post at his practice’s emergency facilities, working the overnight shift. “I’ve been working with Dr. Dunbar now for twenty-seven years, with twenty-one as a veterinarian,” Tateyama says, now a daytime practitioner.
Pet Peeves Tateyama currently works at the Yorba Regional Animal Hospital in Anaheim. “We’re in 16,000 square feet of space, have 13-14 doctors on staff fulltime, and I see an average of 20-25 cases a day,” Tateyama tells me. Recently acquired by the VCA Animal Hospitals corporation, joining over 700 practices in the US and Canada, the hospital is big and busy.”
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“People come in and say, ‘oh, this place is just like a REAL hospital,’ or ‘you’re like a REAL doctor.’ We are, and we do the exact same thing as your doctor does,” Tateyama says, adding that many vets find their clients don’t 100% respect them. “It’s not an easy time to be in the service industry. On Yelp, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, people bash us and are rude, and post how, heaven forbid, we actually charge for our services. That takes its toll on us. Our profession has one of the highest suicide rates of all professions, even above dentists. People just assume, because we love animals, we should do everything for free, which we can’t. Staff, equipment, facilities, and insurance all cost money,” he adds. Having been on the receiving end of vet bills before, I mention experiencing the sticker shock of animal care. “But,” Tateyama says, “We vets didn’t devote 8 years of our lives to make money. We work 10-14 hour days, and one of the things I teach my students is communication, to understand what clients can afford and explore options.”
Beauty and the Beast While most clients have gratitude for Tateyama’s services, occasionally he stimulates other emotions too. “I had a lady come in with a hamster, about 2-inches long, listless, dehydrated, hardly moving,” he says, “so I gave it some sugar, made an oxygen tent for it out of tongue-depressors and a canister, and gave him fluids under his skin. The next morning that thing was running around like crazy. Apparently I did something right.” Tateyama then made the routine follow-up call. “The daughter picks up the phone and yells out ‘Mom, it’s the hamster doctor!’ The mom gets on, then she proceeds to ask me out.” Tateyama was, at the time, surrounded by his vet techs who were listening in on his half of the conversation. “They busted out laughing,” he says, listening to him worm out of the situation. “I hadn’t come out to my co-workers yet,” he explains. Once he hung up, he let everyone know the score: “I told them, (1) the woman already had a daughter, (2) she has hamsters, and (3) she’s a woman. My co-worker, Lisa, said ‘Oooooh.’” Luckily for Tateyama, not all of his clients are hamster women. “This man came in with his mom and their dog Buttercup, who had an abscess on the knee,” he recalls. “I saw the guy, and thought
‘attractive,’ and then one of my staff said, ‘Hey Gary, I think that guy likes you, because he was asking about your license plate with the rainbow paw prints on it.’ When he came back in to pick up Buttercup, I made sure I was on duty. But I ended up busy with a dog that was seizuring and one that was severely bleeding, so I couldn’t talk to him much.” Nonetheless, on that all-important follow-up call, Tateyama said he was heading to a club with friends, and invited Kyle to come along. Tateyama’s friends all bailed on him that night, so he and Kyle were alone. “By the end of the night, I knew it was a date,” Tateyama says, “and 13 years later here we are.”
Of those years, Gary and Kyle have been married for eight. Tateyama’s own father helped pay for the wedding, and the three often get together for dinner.
Between the Bark and the Bite Gazing at Tateyama’s hands, I see a map of injuries, including one salient scar. “That’s from a suitcase,” he says, laughing. But others come from animals, of course—it’s part of the job. “I’m usually faster than the animals are, and I can handle aggressive animals really well,” Tateyama says reassuringly. When I ask for a few exciting highlights, Tateyama comes up with two doozies. “I had to perform an owner-present euthanasia on a red-tailed catfish,” he says, adding “I’ve heard catfish are delicious, but I don’t cook my patients.” Then there was the sick six-foot water monitor lizard. “I was on the other side of the room, cause the owner had a hard time handling it, and it has very large teeth,” Tateyama says. He tossed over antibiotics from a safe distance. Listening to his wonderful stories, I ask Tateyama if Nishimachi International School helped him carve out a successful career in any specific way. “I didn’t like it here in Japan,” he admits, “but as it turns out, I couldn’t wait to come back. Coming [to Nishimachi International School] helped me appreciate other cultures. I now have friends from Sweden, Norway, China, India, Pakistan. Looking back, I realize you can understand conceptually that there are other cultures in the world, but you become more accepting if you tangibly feel other cultures and their ways of life.” Given that it’s often a zoo out there, his sentiments strike me as well-vetted indeed.
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The Internationalist
Photo courtesy of TOMURO Atelier + Kenichi Nakamura and Associates
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Campus Development Project Michael Hosking Head of School
Announcing the Nishimachi Campus Development Program The 2017-2018 school year has had an incredible start. Enrolment is at record numbers, with 464 students enrolled, and 62 new families joining the Nishimachi community. As Nishimachi looks to the future, the Board of Directors has undertaken financial modelling that has indicated that an enrolment of 500 students would be “growth desirable” and financially sustainable, and assure the long-term viability of Nishimachi International School. Having a vision for NIS based on a projected enrolment of 500 students will provide an achievable, realistic target for our future. With this in mind, the Nishimachi Board of Directors is excited to announce the Campus Development Program. The Board of Directors voted on April 9, 2017, to launch this program following consultation with the trustees, school staff, and the school’s leadership team. The goals of the Campus Development Program are as follows: • world-class middle school facilities for students, faculty, and staff; • a state of the art, world-class digital learning space; • the development of purpose-built facilities to enhance current programs; • the development of facilities which can be used for the new “Nishimachi Learning Hub”; • the opportunity to review/reconceptualize existing programs;
• the opportunity to review/reconceptualize existing space; • an increase in available space; • economical cost; • minimum construction time; • minimum disruption to the school; and • greater flexibility for programs and scheduling. Five different architectural firms were invited to submit designs and ideas to the board. Coelecanth and Associates, a company well known in Japan and internationally for the design of schools and universities, was the successful bidder. This will be a long-term program, and it will have four stages: Stage 1. Construction of the new Green Building on the property that the school already owns right next door to the existing campus. (Photo 1) Stage 2. Renovation of the existing Yellow Building. Stage 3. Construction of a new Red Building, which will be seamlessly joined to the new Green Building. (Photo 2) Stage 4. Construction of the Campus Ring. (Photo 3)
Stage 1- The New Green Building Our immediate priority is the construction of the Green Building. The Summit Moto Azabu building currently on this site (see photo 1 below) will be demolished and replaced by the Green Building. The new Green Building project is expected to be completed in less than two years. Importantly, the design will be open-plan. It is significant that the building design is flexible and adaptable should classroom requirements and needs change in the future. Our new Green Building will simultaneously house a purpose-built and designed “new” middle school, our new digital learning/ technology Center of Excellence, and our new (professional) Learning Hub.
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Photo 2. At the completion of Stage 3, the Green Building and the new Red Building will be joined. (Coelacanth and Associates)
Photo 3. The Campus Ring. (Coelacanth and Associates)
1. A Purpose-built and Designed “New” Middle School The development of a viable, larger middle school is a key strategic intention of the board. Building a purpose-built middle school facility will be one strategy to do accomplish this. The aim is to make the middle school facilities and program the best in Tokyo, making it compelling for parents and students to stay at Nishimachi until the end of grade 9. A second aim is to develop a program such that new parents and families will choose us on the strength of our middle school program alone. Put simply, making it compelling to stay will generate more enrolment; more enrolment means more teachers; and more teachers will allow us to broaden our learning program into curriculum areas that we would like to develop: technology, engineering, and digital learning. 2. The New Digital Learning/Technology Center of Excellence Technology for all students, and particularly middle school students, is now a basic requirement for schools. Combining the idea of a purpose-built facility for middle school students with worldclass digital learning capabilities is a high potential strategy for maximizing learning. Developing STEAM (STEAM = Science Technology Engineering Arts Math) facilities and a STEAM learning program would be an integral part of the development. Mike Millard, co-founder and CEO of Pitch A Kid, describes the need for this type of facility in a 2016 interview with the Adelaide Messenger as follows: “Learning these days needs to be in flexible spaces and that’s really important because you need to have opportunities for our students to be innovative, creative and problem solving. Within that space you can run a whole range of programs that would range from things like programming . . . robotics and coding. There will be new jobs out there in five years’ time our students are going to want to track into.” The design and floor plan will incorporate classroom spaces, an “ideas exchange” space,
flexible spaces and furniture, workshop spaces, and design and maker spaces. The science, technology, engineering, digital, and design facilities that we develop as part of this facility will be used by all students from kindergarten to grade 9. 3. The New “Nishimachi Learning Hub” The Learning Hub will enable us to host world-class staff conferences, workshops, learning events, and learning consultants and options on-site, minimizing the need for faculty to travel overseas to have their professional learning needs met. However, the space will also be used to host parent and community learning events, such as visiting artists, language programs, displays, and exhibitions. The new building has been conceived and planned collaboratively with this in mind by Nishimachi teachers and leadership team members to provide an outstanding physical environment for student and staff learning, and for community use. Twenty-first century employers—such as Google, Goldman-Sachs, the World Bank, and so on are dynamic and interactive, requiring critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity from their employees, who, today, are our students. With an understanding of contemporary learning, and how contemporary teachers will need to work, we need to recognize that our learning spaces must reflect this change. This is not the classroom of our childhoods. To prepare our students for their 2030 “futures,” we must look to models outside of our experience. In Nishimachi’s new Green Building, our students will be challenged to explore and inquire, inspired and empowered to connect with others, and supported to think and create. We will soon be launching a capital fundraising campaign to fund the Campus Development Program. Nishimachi is most grateful for your support and generous contributions to this project. Please contact the Development Office if you would like to know how you can help.
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The Internationalist
西町キャンパス開発プロジェクト
西町キャンパス開発プログラムのご案内 2017-2018年度も幸先の良いスタートを切りました。生徒数
師の増加や、教育プログラムのテクノロジー、エンジニアリン グ、そしてデジタルラーニングなど、今後開発を要する分野へ
は過去最高の464名となり、新たに62組のご家族を西町コミュ
の拡大が期待できます。
ニティにお迎えしました。
2. 新しいデジタルラーニングとテクノロジーの「Center of
西町の将来を見据え、理事会は財務分析に取り組み、財政的
Excellence」
に持続可能かつ西町インターナショナルスクールの長期的発展
昨今の教育現場において、情報通信技術の使用環境を全
を担保する今後の生徒数として、500名への拡大を指針といた
生徒、とりわけ中等部生に提供するのは必須要項です。中等
しました。生徒500名からなる西町の将来的な展望を描き、今
部専用に設計された施設と、世界水準のデジタルラーニング
後の目標をより達成可能で現実的なものとします。
を可能にする設備の融合は、学習効果の最大化を促進する上
この指針を念頭に、理事会よりキャンパス開発プログラムの
で期待できる戦略と考えます。これに伴い、STEAM (Science
発表いたします。評議員会、学校教職員、並びに我が校のリー
Technology Engineering Arts Math: 科学・技術・工学・芸術・
ダーシップチームと協議の末、理事会は2017年4月9日、このプ
数学を統合した教育分野)設備と教育プログラムの開発も必要不
ログラムを進めることを決定いたしました。
可欠になります。
キャンパス開発プログラムの目標は以下の通りです：
Pitch A Kidの共同創設者でありCEOのマイク・ミラードが
･ 生徒や教職員が利用できる世界水準の中等部施設の建設
2016年のAdelaide Messengerで、このような施設の必要性につ
･ 最先端・世界水準のデジタルラーニングスペースの開発
いて説明しています：
･ 現行のプログラムを充実させるための専用施設の開発
「今の時代、生徒たちには画期的、創造的な考え方をし、
･ 新しい「西町ラーニングハブ」に使える施設の開発
問題解決に努める機会を与える必要がある。そのためには柔軟
･ 現行のプログラムの見直し
性のあるスペースで学ぶことがとても大切です。そのスペース
･ 現行の空間利用の見直し
を使って、プログラミングからロボット工学やコーディングま
･ 校内の使用可能空間の拡大
で、様々な種類のプログラムを実施することができます。5年
･ 工事費用の低減化
先、今の生徒たちがつきたくなるような新しい仕事が生まれる
･ 工事期間の短期化
はずです。」
･ 学校生活への支障最小限に抑制
設計と間取りには、教室スペース、「意見交換」スペース、
･ より柔軟な計画、および予定管理
柔軟に変化するスペースと設備、ワークショップ用のスペー
理事会は５つの有力建築設計事務所から企画設計や新たな
ス、そしてデザインと創造のスペースを組み込みます。
発想を募り、最終的に国内外において教育施設建築に定評のあ
この施設の一部として開発する科学、技術、工学、デジタ
るC+A（シーラカンスアンドアソシエイツ）社の案を採用いた
ル、及びデザイン用の施設は幼稚部から９年生までの全生徒が
しました。
利用します。
４つのステージからなる長期のプログラムとなる予定です： ステージ１：学校がすでに保有している、現在のキャンパス の横にある土地に新しい「グリーン棟」を建設
3. 新しい「西町ラーニングハブ」 ラーニングハブは世界水準の教職員会議、ワークショップ、 教育イベント、教育コンサルタントやその他多彩な機会を西町
ステージ２： 現在の「イエロー棟」を改装
の校内で主催することを可能にし、教職に必要な研修目的の海
ステージ３： 「グリーン棟」と一繋ぎになるように新しい
外出張の必要性を軽減します。
「レッド棟」を建設（写真２参照） ステージ４： 「キャンパスリング」を建設（写真３参照） ステージ１：新しい「グリーン棟」
それ以外にも、芸術家の招聘、語学プログラムや展示会な ど、保護者やコミュニティ向けの教育プログラムにも使用され る予定です。
最優先事項は「グリーン棟」の建設です。現在予定地に立っ
生徒と教職員の教育、そしてコミュニティ利用の場として最
ているサミット元麻布の建物（写真１参照）は解体され、そこ
高の環境を提供するため、西町の教職員とリーダーシップチー
に「グリーン棟」を建設します。このプロジェクトは２年以内
ムが協力し新しい建物の構想、計画に努めました。
に完成予定です。注目すべきは設計がオープンプランだという
グーグル社、ゴールドマンサックス社、世界銀行など、21世
ことで、将来的な教室の要件や需要の変化に柔軟に対応できる
紀の企業は精力的で双方向性を志向し、人材には物事を冷静に
仕様となります。
評価する力や、協同性、想像性を求めます。将来、この人材に
「グリーン棟」は中等部専用に設計された「新」 校舎と
なるのが現在の生徒たちです。現代の教育や教師のあり方に何
なるとともに、新たにデジタルラーニングとテクノロジーの
が求められているのかを踏まえた上で、教育現場もその変化に
「Center of Excellence」と、教職活動を支援する「ラーニング
適応する必要があると認識しなければなりません。私たちの子
ハブ」が設置されます。
供時代の教室とは、もはや別物なのです。
1. 専用に設計された「新しい」 中等部施設 理事会の主な戦略の中に維持可能な範囲での中等部の拡大
2030年の「将来」に向けての生徒たちの育成には、私たち の経験以上のものを模範とする必要があります。西町の新しい
があり、それを実現する手段の一つが中等部専用に設計された
「グリーン棟」で我が校の生徒たちは多くを探求し、他者と
施設の建設です。これにより西町の中等部プログラム、および
の連携の機会と力を得て、自ら考え創造するための支援を与え
施設を東京一のものとし、生徒や保護者に「9年生の終わりま
られます。
で在籍したい・させたい」と思われるような学校としたいと 考えます。
近々キャンパス開発プログラムへの寄付を募る予定にして おります。
また、二つ目の目標は、新しいご家庭に当校を選んでいただ
西町はこのプロジェクトに対する皆様の温かいご支援、ご協
けるような質の良い中等部プログラムを開発することです。要
力に深く感謝いたします。また、支援方法につきましては渉外
するに、在籍したいと思われる学校に生徒は増え、ひいては教
開発室までお問い合わせください。
Fall 2017 Vol. 59
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Outreach Scholarship Program
14th Annual Outreach Scholarship Golf Tournament
May 27, 2017
Philippe Eymard
Director of Development Forty-six golfers, including 8 parents, 1 student, 8 alumni, 8 alumni parents, 2 staff, and 19 friends, participated in the 14th Outreach Scholarship golf tournament held at the Chiba Birdie Club. Once again, we were blessed with fine spring weather, and everybody enjoyed golfing on the beautiful course abundant with blooming flowers. Yushi Katayama ‘96 took home the winning cup with a net score of 70.8 (gross 90). In second through fifth places were parents of alumni Erik Svalander (net 72.8, gross 86), Bret Dandoy (net 73.0, gross 79), Tim Latimore (net 73.2, gross 78), and Mary Katayama (net 73.6, gross 88). Our only student participant Riki O. played extremely well and came in sixth with a net score of 73.8 (gross 87). Many thanks go to the participants, the helpers, and the tournament sponsors who made the day a great success--¥1,963,250 was raised in support of the Outreach Scholarship Program. Special thanks to tournament host Chiba Birdie Club and to Kengo
Aoshima ‘14, Aoshima family, and Ishiyama family for collecting lots of prizes. We look forward to seeing many more Nishimachi families (parents and students) at the milestone 15th anniversary tournament on Saturday, May 26, 2018!
SAVE THE DATE 15th Annual Outreach Scholarship Golf Tournament Saturday, May 26, 2018
5th Annual Outreach
Scholarship Walkathon 5th Anniversary Special Rainbow Bridge Walk November 18, 2017 Stay tuned for
Walkathon report!
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The Internationalist
A Community of Learners Meredith Lawson, Middle School Principal Mihoko Chida, Elementary School Principal One of the key guiding questions for Nishimachi’s strategic plan is: What do we understand learning to be and how do we define learning in the Nishimachi context? With this in mind, the Nishimachi staff is currently working collaboratively to define learning and determine what it looks, sounds, and feels like in the classroom or in different learning spaces. We are also interested in our entire community becoming learners on a constant journey of discovery and inquiry. This applies to parents, staff, and teachers as well as to students. Therefore, it is vital for our teachers to be on this journey themselves, not only in response to emerging knowledge about learning and teaching and new research in neuroscience, but also in response to a changing world. In order to aid our understanding of learning in the Nishimachi community, we asked a number of students, staff/ faculty, and parents the following questions: • Can you describe a highlight in your learning so far this year? • What is one thing that you hope to learn this year? Responses to both questions reflect a diverse community of learners and illustrate how the motivation for what is learned is driven by interest, relevance, and timing. Of course, the challenge for all educational communities like ours is to ensure we are providing opportunities to extend and elevate the thinking of all members so that they are responsible global citizens
with an eye on the future. Last year, when developing the Nishimachi Graduate Statement, we identified the key attributes that will be required of our current students in 2030. The list is based on work by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and global leaders in the educational community, as well as the responses we received from discussions with the Nishimachi community. Key aspects of our Graduate Statement can be seen highlighted below. It is within that framework that we have categorized many of the responses to the two questions we asked above.
Be Digitally Advanced and Think Innovatively Responses reflected a shift from consuming technology to creative innovation with the newest tools. Middle school students felt that their recent storytelling through podcasts provided valuable learning. Many grade 5 students voiced a strong desire to learn coding and robotics. PE teacher Will Dunaway would like to learn video editing skills to present material to students and share events through video for his elementary PE classes. Matt Brady is our new director of digital learning. He is guiding the advancement of our existing digital infrastructure and our collective expertise as educators, as well as defining digital learning and leadership at Nishimachi. Several teachers have already started to use Google Classroom as a platform with their students. As a reflection of Matt Brady’s role in encouraging and sharing innovation, several teachers mentioned learning more about Google Classroom as a tool to implement information literacy and improve student learning, as well as to increase
their understanding of how SeeSaw can enhance the reflective aspect of learning.
Collaboration and Communication to Bring Out the Best in Others and Themselves As our society rapidly becomes more technologically advanced and automated, soft skills will be imperative and the defining feature of successful adults. Therefore, enabling communication both locally and globally is a key experience for our students and staff. In answer to the question about what she would like to learn this year, Nishimachi’s admissions officer, Kiki Jiang-Yamaguchi, stressed the importance of listening to others with positive intent in order to establish good relationships. Students from all grades discussed the concept of being able to share their ideas more freely. One grade 9 student would like to learn how to take advantage of the strong intra-student bonds in his grade level to work more efficiently and effectively. New classroom furniture has created more flexible environments for student learning. The pieces have been designed and selected to allow for collaboration and the sharing of ideas. Instead of sitting at traditional desks and chairs, students can stand around a table with a whiteboard surface to brainstorm their ideas and plan their
Fall 2017 Vol. 59
strategies for approaching a particular task.
Adopt Multiple Perspectives to Think Flexibly and Resourcefully Building on Albert Einstein’s idea that “Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think,” our goal is to continue elevating the thinking of our students. Grade 9 student Kai S. told us that one highlight of his learning so far this year was being able to adapt his learning to different situations, such as using the graphing skills he learned in science, math, and social studies. Grade 7 students have been creating music from everyday objects, and a number of them mentioned that this requires thinking “outside the box” to create interesting rhythms. Current parent Tracy Kao has also been learning in the music domain. She’s taking taiko drumming and discovered sheet music isn’t used in performances. The pieces have to be memorized. This led her to that “aha!” moment when the piece finally came together in her head and she could play it without having to think of each individual beat. Perhaps uncomfortable at first, she had to trust that practice and repetition would lead to learning the music and the movement. Many elementary students discussed the need to learn about other cultures and how to make the world a better place—a task that will certainly require flexible thinking.
Understand Culture, Value Differences, and Show Compassion While the school will evolve in order to meet the future needs of our graduates, Tané Matsukata’s vision remains relevant. Her mission to create a school that stresses the human side
of learning for peaceful coexistence continues to be the core value for the school. Our world today may be more connected and diverse, although recent world events reflect the need for more understanding and compassion. Current parent Martina Schaefer grew up in Europe and has now realized that she had been taking democratic values for granted. As a result, she has committed herself to showing more regard for democratic values in her daily life by making them less abstract and more lived. Grade 9 student Rintaro U., who finishes up his ten years at Nishimachi in June, expressed his desire to “learn how to contribute to this community.” Several grade 3 students would like to learn how to help others in need and foster more peace in the world, and Tiger B. in grade 6 reflected about what he had learned about young Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala and her achievements as an activist. Our school has always been committed to community service projects. This year we created two teacher leader positions in “Service Learning, Leadership and Action.” According to Vanderbilt University, service learning is defined as: "A form of experiential education where learning occurs through a cycle of action and reflection as students seek to achieve real objectives for the community and deeper understanding and skills for themselves." We will strive to provide authentic opportunities for students to develop this area of learning as the year progresses, but we are also pleased to announce that our current grade 9 class will experience this first-hand when they visit Cambodia and Kirivorn School in December. The aim of the trip is to challenge our students to move out of their comfort zone, to strengthen
the bonds between our schools, to have an authentic global learning experience, and to learn with, and from, the people of that country. Interestingly, many students expressed a desire to learn basic life skills. Examples include how to take care of pets, how to wake up in the morning, and simple cooking, cleaning, and organizing. Colleges and employers have reported that many young people cannot handle basic tasks. As schools and parents have emphasized academics and university entrance, basic life lessons have been overlooked. These essential skills that at one time we learned in home economics classes and from our parents are still relevant and important to future generations. Adults in the Nishimachi community also drew our attention to other life skills such as mindfulness and gratitude. Kristy Topham, current TNK president, expressed a desire to slow down, be mindful of her daily experiences, and enjoy each day in Tokyo. Of course, academics are also a vital aspect of education, and there were numerous student comments from across the grades that mentioned building math, reading, and writing skills, learning more about science, and using laboratory equipment as well as developing skills in physical education, drama, and music. Learning is indeed a broad term that encompasses so much; it is an ongoing and evolving process and is dependent on so many internal and external factors. As we continue to develop the Nishimachi understanding of learning, we trust that you will seek learning experiences that will expand your world. By the way, Meredith is looking forward to learning more about leadership and STEAM programs that can be implemented to lift the ingenuity of our students. Mihoko is hoping to learn more about brain development and how we can better meet the needs of our students as well as foster qualities such as resilience, perseverance, and curiosity.
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The Internationalist
New Members of Leadership Team Carol Koran, Director of Learning Before becoming Nishimachi’s new director of learning, I was principal of a high school of 880 students in western Canada. In my opening address to my students there, I would urge them to see each new year as an opportunity to learn more about themselves and their unique gifts. I would remind them, “Step outside your comfort zone. Don’t stay with familiar things ‘because all my friends are doing it.’ Challenge yourself; discover new things, learn about your strengths.” Suddenly, my words to students have come true for myself. Leaving a familiar position to join the community of Nishimachi International School certainly falls within the realm of seeking new challenges and discoveries. However, as I entered the gates of Nishimachi, I realized that it was not a completely new environment. I met professional, talented, and caring educators and staff, passionate about their mission of guiding students to become communicators, thinkers, and leaders. Parent orientation days (plus my office’s proximity to the Yellow Kitchen) showed me a supportive and involved community of parents. My contact with students so far has reminded me that students are pretty much as I remember them— excited by new concepts, happy to be engaged in learning, amazingly creative in their responses and ideas, and diverse in both their strengths and their needs. I have left one familiar school setting, to find myself in another familiar setting.
The position of director of learning is new to Nishimachi, but the responsibilities of the job are similar to initiatives with which I was involved while in Canada. The Alberta Initiative for School Improvement and Moving Forward with High School Redesign are projects focused on the development of strategies to maximize student learning, promoting and building excellence in teaching practice, and utilizing data to assess and improve school culture. Building staff capacity, embracing high-yield learning and teaching strategies, and fostering a strong collaborative community are essential components of schools that are adaptive and forward thinking. Nishimachi International School is already known for its strong academic program, its focus on high expectations for students, and its appreciation for diversity. I hope to build on those strengths, support the staff to further develop their pedagogy, collect and utilize data to promote further growth and development, and continue to foster a culture of innovation and collaboration. When I gave my “departing address” at my previous school, my message to students was that I had nothing to fear about embarking on this new adventure because of what they had taught me about community and courage. Schools are remarkable places to spend one’s time because so much learning happens outside the classroom. Thank you, Nishimachi International School, for already teaching me so much. I’m looking forward to this coming year of mutual growth.
Fall 2017 Vol. 59
Matt Brady, Director of Digital Learning When I interviewed with head of school Hosking last January, at one point he said (I’m paraphrasing), “Our priority is bringing the community together to develop a shared vision for learning, focusing not just on what our students need today, but answering the question: What does a 2030 graduate need?” It was at that moment I knew Nishimachi was for me. Six months later, I was on a plane from Bonn, Germany, to Japan with my wife, Karin, and our twenty-one-month-old daughter, Esme. We arrived in Tokyo in July to an extremely warm welcome (both literally and figuratively). Three months later, we’re settled, but we remain in awe of the sheer enormity of the city. We’ve seen so little yet, but bit by bit we’re getting around and seeing new things. Karin is also serving the Nishimachi community through her private practice as a school psychologist, and Esme is across the street at Summerhill, looking forward to the day when she is old enough to be a Viking. For the past fifteen years, I have led staff and students toward the skills and mindsets needed to be successful in tomorrow’s ever-more digital world. I focus on creating and delivering “futureready” digital ecosystems because we all want to be inspired; we all want to wake up in the morning thinking the future is going to be great and feel that we can influence what the future holds and looks like. Nishimachi students have always been leaders
with strong communication and collaboration skills, and they will remain the chief designers, inventors, storytellers, and artists helping us ask the kinds of questions that reveal what the direction “toward 2030” actually is. Towards that end, the results of the first survey of student views on the development of our STEAM program (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) revealed the first glimpses of the directions in which today’s Nishimachi students are most interested in moving. Media and graphic design, robotics, 3-D printing, and a makerspace for applying creative and critical thinking were stand-out choices among our third to ninth graders, and I can hardly wait to get started. Having the opportunity to work with our 2030 graduates and to take part in developing and expanding the culture of innovation at Nishimachi is both an honor—and a whole lot of fun. Digital tools have made it such that teaching and learning are no longer from one to many, but from many to one, and we’ll be seeking even more collaborative partnerships and support from the community as we grow and build. I welcome you to join us as co-creators and facilitators ushering in the future of learning at Nishimachi.
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The Internationalist
Alumna Returning as Nishimachi Staff Kacie (Rosenberg) Leviton ‘95, Marketing & Communications Manager It is somewhat surreal for me to be sitting at my desk in the Matsukata House and think about how I used to have French class in this room with Madame Vezina. So many memories were made here, and I am thrilled to be back at Nishimachi after graduating from this wonderful school over 20 years ago. I came to Nishimachi in fifth grade, after attending Japanese public school in Yokohama. Although I was new to the school as a student, my mother had been teaching here for many years so I had often visited the school. What I remember most were the friendly faces that greeted me when I came in as the new kid, and I felt welcomed right away. I was incredibly lucky to be in a class with kind and caring kids, and many of them are some of my best friends, even today. I loved my time at Nishimachi! The amazing opportunities we all had while attending this school shaped our lives. Nishimachi wasn’t only about academics: Kazuno, ski trips, Japanese summer school, exploratories, all of these experiences helped us to learn in different ways and grow as people. After Nishimachi, I went on to graduate from ASIJ and then attended American University in Washington, D.C. After growing up in Japan my whole life, I, found moving to America difficult. I experienced “reverse culture shock,” and it took me a long time to adjust. But I would find that all roads led back to Japan, and the strong Japaneselanguage skills I developed at Nishimachi and ASIJ played an important role in shaping my career. After college I moved to N.Y.C. and started working at Tiffany & Co. I then worked for Mitsukoshi’s N.Y. buying office before starting my own consulting business to help American brands enter the Japanese market. I met my husband in N.Y.C., and we were married
in 2006. Our daughter Sophie was born in 2009, and we began to think about her education and how we wanted her to grow up. My husband also had the opportunity to live outside America and attend an international school (he is a graduate of Singapore American School), and we both agreed that we wanted Sophie to have the opportunities we both have had because of our international experiences. Moving to Japan was the natural option for us as we both spoke the language, and there was a demand for bilingual workers. There was also the added bonus that my parents were still living in Tokyo, and my sister had moved back a few years prior. I accepted a position with Nu Skin Japan, and we packed up our things and made the move! We wanted our daughter to become bilingual so we decided that she should follow in her mom’s footsteps: Japanese at school and English at home. We were able to get her into a local daycare where she began learning Japanese, and she is now in third grade at our local elementary school. Her baby sister, Charlotte, is now following in Sophie’s footsteps and attends the same daycare that Sophie did. Although Japanese school has been a great experience for her and her language development, I am so excited for the day (in another year or so) when she will enter Nishimachi! Each day I am here, I am amazed at the approach Nishimachi takes when it comes to learning and the amazing job our teachers are doing to help our students succeed. There has been so much advancement in the field of education and understanding how children learn and develop. The administration and teachers are molding the school to ensure we are developing global citizens who will be well prepared to go on to high school and college and then enter the workforce in 2030. This means teachers must also continue to learn and embrace many changes, yet I have found that the founding principles of the school that Matsukata-sensei developed so many years ago remain intact. The emphasis on learning together, kindness, warmth, and caring are still part of the school today, and everyone feels like family, just as it did when I was a student here. My role as the new marketing and communications manager will give me the opportunity to share what this amazing school is doing with our current school community, the alumni community, and with potential future Nishimachi families. I am looking forward to connecting our school with the world and keeping the alumni community up to date through our website and social media.
Fall 2017 Vol. 59
Class of 2017 High School Choices Kylie Beagles Sebastian Beck Dillon Bickerton Alexander Black Amelia Brown Lucas Charrier
Sammamish High School, USA Phillips Exeter Academy, USA Avenues: The World School, USA The American School in Japan, Japan Bozeman High School, USA Stamford American International School, Singapore Ian Donahue The American School in Japan, Japan Alexander Emerson Shibuya Kyoiku Gakuen Shibuya Senior High School, Japan Mariana Floody Radnor High School, USA Cyurina Gabe Keimei Gakuen, Japan Casey Gan Taft School, USA Maia Halle The American School in Japan, Japan Lucinda Harden Holy Names Academy, USA Emily Heimer The Hotchkiss School, USA Martin Heindl Frankfurt International School, Germany Madeleine Jaeger Kellett School, Hong Kong Mia Kan United World College of S.E.A., Singapore Minori Kawakami Taft School, USA Saki Kida Attending school in Japan Ryan Krohne West Academy of Beijing, China Ayaka Kuwahara Shoei Jyoshi Gakuin, Japan Sylvan Lebrun The American School in Japan, Japan Philip Lee Hersby Gymnasium, Sweden Rhen Lee United World College of S.E.A., Singapore Dylan Lemkuil Shawnigan Lake School, Canada Anathea Linn Johnston High School, USA Celine Maeda-Tarumoto The American School in Japan, Japan Kyle Marshall Saint Edward’s School, USA Jean Mauratille Winchester College, U.K. Waris Mills Hong Kong Academy, Hong Kong Sydney Mitchell Panther Creek High School, USA Mia Moran Yokohama International School, Japan Conor Newman Jesuit High School, USA Lily Nonaka The Urban School of San Francisco, USA Lani Ogawa Seisen International School, Japan Natalie Omori-Hoffe Middlesex School, USA Sungjin (Jean) Park Yongsan International School in Seoul, S. Korea Rocco Petruccio International School Hannover, Hannover Ellie Price Sevenoaks School, U.K. Emily Pryor Roseville College, Australia Casey Reidenbach Hong Kong International School, Hong Kong Anna Grace Roberts The American School in Japan, Japan Isabella Salathe Poly Prep Country Day School, USA Kyrie Sasaki Punahou School, USA Ellie Shefts Manly Selective Campus, Australia Alana Shepherd British School in Tokyo, Japan Shoya Shimazaki Hiroo Gakuen, Japan Ian Smith St. Christopher’s School, USA Jack Smith Maggie L Walker Governors School, USA Nanami Takamatsu Phillips Academy Andover, USA Rina Takaoka Lawrenceville School, USA Isabel Tan St. Joseph’s Institution International, Singapore Riku Tanaka Phillips Academy Andover, USA Otoha Tatami ICU High School, Japan Mia Tilman Anglo-American School of Moscow Emma Uruma The American School in Japan, Japan Kyla Waitze NIST International School, Bangkok Sydney Weinstein Langley High School, USA
Class of 2014 University Choices Yusa An Keio Gijuku University, Japan Kengo Aoshima Wake Forest University, USA Giulio Cassis Boston University, USA Yujin Chung Yamahara Princeton University, USA Emma Doherty Indiana University, USA Campbell Dovaston Attending school in Australia Mia Dunn Johns Hopkins University, USA Dylan Fackler University of California, San Diego, USA Lina Freeman Attending school in Japan Winston Gan Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA Alexander Green Harvard College, Cambridge, USA Moe Hino Sophia University, Japan Erinne Huston University of British Columbia, Canada Masashi Kanazawa Loyola Marymount University, USA Akio Kawasaki George Washington University, USA Coe Laughlin Northeastern University, USA James Linehan American University, USA Sally Maeda Brown University, USA Alexandra Marshall Wake Forest University, USA Leona Maruyama Keio Gijuku University, Japan Yukio Masuko University of California, Los Angeles, USA Daana Masumi Northeastern University, USA Seafra Meenan University of British Columbia, Canada Tamami Mikami Attending school in Japan Jiro Mizuno Dartmouth College, Hanover, USA Ma’ayan Nahmani Israeli Military Service Mark Nishida University of Southern California, USA Ryan Nishida Carnegie Mellon University, USA Riki Obe Keio Gijuku University, Japan Jessica Ohm Univeristy of California, Berkeley, USA Yuki Peters Duke University, USA Chace Pulley Haverford College, USA Edward Ritchotte University of Chicago, USA Moka Sera University of British Columbia, Canada Mone Sera University of British Columbia, Canada Rintaro Shinohara Colby College, USA Takamitsu Shirono Boston University, USA Henry Slater Princeton University, USA Nicholas So Boston University, USA Julienne Svalander University of Texas at Austin, USA Amy Takagi Attending school in Japan Daiki Tsunoda Cornell University, USA Kenta Urashima Hitotsubashi University, Japan Kaito Yamagishi Boston University, USA Ken Yokokawa New York University, USA Hiyori Yoshida University of Pennsylvania, USA
Please accept our apologies if we overlooked your name in compiling the high school and university listings (this list was compiled with help from the class reps and parents).
High schools and universities in some countries (i.e. Japan and Australia) do not start their new school year until spring of the following year. We have listed students who are attending school in these countries as ‘Attending school in Japan’, or ‘Attending school in Australia’.
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The Internationalist
Faces From BBQ
Fall 2017 Vol. 59
Nishimachi-Kai Alumni Barbeque Update Nancy Hashima ‘83
Chair, Nishimachi-Kai Executive Board
Nishimachi-Kai held its annual alumni BBQ on Saturday, June 17. We had an excellent turnout and perfect weather, with more than a hundred members of the Nishimachi community joining us for our all-you-can-eat homemade barbecue. This was a chance for the alumni community to welcome the new headmaster, Michael Hosking, and his administrative team, middle school principal Meredith Lawson and elementary school principal Mihoko Chida. Kazuki Inaba from the class of ’76 visited the school after 34 years with his wife. We are always especially delighted to welcome old-timers back to the school decades later. Special thanks to the following volunteers who helped with preparation and grilling. All of us on the N-Kai Board hope to see you again at our next event!
Cheerio Company Henri Ainai Kiki Jiang-Yamaguchi ‘87 Konomu Kuni Tsuyako Kuni Yoko Nakayama Aya Nomachi Kie Saigusa-O’Shea Tatsufumi Shibata Aiko Shimizu ‘19 Toyoko Tasaki ‘83 Yumitaro Watanabe ‘89 Yuko Yamada ‘90
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The Internationalist
Yokoso - Welcome to the Nishimachi Family
Kristen Bennett MS Math
Matt Brady
Marcella Bromfield
Makiko Hidaka
Justine Hitchcock
Carol Koran
Jenni Laing
Kacie Leviton
Miki Okuda
Director of Digital Learning
Kristina Kolb Grade 1
MS English/Humanities/ ESL
Director of Learning
Jennifer Sutherland
Kindergarten
Matthew Sutherland
Grade 4
ES/MS Japanese
Marketing & Communication Manager
Sylvia Turner Grade 2
Grade 3
ES Japanese
Hiromi Yamamoto Grade 1 assistant
Grade 5
2017 Retirement
Sanae Miyamoto
Masaaki Ikeda
Masako Suzuki
Yuichi Kagami
Diana Lupone
Roy Struble
34 years
13 years
23 years
9 years
18 years
2 years
Bon Voyage - Good luck with your future endeavors. We’ll miss you! Nick Heidt, Erin McNamara, Jana Poukka, Adam Suzor