The Internationalist Nishimachi International School Fall 2018 Vol. 61
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Fall 2018 Vol. 61.....
Head of School Director of Development Managing editor Editor Art design
Michael Hosking Philippe Eymard Mayumi Nakayama ‘90 Anne Papantonio Akira Tomomitsu (Mashup)
The Internationalist, Fall 2018 vol. 61, is published by the Development Office for alumni, parents, students, faculty, and friends of Nishimachi International School.
Article contributors
Philippe Eymard Nancy Hashima ‘83 Justine Hitchcock Wendy Kobayashi Mayumi Nakayama ‘90 Cathy Noyes
The Internationalist Fall 2018 Vol. 61
In This Issue...
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Feature Article
Photo Credits Billboard Records Marika Dandoy ‘05 Kiyoshi Endo Philippe Eymard Justine Hitchcock Mayumi Nakayama ‘90 okepi.net Radim Sinkora SchoolPix.me Takahiro Watanabe
Hi Cheese!
“Marika, Glamorous Showstopper” Interview with Marika Dandoy, ‘05 Wendy Kobayashi Parent of Alumni
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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10 Retiring Teachers
“Saying Sayonara to Barbara Ferrans” Cathy Noyes Parent of Alumni, Former Librarian
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「大田俊子先生と西町」 中山 真由美
1990年同窓生、渉外開発室アシスタント
“Thought Club” Justine Hitchcock Grade 3 Teacher
Teacher Article
Table of Contents Outreach Scholarship Program........................ 14 Congratulations Class of 2018 ........................ 15 Message from Nishimachi-Kai ......................... 16 University/High School Choices ...................... 18 Postmarks ....................................................... 19 Yokoso, Retirement, Bon Voyage .................... 28
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Marika, Glamorous Showstopper Wendy Kobayashi Parent of Alumni
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o you know this young woman? If you have a child who watched the Disney Channel in Japan between 2011 and 2015, then, yes indeed, you may be very familiar with the happy, smiling face of Marika Dandoy ‘05, as the musical theatre professional was a regular presenter on My Disney Junior. Unsurprisingly, Marika is as upbeat and bubbly in person as she is onscreen – but this is someone with more than a few strings to her bow. Born to an American father and a Japanese mother, Marika Lauren Dandoy made her first appearance in this world in New York City, since her dad was working there at the time; but the family moved to Tokyo soon afterwards and now, she says, she feels like a foreigner when she goes back there. Her parents had met in Osaka at Kansai Gaidai University, where her mom was studying
Haruka Manase, Momoca Nakamura, and Marika Dandoy onstage in the musical Legally Blonde. Photograph from okepi.net
English and her dad went as an international exchange student after completing his service Mission for the Mormon Church in Tohoku. However, although the family lived in Hong Kong for a year and have relatives in the States, Tokyo was always where they called home. Marika and her two younger sisters, Emiri ‘07 and Lorea ‘09, all attended Nishimachi before transferring to The American School in Japan (ASIJ). Like Marika, Emiri graduated from grade 9, but after ASIJ she studied in the U.S. and now lives in San Francisco; Lorea left Nishimachi after grade 8 and now lives in Boston. Marika also has four cousins who all live in Arizona, so, when their American grandparents celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary earlier this year, a grand Dandoy family reunion took place in Phoenix – the easiest meeting point for the far-flung
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family members. Despite the long distances, though, it’s clear that Marika is close to her family and often talks on the ‘phone or online with her sisters. As for her parents, it was Mrs Dandoy’s love of watching musicals and big stage productions that directly impacted on Marika’s choice of career, since she often took Marika along. Of course, now her mom goes to see all Marika’s performances – usually multiple times. “My mom is a pro at watching shows”, Marika jokes. Marika speaks flawless Japanese and English, and yet, talking about the cultural aspects of coming from a dual nationality family, she says, “Being half Japanese and half American, wherever I go, I’m a foreigner. Japanese call me gaijin here, and people call me Asian when I’m in America or wherever. I guess that’s just something you get used to. Because I went to Nishimachi, where there were so many other mixed race kids, kids who looked Asian but didn’t speak Japanese, or the other way round, I never felt it was an issue; I guess I always tried to take it in a positive way”. In fact, more than American culture or Japanese culture, she feels particularly strongly the third culture of having been to an international school, especially Nishimachi, where she was for so long. As Marika says, “The international school culture is a culture on its own”. Perhaps coming from a bicultural family meant Nishimachi was a natural choice of school for the girls. The Dandoys had sent Marika to Seisen International School Pre-school in 1993, when they were living in Denenchofu. When they returned to Tokyo after the stint in Hong Kong they placed Marika in Nishimachi (as she “secretly” admits, she entered halfway through her kindergarten year; so she’s a Ten Year Veteran, “but not really… I’m actually a Nine and a Half Year Veteran!”). Marika of course never knew Tané Matsukata, who passed away the year before she was born, but she was always aware of the presence and the legacy of the lady who founded the school, and clearly remembers the picture of Matsukata-sensei that now hangs in the Reischauer Room where we meet. By the time Marika arrived there were no longer classrooms in the Matsukata House itself, and students were not allowed to walk around freely inside, even though the Reischauer Room was still the school library. However, apart from the Yashiro Media Center, which was built in 2008, all the buildings we see today were in place. The Red Building was then the Primary Building, and the kids played on the roof, where they had a sort of bubble structure jungle gym. They also played on the gym roof and the middle school roof, although Marika says the playground itself now looks completely different. To Marika and her peers, the Matsukata House was sacred and she remembers being upset when the decision was taken to renovate and
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in my drawer instead of getting rid of it”. She is still in touch with most of the Nishimachi students from her grade 9 year. In 2005 there were 25 of them, 10 of whom went to ASIJ, so it was like having a family group all go together: “From grade 8 or 9 we all knew that we would be together”. There were about 130 people in her grade at ASIJ, however, which in the beginning was kind of intimidating; but she quickly got used to it – and there were so many opportunities for sports and music and volunteer groups, and generally so much to do that it was a great environment for Marika. And, as she says, “We all alter it. I advise her to visit the basement or the third floor definitely kept our Nishimachi culture when we moved to to get her “Original Matsukata House” fix! ASIJ”. Asked what she remembers from her school days, The first time I met Marika was in 2013 when Marika says that in her final year she was the Student she performed at the In Concert! evening in support of Council (StuCo) treasurer, where her main duty was Nishimachi’s Outreach Scholarship Program. It turns out counting the money raised after bake sales. She also that this was no coincidence: volunteering and helping enjoys recalling how the girls basketball team, of which others is important to her. Starting at Nishimachi and she was a member, won the Kanto Plain trophy that same continuing at ASIJ, Marika developed a strong connection year under Coach Gantner – a major highlight! She is with the Philippines, particularly via Philippine Relief reminded of her basketball days by a tiny scar, just visible, Organization (PRO), and recalls helping out with many from when she cut her lip during a home game; there was bake sales to raise money. She supported a lunch a school dance that evening, and she spent the whole programme for an elementary school in Cebu which at the night holding ice against it. “I wore braces, which didn’t time was the only local school serving a free lunch, and help. It was bleeding for 6 hours, but I didn’t want to go also donated money to get medicines for local people. and get stitches ‘cause I’m scared of needles!” During Spring Break in grades 11 and 12 at ASIJ she When we walk around the Nishimachi campus, went to Cebu with the teacher in charge of PRO. The Marika is warmly greeted by many of her former teachers, organisation sponsors potential university whom she is delighted to find are still candidates via a scholarship programme, here; she also remembers with great and she still keeps in touch with the affection her supportive teacher, Mr student she helped to assist, who has Fujino, who taught her algebra in grades since graduated and now has a job in 8 and 9. “We all loved “Fuj”– we all called Dubai. She also is still in touch with one him “Fuj”” she says, as she recalls that of the school-kids she supported. After his classroom was welcoming and his Marika graduated college she contacted door always open, ready to talk about her ASIJ teacher and went back to math and whatever other matters that visit the elementary school in Cebu, might be preoccupying the adolescent something she’d like to keep doing. She brain, “Which was really nice”. Other was very much aware of the dichotomy happy memories include an astronomy between the local conditions she trip to the “new” Kazuno where they went experienced there and the signs of overout at night looking at the stars through consumption she could see everywhere telescopes, and activities with her on her way back into Tokyo on the Kurohone home stay buddy, Miki, with Narita Express. “After the earthquake Playbill from the musical Memphis. whom she kept in touch for some time. Photograph by Takahiro Watanabe. (in 2011) Japan toned everything down… It’s interesting how other traditions have convenience stores turned their lights off altered. Until the previous year, the grade 9 and so on. It’s important to maintain the mindfulness. trip had been to Kyoto and Nara, but in Marika’s year this We’re kind of going back to excess use”. changed to Hiroshima, and she was so disappointed (and Marika is certain that her time at Nishimachi, with surprised when I tell her that grade 9 students now visit its focus on attributes such as being a “Global Learner”, all three). Nor did she do the Mount Fuji climb, a feature deeply influenced her. “It becomes a part of you, which of more recent grade 9 years. These days in Nishimachi is a good thing. That “One Yen Makes a Difference”, I Middle School, half the year is spent on art and the other remember that phrase very well; I still feel that one yen half on music, but in Marika’s final year students had to does make a difference. My time here taught me that choose one or the other – and Marika is amazed now by community service and donating and volunteering are her own choice to study art! “When I was in middle school important. Children don’t all have the same opportunities”. here, I wasn’t that interested in music, I guess. But I’m Marika’s volunteer work enabled her to keep going horrible at art; I don’t know why I chose that!” through some of her own tough times. “It’s great that “I was cleaning out my room the other day and the school still has these clubs and so many ways to came across a few booklets that I made at school – and volunteer. Because I have that relationship with the the content of one of my Japanese books was which Philippines, I would love, eventually, to support schools celebrities I thought were good-looking! But in 9th grade, and fund children there personally”. we all wrote a page letter to each other, and the school When I ask Marika about her career and the put them together so that we each had a book of letters various steps along the way that lead to her choice, she from everyone in our grade. I decided to put that back
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says that as a child she took lessons in ballet, Nihon buyou – traditional Japanese cultural dance – and piano (her sisters did the same, but they quit around grade 5, and it was only Marika who showed the enthusiasm to continue). She was always interested in music, as a singer, and recalls an anecdote from Mr Tanaka’s class in grade 1 or 2 at Nishimachi, when she made a “Me” poster, and wrote in the middle, “I want to be a singer and a person who makes plates”! (Mr Tanaka was a teacher of pottery, and Marika still has the collection of bowls she made back then). But as for her interest in musical theatre, Marika says she first got into acting in Nishimachi Middle School, when in grade 6 she wanted to take drama as an exploratory. (She wasn’t initially assigned to that exploratory, but one of her classmates, Alex Kaneko, went to the teacher, Ms Savant, to ask if Marika could take his place – thank you, Alex!). From there her interest grew, and she was in the school musical production for each of the 3 years she attended ASIJ : Seussical the Musical in grade 10, The Music Man in grade 11, and Grease in her senior grade 12 year (as the not-so-nice cheerleader, Patty Simcox). But Marika says that Nishimachi played a major role in developing what ultimately became her career choice: “If Nishimachi didn’t have drama classes, I probably wouldn’t have got so interested”. By the end of her time at ASIJ, Marika had decided she wanted to pursue a career in musical theatre and applied for related college programmes; she was originally planning on going to school in the States, either to Boston University or Pepperdine in Malibu (although, as she says now, “If I’d gone there, I’d definitely be a completely different person”). However, a few months before her high school graduation, her mom found out about an opportunity with Toho Entertainment. Marika auditioned – and was accepted. So, despite her intention to study in the States, Marika decided to apply to Waseda University’s School of International Liberal Studies (SILS) – and got in. This gave her a reason to stay in Japan and set her on her current path. “A part of me wishes I’d gone to school in the States and experienced college life there. Because I live here I wasn’t in a dorm... and, hearing my friends’ stories, it’s kind of sad not being able to experience that. But at the same time I’m glad I stayed, because it’s what I wanted to do. So giving up the idea of a college education in the States was an okay decision. But it’s definitely still an option to go to school in the U.S. and study theatre there, or even go to grad school”. At Waseda Marika unsurprisingly took theatre as her major zemi (seminar), directly related to the thesis
Photograph courtesy of Billboard Records
she wrote and the performance she prepared at the end of her four years (by which time she was already working in the performing arts arena – in fact, filming for the Disney Channel). “As for the other classes, we were free to take a wide variety. SILS (School of International Liberal Studies) offers classes in business, language, arts, science, and basically everything, so although I did take classes like American theatre history, pantomime theory, theory to work as a news anchor, and other theatre and performance-based classes, I also took classes in subjects such as the Buddhist religion and traditions, and art history”. She goes on to say, “The art history classes stood out – I ended up taking all the art history classes that they offered in our department. I found my art history flash cards at home recently – and I decided to keep those, too! So this is another option that is “floating around”. (At this point I’m thinking there really was a reason why Marika chose to do art at Nishimachi). Most of her classes were in English – Marika says she mainly took classes given by the foreign professors, although Japanese professors often gave their classes in English, too – but she also studied German for 3 years. This enabled her to understand various musicals in their original form, such as Mozart and Elisabeth and the dance musical Tanz der Vampire, which Marika had seen in Japan (with her mother, of course!) and also in Berlin and Vienna. The job as presenter for My Disney Junior was her first major professional break. Marika says, “The reason why I went into Disney was… I auditioned for it! I got the initial audition through my agency, Toho, but by the time I reached the final audition (they made me do three auditions, I think) I really wanted to do it! I really like kids in general, too, so it was a good fit”. Her time at Disney ended a few years ago, and now Marika works full time for the Toho Entertainment Co., Ltd as a josei talento or female entertainer (“I think of myself as a singer and an actress”). This means being sent for auditions, as well as receiving offers for jobs where she has been specifically chosen without having to audition. She had been thinking of moving to New York and was in fact very set on moving a couple of years ago; but then she was offered a musical gig here and took it, thinking New York could wait. After
Photograph courtesy of Billboard Records
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that she just kept getting more work – sometimes lead roles, sometimes in ensembles – and New York is still waiting! Marika sees Japanese musical theatre developing apace as more and more Broadway and West End shows come here. However people often go to watch particular performers rather than the actual show, and she feels Japan needs to work on that aspect. “It’s part of the culture: people want to see stars, and so production companies cast performers who will bring in the public – usually it’s a TV celebrity or idoru (star), who may not necessarily have the musical theatre experience – and then other professionals are cast around the main roles”. But this is gradually changing as Japanese audiences are starting to want to see productions for their music, storyline, and background, and there are a lot of foreign shows now, too, which are becoming increasingly popular. This year, for example, Marika did Jersey Boys in Concert at Theatre Orb in Hikarie, Shibuya, where the main male cast members were all very talented performers in musical theatre in Japan; it’s a 2,000 seat theatre and was full for each of the 4 performances. “Lots of shows are being imported to Japan; I think it’s remarkable that we have all these Tony Award-winning shows translated into Japanese”. She has been surprised that the casts and directors she has worked with here in Japan are really nice (compared with “old school” directors who might throw an ashtray at you!). I ask Marika about her dreams. She plans to keep doing musical theatre here or in New York (or indeed other locations), but wants, above all else, to be able to sing in front of an audience and move them. “I like singing songs that mean something. I actually like singing ballads… songs that touch you”. She wrote the lyrics in Japanese for her song, “I’m Okay”, which you can find on iTunes if you search on Marika Dandoy, and says, “I wrote it, telling myself that I would get over something that happened to me. I want to write more songs. Writing your own lyrics is the best way to get your meaning across”. She and her friend Eliana (aka SHOWSTOPPERS) wrote some of the lyrics on their album GLAMOROUS Xmas, which they released on Billboard Records last year (also available on iTunes and at record shops). She admires soulful singers who can really convey meaning, such as Alicia Keys (“She’s amazing. She sings and writes her own songs… and I think there was a time she performed in Times Square with close to no make-up. I love that bold stance!”), Bruno Mars (she laughs as she recalls racing over to his show in Saitama immediately after finishing her own), and, of course, Beyoncé. Marika modestly asserts, “There is always more to do in terms of brushing up my skills”. She says that she hopes to be cast in more major roles so she can build up her repertoire – and that in future audiences will be coming because they want to see the show itself, as well as certain performers. She wants to go to New York to see more productions, and, when there’s something a Japanese audience would enjoy, bring it back to Japan
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and work on the translation, since that can often be where meaning gets lost. Being ideally positioned to understand the finer nuances of both English and Japanese lyrics, Marika has also been demonstrating a vocation for translating musical theatre songs – for example for her friend RiRiKA, a former Takarazuka actress and singer who appears regularly on The Karaoke Battle on TV Tokyo, and who asked Marika to translate into Japanese a duet from High School Musical that she wanted to sing in concert. More recently Marika has been working with a well-known Japanese actor in translating hit rock songs (more information on this will be available next year). I ask Marika if there are any areas she particularly wants to develop, to which she replies that her main challenge is to improve her dance skills, since she feels she is more of a singer than a dancer. She was thrilled, therefore, to be cast over the summer as a dancer in the musical Only You – Bokura no Romeo & Juliet starring Takahisa Masuda of the popular Japanese boy band NEWS. Also, she adds, “I tend to get cast in happy roles that are fun, but I want to be able to portray dark roles,
too”. Her philosophy is that studying and having fun, doing everything and trying out different opportunities, is a plus. “You can always start and quit if you really don’t enjoy something, but unless you try, you won’t know. Being open to new and various possibilities is a BIG thing in growing up”. Young as she is, Marika’s theatre repertoire is already impressive. A recent list of Japanese productions of Broadway musicals in which she has starred includes Godspell (September 2018); Memphis (December 2017), directed by famous Japanese actor Koji Yamamoto who also played the lead; and Legally Blonde (March-April 2017). She has appeared as one of the Three Divas in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (December 2016), directed by renowned director Amon Miyamoto; as Paradice in Brooklyn the Musical (May 2016), and as the lead, Jo March, in Little Women (September 2015). You can see Marika Dandoy in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert directed by Amon Miyamoto at the Nissay Theatre in Tokyo, March 9-30 2019. Contact Marika for tickets on marika.ticket@gmail.com
Teacher Article
Thought Club Justine Hitchcock Grade 3 Teacher
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or the past year a dynamic group of enterprising teachers has come together fortnightly for sessions of collegial mind-crunching. Our mission: bringing to fruition the school’s focus on thinking and innovation. We are the members of “Thought Club.” We come from different areas of the school, with different issues and different perspectives, but we share a common trait: a desire to learn. We begin our meetings with a round of “What’s on Your Mind?” This is a chance for us to share the thoughts that are occupying space in our brain, giving us a chance to reflect as we share. Then together we help each other turn our thoughts into curious questions that will push our practice forward; the kind of important questions we don’t often get time to raise during our busy day. Questions like: Where do I find space in my timetable for children to take risks and innovate? How can I measure a child’s increase in thinking skills? and Why can’t I spell the word “cr8tiv” however I want? By sharing our daily experiences, successes, and worries, we explore ways our school culture can ensure that thinking is regularly promoted, valued, made visible, and pushed further as a routine part of our learning programs. This year a breakaway branch of Thought Club has taken this mandate even further. Thought Club “In Focus” has begun examining aspects of
creativity in depth. In our first meeting we examined students’ responses to creative thinking activities and discussed how we can move their thinking forward. We decided we needed to look at the components of creativity (fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration) in more depth, and so have begun a series of lessons on these aspects in our grades 3, 4, and 5 classes. We shared our thinking online with our colleagues on the Thought Club Google Classroom forum, and it was quickly picked up by others. It now features as a theme for ES assemblies and will be shared at an upcoming faculty meeting. Next we’ll discuss ways we can begin to integrate creativity into our wider curriculum, ensuring thinking is taught within context. There is always more to think about. As you might expect, Thought Club is forever moving forward. Thinking, itself, is an iterative process, and our club reflects that in its fluidity and growth. As Thought Club has grown, it has branched out, sprouting seedling innovations within individual classrooms and school-wide. Soon the seeds will take hold and take bloom in the minds of our students. So get ready for some thought-provoking, mind-crunching conversations in your own homes.
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Retirement 2018
Saying Sayonara to Barbara Ferrans Cathy Noyes
Parent of alumni, former librarian
O
ver many years of living in and out of Japan, both as a parent and as a teacher, Nishimachi International School has always felt like a family to me. Barbara Ferrans (Fukushima) has consistently been a part of that, invariably ready with a smile, a ready welcome, and always time for a “bit of a chat.” This June marked her retirement from NIS and it was my pleasure to sit down with her to discuss her career, her enthusiasm for the younger grades and what’s next on her busy agenda.
university and work. Quick to reminisce, Barbara is a wealth of stories and experience which usually start with her trademark chuckle and “Well, there was this one time…” Barbara shows me the old documents from her initial interview with then school head Jim Doran. The unique philosophy and community feeling were crucial draws for her then and still hold true today. She was intrigued by the school’s Japanese curriculum, learning-within-anotherculture approach, and the close involvement of parents. She’s worked for six principals and five headmasters at Nishimachi International School. I asked if she’d had any mentors in particular who stood out. Without hesitation the shout-out went to her colleagues on her teaching teams. “Definitely the experienced teachers on my teams were terrific. For 24 of my 26 years I’ve worked with at least one new person on my team each year. Teaming makes it easy to put new ideas in place and team planning means that children make uniform and consistent progress.” Over the first several years Barbara taught Kindergarten, Grades 1 and 3, but ultimately found her niche with Grade 2… and kept it for 17 years! Every day is a surprise with young learners. What drew her to this age group?
A native of Michigan, Ms. Ferrans first arrived in Japan in 1974 on scholarship to the International Center at Keio University. She met her husband here, and after two years they returned to the US. In 1983 they were back in Japan and Barbara taught at Japanese middle and high schools for some years returning to the U.S. to earn an elementary school teaching credential at the graduate school of Wayne State University. She began teaching at Nishimachi International School in 1992. It’s hard for both of us to believe that 26 years has gone by, and that’s a lot of memories! Empty nesters since 2013, her daughter Samantha and son Liam, both NIS graduates, have since moved to the United States for
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“Changing Grade levels has its advantages; stretching your abilities and helping you to grow professionally. Children in grade 2 are young enough to still have a sense of wonder and old enough to have developed a degree of independence. It gives them their unique perspective. Everything can be funny. Adults sometimes forget how fabulous life is to discover, they never let me forget” Every parent likes to ask, “What did you learn in school today?” What have you learned from teaching this age? “Well, that teachers are just planting the seeds for lifelong learners, creating an environment where children are ‘learning to learn’. Each student will grow at their own pace, they’ll all get there. Its quality of learning that’s important rather than the quantity of content.” What does success look like to a second grader? “In second grade, children grow in their ability to use ‘reading to learn’. Success in second grade is also about
“Wow” she laughs, “That’s a blast from the past! Those lightbulb settings were home, work and play. And I’m still trying to achieve that balance!” What are you planning to pursue now to help balance the lightbulb settings? “I want to travel a bit to visit friends and colleagues who have spread all over the world. I’ll get back to enjoying more of what Tokyo has to offer. And I’ll be able to set my own schedule for work” learning to grow in all of the *SLE’s in every subject area.” NIS School-wide Student Learning Expectations: good communicators, collaborators, thinkers, responsible learners, developers of quality work, and global ambassadors. You’ve seen a lot of change over the years. How many new math curriculums have you introduced? (Laughing out loud) “Oh! So at least four over my time here. Now there’s more children talking about how they solve problems which is a good thing, it allows the kids to think out loud and helps them work together.” What other curriculum changes have been important? “The Readers and Writers Workshops, definitely. Writing has always been my favorite subject to teach.” “Technology’s been a game changer. It’s been interesting to watch how the digital curriculum has evolved. With oversight and limits, it’s important for kids to have access to computers. It’s the pencil and paper of today’s world.”
Once she doesn’t have to set that alarm in the morning she’ll be gearing up for the start of a different kind of new school year. She’ll be tutoring, working 1:1 with students to help them succeed in school. They’ll certainly benefit from her wealth of experience and professional wisdom. One final question - what small daily things do you think you will miss? “I’ll miss having all the kids coming in to tell me their stories, and enjoying their interactions with each other; the happy, busy noise. I’ll also miss the everyday interaction with colleagues.“ Ms. Ferrans herself will be sorely missed. Her next family of students will be lucky ones, indeed. Cathy Noyes is a long-time substitute teacher at NIS, an alumni parent and faculty member (having been the school librarian once upon a time!).
“When I stepped into Nishimachi I had never touched a computer, it was a new tool. I learned the technology as it evolved over the years. I remember writing report cards on floppy discs, thank goodness that era is over! The language for commands was confusing and it was just too easy to lose all your work if you answered the strangely written prompt incorrectly.“ (And yes, it did happen!) While I was in the library recently I rifled through the Ayumis from the 90’s, when was the last time you looked at them? “Oh, it’s been ages since I looked at those ones!” I showed her this entry from 1994.
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Retirement 2018
大田俊子先生と西町
中山 真由美 ‘90 渉外開発室 アシスタント
「あら懐かしい！元気だった？」そう言って何年も、何十年も前に巣 立っていった生徒たちを自分のクラスに迎え入れてくれるのが大田 俊子先生だ。1978年に西町での初出勤を迎えてからすでに40年。 そして今年6月、大田先生は、定年を迎えた。 横浜にあるインターナショナルスクールを卒業した大田先生 は、ICU（国際基督教大学）で経済学、社会科、日本語教授法を並 行して学んでいた。そんな先生は、実は、西町で教える前から見え ない糸で西町と繋がっていたようだ。 大学時代の2年間、千駄ヶ谷のプールで外国人の生徒に水泳を教 えるアルバイトをしていた。その外国人の生徒というのが、なんと、 西町の生徒達だったのだ。 また大田先生は、卒業論文のテーマに、 「Third Culture Kids（ サードカルチャーキッズ）」を選 んだ。卒業前に、同じトピックの プレゼンテーションを聴講しに とある会場へ行った、たまたま 隣に座ったのが、当時ハーバード 大学院生のメリーホワイトさん だった。彼女とはすぐに仲良くな り、後日、彼女のお宅へ伺うこと になった。そのホワイトさんのお 宅では、西町インターナショナル スクールに通っている娘さんが、 日本に来たばかりだというのに 漢字の勉強をしていた。大田先生はこれに非常に驚いた。それまで 西町という名前だけは知っていたのだが、いつしか、 「日本語を教え るなら、数あるインターの中でも、西町で教えたい！」と強く思うよ うになった。 しかし、なぜか大田先生は6月に大学を卒業するのではなく、あ えて4月から三菱銀行（現：三菱UFJ銀行）の国際部に就職してしま った。その当時、日本の企業は新卒しか採用しなかったため、日本 の会社に就職したければそのタイミングしかなかった。 「お辞儀の 仕方、電話の受け方、お客様が来たら何処に座るかとか、全部トレ ーニングを受けました。」と大田先生はにこやかに話してくれた。私 は、この時『えっ？日本語の先生になるのでは？』とお話を伺いなが ら思った。きっと、読者の方も多分同じ事を考えただろう。 三菱銀行に勤め始めて2年、先生は部長秘書というポジションで 仕事をしていた。このことは大田先生にとって大きな自信となった。
12.....Internationalist
「インターナショナルスクール卒の私でも日本の企業で十分にやっ ていける！」と。そして、今度こそ、長年の夢であった西町で日本語教 師になるために動き始めた。西町へ履歴書を送ったのだ。 時は5月。西町から連絡が来るとしてもまだまだ先のことだろう と高を括っていたら、かかってきた電話の向こうから「面接に来てく ださい。」という言葉が聞こえてきた。驚きの気持ちを抱えたまま 早速面接に向かうと、松方先生と当時の日本語主任の北村先生が お待ちだった。面接では、まず松方先生に自身のバックグラウンド を聞かれた。大田先生は、自分がインターナショナルスクールの卒 業生で、おじやおばに教師が多かった事、そして2年間西町の生徒 に水泳を教える事で、すでに生徒達と馴染みがあることなどを伝え た。それをお聞きになった松方先生は、とても安心されたご様子で したと大田先生は当時のことを振り返る。当然のことながら、面接 後、大田先生はすぐに採用になった。 こうして、大田先生の『西町インターナショナルスクールで日本語 を教える』という夢は叶った。新学期は9月の初めだったので、大田 先生は、1週間の間に学校で働くにあたって必要な事柄全部を他の 日本語の先生方に教わらなければ ならなかった。しかも、これと併行 して、始業1週間前まで、銀行での 引き継ぎ業務などを行なっていた。 「その当時の先輩の先生方は、生 徒に教えるのも上手で。」そう言う と先生は微笑んだ。 「一度にたく さんことを教えていただくのはとて も大変だったけれど、良い時に教 えていただいたなと思って。」と顔 を上げた。 当時の松方先生の印象を伺う と、 「松方先生はいつもお洋服がキチッとしていて、姿勢が良くて。 よくお話を聞いてくださる方。」と話してくれた。 大田先生にとって、外国人に日本語を教えるという事は学生時代 からの夢だったため、教授法は大学で学んだこと以外にも、先生独 自のやり方で学び、それを西町で生かした。学生時代は海外から来 ていた他の生徒やクラスメイト達に「どうやってあなたは（日本語 を）勉強しているの？」と質問攻めにし、彼らが使っていた本を全部 見せてもらったり、彼らの勉強の仕方も全部聞いた。 「中国の人と か、アメリカやヨーロッパの人から、 『どうやったらこんな難しい漢 字がわかるの？』ってその時から聞いていたのです。」 当時、大田先生のいとこや甥子さんは、海外のインターナショナ ルスクールや日本人学校で学んでいたので、西町に就職してから は、夏休みの期間は、海外の学校へ足を運び、積極的に見学させて
もらった。 「その時、甥はドイツに住んでいたのですけれど、そこの インターナショナルスクールに行って、二日くらい授業風景を見せ てもらったの。ギムナジウムのバイリンガルコースも全部見せてもら ったの。」先生は、いとこたちと同じ保護者の立場で授業を見学す ると同時に、プロの教師としての視点で分析する姿勢も持ち続け た。その他にも、アメリカ、タイ、韓国の学校も見学し、独自に学ん できた。先生にとって「いかに効率よく外国人の生徒に日本語を覚 えてもらえるか。そして、それを自分がどれだけ教え易い形に工夫 するか。」が課題だった。先生は、このように、見えないところで常 に日本語を教えるという事に向き合ってきた。それは今も昔も変わ らない。 だからと言って良いのか分からないが、大田先生の授業には、生 徒の笑顔が溢れている。そして生徒たちに真摯に向き合うから、教 えた生徒の名前を殆ど覚えている。毎年何十人という生徒を受け持 ちながら、どうやって忘れずにいられるのかそのコツを聞いてみた が、 「なんか、不思議と名前が出て来るんです。当時の顔、兄弟の名 前。親の名前も時々出て来ますよ。本当に自然に。」当時の生徒た ちの顔を思い浮かべながらこう話してくれた。西町の中等部にいた 生徒が、卒業後、何年も何十年も経った後に大田先生の教室を訪 ねても、先生は覚えていてくれる。それは1年しか在籍しなかった生 徒でも、4年在籍した生徒でも同じだ。大田先生のこういったところ が、同窓生に「また西町に遊びに行きたい！」と思わせる理由だいう
知らせる鐘もそこにあったのを覚えているだろうか。昔のその建物 にも思い出はたくさんある。ある日、その建物の2階で授業をしてい ると、窓の外から「大田先生！」と言う声が聞こえた。 「えっ！？」と 思い、外を見ると、校庭では体育の授業中。その日はトランポリンを 使った授業だったらしく、生徒はトランポリンの上で高く飛びながら 室内にいた大田先生に声をかけ、手を振っていた。今では考えられ ないような事だ。1986年まで体育館がなかった西町にとって、体育 館が出来た事は一大イベントだったと、声を弾ませながら話してく れた。日本語のスピーチコンテストや演劇など、今まで出来なかっ た事が出来たと言う。それまでは渋谷にある児童館に行き、そこで イベントを行ってきた。屋外でのイベントは、ステージを外にセット するため、雨の日は突然キャンセルになったりもした。やはり体育館 ができたことの意味は大きかったと大田先生は語る。でもそのため に「柿」と「栗」と名前のつけられたプレハブの教室と松方ハウスの 6年生の教室がなくなってしまった。大田先生は当時、その「柿」と「 栗」と名付けられた教室でも教えていたため、その教室のことを思 い出そうとすると、不思議な事に、教室よりもそこで教えた生徒の 顔が浮かぶと言う。 退職後のプランについて伺った。 「普通な事だけれども、友人と ゆっくり食事に行ったり、方々へ旅行をしたりする予定です。でも、 それもまだちょっと先の話。今までの40年間、西町でいつも同じス
気がした。
ケジュールで働いていたため、それ以外の生活がどんなものになる
先生が就任した70年代後半、西町のFクラス（日本語が母語）の
う。
生徒たちは今と同じように、日本の文部省（現：文部科学省）の教 科書を使っていたが、Sクラス（日本語以外が母語）の生徒たちのた めには、まだ日本語を教える子供用の教科書がなかった。 「私が来 る前から、ハワイのローマ字で書いてあるワークブックを日本語に 書き直してそれを使って教えていたの。でも他の先生が、ハワイのも のだとハワイの言葉を習ったり、ホノルルのアラモアナショッピング センターに行ったりするような例が使われているから困るわね。い っそ、西町の教科書を作りましょうということで、Sクラス担当の日 本語の先生たちで教科書作りに励みました。」 普段だと授業やその準備があるので、サマースクールのクラスを 教えない代わりに教科書を作成した。時代が時代なので、ワープ ロもなく、ゼロックスコピーは高くて、なかなか使えなかった。始め は、全部手書きで印刷屋さんに出したが、ワープロを目が飛び出る ような金額でリースしてからは、自分たちで一所懸命日本語を入力 した。その時の初級の教材は今でも使われていて、上級レベルのも のはトピックに合わせて活用されている。絵の上手な先生が挿絵や フラッシュカードを作った。授業でフラッシュカードを見せながら、 「あひるの（あ）」、 「鉛筆の（え）」と教えていた。ある生徒は、買 い物に行った際にそのまま、 「鉛筆の（え）」と店員に伝えてしまっ たため、 『鉛筆のえ、はないけど、鉛筆ならあるよ。』と笑われたが、 こんな風にして無事に鉛筆を買うことはできた。 「生徒が『日本語 が通じた！』と言ってくれるのはやっぱり嬉しいですよね。」そう言っ
のか想像がつかず、未だに退職した実感がわかないんです。」と言 そして最後に、これまでの生徒たちへの大田先生からメッセージ をお聞きしてみた。 「日本語を好きになって、大人になっても勉強を 続けて欲しいし、日本語を使って欲しい。それから日本の歴史と文 化にも興味を持ち続けて欲しい。」と。 40年も西町の日本語教員としてご尽力された大田先生に伺いた い事を思いのままに書き連ねてのインタビューだった。しかし、いざ 先生を前にしてみると、何をどこからお聞きすれば良いのか、頭を 抱えてしまった。伺いたいことが多すぎ て、優先順位がつけられないのだ。イン タビューからは、ここでは紹介しきれな い程の先生の西町での思い出、生徒た ちへの熱い思い、先輩の先生方への感 謝の気持ちをたくさん感じ取る事が出 来た。普段の生活の中でいつでもお会 いできると思っていた大田先生がいらっ しゃらなくなってしまった今、フードフェ アや西町会バーベキューなどに先生が ご出席くださることを大いに期待してし まうのは私だけではないと思う。 大田先生、40年間、お疲れ様でし
て先生は目尻を下げた。
た！
大田先生が西町の中で好きな場所は、古いビルディングの中にあ
追記：大田先生の西町最後の8年生のフ
るキッチン（昔のキンダーガーデン、1年生の建物、現：イエロービル ディング）。朝早くにはコーヒーやお茶を飲んだり、日中は外で遊ぶ
ィールドトリップへ同行させてもらえた のは、私の一生の思い出になった。
生徒たちの微笑ましい姿を見ることも出来た。リーセスの終わりを
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Fall 2018 Vol. 61.....
Outreach Scholarship Program
15th Anniversary Outreach Scholarship Golf Tournament Chiba Birdie Club May 26, 2018
Philippe Eymard Director of Development
T
he 15th anniversary Outreach Scholarship Golf Tournament held on May 26, 2018, was a recordbreaker in many ways. Sixty-one golfers, the largest number since 2006, including a record 16 parents, enjoyed a round of golf on a fine sunny spring day at the beautiful Chiba Birdie Club. Bret Dandoy, parent of three alumni, took home the winning trophy for the second time since 2009 with a record low net score of 68.2 (gross 73). This tied the 68.2 low net performance by Alex Nakao ’04 when he shot a 5-under par in 2007. In close second was Daiki Hirano with a net 69.6 (gross 72). In third place was Tetsuro Hayashi, parent of Nishimachi kindergartner, with a net 71.4 (gross 87). The special 15th anniversary 15th place award presented by 15th consecutive year sponsor Kiyoshi Endo, went to Daiki’s brother, Tensei Hirano. Congratulations to all! Many thanks go to the participants, helpers, 46 corporate tournament sponsors and 27 individual tournament sponsors who made the day a great success. The event raised a record ¥2,110,000, all of which will be directed to the Outreach Scholarship Program and will be used to support deserving students at Nishimachi. You can support the Outreach Scholarship Program by going to www.nishimachi.ac.jp/Making A Gift See you all at the 16th golf tournament on May 25, 2019!
14.....Internationalist
6th Annual Outreach Scholarship Walkathon/Runathon
P
lease mark your calendars for the 6th annual Outreach Walkathon to be held on Saturday, November 17th at Meiji Jingu Gaien. We are back on familiar ground, where you will be able to see the new Olympic Stadium being built. This year, we will be awarding prizes to creative participants who show the most spirit at the event! Registration information can be found on the school website.
8 r 17, 201 e b m e v No in us! Come jo
Congratulations Class of 2018
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Fall 2018 Vol. 61.....
Nancy Hashima ‘83
Chair, Nishimachi-Kai Executive Board
Nishimachi-Kai Alumni Barbecue Update
N
ishimachi-Kai held its annual alumni BBQ on Saturday, June 16. We amazingly dodged the rain, as usual, continuing our record of no rain on BBQ day!!! With excellent turnout and weather, we had more than 130 people attend the BBQ as they enjoyed our all-you-can-eat homemade barbecue. Special thanks to the following donors and volunteers who helped with preparation and grilling. All of us on the N-Kai Board hope to see you again at our next event!
Faces From BBQ
16.....Internationalist
Cheerio Corporation Philippe Eymard Catherine Ishida ‘83 Kiki Jiang-Yamaguchi ‘87 Tatsuo and Lauren Bliss Kawasaki Takuro and Seri Kubo Konomu and Tsuyuko Kuni Yusuke Kuriki ‘05 Kacie (Rosenberg) Leviton ‘95 Yoko Nakayama Nir Platek ‘81 Austin Powell Hisami Shirai Toyoko Tasaki ‘83 Yumi Watanabe ‘89 Yuko Yamada ‘90
Faces From BBQ
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Fall 2018 Vol. 61.....
Yokoso Welcome to the Nishimachi Family
Kotomi Blair Japanese
Celiah Bunsie
Ruth Hazelton
Grade 2 teacher
Gr 1 teacher
Christopher Nelson
Erin O’Dwyer
Katie Schroder
Sheri Tappert
Masayo Yamaguchi
Jonathan Yoon MS Math/Science
Student Service Intern
Toshiko Ohta
Barbara Ferrans
Ellen Fryer
Grade 4 teacher
MS English/Humanities
Gr K teacher
Grade 2 assistant
Jonathan Stroud
Grade 5 teacher
Head Librarian
Nao Yoneda
2018 Retirement 40 years
26 years
2 years
Bon Voyage - Good luck with your future endeavors. We’ll miss you! Ivan Fedoroff, Lindy Fortner, Makiko Hidaka, Jenni Laing, Leanne Mercado, Miki Okuda, Sara Tye
Nishimachi Annual Fund Nishimachi International School inspires many of us, students and parents alike, with its dedication to educating responsible world citizens. Your continued support of Nishimachi is greatly appreciated. Support the Nishimachi Annual Fund. < http://www. nishimachi.ac.jp/page.cfm?p=633>
28.....Internationalist
Mark Your Calendars Upcoming Events • 6th Annual Walkathon, Saturday, November 17, 2018 • Community Flea Market, Saturday, May 18, 2018 • 16th Annual Outreach Scholarship Golf Tournament, Saturday, May 25, 2018
DID YOU KNOW THAT NISHIMACHI HAS AN OUTREACH SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM, THE GOAL OF WHICH IS TO PROMOTE DIVERSITY AT THE SCHOOL? Please contact us if you know of a student who might qualify or if you would like to make contributions to enhance the program. (Office of Admissions / Development Office)
