Tara Nakagawa ’89 Takatsuka’s kindergarten class made some new friends abroad. An exchange program through the Wo International Center connected Punahou students with students from Shitennoji School in Osaka, Japan. Led by Director of Global Education Robyn Borofsky ’99 Vierra, students learned how to introduce themselves and make new friends. The two groups then compared experiences of school life through photos of recess and their favorite spots on campus. “All week they were busy taking photos, writing, recording and putting books together to share information with their new friends in Japan,” Takatsuka said.
For the final part of the exchange, students taught their Japanese counterparts a verse of their hula for May Day and the Shitennoji students taught their new Punahou friends a verse of the cheer for the Olympics. “It was exciting for the students to finally meet each other,” Takatsuka said.