Residents of Japan sister city tour east Idaho school
With no school at Thunder Ridge High School on Friday, you would not find many students roaming the hallways. But you would see some visitors.
Residents of Idaho Falls’ sister city, Tokai-mura, Japan, took a tour of Bonneville School District 93’s newest school.
“We’re trying to show them what education is like in the United States,” said Cindy Ozaki, the president of the Idaho Falls Sister Cities program.
Thunder Ridge High School is used to giving tours, but the tour on Friday was not like others.
“People from another country have a different education system,” said Craig Miller, the assistant principal at Thunder Ridge High. “To be able to talk to them and have questions asked by them that are just different from what we’re normally asked. It was fun, to be able to talk a little about the differences in the two communities.”
Arranged by the Idaho Falls Sister Cities program, nine Tokai-mura residents took a look at eastern Idaho’s newest school.
“They were really interested in it,” Ozaki said. “To see the things that are there with the auxiliary gym, the community performing arts center.”
Many of the sister city visitors were interested in the differences.
“They have very large high schools over there but they don’t have the community come in and do things like we do,” said Ozaki.
Besides gyms and the performing arts center, visitors from Tokai-mura looked at band and choir rooms, media centers, arts classes and rooms for children with special needs.
“Kids who need medical treatment, I have to go and assist him or her,” said Chieko Kashima, a sister city visitor. “Here, the school teachers will do that and that is amazing.”
The Idaho Falls Sister Cities program has plans to visit Tokai-mura next year and learn about the education that goes on in that community.
“We can share ideas,” Ozaki said. “We can learn from them and they can learn from us. It’s really wonderful. It’s how people will get along and bring peace throughout the world.”
After the tour of the high school, Tokai-mura residents took a look at the College of Eastern Idaho’s campus.
