Three years ago a woman named Ayumi Green from the JAAC student counseling services coordinated 20 students from Osaka, Japan to come visit LBHS.
“The way it works is Tennoji High School contacted Ayumi, asking to come out, look at colleges and have their students experience life in an American high school,” said assistant principal Lisa Brackez.
Ayumi coordinated with Brackez and set up an experience for the students to come to LBHS and shadow our students for three days.
“I talked to administration, and we were able to get it going. It was amazing and really fun,” said Brackez.
When the Japanese students arrive at LBHS, they show up in the morning, in their school uniforms, ready for ASB and PALS students to whisk them away for an american school experience.
“I love having them here because we get to hang out with some awesome Japanese students. I had one of them in my class, and she was really cool and nice,” said junior Hunter Mills.
The Japanese students’ experience is not limited to their time at the high school, however.
“Ayumi sets up host families through a host program for the Japanese students. She coordinates homes in L.A. for them to stay in while they visit colleges and then homes here in south orange county while visiting our school,” said Brackez.
LBHS students and staff love the Japanese visitors; we get a peek into Japanese culture. It’s also amazing to see the visitors’ reactions to life at Laguna when they observe it for the first time. The Japanese students get to experience the American high school life for a couple of days to see how we work and how it differs from their school experience.
“I think it is great they are coming. I think it’s really nice that people get to experience a new culture and new ideas, and we see this interaction between people who’ve grown up in completely different worlds and see how interesting it is and how much they enjoy just being here,” said senior Tim Andrews.
The best part about the Japanese students coming is all the memories that can be made through the three days they are here.
“One of the Japanese student was housed with me [last year ]and made my family an authentic Japanese meal, and he needed japanese ingredients,and we didn’t know what those ingredients were pr where to get them. We had to take him to multiple Japaneses grocery stores, and he finally found what he needed, and the meal was so delicious. It was amazing. It was definitely a new experience,” said Brackez.
At the end of the visit, the students from both schools are sad to part ways, but before they do the Japanese students unveil a special dance they have prepared for our students and staff to enjoy as a thank you.
“They all wear their traditional uniforms, and during break, they get up on the stage in the quad area. It looks like a concert because LBHS students get up close to the stage or hanging over the balcony to watch the Japanese students. They dance a traditional Japanese dance with traditional Japanese music playing throughout the quad,” said Brackez.