It was an exchange of cultures for students at Centre Wellington District High School on Sept. 22 with a visiting delegation of Japanese students on a Canadian tour to learn how schools operate here.
The Toyota East Japan Technical Skills Academy visit was coordinated by Muskoka Language International (MLI).
MLI program coordinator Julia Gingrich offered a welcome to the Toyota EJTSA students, staff and chaperones from Japan and to CWDHS students and teachers who generously opened their school to host the cultural exchange.
“I want to congratulate all of you for being open to new experiences,” said Gingrich.
CWDHS principal Beth Burns said, “Centre Wellington welcomes the Toyota East Japan Technical Skills Academy to our school for the day. Our values at Centre Wellington are learning, respect and community.”
Burns added, “Today we show respect for you by welcoming you into our school and classrooms to show you how and where we learn. We are very excited to be expanding our community to include the students from the Toyota East Japan Technical Skills Academy as well as their staff and the staff of MLI.”
Burns explained the Japanese visitors would be involved in many activities to both share their culture and to learn about culture in Canada and Centre Wellington.
“We come together this morning as strangers, but I know that we part at the end of the day as friends,” said Burns.
“As you drove here today, you drove through some of the richest and most successfully farmed land in southern Ontario. Our scenery is beautiful; and we have many recreational areas as well as a thriving arts and culture scene here in Centre Wellington. We are close to large cities like Toronto and national landmarks like Niagara Falls. Soon our fall colours will create an even more beautiful landscape.”
Burns then spoke of the rich history of the local high school, from its opening in 1866 to a facility which now educates about 1,200 students, offering diverse programs from academic sciences to social sciences, carpentry and agriculture.
Visiting students had a chance to see firsthand the facilities, both as part of a tour with partnered students and sitting in on some classes.
“Here at Centre Wellington, school is more than the class room programs,” said Burns.
CWDHS student council co-prime ministers Lizzy Song and Maddie Chauvin also welcomed the international visitors.
“It is truly an honour to have you here to share your culture with us,” said Song.
Toyota EJTSA general manager Akio Tanaka said he truly appreciated the warm welcome of Centre Wellington students and staff.
He explained Toyota EJTSA is a vocational institute owned and operated by Toyota Motor East Japan, Inc. The school was established in 2013 and is involved in training 20 high school graduates.
While it is a small number, many skills are taught for the manufacturing sector, he said, adding, “For most of us, it is our first visit overseas.”
Toyota EJTSA student Makoto Kimura thanked the community for its kind hospitality.
“We are very interested in your country so we want to learn a lot about Canada and share it with others in Japan,” said Kimura, who encouraged local students to ask questions about Japan.
A later presentation provided more information about the school, which is located in the Tohoku region’s Miyagi prefecture – the region hardest hit by the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011.
The creation of the academy was part of Toyota’s revitalization efforts for the region.
Officials say Toyota has long been engaged in human resource development based on the principle that “manufacturing is about developing people.”
For Toyota Motor East Japan, it is the Toyota East Japan Technical Skills Academy that will reinforce the foundation of monozukuri by developing people.
While the academy’s concept is to cultivate future strength based on “human resource development,” “environmental and energy management” and “coordination with local communities,” in concrete terms, it will establish a manufacturing equipment course for students to learn about production technology and manufacturing equipment. It will recruit new graduates from technical high schools in the Tohoku region within the one-year program.
Through such training opportunities, the academy strives to make a medium to long-term contribution to community development in Tohoku.
Toyota EJTSA students took to the CWDHS stage to offer some of their culture in the form of Yosakoi Soran Bushi (Japanese traditional dance) and Memeshikute (Japanese pop music dance).
In return, students had a fun way to learn about Canadian culture in a relay race to don goalie equipment and share Timbits – before hitting the books in the classrooms.
Burns explained the Upper Grand District School Board is working hard to build an international student program. She explained superintendent of education Doug Morrell and Nicole Patriquin have been working with MLI on the exchange.
She noted MLI had worked with Centennial CVI in Guelph previously but were reaching out to find new schools.
“We volunteered. They came, took a look at our school and met us and saw it as a good opportunity,” said Burns. “The kids are very excited, it’s a great opportunity.”
