- Started 23 years ago, the DeWitt Japanese Exchange Program was created to show students the difference between American and Japanese culture
- This year, 6 students took the trip and spent a week in the country with a host family
- The video shows photos from the trip and experiences the students had
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
I'm your neighborhood reporter, Russell Shellberg, here in DeWitt at the DeWitt Middle School, learning how one program brought two cultures closer together.
For one hour a day, students are immersed in a classroom that seems thousands of miles away.
"When I saw here at the middle school that we had Japanese class, I was like, 'Oh! That's pretty cool. I'm going to start learning about the culture and some of the language,'" said 8th grader Lily Laporte.
Then in February, that classroom got much closer.
The school selected Lily and 5 other students for the 23rd Japanese exchange program.
"They all stay with host families, so they got to experience home life, and in the morning they were able to go to the schools, Japanese schools and kind of see the differences, similarities, definitely lots of differences," said DeWitt's Japanese Instructor Micah Cousins.
Differences that some students noticed in the school right away when they went over a few weeks ago.
"Here we obviously don't wear shoes and stuff, I mean slippers, but over there they wear slippers and uniforms," said student Claire Tyler.
But others noticed similarities after getting settled in.
"I thought it would be like a huge scary place. Not really. It was just like Michigan," said Sam Kemppainen.
"I felt right back at home. Just another week," said Fred Hingst.
And after that week in Japan, a choice that changed their lives, the students returned to Michigan where the connection to their host families is still ongoing.
"We're even planning a trip to make it back there eventually, so that my family can meet them because it was so sad having to leave them," said Laporte.
Want to see more local news? Visit the FOX47News Website.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.
Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox.
Select from these options: Neighborhood News, Breaking News, Severe Weather, School Closings, Daily Headlines, and Daily Forecasts.
