International News
In late March, we had 16 students and one teacher from Morioka Chuo High School in Japan visit us on a study tour.
During their stay they had various lessons at Aberfoyle Park High School. They learned to cook ANZAC biscuits and learned about the history behind the biscuits.
The spent time in the STEM laboratories doing some science experiments and then having time on the oval playing some Australian Rules Football .
The group then ventured on an excursion to the Adelaide Hills where they visited Cleland Wildlife Park and sampled some of the chocolates at Melba's Chocolate Factory.
Then they headed into the city to see some of Adelaide's most iconic buildings including St Peters Cathedral. Both the Japanese students and Aberfoyle Park High School had a great experience with some great friends were made.
Families and teachers from Aberfoyle Park High School hosted these students in their homes for the week.
2024 Japan Trip
Due to the restrictions imposed by COVID, it’s been years since we’ve been able to plan an overseas trip—but as of term 1 holidays, that has finally changed. During the term 1 holidays, eighteen students from Year 9 to Year 12 took part in the 2024 Japan Trip. It was an intense journey and one full of new experiences.
The journey began in Osaka. We visited Osaka Castle, Universal Studios Japan, and took a daytrip to Nara, home of the famous deer. The cherry blossom season was slightly late, meaning that we were able to catch a glimpse of it.
From here, we moved on to Hiroshima. Students wandered around the Peace Park and took in the grave history of the city at the Peace Memorial Museum. Hiroshima also served as a base of operation for another daytrip, this time to the island of Miyajima, to see the Itsukushima Shrine and some seriously impressive mountain scenery.
Our third destination was the historical capital, Kyoto. We explored the Imperial Palace and various shrines, including The Golden Temple and Fushimi Inari, the latter of which is famously preceded by a walkway of 1,000 torii gates. Also in Kyoto, we visited the busy Nishiki Market, often dubbed “Kyoto’s Kitchen”, a bustling street selling delicious local produce in a manner similar to Adelaide’s own Central Market—but with far greater intensity.
The trip concluded in Tokyo. We explored a variety of districts, from the historic Asakusa to the modern streets of Harajuku, Shibuya, and Akihabara. Despite being the holidays, we spent a day at school—our sister school in Tokyo, Komatsugawa High School, invited us for the day. We were made to feel extremely welcome: there various speeches from teachers and students, a visit from the local primary school, as well as a variety of classes to observe and activities to take part in.
Three clubs also put on a show for us, involving students in the world of kendo, a Japanese martial art, the art of traditional tea ceremonies, and the music of the koto. Here, students learned an enormous amount about exactly what daily life is like for a Japanese teenager.
We would like to thank the support and enthusiasm of the parents of the attending students. Both for their efforts fundraising before the trip, and their enthusiasm throughout it. Whenever we communicated home information about what we’d seen or done, there was always a positive response within minutes, if not seconds.
We also appreciate the time and effort of various teachers, such as those who came to our fundraising Bunnings Sausage Sizzle or Wallis Cinema Movie Night—plus, those who have worked around students’ absences at the end of Term 1 as we departed.
Kayoko Mino and Hugh Pike