Borel Middle School Kids Off to Japan, Enjoying Traditional Japan

In San Mateo, California, is Borel Middle School, an international baccalaureate world school, with 948 students of grades 6-8. The school's 22 musicians and Principal Cook, AP Fukumoto and Ms. Grotans made their inaugural trip to Toyonaka, Japan on October 13-20. The school band accompanied the delegation.

Parents and the community raised funds to support this important part of the school's mission to encourage students to travel to perform at places like Disneyland and this time to their first overseas trip to Toyonaka.

San Mateo and Toyonaka are sister cities; so are Borel and Daikyu in a sistership school partnership.

In groups of 7 or 8, the students from Borel joined their "sister" friends of Daikyu Junior High School in classes of calligraphy, kimono dressing, music, etc. to feel out the basics of Japanese culture. A Borel student, Shelby Carcase, 12, was so excited about the way kimonos are dressed: "Gee, I felt like being a Japanese. Such a pretty kimono."

The Borel students home stayed in groups of one or two at their Japanese friends' and attended school for one week. A joint brass band concert was staged on October 18.

Principal Takako Suzuki of Daikyu Junior High School found it worthy of time and effort for the students of both schools to share school life together and hoped such opportunities would further develop in the future.

Borel Middle School provides for its students an international experience through cultural assemblies and direct contacts with foreign cultures through overseas tours, such as this trip of Toyonaka, Japan.

Borel Middle School's covenant reads:

We are respectful
We are responsible
We are safe 

We have the right to be respected
We have the right to learn
We have the right to succeed 

We help each other
We are proud of our school
We are active learners and do our best