Hikone Exchange Program Information and Application The Chance of a Lifetime… Be a Goodwill Ambassador to Your Sister School in Japan The Ann Arbor Public Schools is pleased to offer our seventh and eighth grade students the opportunity to apply to be student ambassadors to our sister city Hikone, Japan. Fourteen students will be selected to participate in a yearlong intensive cultural experience. The program begins in June 2018 here in Ann Arbor with five months of weekly classes in Japanese language and culture. Activities include learning Japanese etiquette, sampling Japanese food and making paper cranes to take to Hiroshima. The students and their two adult leaders become a close-knit group as they join together in trip preparations. In early October 2018, the ambassadors are required to host a student visitor from Hikone for approximately 8 days. The Ann Arbor delegation will travel to Japan from November 4 - 16, 2018. In Japan, student ambassadors are matched with a Japanese student host and enjoy the unique experience of attending a Japanese junior high school and living as part of a Japanese family. After a week of attending school, our delegation will travel by train to Hiroshima, Kyoto, Miyajima, and visit a number of interesting sites. After returning from Japan, the group meets for debriefing and plans ways to share the experience with other Ann Arbor students, the AAPS Board of Education, and our community. This exciting opportunity promises to be an experience you will always remember. Qualifications you need to meet in order to apply: •

Currently be in the 7th or 8th grade and attending Ann Arbor Public Schools

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Have citizenship grades of 1, 2, or 3

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Have a GPA of a B or better

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Be cooperative and know how to be a good team member

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Be available evenings from June to November to attend weekly classes on Japanese language and culture (likely to be on Wednesdays)

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Be totally enthusiastic about the experience

If you are selected, you will be required to: •

Pay a user fee of $2,150 (Scholarship opportunities may be available for students meeting district criteria.)

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Attend EVERY orientation session during the summer and fall of 2018 (Students failing to attend sessions on a regular basis may be dropped from the exchange program.)

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Maintain a B or better grade point average

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Register for and faithfully participate in a weekly Japanese language and culture class (cost: $200)

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Host a Japanese student for one week from October 1 - 9, 2018

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Learn to appreciate and enjoy Japanese food (including sushi)

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Make over 90 origami paper cranes

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Participate in a musical presentation which will be performed in Hikone

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Participate in fundraising; each student is expected to raise funds amounting to approximately $650 for the trip through individual and group efforts

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Participate in a weekend workshop put on by the UM Center for Japanese Studies

How to apply to participate in the Hikone Exchange Program: If you would like to serve as a student ambassador in the 2018 Hikone - Ann Arbor Exchange Program, follow the directions below: 1. Check if you meet the qualifications. 2. Talk it over with your family to find out how they feel about it. 3. Complete the Hikone Exchange Program application and submit all required materials before 5:00 pm on Friday, March 23, 2018 to: Maggie Hook International Education Partnership Coordinator AAPS Rec & Ed Office 1515 S. 7th Street Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Email to: [email protected] For more information or with questions, please contact: Maggie Hook International Education Partnership Coordinator [email protected] 734-994-2300 x.53232

Frequently Asked Questions Where will I stay? You’ll stay with a Japanese junior high school student and his or her family while in Hikone. You will stay in hotels when visiting other Japanese cities. How much will this cost? Although the Hikone Exchange Program does its best to raise funds for this trip, each student ambassador will be expected to pay $2,150 as user fee, unless the student meets district scholarship criteria. The fee helps offset the cost of the trip to Hikone. Each student is expected to participate in fundraising activities and raise money (approx. $650) toward the trip. Students will also be required to participate in a weekly Japanese language and culture class this summer. The cost for the class is $200. Students must have a current passport. Other out-ofpocket expenses associated with the trip include: travel/cancellation insurance, gifts for Japanese hosts, and appropriate attire for Japanese school dress code. How will I know what to expect once I’m there? Before you leave for Japan, you’ll sample Japanese food, learn a number of basic Japanese expressions and phrases, and learn a good deal about Japanese culture and family life. Who will go with our group? Two Ann Arbor teachers or administrators will travel with you to Japan. They will help develop and direct your orientation sessions before you depart. Is there a chance that the trip could be canceled? Although it is unlikely, the Ann Arbor Public Schools Board of Education reserves the right to cancel the trip for any reason at any time. However, if the trip is canceled, the user fee will be refunded less any non-refundable fees charged by the travel agency or airline.

HIKONE EXCHANGE PROGRAM STUDENT AMBASSADOR APPLICATION FORM Ann Arbor Public Schools 2018 Student’s Name _____________________________________________________________ Date of Birth _____________________________ School____________________________________

Gender (Circle One)

M

F

Grade (Circle One)

7

8

Address ___________________________________________________________________ Home phone (

) ___________________________

Student’s cell phone (

)______________________________

Student’s email address________________________________________________________ Name of Parents/Guardians: ___________________________________________________ Relationship to student: _______________________________________________________ Home address (if different from student’s)_________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ Home phone ( Cell phone ( Work phone (

) ___________________________ ) _____________________________ ) ____________________________

Email address_______________________________________________________________ Name of Parents/Guardians: ___________________________________________________ Relationship to student: _______________________________________________________ Home address (if different from student’s)_________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ Home phone ( Cell phone ( Work phone (

) ___________________________ ) _____________________________ ) ____________________________

Email address________________________________________________________ 1

Other family members who live with you: NAME

AGE

RELATIONSHIP

___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________

What are your special interests, hobbies, and extracurricular school activities?

What has been your experience with people from other cultures? Please describe.

What else would you like us to know about you?

Required document: Please attach a copy of your most recent citizenship grades.

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Required essay: Write an essay, between 300 and 500 words, giving specific examples of ways you have demonstrated maturity and independence. Tell how these examples qualify you to be a student ambassador. THE ESSAY MUST BE ATTACHED TO THIS APPLICATION I wrote the attached essay myself. ________________________________________________________ Signature of Student Once the Hikone Exchange Program application deadline has passed, each middle school, Ann Arbor Open and A2 STEAM will nominate four finalists. Finalists will be asked for an interview, which will be video recorded. The Hikone Exchange Program Selection Committee will review all finalists' application materials and interviews to select 14 qualified students to serve as student ambassadors to our Japanese sister city. The selection committee will also choose two additional students to serve as alternate student ambassadors. Alternate ambassadors will participate in the Japanese language and culture preparation, but will only travel to Hikone if a primary ambassador is unable to travel. The Hikone Exchange Program Selection Committee will base its selection of student ambassadors on student applications, student essays, information gathered from teacher feedback forms, student interviews and the willingness and ability of students to participate fully in Hikone Exchange Program classes, activities and events.

Participation Agreement I have read the 2018 Hikone information and application packet and approve the participation of my daughter/son in this program. Furthermore, my daughter/son and I agree to meet all the expectations and requirements associated with her/his participation in the program including the financial ones. Parent signature: _______________________________________________________ Date of signature: ______________________________________________________ Student signature: ______________________________________________________ Date of signature: ______________________________________________________

DEADLINE INFORMATION: This application and all other student ambassador application materials are due to the International Education Partnership Coordinator, located at the Rec & Ed Office, 1515 S. 7th Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48103, no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 23, 2018. 3

HIKONE EXCHANGE PROGRAM TEACHER FEEDBACK FORM Student: Please select two of your teachers, past or present, and ask them to complete this form. The teachers will not return it to you. They will return it directly to the International Education Partnership Coordinator in a sealed envelope before Friday, March 23, 2018. Student’s Name: _____________________________________________________________ School: _____________________________________________

Grade: _______________

Teacher: Please indicate in the space to the left of each statement how strongly you agree the statement describes this student’s behavior. Please use the following numbers to express your opinion. 4=agree 3=neither agree nor disagree 1= strongly disagree

5=strongly agree 2=disagree ________

1. This student willingly helps other students at school.

________

2. This student is someone I would be proud to send as a student ambassador to Ann Arbor’s Japanese sister city.

________

3. This student treats teachers, staff, and other students with respect.

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4. This student listens and follows directions well.

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5. This student is flexible and handles change well.

________

6. This student is a problem solver.

________

7. This student takes responsibility for his/her actions.

________

8. This student exhibits patience and self-control.

________

9. I would be glad to spend two weeks with this student in Japan.

Additional Comments:

____________________________________ Teacher’s signature

______________________________ Date

____________________________________ Teacher’s printed name

______________________________ Teacher’s printed title

Please send the completed feedback form by inter-district mail to: Maggie Hook, International Education Partnership Coordinator, Rec & Ed, OR scan and e-email it to [email protected] by Friday, March 23, 2018. 4