ENCINITAS — The Grauer School recently hosted 14 students and four chaperones from Kansai Sōka High School in Japan as well as five chaperones and 31 students from two cities and six high schools in Taiwan.
This is the third time students from Kansai Sōka have visited The Grauer School, an independent school located in Encinitas, and the second time that the Taiwanese chaperones visited with students from Taiwan.
“Engaging in cross-cultural connections sits at the heart of the work we do at Grauer,” said Alicia Tembi, principal at The Grauer School. “Our students were able to practice their leadership skills and self-advocacy in welcoming Kansai Sōka students to campus. They embraced the visitors from Japan with openness and respect.”
During their time together, the students from the Kansai Sōka High School and The Grauer School enjoyed breakfast and met in small groups to learn more about one another. Students introduced themselves, played icebreaker games in small groups and played field games together.
As an educational activity, Japanese students delivered a presentation on nuclear disarmament and Grauer students discussed several human rights issues.
Grauer students who are taking Japanese classes led campus tours and also organized a scavenger hunt for the visiting students.
During their 10-day visit, the Japanese students visited the University of San Diego, Sōka University of America, the University of Southern California and the University of California, Los Angeles during their stay.
The visiting Taiwanese students and chaperones exchanged gifts with the 28 Grauer students who are planning to go on the Taiwan Expedition later this year. Eleven students were from Ta Ming High School in Taichung, accompanied by Principal Chiao-Wen Kuo and Dean Chia-Chia Lin.
The other 20 students were from Arts High School, Hemei High School, Chengkung High School, Tianjhong High School and Erlin High School in Changhua, accompanied by Curriculum Inspector Pei-Ling Lai as well as Changhua County Government Education Board member and English teacher Yu-Ching Lin. After pairing up, the students went to class and had lunch together.
During the Lunar New Year Assembly, both Grauer students learning Mandarin and the visiting Taiwanese students delivered presentations as well.
Following the assembly, all of the students learned more about Asian culture and the traditions of the Asian Lunar New Year at booths led and created by seventh-grade global insights students. Every booth had either food or an activity. The students also played basketball or jammed out in the music room together.
“It was a wonderful opportunity for groups of young people from opposite sides of the globe to connect, form a mutual appreciation and learn from one another,” Tembi said. “I strongly believe these moments lead to a more compassionate, accepting world.”
