Seven local high school students in the Gilroy-Takko Student
Exchange Program departed Wednesday for Gilroy’s sister city in
Takko-Machi, Japan, and they arrived with more than just suitcases
and a lingering trail of garlicky aroma. Full article
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Seven local high school students in the Gilroy-Takko Student Exchange Program departed Wednesday for Gilroy’s sister city in Takko-Machi, Japan, and they arrived with more than just suitcases and a lingering trail of garlicky aroma.
Approximately 400,000 yen – about $5,000 in United States currency – will be presented to the people of Takko-Machi to aid with ongoing relief stemming from the devastating March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
After a long day of traveling and a good night’s sleep, the group kicked off their first day in Japan with a surprise interview by a TV station in Tokyo.
“We showed our Gilroy spirit by eating and keeping down cloves of raw garlic. Trust me, it’s much stronger than you think,” wrote Christopher High School student Scott Willard in a status update on the GTSEP Facebook page.
All the attention may have gone to Andrew Mikkelsen’s head, a Gilroy High School student who jokingly wrote in a post, “I’m kind of a big deal in Japan. I made it onto Tokyo TV.”
GHS student Michelle Shields reported the second day as getting off to a “shaky” start thanks to an earthquake, but added the group had an awesome time visiting a junior high school and an elementary school. They also enjoyed making a popular Japanese snack called senbei.
“It’s been amazing,” she wrote. “It’s only the second day, and we have so much more ahead.”
The seven students that made the 5,000 mile flight across the Pacific Ocean include CHS students Katharine Bright and Scott Willard, as well as GHS students Miguel Lugo, Andrew Mikkelsen, Janki Patel, Marissa Pham and Michelle Shields. They’ve been polished and prepped as Garlic Capital ambassadors in monthly training sessions from GHS alumnus Rolph Siverson, 26, who is on the exchange program board and instructs students in Japanese custom, culture and language.
CHS Principal John Perales is also a part of the entourage.
A large portion of the GTSEP’s monetary donation being made to Takko was raised by 210 students in GHS and CHS choir programs, who performed a joint concert in April. Their repertoire included a number titled “Requiem,” a song written as a response to the grief experienced by the composer after the natural disaster.
During this performance, high school choral director Phil Robb – a figurehead in relations with Gilroy’s sister city since 1989 – asked the audience to consider supporting their the cause. His request garnered an additional $2,000 in donations.
For the past 20 years, the popular GTSEP program has allowed GUSD students to become enmeshed in Japanese culture, traditions and lifestyles, while strengthening a transcontinental relationship and forming new friendships with Gilroy’s sister city in Takko-Machi.
To get into the program, students had to obtain letters of recommendations, write their own letter and fill out applications. They’re also financially responsible for funding 60 percent of the cost of their own trip.
