By Houston ISD 8th graders have recently returned from Japan as part of the New Education System’s Dyad Travel Program that gave them the opportunity to visit Tokyo for a five day journey. The students traveled to Japan in six separate groups, the final of which returned to Houston June 3.
Dyad Travel, part of the recently implemented NES curriclulm, supports annual trips for seventh and eighth graders at no cost to parents or students, including passport application fees and new luggage provided by HISD and various dedicated community partners.
The learning trip rewarded 172 eighth graders for academic achievement, good attendance and disciplinary records this year. The participating students were from the following middle schools:
- Fleming
- Forest Brook
- Henry
- Key
- McReynolds
- Sugar Grove
“I want our kids to have the opportunity to see how big the world is, to see how humanity is still the same no matter where you go,” said Deputy Chief of Strategic Initiatives Ena Meyers, the creator of the program.
A learning journey
To prepare students for their trip to Japan, HISD organized several hands-on learning opportunities and received instruction from the district’s Nutrition Services Department and the Japan America Society of Houston (JASH) to help them learn Japanese customs.
The students learned about Japanese foods, etiquette and dining practices like using chopsticks, traditional Japanese tea service, and making sushi.
Representatives from JASH were on hand for a preparatory lunch at Houston Japanese restaurant Yokushi Robata to provide coaching and explanations as students enjoyed the meal.
The menu included a seaweed salad followed by takoyaki (fried octopus), ramen, and okonomiyaki, a savory pancake made with cabbage and a variety of proteins.
“We feel that our work and our impact is expanded when we work with community partners, and that this program is particularly important because in our experience, promoting cross-cultural understanding broadens horizons, and we feel that travel does the same,” JASH Executive Director Patsy Yoon Brown said.
Superintendent Mike Miles joined the student travelers at the luncheon at Yokushi Robata, as the initial international trip for the program is especially significant to Miles who is of Japanese descent.
“This is part of the NES program, but more than that, it’s part of kids learning to grow a broader perspective, not just culturally, but on how things work in the world,” HISD Superintendent Mike Miles said.
What else?
For more information on Dyad Travel, visit the webpage here.
