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600 Hokkaido students to arrive
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Posted on Dec 28 2004
Some 600 Japanese students will arrive on Saipan today to celebrate the 20th anniversary of a cultural exchange program between University of Hokkaido and the CNMI students.
The Hokkaido Cultural Broadcasting Co. Ltd. students, aged between 6 and 12, will arrive on board M/V Fuji Maru at 7am at the Port of Saipan where they will be met by their local counterparts.
From the seaport, the visiting students will proceed to Garapan Elementary School for a cultural exchange program.
Other CNMI schools that will participate in the event are Dandan Elementary, San Antonio Elementary, William S. Reyes Elementary, Tanapag Elementary, Oleai Elementary, Kagman Elementary, ChaCha Ocean View Junior High, Japanese Society of NMI Educational Department, and Tinian Elementary School.
During the program, the Japanese students will donate school supplies for the Public School System students.
In return, they will receive shell leis, Saipan-da pins, and Saipanda dolls courtesy of the Marianas Visitors Authority. Pacific Development Inc., DFS Galleria, and the Chamolinian Cultural Village are also providing local arts and crafts for CNMI students to present to UHB students.
At 6:15pm, the visitors will host a dinner party for local officials and community members on board their ship. A plaque will be presented to UHB president Koji Uesawa and other UHB coordinators during the ceremony, which will also feature performances from both UHB and CNMI students.
Tomorrow, the students will visit Managaha to enjoy a day in the sun before departing at 3pm.
Pacific Development Inc.’s Gordon Marciano, event coordinator, said UHB executive director Yo Yamamoto is pleased to see the program continuing to foster goodwill and friendship between CNMI and Japan after so many years.
For his part, PDI vice president Jesus T. Guerrero expressed his appreciation to Garapan Elementary School “for their endless commitment as the main coordinating school,” as well as to the rest of the participating public schools.
