Marist MailSpring, 2013

Mar

ist B

rothers International School

Marist Mail

Marist Brothers International School

Mar

ist B

rothers International School

© This newsletter and its content are copyright of Marist Brothers International

School. All rights reserved.

Welcome to the Spring edition of the Marist

Mail. We have finally made it through the cold, Winter months and have been able to hold many colorful, Spring events. The biggest event which we hold in Spring is Spirit Week which culminates with our annual Sports Day.This year, the student councils chose fun themes for the students and teachers to dress in and show their true spirit.

The week started with many colorful, flowery shirts for Hawaiian Day. We then had class themes which ranged from favorite characters, to zombies, to sporting stars. The most popular day each year is Culture Day. This year we saw many students dressed in their traditional costumes – kimono, saris, etc. The day was made all the more special due to the Cultural Assembly which saw our students display their musical talents during performances and the much anticipated Student Council

Skit. Well done to the Student Councils for organizing such fun events.

The biggest event on our calendar has to be Sports Day at Oji Stadium. Once again, competition was fierce and all students tried their best to win ribbons and points for their teams. Even though we had to cut the day short due to a surprise thunderstorm, everyone enjoyed themselves and wanted to win. I would like to congratulate Kensei for taking out the Sports Day trophy and good luck to the other teams for next year.

I would also like to remind everyone that on May 20th we will be holding our Founder’s Day Assembly and Celebrations. Please see the school website calendar for more information on how you can participate in this fun day. Thank you for your ongoing support of MBIS.

Marijana MunroHead of Schoolmunrom@marist.ac.jp

Sports Day 2013

Once again, Sports Day began with the Weatherman doing his best to put a smile on everyone’s face. The competitions featured many classic “Spirit of the Games” moments, as many students tried their very best to complete even the long distance races, despite falling or being injured. On the first posting of the totals, Kensei found themselves with a narrow lead. It was a lead they would hold on to until the relays! And with only a handful of points separating them from Samurai and Ninja, the relays were greatly anticipated. However, mother nature would have her say, and with lighting, thunder and rain everywhere, the games were forced to close…with the Kensei coming out on top.Kensei entered Sports Day about 300 points behind Ninja. They were able to make up those points at Sports Day and win the House Trophy as well. Congratulations to all the houses and their competitors for a great year of involvement in a wide variety of activities. Also, a very special thanks to our parent volunteers and teachers who helped us run the activities.

Sports Day 2013

Sports Day 2013

Tea CeremonyThe Annual Japanese Tea Ceremony was held on the 25th and 26th of March. All students from Montessori to Grade 12 participated and enjoyed the taste of green tea and Japanese snacks. Three ladies with a great deal of experience in teaching tea ceremony visited the school to impart their knowledge on the students for this wonderful Japanese tradition. This year, Nami Rose Weatherby, Yuno Kujime, Talyn Watson, Hiina Shiota from Grade 6, and Kie Goto from Grade 1, helped make and serve the tea for other students. The Language Acquisition Department would like to thank Mrs. Yamashita, Ms. Hamada, and Ms. Kusunoki for giving our students this wonderful experience of Japanese culture. Also, we would like to thank all the parents who volunteered and worked hard to make this event possible.

SPorts day champions 2013NAME GRADE MEDAL

Kasumi Kobo 7 Gold

Jaascha Alapatte Silver

Joey Shitamoto Bronze

Corinna Gruening 8 Gold

Gaurav Chhablani Silver

Christine Terrillon Bronze

Sarina Yasumoto 9 Gold

Sara Shibata Silver

Yuichi Yoshioka Bronze

Fiza Razik 10 Gold

Na Yeoung Park Silver

Aishwarya Jayakandan Bronze

Julie Barrow 11 Gold

Kazuki Fukushima Silver

Aoi Kuga Bronze

Nao Yoshida 12 Gold

Kamiyu Fujimoto Silver

Claudia Gruening Bronze

NAME GRADE MEDAL

Zara Rowe 1 Gold

Kohta Takeda Silver

Kana Yamamoto Bronze

Atsushi Yamamoto 2 Gold

Yusei Noguchi Silver

Yuto Tauchi Bronze

Affan Razik 3 Gold

Keiju Kawai Silver

Min Seo Kim Bronze

Sidaarth Kumarevel 4 Gold

Luke Liechty Silver

Naomi Kobo Bronze

Karen Ishii 5 Gold

Kai Shitamoto Silver

Marin Tasaki Bronze

Nami Weatherby 6 Gold

Sam McIntyre Silver

Aina Nocent Bronze

Tea Ceremony

Tea Ceremony

Kobe 2013 Swimmy Project

Participation in the Swimmy Project, drawing and writing messages on a big cloth carp, was held during lunch recess in cafeteria on the first day of Spirit Week. The project is named after a children’s story “Swimmy”, which is about a school of fish learning team spirit and the importance of helping each other out. The purpose of the project is to have Elementary students from all over Kobe write messages on 9 meter long cloth carp, which are then sent to Miyagi prefecture to support the people of Tohoku. On April 22, our Elementary students gathered around a big carp on the stage in the cafeteria and drew colorful pictures and wrote messages. Nine big carp, including the one we worked on, are going to be sent to Kesennuma city in Miyagi prefecture and raised in the air on Children’s Day (May 5). We would like to thank Mr. Akihide Kurisu, and Mr. Ryo Pan Uchida, our proud graduate, for introducing the project to our school and giving us this great opportunity to participate.

During the second last week of April the entire school was involved in Spirit Week. In the Upper School students dressed up for the varying themes. Some of the more memorable themes included Grade 9’s “Swag Day” and the Grade 12’s “Horror Show” themes. Cultural day was another big event with students dressing up in their nation’s traditional costume. The most striking of these cultural outfits would have undoubtedly been the Korean and the Indian clothing. Elementary themes also included “Party Animal” and “Dream Job/Future Job”.The cultural assembly was held for the Upper School on April 25th. The students were fortunate to see some great musical talent at this event. Sara Shibata and Reika Tanaka performed a saxophone duet and Kurusu Ishikawa played an acoustic guitar solo. Stealing the show, however, were Momoko Dellming and Naoh Krasowitz with two amazing piano solos. While Noah will be graduating at the end of the year, we look forward to Momoko performing for many years to come. Following the performance, the Student Council’s yearly skit was presented. This year’s show was entitled, Feigned Innocence. In the skit the teachers of Marist try to deceive the WASC inspectors, however, they could not get past the sharp eyes of the inspectors played by Tetsuya Sato and Meg Bhatia. Fortunately, for Marist there was a happy ending as we received our accreditation and everyone went home happy!

SPIRIT WEEk

SENIOR TRIPIn March, the Class of 2013 went on our Senior Trip. This year, the destination was Naha, Okinawa. We stayed for three nights and four days, at the Okinawa Port Hotel. On the first day we arrived in the evening and had dinner together. The next day we went to Okinawa World, where we experienced traditional weaving. Everyone had an opportunity to operate an old-fashioned loom – we were given instructions and it was actually pretty easy to do. We made small cloth squares which was an interesting hand-made souvenir. We also had the opportunity to handle a large snake, which was coiled around our necks. Although it was a little scary, it was quite an experience. After this, we visited some caves, where we saw some unusual rock formations. Later in the day we visited WW2 bunkers and museums, where we learned about the lives of the people during this tragic time. The day ended with a trip to Shuri-jo, one of the main attractions in Okinawa. Our third day was the highlight for me – we spent the whole day kayaking in the ocean. It was something I had never done before and it was also great to go for a swim and catch a few waves. It was bumpy, but fun. Our last day started with glass-blowing. We went to a special place where we were able to learn about the process of glass-blowing and made some cups, which we were able to take home. Again, it was easier than I expected, but making a perfect shape was difficult. We then visited the aquarium, where we got to see the famous whale shark and a dolphin show. The trip was full of new experiences and was a lot of fun. It was great to be able to spend so much time with the rest of the seniors. Thank you to Mr. Deyss and Mayumi-san for coming with us. – Carl Sunwall.

SPORTS UPDATE

COME AND SUPPORT YOUR TEAM!Note: schedule is subject to change. Please contact the school for more details. Schedule updates are available at www.marist.ac.jp

SEASON FOUR SCHEDULEHigh School Boys Baseball

High School Girls Softball

Middle School Boys Volleyball

Middle School Girls Softball

Friday, May 10th @ MBISWJAA FinalSaturday, May 11th @ Inagawa

vs. SOL@ CA @ OIS

Friday, May 18th @ NagoyaWJAA Final

@ CAWJAA Final

@ OISWJAA FinalSaturday, May 19th

Wednesday, May 29th

Athletic Awards

Friday, May 31st MAA BBQ

Japan TimesSpelling Bee

SEMBOKU HIGH VISITOn March 22, thirteen students from Semboku High School in Osaka Prefecture came to visit our school. The students attended classes including PE, Art, English, Japanese and Mathematics. This was a great opportunity for the students of Semboku to practice their English skills and also an excellent chance for our students to interact with students from a Japanese school. This is the second consecutive year that this exchange has been held and we look forward to building our relationship with Semboku High School in the future.

This year I had the privilege to represent my school in the Annual Japan Times Spelling Bee. My journey started when Kainoa Gnos and I defeated our entire Grade 8 class. Then came the second round, in which the two finalists from Grade 8 and the two finalists from Grade 7 competed against each other. I didn’t study very hard, as I didn’t quite understand the importance and value of the opportunity I would get if I came out on top. There were a few hiccups, as I was confused about some words. I just went along with my instinct and got the words correct. In the end I did win and was selected to go to Tokyo. I was over the moon when I heard that if I won in Japan, I would be sent to America, this time representing Japan. My dad explained to me that I should take one step at a time and not think ahead too much. I was given three months to prepare for the spelling bee. Mrs.Hanners had handed me a packet with English words derived from thirteen languages. These languages were Latin, Old English, Greek, French, Spanish, Italian, Slavic Languages, Japanese, Asian Languages, Eponyms, Dutch, German, and New World Languages. I began studying in the last month before the big event. In total, there were approximately 1500 words in the study list. My dad assisted me a lot while memorizing and gave me a bunch of encouragement when I felt like giving up. Finally the day had come when I would travel to Tokyo and fight against 42 students with words. That morning I woke up at 5:30 am in the nice comfortable hotel after a good night’s rest. I went over half of the words on the Shinkansen. I reviewed the other half that morning. I went into the Spelling Bee hall quite confident and just pictured God and kept him my heart. I still clearly remember this line my dad said before I sat on the seat in front of about 100 parents: “It doesn’t matter whether you lose or win. All you have to do is just smile all the way through the competition. You should have no regrets if you lose as you have tried your best.” I did exactly what my dad advised me, and even though I may not have won, I was proud of myself that I had reached this far. It was a great learning experience for me and I thank both Mr.Munro and Mrs. Hanners for giving me this precious chance to meet new people and increase my knowledge. I made many friends during this period of time. I also want to once again thank both my parents for being my rock to lean on. - Gaurav Chhablani

Over 100 students, from Montessori to Grade 12, ventured to Port Island on March 22 to participate in an all school ice skating get together.The Upper School Student Council President, Kazuki Fukushima, was the brain child behind reviving the tradition of the ice skating party which had been held in years past.Teachers, parents and students alike had a wonderful time skating, or in some cases, falling over and over again for a couple of hours. This was a great opportunity for students of the upper school to interact with their younger schoolmates from elementary. Judging by the fun students had, I am sure the Upper School Student Council will once again run the event next year. Thanks to Kazuki for all his efforts in making this event happen.

ICE SKATING

The Kobe International Fair 2013 was held on the 16th and 17th of March and many of our students, parents, and teachers participated and had a wonderful time. On the first day, there was a speech making event in Kinrou Kaikan in Sannomiya. A total of 10 people from different countries were selected to make speeches about their lives in Japan. From our school, Sarina Yasumoto from Grade 9, Eleanor Hammerschmitt and Claire McIntyre, both from Grade 5, participated and made fantastic speeches in front of about 100 audience members. On the second day, the venue changed to Harborland and about 30 international organizations and schools held their booths and performed on stage. Marist had a cheerleading performance and a bake sale booth to promote our school. The audience was amazed to see our Elementary Cheerleading team perform so well. Also, the home-made delicious cookies, cupcakes, and other sweets were all sold out by the end of the day. We would like to thank all students who participated in the event and also a big thank you to parents who baked the amazing sweets!

INTERNATIONAL FAIR

UNICEF WORLD EDUCATION GAMES

ART COMPETITION 2013: Lower School

First Place: Misaki Inoue (G5)

Second Place: Mirei Kawahara (G3)

Third Place: Kohta Takeda

(G1)

In March, our students participated in the UNICEF World Education Games, involving 5.5million students from over 200 countries and territories.The games are an annual global online challenge to get all students (4-18 years of age) excited about learning, and to give the top students in all schools an opportunity to see how they measure up against the best in the worldSplit over three days and focusing on literacy, mathematics and science, the World Education Games were hugely exciting and engaged many of our students at school and also during their own free time at home. All of the students who participated were awarded participation certificates. Some students were awarded distinction awards for achieving outstanding results.

LiteracyAges 4-71st Atsushi Yamamoto, 2nd Yuto Tauchi, 3rd Joshua Whitney

Ages 8-101st Sidaarth Kumarevel, 2nd An Yonezawa, 3rd Masahiro Zhang

Ages 11-131st Yuanzhen Sheng, 2nd Noah Uemura, 3rd Jaascha Alapatte

MathematicsAges 4-71st Atsushi Yamamoto, 2nd Yuto Tauchi, 3rd Noah Larson

Ages 8-101st Yusei Noguchi, 2nd Sidaarth Kumarevel, 3rd Karen Ishii

Ages 11-131st Thayalan Kundralan, 2nd Yuanzhen Sheng, 3rd JooHee Kim

Ages 14-181st Sara Shibata, 2nd Ryo Fujimoto, 3rd Agustina Vitalestari

ScienceAges 4-71st Atsushi Yamamoto, 2nd Joshua Whitney, 3rd Jin Tsushi

Ages 8-101st Sidaarth Kumarevel, 2nd Yusei Noguchi, 3rd Masahiro Zhang

Ages 11-131st Yuanzhen Sheng

ART COMPETITION 2013: Upper School

First Place: Sanghyun Park (G8)

Second Place: Yukie Miyamoto Phillips (G8)

Third Place: Rio Kadota

(G10)

Spring band concert