９月18日、19日の２日間、オーストラリアのSt Bernard's College校から、中学校３年生～高校２年生までの16名の生徒が来校してくれました！

英語探究コースの1-7、2-7、3-7のクラスを中心に３学年の様々な授業を通じて、交流しました。授業以外では、スピーチコンテストや華道体験、書道体験を行いました。終始笑顔でコミュニケーションを図り、両校の生徒にとっては忘れられない２日間となったようです！！

Let us introduce the event of the year: a cultural exchange between Australia and Japan!

From September 18th-19th, we hosted an exchange program between St Bernard's College and Higashi Uji High School. Although the students had previously interacted online, the in-person exchange allowed many Higashi Uji High School students to engage in meaningful conversations with their Australian counterparts, not only during classes but also during recess.

In addition to subjects like Japanese and math, the Australian students joined Higashi Uji High School students in flower arrangement and calligraphy activities along with observing our speech contest. After school, they experienced traditional Japanese cleaning routines and joined various club activities. According to the teachers from St Bernard's College, these experiences were immensely valuable for the Australian students, as they had studied Japanese culture in their language classes, but never had a chance to experience it firsthand.

The closing ceremony held after school on the second day, was optional. However, to our surprise, nearly all the English academy students from classes 1-7, 2-7, and 3-7 attended, expressing their gratitude to each Australian student. Many photos were taken, and the students were reluctant to say goodbye, staying together until the very last moment. We received messages from the teachers at St Bernard's College saying that all of their students hope to return to Higashi Uji High School in the future. We are delighted to hear that they enjoyed the exchange so much.

We firmly believe that these experiences play a crucial role in shaping the future of a global society. We hope that this exchange program cultivates the students of our schools towards this end.