PLHS staff and students have enjoyed another wonderful day with our friends from Muroto, Japan. This year’s delegation of nine students and three adults are in Port Lincoln for ten days as members of the annual cultural exchange program.
The group spent a full day participating in several aspects of our school community, commencing with a Welcome Assembly in the Gym. Aside from the traditional speeches delivered by staff and students from both countries, Mayor Bruce Green took the opportunity to officially welcome the 2018 delegation to the City of Port Lincoln.
A tour of the PLHS campus was conducted by Mrs Tanya Booker’s senior Japanese students, before a morning tea in the Staff Room with invited guests and PLHS staff. After Recess, the group attended classes for the remainder of the day, beginning with a unique barramundi filleting lesson in Mr Chris McGown’s Year 11 Aquaculture class. The resulting fillets were then taken to the Commercial Kitchen, where Miss Kesby Turner-Wiebreck’s Year 11 Kitchen Operations students assisted the delegation to make their own lunch – the delicious dish of tempura-battered barra with chips, fried nori seaweed and Kewpie mayonnaise was enjoyed by all on the deck.
After lunch, the group joined Mr Shaun Thomas and Ms Jenny Silver for an Aboriginal Art lesson; they each made colourful artworks featuring traditional Aboriginal symbols. The final class of the day was easily the most energetic, with the group heading to the Dance studio for a fun and frenetic lesson. Our students, led by Abby Hodgkiss and Shekinah Suing, taught our Japanese friends a hip-hop routine that featured in last term’s Senior Dance Production. The delegation then returned the favour by performing (then teaching) their wonderful Yosakoi dance. The session concluded with a stunning solo performance by Abby.
As demonstrated in the accompanying photos, today’s schedule was enjoyed by guests and hosts alike. The following staff and students were instrumental in ensuring the overall success of the day:
- Mrs Tanya Booker and Mr Trent Vine (for organising and translating throughout the day)
- Mr Todd George, Mr Clive Palmer, Mrs Joh Walding, Mrs Helen Marks, Porsha O’Brien, Liam Cowley, Mitchell Anderson and Alleigh Hamnett (for assisting with the smooth delivery of the Welcome Assembly)
- Mr Chris McGown, Miss Kesby Turner-Wiebreck, Ms Jenny Silver and Ms Hanna Minchin (for hosting lessons with the delegation)
- Ms Julie Schlink and Mrs Brooke Scott (for supplying an “oishii” morning tea)
- Mrs Toni Cappelluti, Miss Annie Hage, Mrs Liz Freeman and Mr Al Scott (for providing valuable administrative assistance)
- Grace Blacker, Ursula Clarke, Daniel Earl, Ari Pantiyasa and Rebekah Vonderwall (for serving as tour guides throughout the day)
- all other students involved in hosting the delegation in their classes (especially Abby in the Dance lesson)
It is this generosity of spirit that keeps the Muroto Exchange program thriving in our community. We look forward to continuing this long-standing Friendship Agreement with the City of Muroto, and welcoming another delegation to our school next August.
~ Mr Shaun Thomas (International Education)