Southfield

Students fundraise in hopes of taking trip to Japan

By Jennie Miller
C & G Staff Writer

SOUTHFIELD — For 30 students attending Brace-Lederle K-8 School in Southfield, their coursework could be sending them across the globe this spring.

If they can raise enough money, that is.

The hope is for this group of students to travel to Japan for a week to enrich their educational experience and introduce them to the culture and to the students with whom they’ve been communicating.

Brace-Lederle is designated as a technology and communication school in the district, and this project is the culmination of recent efforts in that regard.

“We use a lot of technology in our school for learning,” said Brace-Lederle Principal Sharon Lewis. “We have three paperless classes (where students) use netbooks (and) laptops to do our academic work. We have kids who use Kindles to read with. We’re putting in the last of our Smart boards for teachers so that every classroom is equipped with the tools that they need. We know that the motivation is there when we use the technology. (The students) are more excited; they’re motivated to do the work.”

In addition to regular coursework, the school is trying to show students how to use that same technology to communicate around the world. They’ve been Skyping and emailing with students at schools in Japan through contacts Lewis made when she worked abroad for a year early in her career.

“We’re just trying to build relationships and have children understand that there’s more to this world than the small community that they live in and giving them the skills to be viable anywhere, because in this day and age, jobs are anywhere,” Lewis said. “It’s a good opportunity for kids to see a broader part of our global community.”

In 1999, Lewis spent a year working as a resource room teacher in Shiga-Kyoto on loan from Southfield Public Schools through the Michigan Department of Education. She said the opportunity was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and it’s something she’ll never forget.

“I climbed a little bit of Mount Fugi,” she said of her time traveling the country and experiencing the culture. “I sat in the hot sands. I went and looked into an active volcano in a place called Beppu. I went and stood at the edge and watched the lava swirling around. It was just an amazing experience for me.”

She spoke of the differences in Japanese and American culture that she observed, and what a magnificent learning experience it could be for her kids at Brace-Lederle.

“I love the clothing — the kimonos — the history,” she said. “They share their culture and they practice it. … The technology that they have there — usually their technology is out two-three years before ours is. … Because it’s an island, the land space is not there for them to utilize the way we do. The types of food they eat is because of their environment. A lot of seafood, not a lot of vegetables. I learned to enjoy seaweed. They don’t have the grazing land to raise cattle, so steak was usually imported or quite expensive. The same thing for cantaloupe. But they have large rice paddies. It was just a cultural shock because I wasn’t used to seeing those things. We take for granted everything we have; they take advantage of everything they have. They’re more simplistic. They have smaller cars, their groceries are bought more often because they have smaller refrigerators. They’re very practical. … They have a wonderful transit system for their whole country. The bullet train is fabulous, and our kids will experience it while they’re there.”

The trip was born out of the Brace-Lederle Cultural Club, a group that meets bi-monthly and is open to anyone in the school.

“They can come to the meetings, and we learn language, we learn culture, we try food, we bring in speakers,” Lewis said.

The club is communicating with two schools — Minakuchi-Higashi Junior High and Tsuchiyama Elementary, both of which are in Koka City, Shiga, and are on the itinerary for the trip.

The students will be accompanied by at least 13 chaperones, including Lewis, Southfield Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Wanda Cook Robinson, Southfield Board of Education Trustee Rance Williams, six teachers and four parents, Lewis said.

The trouble is raising enough funds to allow the children to go on the trip, which costs $2,595 per student. Adults are responsible for paying their own way, but the total cost needed for the group to go is $77,850, Lewis said.

Joyce Silagy of the district’s Partnerships for Education Council is helping with the fundraising efforts.

“As the partnerships coordinator, it is my job to connect the business community to meaningful partnerships with Southfield Schools, so it was in that capacity that I began working on the trip to Japan,” Silagy said, adding that the mission is one she strongly supports. “I think international travel is a transforming experience for everyone. I think it’s a visionary project.”

Silagy said fundraising for the trip is already challenging in this economy, but especially so with time constraints, as the trip is nearing.

The group plans to travel April 20-26.

“I wish we had a lot more time,” Silagy said, but added that donating funds and sponsoring a child’s trip in some way is a way to give back to the community. “It’s an opportunity to partner with Southfield Public Schools in a way that is going to change a child’s life. … It opens everybody’s eyes and it creates a larger world. We live in a very small world, our own neighborhood, school, family, and this is just going to explode that perspective.”

Individuals and companies can donate funds to the Brace-Lederle Cultural Club in various ways. Sponsorship opportunities have been broken down into categories — the entire trip, bus transportation alone, Japanese attractions, food, hotel accommodations and airline tickets.

“We created sponsorship opportunities so that people could plug in at any level and become part of that child’s experience,” Silagy said.

Checks can be made payable to Brace-Lederle K-8 School, attention Sharon Lewis, 18575 W. Nine Mile, Southfield MI 48075. For more information, call Lewis at (248) 746-8730.
 

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Jennie Miller at jmiller@candgnews.com or at (586)279-1108.