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High school has special connection to Japan

Immediately after donation boxes were set up outside the Elk Grove High School cafeteria Wednesday, students and teachers started depositing money to help Japanese earthquake victims.

“Whatever is donated will be matched,” said student council member Ashley Potratz, referring to the Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Chicago Foundation's offer to the school. “We're going to try and raise as much as we can.”

While many suburban schools are raising money to help Japan recover from its disaster, Elk Grove High School is especially driven because it has a special connection to the country and its people.

For the past 23 years, the school has had an exchange program with Ashikodai and Ashitandai high schools in Ashikaga, Japan, and every year a group of students visit their “sister school.”

In Elk Grove, the program's popularity can be seen on the school's bulletin boards, many of which are decorated with Japanese flags and writing, along photos of past exchanges and trips to Japan.

For now, the plan for Elk Grove students to visit Ashikaga this summer is still a go, school officials said.

The earthquake hit while the six Japanese exchange students and two teachers were in Elk Grove Village for their two-week stay. Using e-mail and smart phones, they were able to quickly find out that their families and houses were OK. Their town of 150,000 people is in the center of the country and more than an hour's train ride northwest of Tokyo, so it wasn't badly damaged. But it frightened people, the power was knocked out, traffic was a mess, and schools were closed for a few days.

The students said they kept close tabs on what was going on by reading news reports and videos on their computers.

“It took a while to sink in. The host family was very worried for me,” Japanese student Yukari Hirose, 16, said through a translator. “Out of worry for my family, I wanted to go home ... but my parents made a point to e-mail me and say, ‘Don't worry about us and please enjoy your time in the United States.'”

Yuki Hosoda, 18, said the Elk Grove teachers and students have repeatedly asked him how they can help, and if his family is OK. When he walked by the cafeteria Wednesday, many of the American students waved to him.

“All Japanese citizens appreciate that all the people, even in Elk Grove High School, support us and are warmhearted,” said Toshi Okunaka, a Japanese teacher accompanying the students.

The students leave Friday for Washington, D.C., and then will return to Japan Monday.

“I'm worrying about my friends,” said Okunaka, who has many friends living near Sendai, one of the hardest hit cities. “When we get back, we want to have a party. But now we don't know if everyone will be there.”

Cliff Darnall, the Japanese teacher who has overseen the exchange program for 22 of the last 23 years, said the visits are often life changing for students on both sides of the Pacific Ocean, and he hopes the earthquake didn't negatively impact the experience the Japanese students had here.

During an interview Wednesday, the students said they were enjoying their visit, doing things like walking on the SkyDeck of the Willis Tower, ice skating in Millennium Park, and shadowing Elk Grove students. Hosoda's host family took him to a Bulls game Tuesday night, which he loved.

The students said they've observed many differences between the cultures, such as high school students who eat and drink during class, or wear ear or body piercings.

“They have a lot more freedoms here,” Hirose said.

The Japanese students are keeping a diary and will be writing a report on their visit to the United States, Darnall said.

Donations to the school's Japanese earthquake fundraiser will be accepted until Friday morning and all donations are tax deductible. Checks can be made payable to Elk Grove High School, with “Earthquake relief fund” written in the memo area. For more information, call the school at (847) 718-4400 or the Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Chicago at (312) 245-8344.

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  Yuki Hosoda, 18, a Japanese exchange student, studies with Boderik Phillips in Cliff Darnall’s Japanese studies class at Elk Grove High School Wednesday. Six Japanese exchange students and two teachers were in Elk Grove during the devastating quake and tsunami in their homeland. George Leclaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
  Yuki Hosoda, 18, a Japanese exchange student, studies with Elk Grove High School freshman Mia Nishimoto, left, and senior Boderik Phillips in Cliff Darnall’s Japanese studies class Wednesday. The Japanese students are here as part of the school’s 23rd annual exchange program. George Leclaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
  Yuki Hosoda, 18, a Japanese exchange student, has lunch with students at Elk Grove High School Wednesday. Hosoda was among the six Japanese students and two teachers visiting here when the earthquake hit Japan. George Leclaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
  Yuki Hosoda, 18, left, and Yukari Hirose, 16, both Japanese exchange students, get waves from students in the cafeteria as they walk to class at Elk Grove High School Wednesday. The students are part of Elk Grove’s 23rd annual Japanese exchange program. George Leclaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com
  A sign in the cafeteria at Elk Grove High School welcomes six Japanese students and two teachers, who are here as part of the school’s 23rd annual Japanese exchange program. On Wednesday, the school embarked on a two-day fundraiser to help the Japanese earthquake relief efforts. George Leclaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.com