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How Elk Grove High School's Japanese Exchange Program immerses students in culture

Ashley Szull of Elk Grove Village and Hinako Yamazaki sat next to each other at a farewell dinner last week at Elk Grove High School, playfully finishing one another's sentences.

Their time together after nearly two weeks of the school's Japanese Exchange Program, was coming to an end.

But not for long. Szull and other Elk Grove High School students and teachers will travel in June to Ashikaga, Japan to complete the exchange.

This year is the 30th edition of the Japanese Exchange Program at the high school, and it continues to accomplish its goal of providing a rich cultural experience that extends beyond the classroom walls.

"This will be my fourth year going to Japan," Szull said. "You make so many friendships. I'm still in touch with friends in Japan from two years ago. I love it, having friends on the other side of the world."

Coming into the Elk Grove visit, Yamazaki listed reading, basketball and Disney as her interests. But after her visit she has more to add her list: American food and Chicago sites, especially The Bean.

"I wanted to see the difference between Japanese and American schools," she said, with Szull's help, "and I wanted to be immersed in English."

Another Elk Grove student, junior Melanie De La Cruz, will be visiting Japan for the second time and she said she loves everything about the exchange.

"Even though the world seems big, it's really small, when we go there and pick right up with our friends," De La Cruz said.

At the heart of the Japanese Exchange Program is Cliff Darnall, a teacher of Japanese at Elk Grove High School who is retiring this year. Members of Northwest Suburban High School District 214 board members were on hand at the dinner to honor him, there was a proclamation from Elk Grove Mayor Craig Johnson and congratulatory notes from the Japanese Consulate.

Darnall brings a unique background to his teaching in the World Languages Department. He studied German in college and spent a semester in Austriabefore working in France, and all before learning Japanese after leaving college and marrying a Japanese native.

He says the language is challenging, but its culture is rich with benefits for students and their families.

"The Japanese culture is about respect for each other, a willingness to work hard and not be egocentric," Darnall said. "It's a culture of working together and combines its 2,000-year-old history with newer elements."

Elizabeth Bauer of Elk Grove Village, traveled to Japan in 2015 on the exchange. She had grown up with the program, since her mother, Linda, had hosted exchange students for five years before that, and continues to serve as a host family.

"The exposure you get to another culture is so important," Elizabeth Bauer said. "You develop this appreciation for something different, and it makes you respectful and more open-minded."

Paul Kelly, principal of Elk Grove High School, hosted one of the visiting teachers in his home, and he will travel with the group in June. It will be his first visit to Japan, and he cannot wait.

"When students devote years to studying language and culture, they are inspired," Kelly says. "When they travel to the origin of that language and culture, they are transformed.

"More than ever, our world needs international friendship and understanding among young people," he adds. "Experiences like the Japanese Exchange Program give me hope for a better future for the next generation."

  Junior Jillian Setchell chats with teacher Naoki Aoyama before a farewell dinner for Japanese students visiting Elk Grove High School. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
  Senior Ashley Szull and Hinako Yamazaki sit together during a farewell dinner for Japanese students visiting Elk Grove High School. Szull and other Elk Grove students and teachers will travel in June to Ashikaga, Japan to complete the exchange. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com
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