Page 4 - MidWeek East - April 6, 2022

4 APRIL 6, 2022
Students At ‘Āina Haina Elementary Learn About Japanese Language, Culture
clude fun interactive expe- riences in her classes. Some activities include learning children’s games like jank- en, how to make onigiri and trying out origami. Recent-
‘Āina Haina Elementary School third grade teacher Jeanna Imamura works with the Tokyo Broadcasting Systems interview crew.
ly, students in Agena’s Ad- vanced Nihongo program had the opportunity to par- ticipate in a virtual cultural exchange event hosted by the Japanese-America So- ciety of Hawai‘i. Working with Agena, they talked about Hawai‘i culture and lifestyle with 35 fifth grade students from Nagaoka Fu- zoku Middle School, who shared what life was like in Japan in return.
the evening news in Japan twice in December 2021.
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“Now, there’s more sup- port in language studies. I really appreciate that,” says Agena.
“What’s interesting is many of our kids know cross-cultural names for things like mochi ice cream or Spam musubi,” says Agena. “I help the kids recognize what words are from Hawai‘i and where it comes from in Japan.”
Agena makes sure to in-
“I was so proud of my students! They did so well,” Agena says.
So far, there are about 400 students participating in the Nihongo programs. Agena remembers how she taught a class once and shared with her students how Japanese people rarely hug, but bow instead. Dif- ferent kids began to chime in to share how Koreans and Chinese people bow.
A third grade ‘Āina Haina Elementary school student talks with a news station crew. PHOTOS COURTESY JUNKO AGENA
their culture, too, and ap- preciate it,” says Agena. “I think it’s important for kids to know multiple languag- es and different cultures. It’s an important life skill that can help you be more open-minded.”
Another exciting mile- stone was when she helped coordinate fellow teacher Mrs. Jeanna Imamura’s third grade class to be aired on Japanese television to share how students in Ha- wai‘i learn about Pearl Har- bor. They were featured in
“The conversation al- lowed us to talk about not just Japanese culture, but different cultures,” she
says. “The world is made up of different people and I believe ... appreciation of another culture is import- ant.
“It’s my goal for students to enjoy the language and culture and be aware of
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