August 12 (Wednesday) and August 13 (Thursday)

On August 12 (Wednesday) and August 13 (Thursday), we visited St. George Academy in Washington, Utah, USA. St. George Academy is a public school attended primarily by students equivalent to Japanese first-year junior high school through third-year high school students, and this was the first time both Hakuho Girls’ High School and Shinagawa Etoile Girls’ High School were welcomed to visit together.

In the morning, following our time at Utah Tech University, we took ESL classes. Through various activities such as drawing illustrations and giving presentations in English, working on group activities using prepositions, and studying past, present, and future tenses, we learned English in multiple ways. These ESL classes were held jointly by the two schools, and we began to see students using English proactively and naturally communicating with students from the other school. Through repeated study sessions, students appear to be gradually gaining confidence in exchanging ideas in English.

In the afternoon, we participated in classes with our respective buddies. At the first meeting with their buddies, some students appeared nervous and were uncertain how to start conversations. However, while using expressions learned in ESL classes, they gradually began to take the initiative in speaking. The local buddy students also spoke to them in a friendly manner, and we could see them enjoying the exchange.

At the end of the day, each student shared their impressions of attending the local classes. Comments such as “I understood a lot in math class” and “My buddy helped me by explaining many things” showed that while students felt the differences between American and Japanese schools, they were enjoying classes at an American high school. By actually attending classes alongside local high school students and exchanging with them, we gained not only English language learning but also valuable experience in feeling firsthand American school life and culture.

We sincerely thank all the staff at St. George Academy for warmly welcoming us despite the short notice. Through this valuable exchange, we hope to connect the experiences we gained to our future learning.