Hoosier and Japanese students worked together Thursday at Franklin Community Middle School to make a hammock of intertwined plastic bags in the school’s library.
Students from Kuji, Japan communicated with the Franklin Middle School students using gestures and simple phrases, hoping to bridge a gap that spans more than 6,100 miles between the sister cities, which joined in partnership 60 years ago. That partnership strengthened in 2007, when students from Kuji made their first visit to Franklin. Students have returned to visit Franklin schools every year since, and this fall, students from Franklin Community Schools will make their second trip to Japan.
Through their collaboration, the students weaved a hammock using about 1,000 plastic bags, with the bottoms and handles cut off to make loops that could be tied together, said Melissa Tunis, a foreign language teacher at the middle school who leads the Hammocks for the Homeless after-school club.
Making plastic hammocks can benefit the homeless, help the environment and, in this case, strengthen communication between groups of students from opposite sides of the world, she said.
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“It’s hard for them to communicate because the translator can’t be everywhere and a lot of it has to be visual. The principal and I discussed it and we agreed it would be a good idea to show students,” Tunis said.
The partnership serves as a reminder for Franklin Middle School students about how big the world is, she said.
Xavier Lundy, an eighth grader taking Japanese class at the middle school, got to spend the day with the students from Kuji as he brushed up on his knowledge of the language. Interacting with students from Japan was an exciting experience, Lundy said.
“So far, it’s been really exhilarating; they’ve been really fun and interactive,” Lundy said. “Even though you have different cultures, you’re still able to come together and have fun.”
The trip to Franklin served as 11th grader Ryo Takahashi’s first experience in the United States, he said.
“It’s been a lot of fun. People living in America are really kind to me and the system of education is different from the Japanese. It’s very interesting, especially because we don’t use a personal computer in class. It’s different for me studying English because we speak English very slowly, but the American people speak English very fast,” Takahashi said.
“I managed to understand that, for English, I needed to use body language, and if I don’t know what I need to, ask what they’re saying. Asking the meaning is very important for me.”
Along with the visit to the middle school, students from Kuji also visited Franklin Community High School and Custer Baker Intermediate School during their trip to Indiana, which lasted from Tuesday to Sunday. Students also visited the Johnson County courthouse, the Artcraft Theater, the Garment Factory and City Hall, where they met Mayor Steve Barnett, according to an itinerary.
The visit helps both groups of students understand how much they have in common, said David Clendening, Franklin schools superintendent.
“The thing that makes it the best is for kids to realize they have a lot in common; things that they enjoy,” Clendening said. “It shows our kids even though you live 13 hours away, there’s someone who’s just about the same as you.”
When Franklin students visit Kuji, it will further strengthen the relationship between the two cities, said Taeko Kodomae, a middle school English teacher in Kuji.
“It is very important to communicate,” Kodomae said. “Before (we were) only coming here. Having this city’s students come to Japan is a very good experience. We are waiting for them to come.”
