Japanese students and teachers from Gojo Senior High School in Nara, Japan, will spend a week visiting Bendigo and beyond, as part of a student exchange program run by Girton Grammar School.
The Japanese students will attend classes at Girton Grammar and stay with host families as well as visit a number of tourist attractions in Bendigo, the region and in Melbourne.
Girton Grammar established a sister school relationship with Gojo Senior High in 1992, making the exchange programs one of the longest running in Regional Victoria.
Gojo has been sending a group of 10-20 students to Bendigo every March over the past 23 years. In return, Girton students studying Japanese take part in a trip to Japan during the September-October holidays every second year and more recently, also during the Summer holidays. Students visit places like Tokyo, Kyoto and Hiroshima and have an opportunity to attend Gojo High School and experience homestay in Japan.
Headmaster of Girton Grammar School, Mr Matthew Maruff said that such visits provide great benefits to students.
“These trips not only by improve the learning of a second language but foster a more open-minded attitude towards people of a very different culture.
“Over 23 years of student exchanges, the friendship between Girton and Gojo has continued to deepen and with the growing importance of Australia’s position on the Pacific Rim, this is an incredibly valuable experience for our students on many levels,” he said.
