Japanese School of Detroit

The Japanese School of Detroit (JSD) (デトロイトりんご会補習授業校 Detoroito Ringo Kai Hoshū Jugyō Kō) is a Saturday-only Japanese supplementary educational school in Metro Detroit. It is often called "Ringo Kai." As of December 2011 it has almost 800 students.[1] The school office is in the Novi Community School District headquarters in Novi, Michigan,[2][3] and the classes are held at Novi Meadows Elementary School.

The purpose of the Japanese School of Detroit is to provide Japanese children with opportunities to learn the supplementary curricula of the Japanese education in the Japanese language while they stay in the U.S., so that children will adapt themselves back into the Japanese educational environment without much difficulty when they return to Japan. Japanese families stay in the U.S. for 3–5 years on average.

As of 2015 it is the world's third largest hoshuko.[4]

History

It was founded in 1973 by the local Japanese companies,[1] with the first classes being held at Cranbrook Schools Brookside.[5] At first only 23 children were enrolled Volunteers established the Japanese Society of Detroit to operate the school.[6]

It moved to Kensington Academy in October 1981, and in April 1987 it opened its classes at Seaholm High School in Birmingham, and in April 1989 it opened classes at Covington School in Birmingham.[5] In 1990 it offered Japanese culture and Japanese language classes on Saturdays.[7] In 1999 the executive office moved from International Academy to the former Oakland Steiner School in Rochester Hills.[5]

In 2008 the JSD had 1,012 students, with 115 being in Kindergarten, 690 being in elementary school (grades 1-6), 158 being in junior high school (grades 7-9) and 49 being in high school (10-12). Prior to the move, students of the JSD in Kindergarten through 3rd grades took their JSD classes at West Maple Elementary School in Birmingham while students in grades 4 through 12 took their classes at Seaholm High School in Birmingham.[8] At the time the school offices were in the former Kensington Academy campus in Bloomfield Township,[9][10] and later in Birmingham.[11]

In 2010, the JSD announced that it was relocating to Novi, Michigan. It entered into a 10-year agreement with the Novi Community School District and began to use Novi Meadows Elementary School to conduct classes.[12] It moved from Birmingham to Novi in the northern hemisphere summer of 2011. Novi Schools Superintendent Steve Matthews said that he expected for the Japanese population in the school district to increase due to the move of JSD.[1]

Operations

As of 2012, the school has about 800 students from kindergarten through high school.[13] There is a principal and two assistant principals who are assigned to the school by the Japanese government. During their 3-year term, they take leaderships as administrators to maintain the school with support from many volunteer parents.

Classes are held on 42 Saturdays a year at the Japanese school. On a typical Saturday, the 1st hour starts from 9 in the morning. There are more than 6 periods a day, and there are a few recesses and a lunch hour. They are dismissed after 3. Children, who attend the Japanese school on every Saturday, are driven by their parents as far from Windsor, Canada, South Lyon, Ann Arbor, Lake Orion and there is a family even from Midland. As of 2011 some students come from Lansing.[14] The school year starts in April and ends in March, as in Japan.

All instruction is given completely in Japanese language using the same text books as those used by children in Japan. At the lower elementary level mainly the Japanese language and math are taught. Social studies is added from 4th grade, and science is added from 7th and on. In high school, Math, English, History, Modern Japanese as well as Classic Japanese are offered.

School events that are unique to schools in Japan are emphasized, such as Sports Festival, Ceremonies of the first day and the last day of school, and the Graduation ceremonies.

See also

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Burden, Melissa. " 'Little Tokyo' thrives in Novi as Japanese population expands." (Archive) The Detroit News (posted at Northern Equities Group). Monday December 19, 2011. Nation p. A1. Retrieved on November 7, 2012. Available in the archives of The Detroit News and in NewsBank as 'Little Tokyo' thrives in Oakland", Document ID: det-129398628
  2. ↑ "所在地/連絡先" (Archive). Japanese School of Detroit. Retrieved on April 7, 2015. "25345 タフト・ロード" and "25345 Taft Rd., Novi, MI 48374"
  3. ↑ Home. Novi Community School District. Retrieved on April 14, 2011. "25345 Taft Road, Novi, MI 48374"
  4. ↑ "Novi Educational Foundation’s 9th Annual Green Gala" (Archive). Consulate-General of Japan in Detroit. March 28, 2015. Retrieved on January 2, 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 "JSD History" (Archive). Japanese School of Detroit. May 2, 2001. Retrieved on April 16, 2015. "昭和４８年　　６月　　デトロイト日本語補習授業校開設、私立クランブルック・ブルックサイド校借用。 （１９７３）" and "（１９８１）　　１０月　　児童・生徒増のため、私立ケンジントン・アカデミー校に移転。" and "（１９８７）　　　４月　　児童・生徒増のため、ケンジントン校に加え、公立シーホーム校との２校体制に拡大。" and "４月　　児童生徒増のため、ケンジントン校・シーホーム校に加え、公立コビントン校との ３校体制に拡大。 " and "（１９９９）　　事務局移転（インターナショナル・アカデミー校→旧オークランド・シュタイナー校） "
  6. ↑ "Southfield welcomes culture." Detroit News. September 8, 2004. Retrieved on May 23, 2013. "The Japanese Society of Detroit was established in 1973 by a group of volunteers to run the Japanese School of Detroit in Birmingham, Nakahama said. In 1993 [...]" ID: det19737754
  7. ↑ Ingrassia and White, p. 336.
  8. ↑ "HANDBOOK For Teachers of Japanese Students." (Archive) Japanese School of Detroit. p. 4 (4/12). Retrieved on June 19, 2013. "4. Now, about 1,000 students are studying at two different school buildings. a. West Maple Elementary School Kindergarten ~ 3rd grades b. Seaholm High School 4th ~ 12th grades" and "The number of students in August 2008 (1012 in total)" (numbers of each grade level are on a pie chart on that page)
  9. ↑ "JSD の所在地･案内図 JSDの事務局 JSD Map-JSD Main Office" (Archive). Japanese School of Detroit. July 18, 2001. Retrieved on April 16, 2015. "1020 E. Square Lk. Rd. Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304"
  10. ↑ "U.S. Federal Communications Commission" (Archive). Booth Communications Bloomfield at the U.S. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved on April 16, 2015. p. 18/25. "Kensington Academy 1020 E. Square Lake Rd. Bloomfield Hills, Michigan"
  11. ↑ "りんごネットへようこそ！" (Archive). Japanese School of Detroit. October 4, 2002. Retrieved on April 7, 2015. "連絡先 Japanese School of Detroit 2436 W.Lincoln, Suite E101 Birmingham, MI 48009, U.S.A."
  12. ↑ "Japanese School of Detroit to relocate to Novi." (Archive, PDF version, Archive) Novi Community School District. December 16, 2010. Retrieved on April 17, 2011.
  13. ↑ Approximate number of students :
    • Kindergarten 90
    • Elementary school(1~6th) 550
    • Junior High School(7~9th) 125
    • High School (10~12th) 30
  14. ↑ "Japanese Movie Night in Novi on Saturday, August 20 - Disney’s Howl’s Moving Castle will be featured on an outdoor screen at Fuerst Park" (Archive). City of Novi. August 10, 2011. Retrieved on January 2, 2016. PDF version (Archive).

Further reading

External links

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