Delaware students travel to Japan for Kizuna Project

The project name roughly translates to “bonds of friendship,” which is what 23 students from the Appoquinimink School District will try to develop while in Japan.

The Appoquinimink students will visit a town in Delaware’s sister state of Miyagi.  Minamisanriku was ravaged by last year’s earthquake and devastating tsunami.  Students will hear from survivors and learn from local fisherman about their efforts to revive the fishing industry.  

Lead teacher Linnea Bradshaw is blogging about the experience throughout the trip.  In one post about her empathy for the Japanese who endured the tsunami aftermath she writes, “I am quite overwhelmed when I think about this, and what the people of the town have lived through these past 15 months.”

The students will be using language skills they’ve developed through an ongoing effort in the district to increase international language development.  They’ll also deliver a message of greetings from Delaware Gov. Jack Markell to Prefectural Governor Yoshihiro Murai.  Following the tsunami, Markell created the Delaware Fund for Miyagi which raised more than $100,000, mainly to help children who lost their parents in the disaster.  

The group will hold a presentation about their experience in September.