Our students have a lot of spark within class hours and after school, too. This week, the elementary after school clubs have started, and the students were excited to join the activities of their choice. This season, we offer 24 clubs ranging from crafting to sports. Here are some examples of the clubs. 

Soccer Club: Our soccer program will run in collaboration with Iniesta Academy from this year.  Coaches from the Academy will be teaching our students valuable skills as a soccer player.  60 students from G2 to 5 signed up, and they already had a ball at the first training this week.

Crochet Club: Did you know Mr. Hylden is a crochet expert? He runs the crochet club to share his skills with our G3-5 students. This week, the students started to learn how to crochet and already made colorful bracelets! Crochet is not only about knitting skills but also having a relaxing time focusing on the work - it’s nice to see our students having a pleasant time while learning a new skill.

Dance Fusion: Ms. Layla is passionate about dancing and runs the Dance Fusion Club for G1-5 students. Her style is a mixture of Latin and Oriental, which she grew up with in her home country. The Dance Club students will have a chance to perform in the elementary school assembly. We are looking forward to their performance!

Other after school clubs for elementary students are:

Some clubs still have spaces left, so please contact our Activities Office if you are interested in joining them!

If we asked our secondary students, ‘What was the highlight of this school year?’ many of them would probably answer, ‘Week Without Walls!’ This year’s Week Without Walls, residential trips organized by grade levels, took place from the 16th to the 19th of May. 

The trips aim to provide an environment where students can develop skills such as teamwork and dealing with unfamiliar situations, as well as lifelong friendships.

At the same time, the trips are an excellent opportunity for our students to explore different areas in Japan; each area has beautiful nature and unique features. 

Here are highlights of the exciting trips this year. The trip destinations and activities may vary every year, but this article will give you a general idea about Week Without Walls at Canadian Academy.

Grade 6 stayed in Anan, Tokushima. They enjoyed marine activities, such as stand-up sailing, kayaking, and raft-making. In the evening, campfire and night hiking made the trip even more special for the students.

Grade 7 traveled to Lake Biwako in Shiga. Alongside the biggest lake in Japan, the students had a chance to experience various water activities, such as sailing and canoeing. The trip also included some crafting; did you see a beautiful Magatama (glass bead pendant) that our students made?

Grade 8 went camping on Ieshima Island, located in the Southwest of Hyogo. Surrounded by the stunning ocean, the students happily learned how to sail and build a raft. Not only these activities but also outdoor cooking was a fun part of the trip!

Grade 9 traveled to Wakayama to visit the World Heritage area, including the Kumano Kodo trail and Kumano Nachi Taisha Shrine. The trail was not easy to complete, with many steps and steep slopes, but the students enjoyed challenging themselves and made it!

Grade 10 and 11 mixed up and split into three groups; Shimanami Kaido cycling, rafting in Naganogawa river, and Nakasendo trail hiking.

The cycling group traveled across the bridges from island to island on the Seto Inland Sea. The weather was perfect, and the views from the bridges were absolutely breathtaking! The rafting group enjoyed going down the river while taking in the cultural scenery of Nakasendo. Nakasendo is known as the old postal route, originally from Kyoto to Tokyo, and this is where the hiking group explored. They also had a chance to enjoy the view of traditional buildings and the Zen meditation experience in between walking. 

Now, you might be thinking - what a variety of trips! At Canadian Academy, we embrace the uniqueness of the environment in Kobe and Kansai, and we are extremely proud of how we integrate the rich environment into our learning program.

On the 23rd and 24th of February, 20 high school students from Canadian Academy participated in the Model United Nations conferences hosted by Marist Brothers International School in Kobe. MUN activities including the General Assembly and Security Council have a long history, and CA has been part of it for 36 years. 

We are proud that four of our delegates were awarded Outstanding Delegates for the top 10% of 100 participants from eight schools. We would like to congratulate:

Maher Zaveri - for his knowledge, diplomatic demeanor, and ability to facilitate within the Security Council

Dylan Javeri - for his active involvement and perceptive contributions across multiple debates

Rishi Chaudhari - for his tenacity in defending his amendment regarding factory farming

Seiko Helen Tejirian - for her eloquent and well-informed statements, particularly regarding the militarization of space

"There are plenty of enjoyable aspects to MUN - creativity, intellectual stimulation, and how I am forced to think on the spot," Helen explained how much she has been enjoying MUN and learning from it. Dylan mentioned multiple skills he has been developing through MUN, as "MUN gives me a chance to improve my public speaking and collaborative skills, but I also get to learn about the world around me."

The topics discussed at the MUN General Assembly and Security Council included the militarization of space, factory farming, fast fashion, and young caregivers. The delegates represented different countries and debated solutions to those issues from the perspectives of the countries they were assigned. The benefits are, as Rishi explains, that “MUN allows me to represent countries that I’m not familiar with and argue to defend them in many ways. It teaches me to think about things in ways that are not only morally relevant but more focused on what's best for the country I represent.”

Dylan reflected on the conferences by sharing that "the great part about Marist MUN was that each topic was affecting numerous countries and therefore, I could collaborate with multiple people and hear multiple perspectives."  When asked how delegates prepared for the conferences, Helen answered, "the key to performing well was, without doubt, thorough rigorous research in advance on both the selected issue and one's country, as well as their convergence." 

"One of the topics I'm truly interested in discussing is poverty. I believe it's one issue that not just one country can solve it, but the unified support of all countries can." (Dylan)

Now our MUN students are even more motivated to inquire about more international issues. We are positive that our MUN students will continue to expand their knowledge about various global topics and develop their research and debating skills, which are valuable life-long assets for them.