American School in Japan
Encyclopedia
The American School in Japan (ASIJ) was founded in 1902 and is an international
private
day school
located in the city of Chōfu
, Tokyo
, Japan
. The school consists of an elementary school
, a middle school
, and a high school
, all located on the Chōfu
campus. There is also an early learning center (nursery-kindergarten) for children aged 3–5 located in the Roppongi Hills
complex in downtown Tokyo
. Instruction is principally in English and follows an American-style curriculum. About two thirds of the school's students are the children of citizens
of English-speaking countries who are on temporary assignment in Japan, and the remaining one third are Japanese
students who speak English. The campus is fenced in, resulting from heightened security measures taken after the September 11 attacks, with campus surroundings including the Nogawa Park
and the neighborhood of Tamabochi. The Good Schools Guide International called ASIJ "an impressive school, not only for its size and facilities but also for its strong sense of where it is going.
Tuition is ¥
2,154,000 for the 2010-2011 school year for all grade levels, not including optional and mandatory fees.
The majority of the students use the buses provided by ASIJ to reach the school. However, the school is also a 7 minute walk from Tama Station
and a 5 min walk from the Nimaibashi bus stop.
. The school survived the Great Kanto Earthquake and continued to expand and outgrew the Foreign Settlement moving to Meguro in the 1920s. During the 1920s both Frank Lloyd Wright, who was in Tokyo building the Imperial Hotel, and Antonin Raymond drew up designs for proposed new campuses, although in the end neither designs were constructed. Raymond did assist in the move and repurposing of some buildings when the school moved to Nakameguro. In 1933, local expatriate architect William Merrell Vories was asked to design and build a new main concrete building for the campus, which was completed in 1934. After closing during the war years, the school reopened in 1946 and later moved to a new campus in Chofu in 1963.
A series of major improvements to the main campus began in the 1990s, when the school became one of the first in Japan to have internet access. Over the last ten years many of the buildings have been redesigned and rebuilt, while others were retro-fitted. A new cafeteria and classroom building was added in 2003 and a state-of-the-art theater complex opened in 2005. In 2003, the school's Early Learning Center opened in Roppongi Hills
, moving from Naka-Meguro.
Today, with diverse curricular and co-curricular programs, a highly qualified faculty of over 140, and over 1,500 students from more than 40 nations, ASIJ is one of the oldest and most respected international institutions in Japan.
Fall:
Cross Country (Coed), Soccer (Coed), Volleyball (Girls)
Winter:
Swimming (Coed) [Championship tournament included],
Basketball (Boys),
Wrestling (Coed),
Field Hockey (Girls),
Spring:
Track and field (Coed),
Basketball (Girls),
Tennis (Coed),
Baseball (Coed),
Yearly:
Student Leadership team ( student council),
Peer Helpers,
Brain bowl team,
Mix it up Mondays,
Golf Club etc.
The high school offers a variety of co-curricular and extracurricular activities, including the following sports:
Fall: Cross Country (Coed), Tennis (Coed), Football (Boys), Volleyball (Girls), Cheerleading (Girls), Brain Bowl (Coed)
Winter: Swimming (Coed), Basketball (Coed), Cheerleading (Girls), Soccer (Boys), Field Hockey (Girls), Wrestling (Boys)
Spring: Track and field (Coed), Soccer (Girls), Baseball (Boys), softball (Girls)
The high school also offers many clubs & service opportunities, including Habitat for Humanity, UNICEF, Abot Kamay, Amnesty International, Speech, DEBATE, Thespians, Gay-Straight Student Alliance (GSSA), National Honor Society, Peer Helpers, Anime/Manga, Dance, Model United Nations, etc.
The middle school includes extended campus trips to the Izu Peninsula
, Kiyosato
[AKA: KEEP (Kiyosato Educational Experiment Project)], Hiroshima
, Naeba Skii trip, and Lake Sai.
s are on duty while athletic events occur on campus.
This complex houses:
The facility was designed by the architect Paul Tange of Tange Associates.
The John Seevers Fitness Center is currently being constructed to replace the old facility. This facility is located in the Athletics / Parking complex.
The John Hohenthaner Wrestling Room was constructed in 2011 in the Athletics / Parking Complex. Housing permanent wrestling mats
Theater features:
Middle School level courses
High School level courses:
High School bands also participate in the following festivals and competitions:
ATM is located in the plaza in front of the middle school.
Transactions can also be made with the following banks:
, soba
, and udon
every day. The "Beans'n'Greens Cafe"/Kiosk, located in the bookstore in the front of the middle school, offers a variety of deli-type sandwiches, soups, and salads, as well as snacks such as senbei
, pretzels, bagels, candy, and ice cream. Beverage options include coffees (made from Starbucks beans) and fruit juices from the "Beans'n'Greens", water machines, and Coca-Cola
and Itoen product vending machines.
The main library alone houses over 32,000 books, 200 periodicals, several thousand video, audiocassette and CD-ROM titles.
of the Gym and Pool buildings which have a maximum capacity of 80 kW/h. Cafeteria food wastes are composted using earthworm
s. The compost is used to fertilize the greenery around campus. ASIJ promotes energy conservation
by not turning on the heat or air-conditioning during October and April. ASIJ is trying to reduce PET bottle consumption by promoting the use of water bottles such as SIGG. The regular PET Bottles in the vending machines have been replaced by I Lohas bottles ASIJ has reduced energy consumption by 10% in the 2008-2009 school year, further reducing energy consumption by 8% during the 2009-2010 school year.
All instructors at the Summer Studies Program are certified teachers, and the program offers a monitored bus service for children living downtown.
The camp promotes the usage of English in everyday life, and usually has an enrolment of approximately 750 children per two week session (there are two sessions, beginning mid-July and ending mid-August). The campers are separated into groups by age (and, in older groups, by gender), with each group named after an animal. The groups spend their two weeks going to different activities, including swimming, sports, model craft, needle craft, music, mini-golf, computers, roller skating, etc. All the campers attend English class every day. The camp curriculum also includes a special activity called "Kappa Corner," led by Kappa-sensei. "Kappa Corner" is set up as a competition between every group in the camp and campers compete in a variety of games to win coveted "Kappa Badges".
The camp is primarily staffed by college and high school-age teens, although each activity's lead specialist holds a college degree.
).
The event was revived in 2000 with Tai Dirkse and David Neale. This event is no longer competitive and rather a time where students can perform "MUSE-ic" with their band. The event is currently run by "MUSE", ASIJ's music enthusists, and COSA.
ASIJ students from the robotics team also participated in the 4th Annual Micro-Mechanism Contest at Saitama University, where the small team went up against Japanese students, mainly from colleges and universities. The contest requires entrants to design a robot that fits inside of a box with the volume of 1 square centimeter and then to complete an obstacle course. ASIJ's team placed 14 out of 42 robots.
, George H.W. Bush and his wife Barbara Bush
, Yo Yo Ma, Jane Goodall
, Jeb Bush
, Colin Powell
and John Glenn
, and Jimmy Wales
have all visited ASIJ as speakers and notable guests.
International school
An International school is loosely defined as a school that promotes international education, in an international environment, either by adopting an international curriculum such as that of the International Baccalaureate or Cambridge International Examinations, or by following a national...
private
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
day school
Day school
A day school—as opposed to a boarding school—is an institution where children are given educational instruction during the day and after which children/teens return to their homes...
located in the city of Chōfu
Chofu, Tokyo
is a city located in the western end of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 224,878 and a population density of 10,440 persons per km². The total area was 21.53 km². Tokyo Stadium in Chōfu hosts soccer games for two J. League teams: F.C...
, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The school consists of an elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
, a middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
, and a high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
, all located on the Chōfu
Chofu, Tokyo
is a city located in the western end of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 224,878 and a population density of 10,440 persons per km². The total area was 21.53 km². Tokyo Stadium in Chōfu hosts soccer games for two J. League teams: F.C...
campus. There is also an early learning center (nursery-kindergarten) for children aged 3–5 located in the Roppongi Hills
Roppongi Hills
is a New Urban Centre and one of Japan's largest integrated property developments, located in the Roppongi district of Minato, Tokyo.Constructed by building tycoon Minoru Mori, the mega-complex incorporates office space, apartments, shops, restaurants, cafés, movie theaters, a museum, a hotel, a...
complex in downtown Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. Instruction is principally in English and follows an American-style curriculum. About two thirds of the school's students are the children of citizens
Gaijin
is a Japanese word meaning "non-Japanese", or "alien". This word is a short form of gaikokujin , which literally means "person from outside of the country". The word is composed of two kanji: , meaning "outside"; and , meaning "person". Thus, the word technically means "outsider"...
of English-speaking countries who are on temporary assignment in Japan, and the remaining one third are Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
students who speak English. The campus is fenced in, resulting from heightened security measures taken after the September 11 attacks, with campus surroundings including the Nogawa Park
Nogawa Park
-History:The land for the park was purchased from International Christian University in 1974. It had previously been used as a golf course by the school.-Geography:...
and the neighborhood of Tamabochi. The Good Schools Guide International called ASIJ "an impressive school, not only for its size and facilities but also for its strong sense of where it is going.
Tuition is ¥
Japanese yen
The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third most traded currency in the foreign exchange market after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a reserve currency after the U.S. dollar, the euro and the pound sterling...
2,154,000 for the 2010-2011 school year for all grade levels, not including optional and mandatory fees.
The majority of the students use the buses provided by ASIJ to reach the school. However, the school is also a 7 minute walk from Tama Station
Tama Station
is a train station in Fuchū, Tokyo, Japan.- Adjacent stations :...
and a 5 min walk from the Nimaibashi bus stop.
Overview
Officially founded in 1902, The American School in Japan was started by a dynamic group of women who recognized the need for a school among the growing foreign community. Beginning life in rented rooms in the Kanda YMCA, the Tokyo School for Foreign Children, as it was then known, quickly attracted a growing numbers of students from around the world and soon needed to move to a more permanent home in TsukijiTsukiji
Tsukiji is a district of Chūō, Tokyo, Japan, the site of the Tsukiji fish market. Literally meaning "reclaimed land," it lies near the Sumida River on land reclaimed from Tokyo Bay in the 18th century, during the Edo period....
. The school survived the Great Kanto Earthquake and continued to expand and outgrew the Foreign Settlement moving to Meguro in the 1920s. During the 1920s both Frank Lloyd Wright, who was in Tokyo building the Imperial Hotel, and Antonin Raymond drew up designs for proposed new campuses, although in the end neither designs were constructed. Raymond did assist in the move and repurposing of some buildings when the school moved to Nakameguro. In 1933, local expatriate architect William Merrell Vories was asked to design and build a new main concrete building for the campus, which was completed in 1934. After closing during the war years, the school reopened in 1946 and later moved to a new campus in Chofu in 1963.
A series of major improvements to the main campus began in the 1990s, when the school became one of the first in Japan to have internet access. Over the last ten years many of the buildings have been redesigned and rebuilt, while others were retro-fitted. A new cafeteria and classroom building was added in 2003 and a state-of-the-art theater complex opened in 2005. In 2003, the school's Early Learning Center opened in Roppongi Hills
Roppongi Hills
is a New Urban Centre and one of Japan's largest integrated property developments, located in the Roppongi district of Minato, Tokyo.Constructed by building tycoon Minoru Mori, the mega-complex incorporates office space, apartments, shops, restaurants, cafés, movie theaters, a museum, a hotel, a...
, moving from Naka-Meguro.
Today, with diverse curricular and co-curricular programs, a highly qualified faculty of over 140, and over 1,500 students from more than 40 nations, ASIJ is one of the oldest and most respected international institutions in Japan.
On campus
ASIJ follows a strictly American curriculum, offering almost all Advanced Placement courses for high school juniors and seniors. There is an extensive Japanese language program, which begins in the first grade. Other languages taught are French, Spanish, and Chinese. All the students in the Elementary School have to learn Japanese for one period every other day. There are different levels in the Japanese classes.Middle school (6th Grade through 8th Grade)
Fall:
Cross Country (Coed), Soccer (Coed), Volleyball (Girls)
Winter:
Swimming (Coed) [Championship tournament included],
Basketball (Boys),
Wrestling (Coed),
Field Hockey (Girls),
Spring:
Track and field (Coed),
Basketball (Girls),
Tennis (Coed),
Baseball (Coed),
Yearly:
Student Leadership team ( student council),
Peer Helpers,
Brain bowl team,
Mix it up Mondays,
Golf Club etc.
High school (9th Grade through 12th Grade)
The high school offers a variety of co-curricular and extracurricular activities, including the following sports:
Fall: Cross Country (Coed), Tennis (Coed), Football (Boys), Volleyball (Girls), Cheerleading (Girls), Brain Bowl (Coed)
Winter: Swimming (Coed), Basketball (Coed), Cheerleading (Girls), Soccer (Boys), Field Hockey (Girls), Wrestling (Boys)
Spring: Track and field (Coed), Soccer (Girls), Baseball (Boys), softball (Girls)
The high school also offers many clubs & service opportunities, including Habitat for Humanity, UNICEF, Abot Kamay, Amnesty International, Speech, DEBATE, Thespians, Gay-Straight Student Alliance (GSSA), National Honor Society, Peer Helpers, Anime/Manga, Dance, Model United Nations, etc.
Extended campus
The school values interaction with its host country, however, and the curriculum includes several programs including an 5th grade exchange program with Japanese students of a school in Numazu, "Intermission" activities for middle school students, and "JUMP" (Japan Understanding Motivational Program) trips for high school students, which include the options of traveling around Japan to places such as Okinawa.The middle school includes extended campus trips to the Izu Peninsula
Izu Peninsula
The is a large mountainous peninsula with deeply indented coasts to the west of Tokyo on the Pacific coast of the island of Honshū, Japan. Formerly the eponymous Izu Province, Izu peninsula is now a part of Shizuoka Prefecture...
, Kiyosato
Kiyosato, Yamanashi
is a locality in the city of Hokuto, Yamanashi, Japan. It is a popular resort area.It is serviced by Kiyosato Station on the Koumi Line.-External links:...
[AKA: KEEP (Kiyosato Educational Experiment Project)], Hiroshima
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
, Naeba Skii trip, and Lake Sai.
-
- The 8th Grade HokkaidōHokkaido, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
trip was changed in 2003 due to restructuring of the Extended Campus program. Now, the 8th graders "engage in Tokyo area cultural activities before or after Lake Sai trip, and goes on the Naeba ski trip there."
- The 8th Grade Hokkaidō
Athletics
In house Athletic trainerAthletic trainer
An athletic trainer is a certified, health care professional who practices in the field of sports medicine. Athletic training has been recognized by the American Medical Association as an allied health care profession since 1990....
s are on duty while athletic events occur on campus.
Main field
The main field, located in the back of the Chōfu campus, is set up for all major sports, including soccer, baseball, football, field hockey, most track & field events, and archery. The field, newly turfed in 2007, includes built-in bleachers, a 100-meter strip of track, football goalposts, stadium lighting, and a security fence next to Nogawa Koen.Multiple gyms
ASIJ has three gyms, one in each division. The high school gym was recently re-floored (2006). None of the gyms are air-conditioned, but all are full-sized and equipped for sports such as volleyball and basketball. The high school gym features retractable bleachers.New Athletics & Parking Complex
A new Athletics and Parking Complex was created during 2011.This complex houses:
- All-school buses
- Additional car parking
- Tennis Courts
- Wrestling Room
- Dance Room
- Athletic Trainers Office
- Athletics Directors Offices
- Security Office
- Bus Drivers' Lounge
The facility was designed by the architect Paul Tange of Tange Associates.
Workout facility
The John Seevers Fitness Center is currently being constructed to replace the old facility. This facility is located in the Athletics / Parking complex.
Wrestling Room
The John Hohenthaner Wrestling Room was constructed in 2011 in the Athletics / Parking Complex. Housing permanent wrestling mats
Aquatics
The Chōfu campus houses a 25-meter heated pool used by the elementary, middle, and high school swim teams and PE classes. The pool features a 10 ft (3 m) high "platform" for diving, as well as heated floors.Ricketson Theater
The Ricketson Theater is ASIJ's main theater. Frequently called the "RT" by students and faculty, the theater originally opened as the "Little Theater" in 1963. It was later renamed after former headmaster and musical director, Bill Ricketson, who died in 2004. In 2005, the original Ricketson theater was demolished, and a state-of-the-art, 420-seat theater (still called the Ricketson Theater) replaced it in 2006.Theater features:
- State-of-the-art ETCElectronic Theatre ControlsElectronic Theatre Controls is a privately held corporation with global headquarters in Middleton, Wisconsin, United States. An international manufacturer of entertainment and architectural lighting systems, ETC offers professional lighting fixtures, lighting control consoles, dimming equipment...
lighting system - Yamaha digital sound mixing console
- Hydraulic orchestra pit
- XenonXenon arc lampA xenon arc lamp is a specialized type of gas discharge lamp, an electric light that produces light by passing electricity through ionized xenon gas at high pressure to produce a bright white light that closely mimics natural sunlight...
spot lights - Changeable acoustics & fly-in acoustical shell
- SONYSony, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
DVCAM Multi-cam recording system with Sony's AnycastSony AnycastThe Sony Anycast is a portable video switcher that runs a firmware version of the Linux OS. It provides 6 video inputs of varying sources It also provides Real media based streaming output....
System - AVID Xpress & Media ComposerMedia ComposerMedia Composer, frequently referred to as "Avid", is a type of computer software application known as a Non-linear editing system . It is the flagship product of Avid Technology. It was released in 1989 on the Macintosh II as an offline editing system...
non-linear editing systems - TV Studio
Blackbox Theater
The Blackbox Theater is a mini-theater located on the second floor of the Fine Arts complex adjacent to the high school. This facility is equipped with a full lighting grid (housing an ETC lighting system), as well as mirrors for dance practice.Art studios
The art studios encompass a variety of art including, but not limited to:- 2D Art
- Drawing
- Painting
- Photography
- Studio Photography
- Digital Photography
- Black and White Photography
- Photoshop
- Computer Animation
- 3D Art
- Ceramics
- Metal Working
- Sculpture
Bandroom
The band room is used by students in middle school and high school in an instrumental music program.Middle School level courses
- Rookie Band (beginner band)
- Cadet Band (at least 1 year of experience)
- Symphonic Band (at least 2 years of experience)
High School level courses:
- Rookie Band
- Concert Band (majority is freshman)
- Wind Ensemble
- Jazz Band
High School bands also participate in the following festivals and competitions:
- Kanto Plains Solo/Ensemble festival.
- AMIS International Honor Jazz Band Festival
- Tokyo Area Honor Band
Technology
- Telescope and dome for astronomy classes
- Technology is a key component of the ASIJ curriculum. ASIJ offers various services on the web, including MustangsOnline (a parental portal for community news) and Blackboard.
- Plasma screens and LCD screens are placed in the lobby for announcements
- In Summer 2009, ASIJ was refitted with a new WiFiWIFIWIFI is a radio station broadcasting a brokered format. Licensed to Florence, New Jersey, USA, the station is currently operated by Florence Broadcasting Partners, LLC.This station was previously owned by Real Life Broadcasting...
networking using Cat-6
Banking
A Shinsei BankShinsei Bank
is a Japanese commercial bank headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo.-History:Shinsei Bank is the successor of a trust bank, the Long-Term Credit Bank of Japan, which had a government monopoly on the issuance of many long-term debt securities...
ATM is located in the plaza in front of the middle school.
Transactions can also be made with the following banks:
- Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ
- Mizuho BankMizuho Bankis the core retail banking unit of Mizuho Financial Group, which is the second-largest financial services company in Japan and one of the three so-called Japanese "megabanks"...
- Sumitomo-Mitsui Bank
- Resona HoldingsResona Holdingsis the holding company of , the fourth-largest banking group in Japan.The company was originally established on December 12, 2001 as Daiwa Bank Holdings, Inc., the result of the consolidation of Daiwa Bank, Kinki Osaka Bank, and Nara Bank...
Food services
The cafeteria seats 250-300 students with additional seating outside in the high school courtyard and middle school plaza. The menu is large, with daily specials and à la carte items including a salad bar, pasta, meat, and vegetable main dishes. The cafeteria also serves ramenRamen
is a Japanese noodle dish. It consists of Chinese-style wheat noodles served in a meat- or fish-based broth, often flavored with soy sauce or miso, and uses toppings such as , , kamaboko, green onions, and occasionally corn...
, soba
Soba
is the Japanese name for buckwheat. It is synonymous with a type of thin noodle made from buckwheat flour, and in Japan can refer to any thin noodle . Soba noodles are served either chilled with a dipping sauce, or in hot broth as a noodle soup...
, and udon
Udon
is a type of thick wheat-flour noodle of Japanese cuisine.Udon is usually served hot as noodle soup in its simplest form as kake udon, in a mildly flavoured broth called kakejiru which is made of dashi, soy sauce , and mirin. It is usually topped with thinly chopped scallions...
every day. The "Beans'n'Greens Cafe"/Kiosk, located in the bookstore in the front of the middle school, offers a variety of deli-type sandwiches, soups, and salads, as well as snacks such as senbei
Senbei
are a type of Japanese rice crackers. They come in various shapes, sizes, and flavors, usually savory but sometimes sweet. Senbei are often eaten with green tea as a casual snack and offered to visiting house guests as a courtesy refreshment....
, pretzels, bagels, candy, and ice cream. Beverage options include coffees (made from Starbucks beans) and fruit juices from the "Beans'n'Greens", water machines, and Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
and Itoen product vending machines.
Library and media centers
ASIJ has 1 library in each school divisionThe main library alone houses over 32,000 books, 200 periodicals, several thousand video, audiocassette and CD-ROM titles.
Environmental sustainability
In February 2009, with the help of Government Funding and private and corporate donors, ASIJ installed Solar Panels on topof the Gym and Pool buildings which have a maximum capacity of 80 kW/h. Cafeteria food wastes are composted using earthworm
Earthworm
Earthworm is the common name for the largest members of Oligochaeta in the phylum Annelida. In classical systems they were placed in the order Opisthopora, on the basis of the male pores opening posterior to the female pores, even though the internal male segments are anterior to the female...
s. The compost is used to fertilize the greenery around campus. ASIJ promotes energy conservation
Energy conservation
Energy conservation refers to efforts made to reduce energy consumption. Energy conservation can be achieved through increased efficient energy use, in conjunction with decreased energy consumption and/or reduced consumption from conventional energy sources...
by not turning on the heat or air-conditioning during October and April. ASIJ is trying to reduce PET bottle consumption by promoting the use of water bottles such as SIGG. The regular PET Bottles in the vending machines have been replaced by I Lohas bottles ASIJ has reduced energy consumption by 10% in the 2008-2009 school year, further reducing energy consumption by 8% during the 2009-2010 school year.
Major contributors
- Class of 1977 (in the name of Jack Collins) - Main Field Project
- Ehara Family - Renewal of the Fine Arts wing
- Zwaanstra Family - Renewal of the Fine Arts wing
- Various companies
Summer Studies Program
The Summer Studies Program (formerly known as Summer Passport Program) is a three-week summer school program available to international and English-speaking students, ages 5 (kindergarten) through 18 (high school senior). The program is run like a camp for the younger students and a summer school for the older students. Students in kindergarten and first grade study bugs and dinosaurs, respectively. Elementary students (2nd grade - 5th grade) do a variety of "passport" programs, usually focusing on one or two countries. The middle and high school students are allowed to choose four classes to take for the three weeks, from a variety of topics including sports, musical instruments, and SAT prep classes.All instructors at the Summer Studies Program are certified teachers, and the program offers a monitored bus service for children living downtown.
Summer Day Camp
The Summer Day Camp program, run by Jo Ash and Tim Thornton, is a two-week summer day camp for Japanese-speaking children (there are also some English-speaking groups), grades 1 - 6.The camp promotes the usage of English in everyday life, and usually has an enrolment of approximately 750 children per two week session (there are two sessions, beginning mid-July and ending mid-August). The campers are separated into groups by age (and, in older groups, by gender), with each group named after an animal. The groups spend their two weeks going to different activities, including swimming, sports, model craft, needle craft, music, mini-golf, computers, roller skating, etc. All the campers attend English class every day. The camp curriculum also includes a special activity called "Kappa Corner," led by Kappa-sensei. "Kappa Corner" is set up as a competition between every group in the camp and campers compete in a variety of games to win coveted "Kappa Badges".
The camp is primarily staffed by college and high school-age teens, although each activity's lead specialist holds a college degree.
Battle of the bands / Show Down
Battle of the Bands was a large event hosted at ASIJ which was faculty sponsored by Bruce Bryant and the Communications club. Over the years it had grown to a large competition involving all the international schools in the Kanto Plains area, with sponsorships from HMV and Coca-Cola. The original series of Battle of the Bands came to a close in '97 with "Spring Fest 1997". (Jesse McFadden performed here prior to the formation of RIZERize
Rize is the capital of Rize Province, in northeast Turkey, on the Black Sea coast.-Etymology:The name comes from Greek or Ριζαίον , meaning "mountain slopes". In modern times, its name in Greek was usually Ριζούντα . Its Latin forms are Rhizus and Rhizaeum...
).
The event was revived in 2000 with Tai Dirkse and David Neale. This event is no longer competitive and rather a time where students can perform "MUSE-ic" with their band. The event is currently run by "MUSE", ASIJ's music enthusists, and COSA.
Robotics at ASIJ
ASIJ hosted the first VEX Robotics Competition ever held in Japan on November 11, 2009 in the Ricketson Theater. Teams from Kyoto, Hawaii, Texas and California joined four teams from ASIJ to compete, with two of the home teams emerging as champions in the hard-fought contest. ASIJ won the Excellence Award.ASIJ students from the robotics team also participated in the 4th Annual Micro-Mechanism Contest at Saitama University, where the small team went up against Japanese students, mainly from colleges and universities. The contest requires entrants to design a robot that fits inside of a box with the volume of 1 square centimeter and then to complete an obstacle course. ASIJ's team placed 14 out of 42 robots.
Notable alumni
- Alev AlatlıAlev AlatliAlev Alatlı is a Turkish economist, philosopher, columnist and bestselling novelist.-Early years:She was born 1944 in the town of Menemen in western Turkey to an officer's family...
, writer - Thelma AoyamaThelma Aoyama, born October 27, 1987, is a Japanese pop and R&B singer. She is part Afro-Trinidadian and Japanese.She is probably best known for her collaboration song with SoulJa, "Koko ni Iru yo", and her answer song "Soba ni Iru ne"...
, singer - Agnes ChanAgnes ChanAgnes Chan or Agnes Miling Kaneko Chan is a pop singer, a television personality , a Doctor of Education, a professor at Japanese universities, an essayist, a novelist...
, singer - William "Chip" Connor, entrepreneur
- John CornynJohn CornynJohn Cornyn, III is the junior United States Senator for Texas, serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party. He was elected Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee for the 111th U.S. Congress....
, United States Senator - Joan de HavillandJoan FontaineJoan de Beauvoir de Havilland , known professionally as Joan Fontaine, is a British American actress. She and her elder sister Olivia de Havilland are two of the last surviving leading ladies from Hollywood of the 1930s....
, actress - Ernest HigaErnest HigaErnest Higa is an entrepreneur born in Hawaii, who founded the Domino's Pizza franchise in Japan. Ernest Higa graduated from Columbia University, and founded the first branch in Ebisu in September, 1984. He is a member of Keizai Doyukai, a major Japanese business group....
, entrepreneur - Norma FieldNorma FieldNorma M. Field is an author and professor of East Asian studies at the University of Chicago. She teaches Premodern Japanese Poetry and Prose, Premodern Japanese Language, and Gender Studies as relating to Japanese women....
, author - May J.May J., better known by her stage name May J., is a R&B and pop singer from Yokohama, Japan. Born to a mother of Iranian descent and to Japanese father, May J. made her major label debut under Sony Music Japan on July 12, 2006 with her first mini-album All My Girls.-Early life:May J. was born on June...
, singer - Joi ItoJoi Itois a Japanese activist, entrepreneur, venture capitalist and Director of the MIT Media Lab.Ito has received recognition for his role as an entrepreneur focused on Internet and technology companies and has founded, among other companies, PSINet Japan, Digital Garage and Infoseek Japan. He maintains...
, entrepreneur - Lois LowryLois LowryLois Lowry is an American author of children's literature. She began her career as a photographer and a freelance journalist during the early 1970s...
, author - Daryl F. MallettDaryl F. MallettDaryl Furumi Mallett, , is a freelance writer, editor and publisher; as well as an actor, director, producer and screenwriter.-Writing:...
, author - Hikaru NishidaHikaru Nishidais a Japanese J-pop singer and actress. She was born in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, and made her singing debut with the release of the single Fifteen on April 6, 1988, named after her age at the time....
, singer - Judy OnggJudy OnggJudy Ongg is an actress, singer, author and woodblock-print artist from Taiwan. Born in Taipei, she graduated from Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan, and after that, she changed her nationality from taiwanese into Japanese. Her career has spanned more than four decades.Judy made her film debut in...
, singer, artist - Oliver PlattOliver PlattOliver James Platt is a Canadian-American actor. He is currently starring in the Showtime original series, The Big C with Laura Linney.-Early life:...
, actor - Linda PurlLinda PurlLinda Purl is an American actress and singer, perhaps best known for portraying Ben Matlock's daughter Charlene Matlock in season one of Matlock.-Early life and education abroad:...
, actress - Edwin O. ReischauerEdwin O. ReischauerEdwin Oldfather Reischauer was the leading U.S. educator and noted scholar of the history and culture of Japan, and of East Asia. From 1961–1966, he was the U.S. ambassador to Japan.-Education and academic life:...
, U.S. ambassador, academic - Ruby Shang, dancer/choreographer
- Beate Sirota Gordon, co-author of the Japanese constitution
- Richard Tanaka, entrepreneur
- Oleg TroyanovskyOleg TroyanovskyOleg Alexandrovich Troyanovsky was ambassador of the Soviet Union to Japan and China and was the Soviet Permanent Representative to the United Nations ....
, Soviet ambassador - Hikaru Utada, singer
- Oswald WyndOswald WyndOswald Wynd was a Scottish writer, born in Tokyo of parents who had left their native Perth to run a mission in Japan.He attended schools in Japan where he grew up speaking both English and Japanese. In 1932 he returned with his parents to Scotland, and studied at the University of Edinburgh and...
, author - Yu HayamiYu Hayamiis a J-pop singer and TV actress in Japan.- Childhood and education:Hayami was born in Atami, Shizuoka on 2 September 1966. Her real name was . After her parents divorced, her family name changed to ....
, TV personality - Kazuo HiraiKazuo Hiraiis the Representative Corporate Executive Officer and Executive Deputy President of Sony Corporation, concurrently serving as president of the Consumer Products & Services Group, which includes all of Sony's consumer electronics and networked service businesses...
, CEO of Sony - James LandisJames LandisJames Landis is the name of:* James P. Landis , American soldier and Medal of Honor recipient* James M. Landis , American academic, government official and legal adviser...
Founder of the Securities and Exchange Commission
Notable visitors
Herbie HancockHerbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
, George H.W. Bush and his wife Barbara Bush
Barbara Bush
Barbara Pierce Bush is the wife of the 41st President of the United States George H. W. Bush, and served as First Lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993. She is the mother of the 43rd President George W. Bush and of the 43rd Governor of Florida Jeb Bush...
, Yo Yo Ma, Jane Goodall
Jane Goodall
Dame Jane Morris Goodall, DBE , is a British primatologist, ethologist, anthropologist, and UN Messenger of Peace. Considered to be the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, Goodall is best known for her 45-year study of social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National...
, Jeb Bush
Jeb Bush
John Ellis "Jeb" Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd Governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. He is a prominent member of the Bush family: the second son of former President George H. W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush; the younger brother of former President George W...
, Colin Powell
Colin Powell
Colin Luther Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position. During his military...
and John Glenn
John Glenn
John Herschel Glenn, Jr. is a former United States Marine Corps pilot, astronaut, and United States senator who was the first American to orbit the Earth and the third American in space. Glenn was a Marine Corps fighter pilot before joining NASA's Mercury program as a member of NASA's original...
, and Jimmy Wales
Jimmy Wales
Jimmy Donal "Jimbo" Wales is an American Internet entrepreneur best known as a co-founder and promoter of the online non-profit encyclopedia Wikipedia and the Wikia company....
have all visited ASIJ as speakers and notable guests.
External links
- American School in Japan home page
- ASIJ Early Learning Center
- ASIJ Going Green
- ASIJ on Twitter
- Teacher Recruitment Video
- The RIght School in The Right Place - A Video History of the American School in Japan ©1993 American School in Japan
- Mustangs Online: Community Portal
- Official Prominent Alumni List
- Profile at the Good Schools Guide International