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Former Headmaster John Tanner Visits YIS

From the Editor

BTG Conference OffersInsights on Educational Trendsin the Digital Age

Featured Alumni & Former StaffDan RileyStelarcJames Polk

Middle School Building Renamed to John Inge Building

Upcoming Events

YIS Senior Authors Music Textbook

Stephen Lehmann – IT Director

YIS Launches Connected Learning Community

Leanne Erickson – Drama Teacher

Class Notes

The YIS Alumni Quarterly is published electronically by Yokohama International School for the enjoyment of former students, parents and staff as well as the current school community. We welcome your comments and suggestions (contact alumni@yis.ac.jp).

Editorial Team:Bob Pomeroy

YIS Head of School Operations

Shohei Nishihara (Class of 2004)

YIS Communications and Advancement Coordinator

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In this Issue

© Yokohama International School

On Novermber 1, former headmaster John Tanner made a surprise visit to YIS. This was Mr. Tanner’s first time back at school after leaving in 1993. He shares some of his observations below.

Visiting YIS in November with my great friend Ed Bernard was a most interesting experience. The school has changed greatly as I quickly realized when I was graciously shown around. Since I left in 1993 four new buildings have been added, including a pre-school close to the Korean Consulate. It was also a delight to see the sports area opposite the gymnasium - a much needed addition - and to hear that more land has been acquired for further expansion.

The steady expansion of YIS since I first taught there in 1961 is indeed a great tribute to all who have been involved with the school since its revival after World War II. In 1961 YIS was a kindergarten to grade 6 school. Even then, there was no room for the kindergarten and Mrs. Tsugawa (Okawa)’s kindergarten was in Yamashita-cho premises kindly lent by Shell Company.

As I moved around the school I saw how much the facilities have improved and how much the school population has grown - not only in students but, also, in staff. Fortunately, the school is still small enough to remain very much a family school. When I was headmaster I tried to be able to name every student in the school, I wonder whether I could do so if I were headmaster now.

As a postcript, just before leaving I met the longest standing employee in the school’s history. Mrs. Benevedes, who joined the School in 1959, was doing an excellent job in charge of overseeing afternoon pickup and getting the elementary students safely away from the school.

To all students and staff, past and present, my very best wishes in your endeavours. I hope you all have happy memories of the school that I treasure.

John M. Tanner

Former Headmaster John Tanner visits YIS

Mr. Tanner meets with second grade class

YIS ALUMNI QUARTERLYVol. 8 / January 2011

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Happy New Year and best wishes to all YIS alums for a healthy, happy and prosperous Year of the Rabbit. The second half of the school year is off to a busy start, with a flurry of sporting matches and the high school musical production all taking place in January. Please remember that YIS alumni are warmly welcome at school events. Check the school calendar (www.yis.ac.jp/calendar) for the most up-to-date information and details.YIS has always been defined by the people who comprise our extended community, and this issue of Alumni Quarterly features interviews with a variety of interesting people, including: alumnus James Polk (YIS 1965 – 1971), a writer and former criminal investigator; former YIS teachers Stelarc (visual art) and Dan Riley (music); and current faculty members Leanne Erickson (drama) and Stephan Lehmann (IT director). Also included is a short feature on former headmaster John Tanner, who visited YIS in November for the first time in many years. Speaking of getting together after many years, we’ve heard that some classes are planning reunions in the summer or other times in the year. If you are organizing a reunion in Yokohama please let us know. Schedule permitting, we would be happy to welcome your group back to campus and help promote your event in other ways. And wherever your reunion may take place, please share your photos and reminiscences with Alumni Quarterly. Until the next issue, warm regards,Bob Pomeroy Editor

From the Editor

BTG Conference Offers Insights on Educational Trends in the Digital Age

The annual Bridging the Gap conference in November brought YIS faculty, parents and alumni together for thought-provoking discussions with guest speaker Alan November. A high-profile educational theorist and consultant, Mr. November is known for challenging audiences with his unflinching comments and questions on the direction of education in the 21st century and he did so with two engaging keynote addresses on November 26th, one focused on teaching and learning and the other looking at parenting in the digital world. Some of the key concepts and resources from his remarks are captured in YIS Technology and Learning Coach Kim Cofino’s blog post at http://snurl.com/1sy3t8.

Breakout sessions in between the keynotes covered topics ranging from experiential education to classroom technology tools to promoting web safety and balanced lifestyles for students. On the 27th BTG featured a lively Pecha Kucha event in the Auditorium. Pecha Kucha is a simple, yet revolutionary, presentation format where the speaker shows just 20 slides, for 20 seconds each, and speaks along with them. Entertaining and inspiring presentations from 13 speakers, including YIS teachers, parents and even the parent of one of our teachers, covered a myriad of topics and were well received by the capacity crowd in a festive atmosphere.

YIS geography teahcer Roger Groenink at Pecha Kucha NightKeynote speaker Alan November engages the BTG crowd

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You were at YIS for 26 years. What was the band program like when you first started and how did it evolve?

When I first started in the fall of 1982, the band “program” had only been in existence for one year. The first YIS band director was a science teacher, Peter Cox, who also played trumpet. Actually, there was no program, only one band consisting of high school, junior high, and elementary students that numbered around 25. Rehearsals were after school on Mondays and Fridays. My primary teaching load was general music grades 1 to 8 with band outside of the school day.

What were some of the challenges you faced in developing the band program?

There were no lessons given at school and the students just did not know how to play. I started giving private lessons after school and having sectionals before school. I remember being impressed with how quickly students learned so that by the end of the first year, we were playing standard elementary level music and a few easy junior high level pieces.

In the second year, I recruited more members from 5th grade and higher grades. I was able to split the high school players from the younger ones. The first high

school band had 12 students. Each year, the numbers of band members were increasing so I eventually had a high school band, a junior high band, and beginner band. Each group practiced twice weekly, once in the afternoon and once before school. Sometime in the late 80s we formed a jazz band. It made for long days.

It was difficult to raise the playing level of the bands during the 80s since I was the only teacher involved and there was only so much time in a day. In the 90s, I took a year sabbatical and the school hired Glen Irvine to take my place. A year after I came back, Mr. Irvine was re-hired to teach art and music. That gave the band and choral programs a tremendous boost. A few years later, Al Ferris was hired as an elementary teacher, and with his background in music, he also helped out the music program. So for a while, we had three teachers helping with the band. It was around this time that our headmaster, Neil Richards, thought it would be good to have all 5th graders learn a band instrument. This was so successful that we had all 6th graders continue with their instrument the next year.

Are you working in a similar capacity at you current school in Korea and are there any noticeable differences from your time at YIS?

Well, the structure here at Seoul International School is completely different. I teach junior high and high school

Dan Riley (Faculty 1982 - 2008)

Featured Alumni & Former Staff

Dan Riley conducting the Elementary Band in 1984

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your arm. Could you tell us how you became interested in these forms of expression and what sort of messages you are trying to convey?

I had been interested to come to Japan not only because I was intrigued with the traditional culture but also in cutting edge technology and robotics. The most interesting contemporary Japanese performance art for me was Butoh (Japanese contemporary dance that is unique for its absurd, grotesque performance). Anyway, I had always been interested in the human body as an evolutionary architecture and the possibilities of augmenting it with technology. The first major project I did was the “Third Hand”, actuated by my muscle signals. A human-like mechanism that had a pinch-release, grasp-release and a 290 degree wrist rotation. It also had a tactile feedback system for a sense

of touch. I guess I was interested in the body as an extended operational system, increasingly performing in mixed realities. We are no longer mere biological bodies. We are augmented and accelerated by our machines, our sensory apparatus is extended by instruments and we now function in virtual online environments.

What were your classes like at YIS? Did you teach students how to suspend themselves from the ceiling?

Ha ha! Well, I kept my own arts practice separate from what I was teaching at school! I enjoyed seeing students of all ages and abilities achieve. And if a student was struggling I tried to find one good thing they could do and improve them from there. We also initiated Artscape, an annual exhibition of art from

Stelarc (Faculty 1970 - 1989)

How did you come to join YIS and which classes were you teaching?

I was already in Japan when a friend told me that there was an art teaching position being advertised at YIS. I applied for it and I guess I was the only person fully qualified who was locally available. Anyway, I taught art elementary through high school, as well as helping out with some PE classes and later teaching sociology. Over time, I was able to set up a photography lab and pottery area with kilns, in addition to teaching drawing, painting and sculpture. I think students of all ages had an art environment that was diverse and enriching.

You are known for some very avant-garde performance art, such as suspending yourself, constructing a “Third Hand” and more recently, cultivating an extra ear on

students and classes run more than an hour, which can be tiring some days. I only have grade 5 beginner band every 4th day of school for 50 minutes. This is not very much time to teach a beginner band. Fortunately, most of the students attend “hagwons” (private after schools) for music lessons. That’s the only way the beginner band can progress.

I also conduct the high school orchestra and jazz band for an hour and 45 minutes every Tuesday and Thursday. Orchestra string players have learned through the “Suzuki Program” offered here at school. Their level is equivalent to a college orchestra. The woodwinds are also excellent. The brass bands are OK. This disparity within the orchestra makes it difficult to select music that everyone can enjoy playing.

What I miss about YIS students is the fact that they would play in band because they wanted to be there. Many students here play in band or orchestra because they want that credit to look good on their college apps. They play well, but for the most part lack passion for music,

except for the really good ones.

What do you think of the overall level of musicianship at YIS?

Overall, the level of musicianship at YIS has been good over the years. Some very good musicians have walked the halls of YIS over the years and now perform either professionally or as a hobby.

Do you keep in touch with your old YIS students?

Yes, I love it. Facebook has been a great tool for keeping in touch with former students. I love to hear from them and I try to remember them all, but sometimes I’ll hear from someone who was in music class long ago and I’ll be stumped. Several times I’ve picked up old yearbooks to try to remember who they were. Also, students’ appearance change over the years and it’s sometimes difficult to recall a former elementary student who now looks all grown up, especially if they surprise me by showing up one day clear out of the blue.

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international schools in Yokohama and Tokyo, which was always something students worked towards and were able to publicly exhibit their work in. Students were challenged to produce ambitious works in different scale and media.

Was YIS an inspiring environment for young artists?

Oh, I think students benefitted not only through the great facilities we had in the art department but also in having a practicing artist who understood what it meant to be creative and could bring out the best from students. I also made sure we exhibited students’ artwork throughout the school. It certainly didn’t do the paintwork any good on the walls, but we always had a range of drawings, paintings and sculptures on display. I thought it was always important for everyone in the school, including visitors and parents to see the art that was being produced.

How did your art develop after leaving YIS? Could you tell us about some of your major projects since you’ve left?

When I left YIS I decided to become a full-time artist. This wasn’t easy financially, and still isn’t. What have helped are residencies at art schools, getting grants and fellowships. I am now in a research position at Brunel University, West London and at the Marcs Auditory Labs, University of Western Sydney. Some of the major projects since YIS include the “Stomach Sculpture” (a sculpture designed for the inside of my body), “Exoskeleton” (a six-legged walking robot), “Prosthetic Head” (an embodied conversational agent who speaks to the person who interrogates it) and “Ear on Arm” (partly surgically constructed and partly cell-grown). My present project is engineering a micro robot that will be robust enough to climb up my tongue and into my mouth. I just have to be careful not to swallow it, ha ha!Stelarc’s surgically constructed and cell-grown “Ear on Arm“

As was announced at the Annual General Meeting, the middle building has been officially renamed to the John Inge Building in honor of John Inge, who served as chairman of the Board of Trustees for five years and, prior to that, chairman of the Board of Directors for nine years. Mr. Inge, who was profiled in the October 2010 issue of Alumni Quarterly, was instrumental in the drive to see the old middle building replaced and this is a fitting tribute to his years of dedicated service to our school community.

Middle Building Renamed to John Inge Building

Board chair Bill Werlin and head of school James MacDonald surprised John Inge at the AGM with the remaing of the Middle Building in his honor

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Upcoming EventsPlease check the YIS school calendar at www.yis.ac.jp/calendar for the most up-to-date information and event details.

High School Musical – Footloose / January 28 – 30One of the most explosive Broadway musicals in recent memory will burst onto Tanner Auditorium stage with a live rock band January 28 – 30, 2011. Footloose is the story of a young man who moves to a country town in the USA and has to confront the local community, which has banned dancing. He falls in love with the daughter of the reverend, and through the romance learns about himself and helps the town to grow in tolerance. The play is based on a 1984 film starring Kevin Bacon and Sarah Jessica Parker. Showtimes are January 28 & 29 from 7:30 pm and January 30 from 2:30 pm.

Kanto Varsity Boys’ Soccer Tournament / February 11 &12February 11 at ASIJ; February 12 at YCAC.

IBDP Students’ Recital Series / February 23 - 25Grade 12 IB Music students perform their final recital concert in a multi-day series of exciting and informative presentations. From 7:30 pm in the Tanner Auditorium.

HS Japanese Music Program Spring Concert / April 8The YIS Japanese Music Department under the direction of Dr. Amato presents the annual High School Spring Concert at 7:00 pm at Kenmin Kyosai Mirai Hall (near Sakuragicho Station).

MS/HS Instrumental Music Program Spring Concert / April 10Under the baton of Mr. Ball, the YIS Instrumental Music Program presents the annual MS/HS Spring Concert in the Tanner Auditorium at 4:00 pm.

IBDP Students’ Visual Arts Exhibit / April 12 – 17The annual YIS IB Diploma Program Students’ Visual Arts Exhibition will again be held at a public art gallery, BankArt Studio NYK, in Yokohama. The graduating YIS art students will exhibit their studio work in a wide range of media, including painting, sculpture, ceramics, installation, graphic design, fashion design and digital media. YIS community members are warmly invited to attend the opening evening private viewing on April 12. After this, the exhibition will be open to the public from 11:30 am to 7:00 pm through Sunday, April 17.

AISA Girls Soccer Tournament / April 15At YCAC

Head of School’s Annual Trivia Quiz Night / April 16A night of fun and challenge; alumni warmly welcome. From 7:00 pm in the Cafeteria.

Tanner Community Ensemble Spring Concert / April 17The YIS Tanner Community Ensemble performs its annual Spring Concert featuring a variety of chamber music. From 2:00 pm in the Tanner Auditorium.

MS/HS Vocal Music Program Spring Concert / April 22Under the direction of Ms. Bridgewater, the YIS Vocal Music Program presents its annual MS/HS Spring Concert in the Tanner Auditorium from 7:00 pm.

Food Fair 2011 / May 1Save the Date!

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hair draped over her shoulders, I used to think she sang better than Baez. I still remember the lyrics of those songs. At times she read us stories, too. Her reading of Hugh Lofting’s The Story of Doctor Dolittle so mesmerized me that I bought other Lofting books, quite an amazing thing for a kid who until then never liked to read. She was a wonderful teacher.

Back then, the highest grade was eighth grade. But as our class approached that mark, YIS expanded its program. A new building was built. And our class became the trail-blazer for the new high school—the “Class of 1973.” Unfortunately, in July 1971, after finishing my junior year, I had to move on to another high school.

What made you pursue your career as an officer in the US Naval Criminal Investigative Service and how long did you serve?

My career choice was at first purely driven by intrigue, almost by a childlike curiosity to peek into the world that seemed so exciting. After graduating from Sophia University in Tokyo, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. So for several years I took up various employments in Japan, all the while looking for a break. Then one day a friend introduced me to this guy who worked for the Naval Investigative Service. He told me he was a federal agent. He showed me his badge. He carried a gun, too. He said he investigated a gamut of crimes, all felonies. “You mean like murder?” Not only that, he said, but NIS also catches spies. I was hooked. I submitted an application and went through a battery of tests. The process took over a year before I was offered a job, but first I had to pass the academy.

I reduced all my personal belongings to two suitcases. Then I flew to the United States. When I reported to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Georgia to start the four-month training, an instructor on the first day announced: “If you fail two tests, you pack up and go home.” There were eight academic tests, twenty practical tests, and two physical fitness tests. So my childlike curiosity got me into a serious undertaking. I studied like I’d gone mad. Got up before sunrise and jogged almost every day. These were the toughest yet most fulfilling days of my life. On graduation day, I received my badge and my gun.

Then for twenty-plus years I had a blast. NIS later changed its name to Naval Criminal Investigative Service, NCIS. Becoming a special agent was the best career choice. Like a dream come true.

What were some of the cases/missions that you were involved in?

At NCIS a newly hired agent at first works general criminal investigations. Then after a few years, he or she can choose a career path. Some go for forensics, or white-collar crimes, or take on undercover drug operations. I chose counter-espionage and counterintelligence. The “cloak and dagger” world seemed my kind of thing. Most

When were you at YIS and what was the school atmosphere like?

Memories are hazy. Especially when forty-plus years have gone by. But I remember my first day of school in September 1965. I had been enrolled to start sixth grade and my mother had dropped me off at the front gate and I couldn’t walk in. There were girls playing in the playground. Having transferred from an all-boys Catholic school, the scene intimidated me. I somehow made it in but after the first bell rang and I saw a pretty blonde girl sitting at a desk next to mine, I had a meltdown. That first day in class I don’t think I uttered a single intelligible word.

I remember the school building with trims and window frames painted fire engine red. A corridor ran along its entire length, classrooms on one side and a row of windows on the other that looked out onto the playground. A tall chain-link fence with the main gate separated the school from the street that climbed toward the foreign cemetery.

Our homeroom teacher was Miss Valerie Mance. She often brought her guitar to class and sang Joan Baez’s songs. She taught us songs and we sang together. Watching her fingers pluck the strings, her long brown

James Polk (YIS 1965 - 1971)

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of what I did in that world remains classified, but what’s open to the public I can talk about.

In 1996, I worked out of the NCIS Washington D.C. Field Office. One day I got a call from an FBI colleague. He had received a tip. We decided to look into it. That bit of a clue turned into a massive CI investigation code named Dragon’s Lair. A civilian intelligence specialist, Robert Kim, working at the Office of Naval Intelligence was covertly passing “top secret” documents to a foreign agent. He was arrested and later convicted of espionage.

Looking back at all that I did at NCIS, there are a few things that stick to my mind. I don’t know if evil exists but I’ve come face to face with people whose hearts had gone very cold. Once I talked to a father who explained as if nothing really bad had happened how he had found his six-year old daughter in bed dead. At first I thought he was in shock, a victim of a situation gone bad. Then I found the girl’s tiny body covered with bruises and burn marks. The father had beaten her to death.

With NCIS I traveled a lot. Sometimes to places where you’d never find tourists. Twice I volunteered for assignments aboard aircraft carriers. First, on the USS Independence; then on the USS Kitty Hawk in 2003 during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The 9-11 terrorist attacks changed my career path. My focus shifted to counterterrorism. My last mission took me to Iraq. In the Al Anbar region I worked with the U.S. Marines, a tough, brave bunch of soldiers, all of them roughing it in a nightmarish world hard to imagine. With them I traveled on convoys and on Black Hawks and went as far as the Syrian border. Iraqis had rough times, too. After that it was time for me to move on. So I retired.

What have you been doing since then?

Since around the mid 1990s, I’ve been writing short stories. I used to think how wonderful it would be if I could devote more time to writing. My wife, Sharon, is an NCIS agent. She knew my dream. “Why don’t you go for it?” she said, “I’ll support you.” That was four years ago. I’ve hardly made any money from writing, but I’m happy Sharon gave me this opportunity to pursue writing fulltime.

How did your experience at YIS influence your career choices and decision to become a writer?

In fact, Miss Mance, my homeroom teacher, is the reason behind it all, or at least, she’s the one who planted the seed in my mind.

When I was 14, I wrote a short story in her class. It was about an American secret agent named Gupper who runs into a Russian spy. A simple, humorous story. Then without telling me, Miss Mance sent it off to the International Schools Association. One day, Mr. Ian Kerr, the science teacher, said to me in the hallway: “So you’re now an author.” I had no idea what he was talking about. Then later Miss Mance announced in class that my story was published in an ISA Magazine. I’m sure my classmates won’t even remember it, but for me that was a magical day. I’d always been a bad student, hardly studying, barely hanging in, rarely a recognition, so that day standing in front of the class with the magazine with

my story inside in my hand, hearing the teasing voices of my classmates, I felt like someone special.

But as all things go, I moved on, and the years passed, things happened, I finished college, found work, paid the bills, got married, and so on and on, but all the while in the corner of my heart that feeling from that day remained. I always wished if only I could become a true writer.

What are your ideas for your next story?

While living in Naples, Italy, I met a British officer assigned to NATO. He was a member of the International Archeological Society, to which I also belonged, and he was a military history buff. One day he took a group of IAS members on a bus tour to the World War II battlefields of Monte Cassino. When people talk about that war, you often hear words like Normandy, Battle of the Bulge, Guadalcanal, but you hardly hear San Pietro, or Rapido, or one of the bloodiest of all WWII battles fought over a Benedictine abbey perched on the mountain behind the town of Cassino. “We mustn’t forget the stories of the boys buried underneath,” he had said.

So for the past three years I’ve been working on how to tell their stories. Not as a non-fiction historical, but as a fiction, using characters and plots. I know I’m completely ignoring the sage advice: “write what you know.” And to tell the truth, the task has turned into a monumental undertaking. I’m overwhelmed. But the storyline is forming and I hope to finish it by the end of next year. Perhaps, it’ll never be published. But I have to write it.

James and wife Sharon in Montenegro

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YIS senior Erika Trent recently became a published author with the debut of “The Japanese Koto: A Beginner’s Textbook” (Mizuyama Sangyou). Alumni Quarterly spoke with Erika about her accomplishment.

Congratulations on your recent publication. What inspired you to write a koto textbook in English?

Thank you! When the YIS Japanese Music Program began eight years ago, my classmates and I had only a textbook in Japanese to work with. Not only was this hard for students who only spoke English, but it also created a barrier between Japanese and Western music. Especially for some of my classmates whose first instrument was the koto, it was difficult to apply one’s skills in Japanese koto music to Western music. Since then, I’d dreamed of having a koto textbook in English that could establish connections with Western music. In a sense, the book I wrote is what I wish I’d have had back in fourth grade.

But what really inspired me was watching one of my koto students give a performance at Jyurinji Temple two years ago. At that moment, I knew for a fact that I loved teaching children how to play the koto. Their enthusiasm really touched me – I wanted to make a textbook that would help them learn about the koto, and more importantly, have fun with it.

Learning the Koto requires a strong knowledge of traditional Japanese culture in addition to special musical skills and techniques. How have you developed this familiarity?

I actually don’t recall studying about Japanese culture in order to perform the koto. In fact, it was the other way around; playing the koto allowed me to learn about Japanese culture. Similar to studying the piano, all musicians pursuing the koto have to acquire skills for classical repertoire, or koten. When playing koten for an IB Music recital, I naturally learned about the traditions of Edo period Japan. So I owe the koto for much of my exposure to Japanese culture.

As far as musical skills and techniques go, I think my experiences of performing Western instruments have been surprisingly helpful in familiarizing myself with the koto. Learning about basic musical concepts through the piano definitely gave me an edge on the koto. I also found many surprising similarities between performing the violin in the Tanner Ensemble and playing the koto in the High School Advanced Japanese Music Ensemble. Playing several instruments along with the koto has taught me that all music, whether it be hogaku (traditional Japanese music) or Western or any culture, shares the same universal qualities. I really find that fascinating!

You will be graduating next June. What are your future plans?

Although I can’t say for sure, I’m interested in majoring in cognitive sciences in the United States. I recently received a letter of acceptance from MIT, and I’m eagerly waiting to hear from other schools. I would definitely like to continue performing the piano, violin, and of course, the koto. One thing that’s for sure is I’m looking forward to spreading a small piece of Japanese culture to the States – that is, if I manage to bring a koto over there intact!

YIS Senior Authors Music Textbook

Erika performing at TEDx Aoyama

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Stephen Lehmann – IT Directorin the past. Students can now collaborate in real time with students in other countries. Technology has made the world smaller. Watching our kindergarteners use iPads to learn, to create, and to communicate is a magical experience.

Where do you think technology in education will be in 10 years?

Technology is getting cheaper and more powerful. As this happens things that were impossible last year are possible now. Looking backward from the year 2020 feels like an almost impossible task. In the year 2000 could we have predicted what would happen in 2010? In 2000 we didn’t even have wireless networks! In 2020 technology will be an extension of our body and mind. Where we end and the technology begins will be a very blurry line. We will always have YIS, but I think the concept of YIS being defined by its students, teachers and buildings, on one site, will be a distant memory.

You’ve worked at a number of different schools. Where does YIS stand in its use of technology? What are some of the school’s goals going forward?

YIS is a school that is firmly focused on its students. The use of shared laptops in classrooms has allowed enough of a look at integration of technology into the curriculum for the school to say, “We want more technology in our students hands.” Teaching technology just in case a student needs those skills sometime in the future is not the focus. We teach just in time, not just in case. We teach the skills when the student needs to apply them. In the future, we will continue to leverage technology so that our students have the “YIS advantage.”

YIS has made the decision to implement a 1:1 program in the secondary as part of the new Connected Learning Community initiative. What does this involve and how will it impact teaching and learning at YIS?

How did your international school career start and what made you get involved in IT?

My international school career started in 1997 when I decided that I wanted my life to be more of an adventure. My wife and I chose to leave Australia and start new lives. We moved to Thailand and have never regretted the move. Even in 1997, I could see technology as the most important evolution in society since the industrial revolution and I wanted to be part of that change. You only live once, so we try to make a positive contribution to society and have fun all at the same time.

What exactly is the role of an IT director?

Our students need to know how to collaborate, create, and communicate on a global scale. As an IT director I am responsible to make sure that happens. My job brings together the network infrastructure, hardware, software, and vision for learning, so that our schools focus is an integrated use of technology to improve student learning. This is the best possible preparation for our students.

Technology is changing at such a rapid pace. What are some

of the key developments in educational technology within an international school setting?

The development of technology in schools

has been very exciting. It’s not all about our super

fast wireless network, about MacBook Pro

computers or iPads. It is all about using technology

to do things that were impossible

Stephen and wife Louise in Sankeien Garden, Yokohama

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This is a very big step for YIS. It means that we have evaluated our use of technology and have decided that to use technology as a tool in learning, we need our students to have access to technology, in their hands, all of the time. The initiative involves committing time, money and staffing so that we develop a program that gives the best possible preparation for our students when they enter college and become the leaders of the future. Imagine every student from grade 6 through 12 with their own laptop. Imagine students using technology at school as a digital extension of their lives. Students will use the communication, creation and collaboration skills they now

YIS Launches Connected Learning Community

At YIS, information technology plays an increasingly important role in enhancing and extending educational delivery, and in providing students with the 21st century skills they need to thrive now and after they leave the school. Thanks to considerable investment in IT resources, staff development and pedagogical improvements in recent years, the school has developed a solid IT environment that has made our educational programs richer as a result. But, according to head of school James MacDonald, “to really meet our school mission and stated aim to ‘integrate technology as a meaningful and effective part of the educational process’ I believe we can do more.”

Mr. MacDonald recently announced a new initiative, called “Connected Learning Community,” that aims to provide ever-present computing and network access for YIS students on a common learning platform, while further developing educational practices to increase collaboration, enable flexible progression and differentiated instruction, and more actively reflect a real-world learning environment. As part of this initiative, in the 2011-12 school year every middle and high school student will be provided a laptop with standardized software that they would be able to use at home as well as at school. At the same time, classroom technology provision in the elementary school will also be upgraded.

Commented Mr. MacDonald: “We are confident that providing a common platform for all middle and high school students that can be used outside of school as well as in the classroom will bring many benefits, including helping foster continuity of learning between home and school. This initiative will erode some of the traditional school/home boundaries and, while there are many upsides, we also need to acknowledge the challenges presented to educators, students and parents that together we must address. Together, in partnership, we can provide YIS students with the skills, knowledge and wisdom they require in our digital age.”

use in their private lives in their learning. It will be very exciting.

Do you spend a lot of time on the computer in your free time, or do you unplug?

When I get home the last thing I want to do is look at my computer. So, when I get home I say no more computers. But then I get out my Nook to read a book, my camera to take that special picture, my iPad to find out what film I just have to go see, my Mac Mini to see if I have any movies to watch, or my iPhone to take another lesson in Japanese. With technology, “never” doesn’t exist.

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many modalities. Drama is also a place where we develop the skills of performance and presentation.

You’ve been involved with organizing the Bridging the Gap conference at YIS. How did you get involved and what’s special about this event?

I’ve been on the Bridging the Gap Working Group for quite a few years. Last year, I chaired the event and I became involved because it is so interesting working with our guest speakers. I have had the most fascinating conversations with well-known educators and authors such as Alan Luke, Ian Jukes, Alex Kerr and Alan November. It is unusual for a school to have a conference to challenge the community’s thinking. We have really tried to bring interesting formats to the event as we did this year with Pecha Kucha. (Pecha Kucha is a presentation style using 20 slides for 20 seconds each)

You are also a parent of two YIS students. What are some of the key benefits of a YIS education from the parent’s perspective?

My choice to work at YIS to a large part is due to my children’s education. The small class size, Japanese language and koto are some the reasons why I find this a great school. Most of all, it is the community feeling of YIS. I know my children – as all children at YIS – are looked at as individuals with adults around them who really care and are interested in their well-being.

Do you still dance?

I have been dancing a lot more lately. I am choreographing the musical in high school again this year. We are doing ‘Footloose’. This promises to be a really fun show, so come and enjoy it.

You have an interesting background. What were you doing before joining YIS?

Before joining YIS, I lived in Singapore and Hong Kong. In Hong Kong, I taught dance at an international school and in Singapore I taught Pilates at a yoga studio. I grew up in San Diego, California and studied dance from a very young age. I went on to be a professional dancer and actress working on the television show ‘Fame’. I worked four years on the television show filming and touring with the cast. After that, I went back to the University of California San Diego and finished my degree in Communication. I had worked while I was in university teaching dance classes and found that I loved working with children. That’s why I got my teaching credential after university.

You’ve shifted to being a drama teacher this year after previously teaching in the ELC and elementary school. How do you like your new role and do you miss being a homeroom teacher?

I absolutely love being a drama teacher. It brings together my life experiences. I feel like I get to teach the best part

of the day to my students. I am really enjoying working in middle and high

school too. I meet with homeroom teachers to try to tie what I am doing

in drama with what the students are studying in the classroom. I am happy with being a single subject teacher.

What do students study in your drama classes?

Classes are typically organized with warm-up

games at the beginning of the class to develop eye contact, awareness of others, spatial awareness and

physicality. In every class students are creating and responding to their work and the work of others. Drama offers lifelong skills and concepts for all students.

We develop confidence, poise and imagination. Drama is great place for children learning English

language to develop their oral skills and to

express themselves in

Leanne Erickson – Drama Teacher

Leanne and family in Noosa, Australia

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Class NotesThis section offers a chance to update fellow alums on what you’ve been doing since school days at YIS, share recent news and noteworthy accomplishments, or send a message to classmates. Entries are listed by class year, that is, the year of graduation from high school, whether at YIS or elsewhere. To submit a Class Notes entry for the next issue of the YIS Alumni Quarterly, please go to http://alumni.yis.ac.jp/?page=CN. Don’t forget to include your name, class year (i.e., the year you graduated from high school at YIS or elsewhere), and the years that you attended YIS. Please feel free to send a recent photo too.

1970s

1974Tim Cole (YIS 1969 - 1974)Tim Cole along with Jon Benedict (Class of 1976) celebrated the 15th year of operating Family Forum Japan (FFJ), a non-profit organization, which promotes healthy family life through seminars, radio broadcasts, publications, and internet media. FFJ’s radio broadcast in Hokkaido has maintained first listener ratings for three years running - an indication of the Japanese public’s concern over family issues. Tim and Jon encourage YIS Alumni wanting information or input on family issues to feel free to contact them.

1980s

1980Leslie Lorimer (YIS 1976-1980)I started a company in Kamakura two years ago. I run an English language school, a college counseling service, and I’ve just started writing a book. My daughter is about to graduate from YIS, and my son has two more years. I can’t believe how quickly they grow up!

1983Grant Mikasa (YIS 1970 -1977)Presently working with a team on an international project fighting cancer, screening for early detection of the most common cancers.

1990s

1991Gregory Rehquate (YIS 1984 - 1987) I was thinking about looking for a different job, but my employer (US Navy) offered to send me to Yokosuka, so I said “sure!” It has been 23 years since I lived here. This is not counting a VERY brief visit to Yokohama in December 1991. I have been surprised by some of the changes and I have also been surprised by some of the things that have not changed! One of the first things I did after my return was to re-orient myself with the railway systems. I decided to ride in the first car and look out of the front

window like I use to do when I was 12 or 13 years old. One thing that I found VERY surprising for me was the strong feeling that 23 years had not passed and I was 12 or 13 again.

Now that I am here and re-connecting with many former classmates, I hope to find someone that has a videotape copy of an elementary school drama production that I participated in. I have a distinct memory that somebody videotaped the performance. This was either November or December of 1984 (if I am recalling that correctly). Looking forward to attend the Food Fair this spring!

1992Michelle Erickson (YIS 1990 – 1992)Hello fellow YISers! Season’s greetings to you and your families. This is just a quick shout out from Danville, California to my youngest son Aston Charles Erickson who was born on July 15th of this year. He joins big brother Keaton Edward Erickson who is 3 years old. (Can you tell from their names that I’m desperately trying to cling to my English heritage)?! :)

1995Rina Hahn Joko Sproat (YIS 1981 – 1995)Currently living in Ebisu working as the Director of Business Development & Marketing at Baker & McKenzie in Tokyo. Blessed with a super-funny husband, strong-minded 1 year old (her first birthday on 1/11/11) and a very handsome goldendoodle who travelled with us from Manhattan. Living every day to the fullest and loving every moment of life!!

2000s

2003Amelia Midori Miller (YIS 1997 - 2003) I just ended my first semester at graduate school for painting. I’m getting my M.F.A. at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Feel free to look at my website for my works :-) http://www.ameliammiller.com/

2004Amir Amha (YIS 1998 - 2004)In summer of 2009 I graduated from University of Exeter’s Business School (UK) with a BA Business & Management with First Class Honours. After graduation I decided to return to Japan for a few months before starting my career with Accenture as a management consultant (analyst) in Malaysia. So far I have been in two major projects mainly in the financial and energy industries ranging from banking post merger & acquisition general ledger consolidation to oil & gas organizational strategy development. Considering that YIS has a business curriculum I surely hope that I would be able to sit in one of the class and identify the next Fortune 500 CEO :)

Shohei Nishihara (YIS 1994 - 2004)I am currently working in the Communications Office of YIS. On the private side, my dream is to become a children’s picture book author!

Tim Cole (Class of 1974)

Michelle Erickson’s (Class of 1992) sons Aston (left) and Edward (right)

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2005Laura Evelyn Kerwin (YIS 2003-2005)After graduating YIS, I spent 3 years in Australia studying Outdoor Education. I then went to Cororado to study Zoo Keeping Technologies. Since then, I have been working closely at a zoo called “Cheyenne Mountain Zoo”. This zoo is famous for having the world’s largest Giraffe breeding! Here, I have been making public presentations to the customers, taking care of wallabies, etc. I have been dreaming of becoming a zoologist since I was six so I am very excited!

2007Miyuki Mahina Watanabe (YIS 1997 - 2007)I have recently graduated from Royal Holloway University, London with a Drama and Theatre arts degree. I am now living in London looking to get a job in the Arts.

Christine Park (YIS 1994 - 2007)I had a big surprise when I visited YIS this December with my friends. YIS looked so different with the new hallway and library!

Goro Hasegawa (YIS 1997 - 2007)I recently transferred to a university in Montreal (it’s freezing here, I miss the Californian sunshine). I had a busy semester going through countless exams and essays. I’m also training for a track and field competition that’s coming soon.

2009Marieke van Hest (YIS 1994 – 2009)I study physiotherapy at the University of East London. This winter, I went to Thailand with my family and enjoyed the sun. I also met with my old classmates to go snowboarding in Karuizawa.

Xunyao Chen (YIS 2001 – 2009)This is my second year at Boston University (economics major). I hope to work in the global fields of venture capital, private equity and hedge funds after I graduate. I am now busy making interviews for internships.

2010s

2010Kimi Juds (YIS 2007 – 2010)After the new year I plan to concentrate more on my job at FOX Japan. I hope to take on new film-related internships as well, before attending university in California. In California I hope to study film and become the next Spike Jonze.

Nozomi Koyama (YIS 2002 – 2010)I’ve been working at YIS (IT Dept) since the summer, and I’ll be going to Australia in late January. I got accepted to University of Melbourne, so I will be studying science to become a science teacher in future!

Faculty

FacultyKyoko Bernard (YIS 1974 – 2004)I had a great holiday season with my children and grandchildren who visited us in Yokohama from London and Washington DC.

I am now a visiting professor at Tamagawa University, which gives me a lot more time to do my own research. Therefore, this year I shall be writing on education and I will be spending most of my time in Tokyo conducting my research.

Dan Cowan (YIS 2005 – 2010)Egypt is great. I’m the head of English and learning coordinator at the New Cairo British International School. Other than exploring Cairo, we have been snorkeling in the Red Sea, driving our jeep over sand dunes in the desert and learning to snowboard in Poland. We are enjoying the great food and culture in Egypt, but really miss all the great teachers and kids at YIS.

A painting by Amelia Midori Miller (Class of 2003)

Amir Amha (Class of 2004)

Rina Hahn Joko Sproat (Class of 1995) and family

Nozomi Koyama and Kimi Juds(Class of 2010)Laura Evelyn Kerwin (Class of 2005)