ISSH SEEDS Nepal Trip
Eri, Grade 10 with contributions from ISSH SEEDS Nepal Team

For 10 years, ISSH has supported a small Nepal-based NGO known as SEEDS Nepal. ISSH has raised money to support SEEDS and has assisted in constructing composting toilets, water-systems and schools. Lately, ISSH SEEDS also supported school lunch programs and women's health training. We call ourselves ISSH SEEDS Nepal and we contributed annually to the efforts of SEEDS Nepal. In December 2011, we had our first opportunity to check the SEEDS Nepal development sites for ourselves!

The ISSH SEEDS group left Narita airport on December 17th, 2011 with two goals in mind: to study the development of Nepal SEEDS and to have a great trip. When we returned after 10 days of a dream trip, not only had we been able to exceed our goals, but we had become an ISSH SEEDS family who shared a “once in a lifetime opportunity”. The trip itself was beyond our expectations but the effort and enthusiasm by each SEEDS member made the trip even more memorable and special.

The ISSH SEEDS Nepal Trekking and Village Study Team included Charlotte, Maya, Hanin, Esme, Eri, Anne-Ting, Monika, Rachael, Miki, Yoonseo, Ms. Pomroy and Mr. Felstehausen.

A highlight of our Village Study Trek was a visit to Shree Manakamana Primary School, a school funded by SEEDS, on the first day of our four-day trek. The children and faculty of the school welcomed us with beautiful garlands of marigold, a painted sand banner on the ground, and engaging traditional Nepali dances. There were approximately 40 students and 8 teachers at the school, and the age of the students ranged between 3 and 13. While learning more about the Nepali culture and customs, we were also able to share a little bit of Japanese culture. We taught the students and some teachers how to fold origami airplanes, cranes, and boats. It was a challenge to communicate without a common language but from the smiles on their faces we knew that they were having as much fun as we were. While trekking across the rim of Kathmandu Valley and working with SEEDS (Social, Environmental, Educational, Development Services) Director KP Kafle and the SEEDS Secretary Santoshi Belami, we experienced the culture and observed the lives of the Nepali villagers. After the visit, as we started trekking to our campsite, the students of Shree Manakamana Primary School were walking in front of us up a hill as if they were leading us to our destination. When we asked where they were going, we found out that this was their route to go home. It was unbelievable because these children wore only sandals and slippers, while we wore sturdy hiking boots, and yet they moved more swiftly and quickly. We learned that some of the students walk about 45 minutes or more just to get home and we were all amazed that this was their “norm”.

On the second day of our trek, we were able to talk with a teenage girl, Ranjita, who lives in the Kaflini village. The SEEDS Secretary, Santoshi, translated for us. Ranjita is a 17-year-old girl who wants to become a village nurse; she did not dream of working in the city but wants to stay in the village where she grew up and help the villagers. When we asked what she likes to do for fun, she told us she likes to play soccer with her friends.

We were all eager to tell her that we love to play soccer as well and she invited us to play with her and her friends that evening; an intense football match took place near our campsite! The girls brought a ball with them and we played until it got completely dark. Even with just basic English that the girls learn at school, we were able to communicate. Before dinner, we danced and sang together and enjoyed the sunset. We were all enjoying ourselves so much to the point where we didn’t want to say bye to them so we scheduled to play again the next day. (They came to play the next day after they had gone to school and done chores!)

During our trek, we were able to see many of the projects that SEEDS worked on in the villages. One of the main projects we toured were new biogas systems. When we visited Ranjita’s family’s home, there was a biogas unit installed by SEEDS. The biogas unit produces methane gas and the gas can be turned on and off from the kitchen. The gas is used for cooking and powers a large burner; it also warms the kitchen. It burns cleanly, can be used all day, and biogas reduces deforestation. The house also had electricity but the electricity is very unreliable. Even in Kathmandu there was no power from 8am to 6pm everyday!

Everything on our trip was amazing, from sleeping in tents during our trek, to playing soccer with our new friends, to visiting temples in Kathmandu. Saying our farewells to the SEEDS family living in Nepal was the hardest part of our trip and none of the ISSH SEEDS members wanted to leave Nepal. The trip was a whole new experience and I am sure that each and every ISSH SEEDS Nepal member will remember this trip for as long as we live.

Kindergarten Pen Pal Project
ISSH's Kindergarten Penguin class made the newspapers in the United States after starting a pen-pal project with a kindergarten class in Wesley Chapel. Students from Mrs. Bloemarts' class sent personalized letters to kindergarten students at a school in North Carolina and have recently received mail from them in return. The girls are very excited to be in contact with someone their age on the other side of the globe and can't wait to tell them more about their lives here in Japan.

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony was held on Monday, December 12, 2011.

AP results
ISSH is very proud of the excellent results obtained by our students in the May 2011 Advanced Placement examinations. Forty students at our school earned AP Scholar Awards in recognition of their exceptional achievement. The Collegebard produced graph below shows the percentage of total Advanced Placement students with scores of 3+ (on a scale of 1 – 5 with 5 being the highest) from 2007 to 2011. ISSH results are shown in navy, results in Japan are in green, and global results are in yellow.

The College Board’s Advanced Placement Program® (AP®) provides willing and academically prepared students with the opportunity to take rigorous college-level courses while still in high school, and to earn college credit, advanced placement, or both for successful performance on the AP Exams. About 18 percent of the more than 1.9 million students worldwide who took AP Exams performed at a sufficiently high level to also earn an AP Scholar Award. The College Board recognizes several levels of achievement based on students’ performance on AP Exams.

At The International School of the Sacred Heart:
One ISSH student qualified for the National AP Scholar Award by earning an average score of 4 or higher on a five-point scale on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 4 or higher on eight or more of these exams. This student is now continuing her education at Princeton University in the US.

Twenty students qualified for the AP Scholar with Distinction Award by earning an average score of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams.

Five students qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor Award by earning an average score of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams.

Thirteen students qualified for the AP Scholar Award by completing three or more AP Exams with scores of 3 or higher.

Of this year’s award recipients at The International School of the Sacred Heart, 9 were juniors. These students have at least one more year in which to complete college-level work and possibly earn a higher-level AP Scholar Award.

We are proud of all 73 students who accepted the college level study and challenge to sit 192 exams in May of 2011. 47 of these excellent young ladies took enough exams to qualify for one of the AP Scholar Awards and 85% of them earned an award.

ISSH offers 16 of the 34 different college-level courses and exams, where AP provides willing and academically prepared students with the opportunity to earn college credit or advanced placement and stand out in the college admission process. Each exam is developed by a committee of college and university faculty and AP teachers, ensuring that AP Exams are aligned with the same high standards expected by college faculty at some of the world’s leading liberal arts and research institutions. More than 3,800 colleges and universities annually receive AP scores in the US alone. Most four-year colleges in the United States provide credit and/or advanced placement for qualifying exam scores. AP credit is also instrumental in college acceptance and success in the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and Canada. Outside the U.S., universities in more than 55 countries recognize AP Exam scores in the admission process and/or for credit and advanced placement. Research consistently shows that AP students who score a 3 or higher on AP Exams (based on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest) typically experience greater academic success in college and have higher college graduation rates than students who do not participate in AP. At ISSH, 84% of all exam grades were a 3 or higher. 25% of scores were a 4, and 37% placed at the highest score possible of 5.

In the most recent graduating Class of 2011, graduates will be attending prestigious colleges and universities in Australia, Canada, Dubai, India, Malaysia, Poland, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and here in Japan.

3D Technology Comes to Sacred Heart

The science faculty are thrilled to announce that ISSH is the first school in all of Asia and Australasia to introduce the use of 3D Educational technology and software into our curriculum.
This technology has been trialled in schools in the United Kingdom with great success and after several months of research, planning and purchasing, the system was used for the first time in our science classes.
The first classes to use the 3D technology were AP physics, ‘Nerd club’, grade 8 science, grade 5 science and grade 10 physics. The response from the students has been outstanding. They were so excited by the 3D educational images that ‘came alive’ in the middle of the classroom. The ability of the teacher to control the rotation and magnification of the images, as well as cutaway views makes the reinforcement of the science information so much stronger. No longer are our students dependent upon 2-Dimensional book images of key organs, biological systems, physics or chemistry concepts to reinforce their understanding. The software also enables students to view scientific processes in action, for example the oxygen/carbon dioxide transfer in the lungs. They now can see how these science concepts piece together in 3-dimensions.
There have been plenty of ‘Oohs’ and ‘Aahs’ in the classes that have used the 3D technology, however, I am very keen to point out that this was not the reason that we pursued this technology. There are many sound educational reasons that make this system such a strong educational tool. There is the clear, very large 3D visualization of what previously would have been either small models or 2 dimensional diagrams. The interest level is aroused, stimulated and maintained by the use of the technology for the delivery of the information and this is having a significant impact on the recall of the students’ knowledge. The students are also better able to see how the science fits into real world situations with some of the software available.
The system has been purchased for use in the Middle and High School Science program and the science staff have been doing professional development on how the software programs can best enhance and support our already excellent science program. Your daughters will experience the use of this technology in their science classes when it fits best into their curriculum. I would like to thank the Family Festival parents greatly for making the funds available to make such a purchase. This funding has enabled the Science department to purchase this innovative and highly interactive technology and for Sacred Heart to lead the way in the Asia region.

Senior Sakura Pottery Sale and Donation
On September 29th, the Executive Student Council President, Juhi and Vice President, Hyun-Kyung, were accompanied by Senior class Vice President Kaoru to present the 3-D Studio Art class donation to Asia Initiatives Foundation at the Indian Embassy. Asia Intiatives was founded by Geeta Mehta and its mission is to alleviate rural poverty in India, through the foundation of M. S. Swaminathan, a world-renowned scientist based in Chennai. Upon hearing a speech given by Geeta Mehta, the three high school seniors were called up on stage to present the 50,000 yen donation from the senior projects Sakura Pottery Sale in June 2011. Our students received tokens of gratitude from Mrs. Mehta, herself. The night ended with two classical Indian dances, called Odissi performed by Radhika Jha, following a short presentation about Asia Initiatives' work with the M.S. Swaminathan Foundation. Thank you to all of our community who supported this senior pottery project and especially to our Art teacher, Mr. Tootell who inspired this project.
Kaoru

2010-2011 Donation to Charities
Please find following the monetary distribution of your generous donations of time and money throughout the 2010-2011 school year:

DONOR	ORGANIZATION/LOCATION	AMOUNT
MS	Agape Rehabilitation Center, Japan Church World Service Inc., Japan	¥50,000
MS	St. Theresa High School, Convent of the Sacred Heart, India	¥50,000
MS	Our Lady of the Snows, (Yuki no Seibo en) Hokkaido, Japan	¥50,000
MS	Star of the Sea Children's Home, Incheon, Korea	¥50,000
HS	Fr. Ray Foundation (Pattaya Orphanage), Thailand	¥120,000
HS	Pennies for Peace	¥13,050
HS	Unicef	¥115,337
HS	AIDS Relief for Cambodia	¥40,000
All	Friends of the Earth	¥77,650
All	Susan B. For The Cure Breast Cancer Research	¥121,446
All	SEEDS, Nepal	¥423,860
All	Table for Two	¥138,228
All	Movember	¥120,000
All	Donation to Tohoku and Kando Earthquake Disaster Relief	¥630,308
All	Second Harvest	¥130,000
	TOTAL	¥2,142,204