Updated: November 2009
Origami goes to the hospital
On May 16, 2009, students in the Japanese club and Japanese national Honor Society
from Middleton and Tampa Bay Technical high schools went to Shriner’s Children's
Hospital to do volunteer work for the first time. While there, they continued their long
running traditional dance, Sooran-bushi. They folded one thousand paper cranes and took
them to the patients this Sembazuru to symbolize good fortune and wish for their quick
recovery. They also taught the children and some of their parents and caretakers how to
make origami cranes. By the end of their visit, there were many smiles, and all of us
enjoyed going as much as Shriner’s seemed to enjoy having their come.
- Anthony Jackson (who led the visiting students’ group)
“Succeed in Japanese” for Hillsborough County Teachers
On June 12, Ms. Melissa Morgado, SDHC’s supervisor of World Languages, conducted a
fullday workshop at USF for 39 county teachers who wished to learn more about current
Japanese language education in Florida. It was planned in hopes of expanding Japanese
classes in the county, perhaps to middle schools and even elementary. Hiroko Watanabe
presented what her students are learning and doing at her two high schools, Sachi Ann
Welsh talked about comparative elements in Japanese & American education systems and
Mr. Mitsuo Ogishima offered his service for school visits and cultural demonstrations.
- Sachi Ann Welsh
A successful IB Japanese program
On June 30th, the DBHS Japanese program received good publicity through a
presentation given by William Collazo at the 6th Annual Japan-Southeast U.S. Summit in
Jacksonville. Collazo was invited to be a participant on the education panel to share
information about the school and in particular, the IB Japanese program, the only one of its
kind in the state. In addition to educating those invested in the Japanese community in FL
about the program, he shared samples of student digital work to much praise by the
delegation.
- William Collazo
COME TO FFLA IN OCTOBER!
The FFLA Conference is Florida's premier world language association conference, and
this year it will be held at the Renaissance World Golf Village in St. Augustine, FL, from
October 15-17. This year, AFTJ has a full program planned for our members, including
our Annual Fall Meeting, as well as sessions on Writing in the Japanese Classroom,
Exciting Ways to Incorporate Technology for Japanese Learning, Preparing Students for
the AP Japanese Language and Culture Exam from Day 1, Using Anime in Class and
Advocacy for Japanese Programs. Not only will you get to meet Florida's best teaching
professionals, but you will also get ideas to take back to the classroom and promote
Japanese language learning as well. Go to www.ffla.us to register now!
June 2009
NEW JAPANESE PROGRAM IN MIAMI DADE COUNTY
Beginning in August 2009, Miami-Dade County will be adding a second high school with a
Japanese program. TERRA - Environmental Research Institute will be opening its doors
to 500 ninth graders in August. It is a brand new magnet school with academies in
environmental and field studies, biomedical research, and robotics. In 2009-10, TERRA
will offer two sections of Japanese 1 and will continue growing its program to offer
APJapanese by the 2012-13 school year. Juan Carlos will be the head of the foreign
language department. For further information on TERRA, please contact Juan Carlos
Morales at jcmorales@dadeschools.net, or visit their website at greenschool.
dadeschools.net.
CONGRATULATIONS, WATANABE SENSEI!
Hiroko Watanabe-sensei received an award from Hillsborough County called “World
Language Star Teacher Award” and also received a letter from the superintendent.
CONGRATULATIONS, AVELLO SENSEI!
Mieko Avello-sensei was reappointed as a member of the AP Japanese Development
Committee. Thank you, Avello-sensei, for all of your hard work on developing the exam
and on offering professional development.
EVENT REPORTS:
Japanese Immersion Day - West
The 7th Japanese Cultural Immersion Day was held March 19, 2009, at USF.
There were three workshops subdivided by 12 sessions from 10:00am to 1:00pm. The
classes were origami, Kimono try-on, okonomi-yaki, calligraphy, Today’s Japan, traditional
toys, tea ceremony, and ikebana. There were nearly one hundred people attending this
year. The students from three high schools - Middleton High School, Tampa Bay
Technical High School, Brandon High School - participated in this event. The staff
members were Mako Nozu, Ted Ohtani, Mitsuo Ogishima, Sachi Ann Welsh, Hiroko
Watanabe from AFTJ and other six people from the community. Obento (Japanese box
lunch) was prepared by AI – AI Restaurant in Tampa. They provided a variety of
food in plastic containers with the note explaining each food in both languages. The food
was fresh and delicious, and the students as well as the staff appreciated it very much.
The students and the chaperones were thrilled and truly enjoyed everything. This year we
invited the Brandon High School art class where the students recently studied Japanese
contemporary art.
SPEECH AND SKIT CONTEST - WEST
The Third Mid-Florida Speech and Skit Contest was held in Cooper Hall 115 at University
of South Florida on Saturday, April 11. It started at 1 pm and finished at 4pm. Because it
was the day before Easter, we received only 24 applications from Middleton High School,
Tampa Bay Technical High School, Wiregrass Ranch High School, Pasco Hernando
Community College, University of South Florida, University of Florida,
and Eckerd College. Twenty students actually participated on that day. However, there
were over 50 friends and family members of the participants attending the contest.
Students came up with interesting topics, such as Kimono, Toshizo Hijikata (Shinsengumi
Deputy Chief), Rakugo, etc., and they had prepared and practiced well. According to Mr.
Ogishima of Japan Foundation who had observed other speech contests in different states
and countries, the levels of the participants were very high, and he was impressed
with the students’ work. The judges who kindly helped us were Mrs. Noriko Hines, Dr.
Yasunari Kiryu, Ms. Aiko Takahashi, and Mrs. Yaeko Vople. Thanks to donations from
Adachi-sensei of Eckerd College and Ohtani-sensei of USF, we could provide gratitude
gifts to the judges.
The following were the prize winners:
Eric Crespo Tampa Bay Technical HS My Passion for Music
Teresa Mazwell Univ. of South Florida Kimono
Sam Van Ginhoven Univ. of South Florida My Last Trip to Japan
Level IV Speech:
Bob Anderson Univ. of Florida The Power of Words
Level VI Speech:
Anthony White Univ. of South Florida Rakugo
Jessica Davis Univ. of Florida Japan’s Working Mothers
Andrew Guinness Pasco Hernando CC Shinsengumi; Deputy Chief Toshizo Hijikata
Level I Skit:
David Ciccarello, Christian Esteves, Amber Gray Middleton HS Eat American
Level II Skit:
Carlos Lopez, Reiza Sibal, Seula Song Univ. of South Florida High School
Edwin Lacen, (Sean Kelly) Univ. of South Florida Two Meanings
Level IV Skit:
Devan White, Malisa Williams Middleton HS Sushi Restaurant
Allison Klopp, Corinne Dasher Univ. of Florida Dramatic! Drama Addict
SPEECH CONTEST - EAST
The Japanese Speech, Skit and Yonkoma Manga Contest in East was held on March 28th
at Florida International University. A total of 65 students participated from 6 schools:
Deerfield Beach High School, Gulliver School, Hallandale High School, Miami Palmetto
Senior High School, Western High School, and Florida International University. This year
we received donations from Japanese Business Association (JBA), Komatsu Inc., and
JalPak as supports for this contest. Mr. Ezure from Sony, Inc, Mr. Muramatsu
from the Consulate of Japan in Miami, Ms. Masako Kubota from FIU, Ms. Chihiro Yamada,
and AFTJ member Juan Carlos Morales-sensei came early in the morning to serve as our
judges for this contest. It was a great success and all students did a great job!
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!
April 2009
A group of Japanese class students from Palmetto senior high
performed Soranbushi, traditional Japanese dance, at the Asian Culture
Festival on March 7 & 8. They were so exited to show Japanese spirit through
their energetic dance. The audience loved it.
Hallandale High School made a remarkable accomplishment. Two Students
passed Japanese Language Proficiency Test Level 3 and one student passed
level 4. Way to go!
Attention, Shoppers! Would you like to save money?
I know this sounds like you are in WalMart or K-Mart, but it is true that you have a chance
to save money. As you know, Florida is hosting the ACTFL (American Council of Teaching
of Foreign Languages) 2008 Conference at the Disney Swan and Dolphin Resorts near
Orlando in November. The conference is awesome! So many workshops, so little time.
I finally went last year and now I know what everyone was talking about: I learned SOOOO
much. If you haven’t attended before, this year is your best chance. And if you have
attended before, then you know what a wonderful opportunity we have to attend the world’
s best conference on foreign languages. How lucky that we can drive instead of flying to
ACTFL.
Professionally, this conference is a great chance for you to learn of the newest techniques
and research in language acquisition, find out what is available on the Internet, and
network with over a hundred other Japanese teachers. The vendors of Japanese
textbooks and language learning aids will all be there showing their latest materials.
Attending the ACTFL Convention usually involves joining ACTFL for $75 and then paying
to attend the conference. However, this year, members of FFLA (membership is only $20
right now) do not pay the ACTFL registration fee. So there is a savings of fifty-five dollars!
You only need to pay the conference fee. And then if you register for the ACTFL
Conference in June, you get the Early Bird rate and save even more money!!!
We will email and send information in The Tidings about early FFLA registration so you
can take advantage of this offer.
While I am on the subject of ACTFL, we are looking into hotel rooms near Disney that are
more affordable than the Swan and Dolphin. If you have any good suggestions, please
email Marci Muench at seashell8@bellsouth.net.
May 2008
Florida International University was the site of the eighth annual Japanese Speech and
Skit Contest on Florida’s East Coast May 3rd. Our judges, Consul Koichi Muramatsu, FIU
Japanese teacher Naoko Komura, Hanae Sakata of Miami, and Donna Klein Academy
intern Masayo Komatsu from Tokyo had the difficult job of critiquing the speeches and
skits they heard. While most of the contestants were students studying Japanese in high
school, one middle school student from Crystal Lakes (Oyama-san’s school) and some FIU
and University of Miami students also participated. We appreciate the time and effort of
the students to prepare and present their talks.
For the first time this year, a Yonkoma Manga Contest (a 4-picture manga cartoon) was
added to the event. Co-chair William Collazo projected them onto a large screen so we
could all enjoy manga. There were three categories: comical, cultural, and historical. Even
a student from the University of West Florida in Pensacola entered the contest.
Sushiko Restaurant provided a delicious sushi lunch. We found out that there is not
enough sushi in Miami to fill up the sushi lovers! One lesson we learned for next year is to
serve the saucer of shoyu at the beginning to fill up the plate a little bit. With everyone
limiting their choices somewhat, there was enough sushi for the parents who had attended
to cheer on their children.
The students were excited to present their skits, and showed the great time and effort they
had put into the costumes, props, and dialogue. We all enjoyed the creativity and humor in
skits with such titles as “Bun Bun Zumo” and “Death at the Diner.”
Our AFTJ members pitched in to make the final decisions on the awards and complete the
certificates so we could make the presentations. This year certificates were awarded by
total points from the judging sheets, so the students were not competing against each
other for awards, but against our standards. Every entry was at the gold, silver, or copper
level this year.
Arigatoo to William Collazo for preparing the rules and registration forms and collecting the
fees. He also kept everything running and made the presentations. Mieko Avello arranged
for the trophies and the food and got her husband to be the delivery man for the sushi. On
that note, I hope all of us will thank our spouses and families for their support of AFTJ.
They make a positive difference to our organization.
And so the school year ends with successful AFTJ-sponsored events being offered to
students on both coasts of Florida.
A Review of the 2008 Japan Immersion Day by Daniel Nery, Miami Palmetto Sr. High
I believe that I speak for my classmates when I say that Japan Immersion Day is the most
anticipated day in the school year, especially when there are barely any field trips at our
school to begin with. It’s the only time of the year when students are excused to dedicate
their whole day to learning Japanese culture in place of Calculus, English, and Physics.
Not that these subjects are intolerable. I mean to say that what sets Japanese apart is the
fact that we chose to learn it. Continuing our education of such a challenging language
only stresses the fact that we actually enjoy learning it; I myself consider the class a refuge
during stressful days. What makes the class more enjoyable is the fact that it is spent with
people whom I’ve studied and joked around with for the past 4 years in an environment
where we all shared a common interest (which is the focus of the class). Now even if the
Japanese Immersion Day field trip turned out to be a disorganized disaster (which was not
the case), then spending the day learning my favorite subject alongside my close friends
would alone make the event worth attending.
The event itself was fabulous! During my high school career, I’ve attended three of the
Immersion Day festivals. I’ll admit that this year’s event did not seem as spectacular as last
year’s. Notable flaws included the absence of the dancer who performed beautifully for us.
I noticed that few schools attended the event. But I don’t mean to be a critic. Besides, a
student can only give a limited amount of input because nobody can experience everything
that the festival has to offer. Nevertheless, I was astonished by this year’s performance
upon hearing that it was all organized in a hurry. The quality almost matched those of
previous years when preparations were taken smoothly. The paper-doll class was really
well prepared and instructed. There were no supply shortages, and every pupil who
requested help was well assisted. The easy-going arts and craft course was extremely
relaxing; especially during the stressful week I was having at the time. The sushi course
was as successful as that of making paper-dolls. The workstations were neat, and there
were no messes from the prior session. The food supplies did run out though, but only
after every student was satisfied with their meal and ready for the big lunch ahead. The
essence of these sessions, however, came from me and my friends laughing at our own
flaws, competing to see who made the prettiest doll and the tastiest sushi, and finally
comparing our results. We shared our end products with each other, and commented on
our artistic and culinary abilities in the most elated and carefree manner.
In conclusion, this year’s Japan Immersion Day was almost (if not) on par with those of
previous years. Taking into account the amount of time available for organizing the event
and the quality of their efforts, I am more than confident in saying that this year’s
preparation team was outstanding. I’m sure that if circumstances were more favorable,
then this year’s Immersion Day festival would’ve been heralded as one of best ones. Now
if I may give advice to students as well, then I highly suggest that they prevent themselves
from being isolated. Students should avoid signing up for a course mainly because it suits
his or her interest. If it was up to me, I never would’ve considered making a paper-doll. I
suggest they come to a general consensus as to what courses to take, and then spend
every second of the field trip with their closest friends. That way, every moment becomes
a memorable experience, regardless of the circumstances.
March 2008
KUDOS to Mieko Avello for being named to the AP Japanese Development Committee for
2008-9. In addition, Mieko recently contributed a curriculum unit for an upcoming
publication for AP Japanese and was awarded the Cheng and Tsui Professional
Development Award to attend ACTFL in Orlando in 2008. We are so proud of you!
November 2007
President’s report on our October General Business Meeting and the FFLA conference:
The weather was clear and sunny in Orlando on Friday as we met for the Florida Foreign
Language Association’s (FFLA) annual meeting at the Rosen Hotel on October 14th and
15th. William Collazo got up early to pick up Sandy Garcia from the airport (Thanks,
William!) She came in on a red-eye (overnight plane flight) from the Portland, Oregon,
area to be our guest presenter. Sandy is a very competent and genki teacher who willingly
shared her knowledge of teaching skills and observations on other state Japanese
language organizations.
Our business meeting was held Friday morning and gave us all a chance to discuss the
events we are planning. We were happy to welcome Yasuo Uotate and Yukari Nakamura
from the University of Florida faculty. Everyone reported on their current teaching
situations. And, as always, we are looking out for more full-time teaching positions for our
members.
Japan Immersion Day East was unfortunately cancelled for November due to lack of
classroom space at Florida International University. We are hoping to reschedule it in
March. The Japan Challenge scheduled for 12 January also will also be postponed.
Following our meeting, we all traveled to our favorite Japanese restaurant in Orlando —
Hanamizuki. The chef had prepared a delicious gourmet obento lunch especially for us.
What a treat! The food, the conversation, the friendship, and the peaceful setting
combined to make this a most memorable meal.
Friday afternoon, Mieko Avello used a PowerPoint presentation and handout booklet to
give the most polished, entertaining, and educational lesson of all the languages in her
“Japanese in Thirty Minutes” presentation. A big “arigatoo gozaimashita” to Mieko for
setting a high standard with her outstanding lesson.
Sandy Garcia’s two presentations on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning were
awesome! There were many attendees from other languages who were also interested in
the presentations on TPRS, a style of vocabulary building and grammar that uses
storytelling and body movements (total physical response) to teach a language with
amazing retention. Sandy taught the first one completely in English. Now we all know
about the “nefarious gnome” and the “nebbish gnu.” The second one was given in both
English to accommodate some attendees and Japanese to specifically instruct our AFTJ
group. We really appreciate the support of the Japan Foundation in sponsoring her
workshops.
Mieko Avello’s artistic flair in assembling the Japanese basket for the raffle made our
contribution one of the most beautiful of all the language choices. Thanks so much, Mieko!
Please save your “white elephant” Japanese items (items that
aren’t used but too good to throw out) for next year’s basket.
Visiting with each other and sharing ideas is definitely the best part of an FFLA
convention, and this year was more of the same. We had a great time getting to know
each other better.
I hope that all of you will start planning now to attend ACTFL at Disney in Orlando next
November (it is always the weekend before Thanksgiving). At ACTFL, you will find
increased workshop opportunities and chances to meet and interact with Japanese
teachers from throughout the United States.
June 2007
*Calendar Updated!
*KUDOS to FIU's Dr. Stephen Heine for being awarded with the Japan's most prestigious
award, the Emperor's Rising Sun Award
*KUDOS to Mieko Avello for being chosen as a Scoring Leader for the first AP Japanese
Reading in 2007. JC Morales was also a reader.
March 2007
*Calendar Updated!
January 2007
*Calendar Updated!
*Kudos to William Collazo for being named the 2006-7 FFLA Japanese teacher of the
year. Kudos to Mieko Avello for being named a Teacher of Promise.
May 2006
*The calendar has been updated to reflect the next academic years' events.
*The deadline to participate in the AP Conference has been extended to May 19th!
*Congratulations to the level 3 and 4 teams from Deerfield Beach and the level 3 team
from Palmetto Sr. High Schools which placed 12th, 14th and 13th, respectively, at the
Japan Bowl this March.
* The Skit and Speech Contest was a great success with 49 students from 7 institutions
participating. We hope to see even more students next year!
January 2006
*Thank you to our recent presenters at the October FFLA conference. Dr. Thomas Matts
from the College Board introduced A.P. Japanese, as well as other new world language A.
P. initiatives, while Sachiko Ann Welsh shared all the secrets and mystery of the Japanese
Imperial Dynasty.
*Kudos to Marci Muench for her FFLA presentation "Starting Your Own Japanese
Program." Her excellently received presentation even received a nomination for "Best of
Florida" at the conference. Omedetoo gozaimasu!
*Kudos to William Collazo, AFTJ's Japanese Teacher of the Year. Mr. Collazo received a
grant from the NCJLT to attend the ACTFL Conference in Baltimore as a representative of
AFTJ and also attended the Japan Foundation's Japanese Language Symposium
following the Conference. He will be presenting on both of these at our Spring Meeting.
*Welcome to our newest members, Mieko Avello-sensei, who is the new Japanese
instructor at Miami Palmetto Sr. High School, and Takami Taylor-sensei, who teaches in
GA.
*Kudos to Eiko Isogai Williams for the acknowledgement for her contributions to the the
brand-new 3rd edition of the textbook Yookoso! An Invitation to Contemporary Japanese
(2006) from Dr. Yasu-Hiko Tohsaku.
Origami goes to the hospital
On May 16, 2009, students in the Japanese club and Japanese national Honor Society
from Middleton and Tampa Bay Technical high schools went to Shriner’s Children's
Hospital to do volunteer work for the first time. While there, they continued their long
running traditional dance, Sooran-bushi. They folded one thousand paper cranes and took
them to the patients this Sembazuru to symbolize good fortune and wish for their quick
recovery. They also taught the children and some of their parents and caretakers how to
make origami cranes. By the end of their visit, there were many smiles, and all of us
enjoyed going as much as Shriner’s seemed to enjoy having their come.
- Anthony Jackson (who led the visiting students’ group)
“Succeed in Japanese” for Hillsborough County Teachers
On June 12, Ms. Melissa Morgado, SDHC’s supervisor of World Languages, conducted a
fullday workshop at USF for 39 county teachers who wished to learn more about current
Japanese language education in Florida. It was planned in hopes of expanding Japanese
classes in the county, perhaps to middle schools and even elementary. Hiroko Watanabe
presented what her students are learning and doing at her two high schools, Sachi Ann
Welsh talked about comparative elements in Japanese & American education systems and
Mr. Mitsuo Ogishima offered his service for school visits and cultural demonstrations.
- Sachi Ann Welsh
A successful IB Japanese program
On June 30th, the DBHS Japanese program received good publicity through a
presentation given by William Collazo at the 6th Annual Japan-Southeast U.S. Summit in
Jacksonville. Collazo was invited to be a participant on the education panel to share
information about the school and in particular, the IB Japanese program, the only one of its
kind in the state. In addition to educating those invested in the Japanese community in FL
about the program, he shared samples of student digital work to much praise by the
delegation.
- William Collazo
COME TO FFLA IN OCTOBER!
The FFLA Conference is Florida's premier world language association conference, and
this year it will be held at the Renaissance World Golf Village in St. Augustine, FL, from
October 15-17. This year, AFTJ has a full program planned for our members, including
our Annual Fall Meeting, as well as sessions on Writing in the Japanese Classroom,
Exciting Ways to Incorporate Technology for Japanese Learning, Preparing Students for
the AP Japanese Language and Culture Exam from Day 1, Using Anime in Class and
Advocacy for Japanese Programs. Not only will you get to meet Florida's best teaching
professionals, but you will also get ideas to take back to the classroom and promote
Japanese language learning as well. Go to www.ffla.us to register now!
June 2009
NEW JAPANESE PROGRAM IN MIAMI DADE COUNTY
Beginning in August 2009, Miami-Dade County will be adding a second high school with a
Japanese program. TERRA - Environmental Research Institute will be opening its doors
to 500 ninth graders in August. It is a brand new magnet school with academies in
environmental and field studies, biomedical research, and robotics. In 2009-10, TERRA
will offer two sections of Japanese 1 and will continue growing its program to offer
APJapanese by the 2012-13 school year. Juan Carlos will be the head of the foreign
language department. For further information on TERRA, please contact Juan Carlos
Morales at jcmorales@dadeschools.net, or visit their website at greenschool.
dadeschools.net.
CONGRATULATIONS, WATANABE SENSEI!
Hiroko Watanabe-sensei received an award from Hillsborough County called “World
Language Star Teacher Award” and also received a letter from the superintendent.
CONGRATULATIONS, AVELLO SENSEI!
Mieko Avello-sensei was reappointed as a member of the AP Japanese Development
Committee. Thank you, Avello-sensei, for all of your hard work on developing the exam
and on offering professional development.
EVENT REPORTS:
Japanese Immersion Day - West
The 7th Japanese Cultural Immersion Day was held March 19, 2009, at USF.
There were three workshops subdivided by 12 sessions from 10:00am to 1:00pm. The
classes were origami, Kimono try-on, okonomi-yaki, calligraphy, Today’s Japan, traditional
toys, tea ceremony, and ikebana. There were nearly one hundred people attending this
year. The students from three high schools - Middleton High School, Tampa Bay
Technical High School, Brandon High School - participated in this event. The staff
members were Mako Nozu, Ted Ohtani, Mitsuo Ogishima, Sachi Ann Welsh, Hiroko
Watanabe from AFTJ and other six people from the community. Obento (Japanese box
lunch) was prepared by AI – AI Restaurant in Tampa. They provided a variety of
food in plastic containers with the note explaining each food in both languages. The food
was fresh and delicious, and the students as well as the staff appreciated it very much.
The students and the chaperones were thrilled and truly enjoyed everything. This year we
invited the Brandon High School art class where the students recently studied Japanese
contemporary art.
SPEECH AND SKIT CONTEST - WEST
The Third Mid-Florida Speech and Skit Contest was held in Cooper Hall 115 at University
of South Florida on Saturday, April 11. It started at 1 pm and finished at 4pm. Because it
was the day before Easter, we received only 24 applications from Middleton High School,
Tampa Bay Technical High School, Wiregrass Ranch High School, Pasco Hernando
Community College, University of South Florida, University of Florida,
and Eckerd College. Twenty students actually participated on that day. However, there
were over 50 friends and family members of the participants attending the contest.
Students came up with interesting topics, such as Kimono, Toshizo Hijikata (Shinsengumi
Deputy Chief), Rakugo, etc., and they had prepared and practiced well. According to Mr.
Ogishima of Japan Foundation who had observed other speech contests in different states
and countries, the levels of the participants were very high, and he was impressed
with the students’ work. The judges who kindly helped us were Mrs. Noriko Hines, Dr.
Yasunari Kiryu, Ms. Aiko Takahashi, and Mrs. Yaeko Vople. Thanks to donations from
Adachi-sensei of Eckerd College and Ohtani-sensei of USF, we could provide gratitude
gifts to the judges.
The following were the prize winners:
Eric Crespo Tampa Bay Technical HS My Passion for Music
Teresa Mazwell Univ. of South Florida Kimono
Sam Van Ginhoven Univ. of South Florida My Last Trip to Japan
Level IV Speech:
Bob Anderson Univ. of Florida The Power of Words
Level VI Speech:
Anthony White Univ. of South Florida Rakugo
Jessica Davis Univ. of Florida Japan’s Working Mothers
Andrew Guinness Pasco Hernando CC Shinsengumi; Deputy Chief Toshizo Hijikata
Level I Skit:
David Ciccarello, Christian Esteves, Amber Gray Middleton HS Eat American
Level II Skit:
Carlos Lopez, Reiza Sibal, Seula Song Univ. of South Florida High School
Edwin Lacen, (Sean Kelly) Univ. of South Florida Two Meanings
Level IV Skit:
Devan White, Malisa Williams Middleton HS Sushi Restaurant
Allison Klopp, Corinne Dasher Univ. of Florida Dramatic! Drama Addict
SPEECH CONTEST - EAST
The Japanese Speech, Skit and Yonkoma Manga Contest in East was held on March 28th
at Florida International University. A total of 65 students participated from 6 schools:
Deerfield Beach High School, Gulliver School, Hallandale High School, Miami Palmetto
Senior High School, Western High School, and Florida International University. This year
we received donations from Japanese Business Association (JBA), Komatsu Inc., and
JalPak as supports for this contest. Mr. Ezure from Sony, Inc, Mr. Muramatsu
from the Consulate of Japan in Miami, Ms. Masako Kubota from FIU, Ms. Chihiro Yamada,
and AFTJ member Juan Carlos Morales-sensei came early in the morning to serve as our
judges for this contest. It was a great success and all students did a great job!
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!
April 2009
A group of Japanese class students from Palmetto senior high
performed Soranbushi, traditional Japanese dance, at the Asian Culture
Festival on March 7 & 8. They were so exited to show Japanese spirit through
their energetic dance. The audience loved it.
Hallandale High School made a remarkable accomplishment. Two Students
passed Japanese Language Proficiency Test Level 3 and one student passed
level 4. Way to go!
Attention, Shoppers! Would you like to save money?
I know this sounds like you are in WalMart or K-Mart, but it is true that you have a chance
to save money. As you know, Florida is hosting the ACTFL (American Council of Teaching
of Foreign Languages) 2008 Conference at the Disney Swan and Dolphin Resorts near
Orlando in November. The conference is awesome! So many workshops, so little time.
I finally went last year and now I know what everyone was talking about: I learned SOOOO
much. If you haven’t attended before, this year is your best chance. And if you have
attended before, then you know what a wonderful opportunity we have to attend the world’
s best conference on foreign languages. How lucky that we can drive instead of flying to
ACTFL.
Professionally, this conference is a great chance for you to learn of the newest techniques
and research in language acquisition, find out what is available on the Internet, and
network with over a hundred other Japanese teachers. The vendors of Japanese
textbooks and language learning aids will all be there showing their latest materials.
Attending the ACTFL Convention usually involves joining ACTFL for $75 and then paying
to attend the conference. However, this year, members of FFLA (membership is only $20
right now) do not pay the ACTFL registration fee. So there is a savings of fifty-five dollars!
You only need to pay the conference fee. And then if you register for the ACTFL
Conference in June, you get the Early Bird rate and save even more money!!!
We will email and send information in The Tidings about early FFLA registration so you
can take advantage of this offer.
While I am on the subject of ACTFL, we are looking into hotel rooms near Disney that are
more affordable than the Swan and Dolphin. If you have any good suggestions, please
email Marci Muench at seashell8@bellsouth.net.
May 2008
Florida International University was the site of the eighth annual Japanese Speech and
Skit Contest on Florida’s East Coast May 3rd. Our judges, Consul Koichi Muramatsu, FIU
Japanese teacher Naoko Komura, Hanae Sakata of Miami, and Donna Klein Academy
intern Masayo Komatsu from Tokyo had the difficult job of critiquing the speeches and
skits they heard. While most of the contestants were students studying Japanese in high
school, one middle school student from Crystal Lakes (Oyama-san’s school) and some FIU
and University of Miami students also participated. We appreciate the time and effort of
the students to prepare and present their talks.
For the first time this year, a Yonkoma Manga Contest (a 4-picture manga cartoon) was
added to the event. Co-chair William Collazo projected them onto a large screen so we
could all enjoy manga. There were three categories: comical, cultural, and historical. Even
a student from the University of West Florida in Pensacola entered the contest.
Sushiko Restaurant provided a delicious sushi lunch. We found out that there is not
enough sushi in Miami to fill up the sushi lovers! One lesson we learned for next year is to
serve the saucer of shoyu at the beginning to fill up the plate a little bit. With everyone
limiting their choices somewhat, there was enough sushi for the parents who had attended
to cheer on their children.
The students were excited to present their skits, and showed the great time and effort they
had put into the costumes, props, and dialogue. We all enjoyed the creativity and humor in
skits with such titles as “Bun Bun Zumo” and “Death at the Diner.”
Our AFTJ members pitched in to make the final decisions on the awards and complete the
certificates so we could make the presentations. This year certificates were awarded by
total points from the judging sheets, so the students were not competing against each
other for awards, but against our standards. Every entry was at the gold, silver, or copper
level this year.
Arigatoo to William Collazo for preparing the rules and registration forms and collecting the
fees. He also kept everything running and made the presentations. Mieko Avello arranged
for the trophies and the food and got her husband to be the delivery man for the sushi. On
that note, I hope all of us will thank our spouses and families for their support of AFTJ.
They make a positive difference to our organization.
And so the school year ends with successful AFTJ-sponsored events being offered to
students on both coasts of Florida.
A Review of the 2008 Japan Immersion Day by Daniel Nery, Miami Palmetto Sr. High
I believe that I speak for my classmates when I say that Japan Immersion Day is the most
anticipated day in the school year, especially when there are barely any field trips at our
school to begin with. It’s the only time of the year when students are excused to dedicate
their whole day to learning Japanese culture in place of Calculus, English, and Physics.
Not that these subjects are intolerable. I mean to say that what sets Japanese apart is the
fact that we chose to learn it. Continuing our education of such a challenging language
only stresses the fact that we actually enjoy learning it; I myself consider the class a refuge
during stressful days. What makes the class more enjoyable is the fact that it is spent with
people whom I’ve studied and joked around with for the past 4 years in an environment
where we all shared a common interest (which is the focus of the class). Now even if the
Japanese Immersion Day field trip turned out to be a disorganized disaster (which was not
the case), then spending the day learning my favorite subject alongside my close friends
would alone make the event worth attending.
The event itself was fabulous! During my high school career, I’ve attended three of the
Immersion Day festivals. I’ll admit that this year’s event did not seem as spectacular as last
year’s. Notable flaws included the absence of the dancer who performed beautifully for us.
I noticed that few schools attended the event. But I don’t mean to be a critic. Besides, a
student can only give a limited amount of input because nobody can experience everything
that the festival has to offer. Nevertheless, I was astonished by this year’s performance
upon hearing that it was all organized in a hurry. The quality almost matched those of
previous years when preparations were taken smoothly. The paper-doll class was really
well prepared and instructed. There were no supply shortages, and every pupil who
requested help was well assisted. The easy-going arts and craft course was extremely
relaxing; especially during the stressful week I was having at the time. The sushi course
was as successful as that of making paper-dolls. The workstations were neat, and there
were no messes from the prior session. The food supplies did run out though, but only
after every student was satisfied with their meal and ready for the big lunch ahead. The
essence of these sessions, however, came from me and my friends laughing at our own
flaws, competing to see who made the prettiest doll and the tastiest sushi, and finally
comparing our results. We shared our end products with each other, and commented on
our artistic and culinary abilities in the most elated and carefree manner.
In conclusion, this year’s Japan Immersion Day was almost (if not) on par with those of
previous years. Taking into account the amount of time available for organizing the event
and the quality of their efforts, I am more than confident in saying that this year’s
preparation team was outstanding. I’m sure that if circumstances were more favorable,
then this year’s Immersion Day festival would’ve been heralded as one of best ones. Now
if I may give advice to students as well, then I highly suggest that they prevent themselves
from being isolated. Students should avoid signing up for a course mainly because it suits
his or her interest. If it was up to me, I never would’ve considered making a paper-doll. I
suggest they come to a general consensus as to what courses to take, and then spend
every second of the field trip with their closest friends. That way, every moment becomes
a memorable experience, regardless of the circumstances.
March 2008
KUDOS to Mieko Avello for being named to the AP Japanese Development Committee for
2008-9. In addition, Mieko recently contributed a curriculum unit for an upcoming
publication for AP Japanese and was awarded the Cheng and Tsui Professional
Development Award to attend ACTFL in Orlando in 2008. We are so proud of you!
November 2007
President’s report on our October General Business Meeting and the FFLA conference:
The weather was clear and sunny in Orlando on Friday as we met for the Florida Foreign
Language Association’s (FFLA) annual meeting at the Rosen Hotel on October 14th and
15th. William Collazo got up early to pick up Sandy Garcia from the airport (Thanks,
William!) She came in on a red-eye (overnight plane flight) from the Portland, Oregon,
area to be our guest presenter. Sandy is a very competent and genki teacher who willingly
shared her knowledge of teaching skills and observations on other state Japanese
language organizations.
Our business meeting was held Friday morning and gave us all a chance to discuss the
events we are planning. We were happy to welcome Yasuo Uotate and Yukari Nakamura
from the University of Florida faculty. Everyone reported on their current teaching
situations. And, as always, we are looking out for more full-time teaching positions for our
members.
Japan Immersion Day East was unfortunately cancelled for November due to lack of
classroom space at Florida International University. We are hoping to reschedule it in
March. The Japan Challenge scheduled for 12 January also will also be postponed.
Following our meeting, we all traveled to our favorite Japanese restaurant in Orlando —
Hanamizuki. The chef had prepared a delicious gourmet obento lunch especially for us.
What a treat! The food, the conversation, the friendship, and the peaceful setting
combined to make this a most memorable meal.
Friday afternoon, Mieko Avello used a PowerPoint presentation and handout booklet to
give the most polished, entertaining, and educational lesson of all the languages in her
“Japanese in Thirty Minutes” presentation. A big “arigatoo gozaimashita” to Mieko for
setting a high standard with her outstanding lesson.
Sandy Garcia’s two presentations on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning were
awesome! There were many attendees from other languages who were also interested in
the presentations on TPRS, a style of vocabulary building and grammar that uses
storytelling and body movements (total physical response) to teach a language with
amazing retention. Sandy taught the first one completely in English. Now we all know
about the “nefarious gnome” and the “nebbish gnu.” The second one was given in both
English to accommodate some attendees and Japanese to specifically instruct our AFTJ
group. We really appreciate the support of the Japan Foundation in sponsoring her
workshops.
Mieko Avello’s artistic flair in assembling the Japanese basket for the raffle made our
contribution one of the most beautiful of all the language choices. Thanks so much, Mieko!
Please save your “white elephant” Japanese items (items that
aren’t used but too good to throw out) for next year’s basket.
Visiting with each other and sharing ideas is definitely the best part of an FFLA
convention, and this year was more of the same. We had a great time getting to know
each other better.
I hope that all of you will start planning now to attend ACTFL at Disney in Orlando next
November (it is always the weekend before Thanksgiving). At ACTFL, you will find
increased workshop opportunities and chances to meet and interact with Japanese
teachers from throughout the United States.
June 2007
*Calendar Updated!
*KUDOS to FIU's Dr. Stephen Heine for being awarded with the Japan's most prestigious
award, the Emperor's Rising Sun Award
*KUDOS to Mieko Avello for being chosen as a Scoring Leader for the first AP Japanese
Reading in 2007. JC Morales was also a reader.
March 2007
*Calendar Updated!
January 2007
*Calendar Updated!
*Kudos to William Collazo for being named the 2006-7 FFLA Japanese teacher of the
year. Kudos to Mieko Avello for being named a Teacher of Promise.
May 2006
*The calendar has been updated to reflect the next academic years' events.
*The deadline to participate in the AP Conference has been extended to May 19th!
*Congratulations to the level 3 and 4 teams from Deerfield Beach and the level 3 team
from Palmetto Sr. High Schools which placed 12th, 14th and 13th, respectively, at the
Japan Bowl this March.
* The Skit and Speech Contest was a great success with 49 students from 7 institutions
participating. We hope to see even more students next year!
January 2006
*Thank you to our recent presenters at the October FFLA conference. Dr. Thomas Matts
from the College Board introduced A.P. Japanese, as well as other new world language A.
P. initiatives, while Sachiko Ann Welsh shared all the secrets and mystery of the Japanese
Imperial Dynasty.
*Kudos to Marci Muench for her FFLA presentation "Starting Your Own Japanese
Program." Her excellently received presentation even received a nomination for "Best of
Florida" at the conference. Omedetoo gozaimasu!
*Kudos to William Collazo, AFTJ's Japanese Teacher of the Year. Mr. Collazo received a
grant from the NCJLT to attend the ACTFL Conference in Baltimore as a representative of
AFTJ and also attended the Japan Foundation's Japanese Language Symposium
following the Conference. He will be presenting on both of these at our Spring Meeting.
*Welcome to our newest members, Mieko Avello-sensei, who is the new Japanese
instructor at Miami Palmetto Sr. High School, and Takami Taylor-sensei, who teaches in
GA.
*Kudos to Eiko Isogai Williams for the acknowledgement for her contributions to the the
brand-new 3rd edition of the textbook Yookoso! An Invitation to Contemporary Japanese
(2006) from Dr. Yasu-Hiko Tohsaku.
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