Worthington Memory http://www.worthingtonmemory.org Contributor: Worthington International Friendship Association -------------------------------------------------------------------- In Friendship The Newsletter of the Worthington International Friendship Association Summer 1996 [Left column] Organization Outlines Plans for the Year Continuing to build the Friendship City relationship with Sayama, Japan, and initiating new local intercultural activities are priorities for WIFA in 1996. WIFA has invited SIFA members to visit the community in August when they will be able to enjoy many local events, including the Worthington Folklife Festival, the Ohio State Fair and evening concerts at the Polaris Amphi- theater. To support WIFA's efforts, the Worthington Arts Council is planning an ex- change of art exhibits with Sayama, through SIFA (Sayama International Friendship Assoication). New officers were elected and seven committees were created at WIFA's first meetings of 1996. The officers are: Barbara Avery, president, and Janine Degitz, president-elect, (two year terms) and Robin Wigney, recording secretary. Sadicka Thomas and Lou Brigs will continue as correspond- ing secretary and treasurer, respectively. WIFA's new by-laws adopted in January estbalished four standing committees and chairpersons are: Finance, Lou Briggs; Program, Janine Degitz; Nominating; and Membership, Sadicka Thomas. The following subcommittees were created to carry out WIFA's programs: * International Nights, Barbara Stovall. * Russian Visitors, David Elder. * Homestays, Courtney Ottolenghi- Barga; Orientation: Barbara Avery. * Newsletter, John Butterfield. * Sayama Relations, Robin Wigney. * Worthington Arts Council Projects, Jeanne Earhart. Committee chairpersons are still needed for the Local Intercultural, Sayama Visit and High School Support Committees. More members are welcome [Middle column] on all committees. If you are interested in joining WIFA and participating in the organization's activities, please call Ms. Thomas at the Worthington Municipal Bldg. 436-3100. [Photograph] [Caption] Members of the WIFA Board, from front left, Jeanne Earhart, Barbara Stovall, Christy Morgan, Janine Degitz; second row, Lou Briggs, Emi Yamagata, Dave Elder, Sadicka Thomas; back row, Dale Friday, Barbara Avery, Jean Sickles and Eli Jones WIFA Welcomes Russian Visitors WIFA joined the Worthington City Council and other local organi- zations in April in welcoming 20 Russian students and three faculty members from School 555 in Moscow. The group was here for a month's visit as part of a Russian-American Exchange Program involving Worthington Kilbourne High School, one of two high schools in the community. A similar-sized group of Worthington Kilbourne students and staff visited Russia for three weeks in October and November. All participants in the program are housed with host families in Russia and the United States. The purposes of the program, approved under the federal government's Freedom Support Act and School Linkages Project, is to increase the exchange of ideas and knowledge related to the technical preparation necessary for employment in [Right column] WIFA Delegates Reflect on October Visit to Sayama The four Worthington community members who traveled to Sayama last October will never forget their experiences or the kindness of the people who hosted them and saw to their needs during their six-day visit. Community arts leaders Jim Mowery, president of the Worthington Arts Council's board of directors, and Jeanne Earhart, executive director of the arts group, along with Jane Trucksis of the worthington Historical Society and Christy Morgan, a Thomas Worthington High School student who is studying Japanese enthusiastically accepted the invitation of the Sayama International Friendship Association (SIFA) to visit their city. During their stay the Worthington (Continued on page 2) a democratic, market-driven economy. The program emphasizes basic principles of democratization in the world of work and everyday life, including a focus on language development, business and economics and selected areas of technology common to the curriculum of the paired schools. WIFA president Barbara Avery, City Council President Lou Goorey and Vice President Lou Briggs officially greeted the Russian delegation at the Council's April 15 meeting. Each visitor received a welcoming resolution and a Worthington mug. School 555 Director Alexander Komarov told the officials he was over- whelmed by the friendliness of the city and the accessibility of city leaders to its citizens. He presented the city with a flag of Moscow. "We will take back what we learn from your country to make ours a (Continued on page 3) [Top half of page] WIFA to Host Nine Guests from Ayama in August [Left column] Twelve Worthington-area families and a number of WIFA members are eagerly preparing for the second exchange visit with members of SIFA. The delegation, due to arrive on August 1, includes four students - two in high school, one in middle school and one in college - and four adults. The visitors will be in Worthington until August 8. The first delegation of SIFA members, six adults, visited Worthington in October 1994. Two delegations from Worthington have already visited Sayama. Courtney Chapman, who made the arrangements for the hosts, said the guests will share time with two families to give them an opportunity for a variety of experiences during their visit. The host families handle the visitors' accommoda- tions and food during their stay and help [Middle column] acquaint the guests with the community and the American way of life. Mino Orita, a retiree, will be hosted by Frank and June White, and Barbara Avery and Courtney Chapman. The Whites, along with Larry and Jeanne Earhart, will also host Etsuji Shimada, a teacher. Tomoko Suganuma, who works in an office in Sayama, will stay with Jane Trucksis, and Tom and Ann Dimarco. Komono consultant Sonoko Eiki will also stay with these families. Tomoko Suzuki, a 12th-grade student, wil stay with Robert and Kathryn Paugh, and with Sadicka and Mea Thomas. The Thomases will also host Sanae [Right column] Yamashita, who is a university student. She will also be the guest of OSU student Emi Yamagata. Eleventh grader Takeshi Ushikubo will stay with Richard and Lillian Macer, and Mark and Cindy Keller. Frank and Clara Bunk will host Michiko Oshima, a homemaker. She will also stay with Judy Wagner. Eighth grader Ryuji Eiki will be hosted by Robert and Debbie Morgan and Christy Morgan, as well as by the Keller family. WIFA has planned several group excursions for the visitors, and other community members have organized activities tailored to the interests of the guests. [Lower half of page] Reflections on Sayama [Left column] visitors exchanged gifts with Sayama's major, met local artists and shared information about the two cities and cultures. For Mowery, the conversations with newly made Japanese friends was the most enjoyble part of his visit. He found that talking on a one-to-one basis assured good communications even though he could not speak the language. "It was clear to me that my friendship was important to them as was [Photograph] the relation- ship between Sayama and Worthington." Mowery explained. Mowery learned that social inter- action on a face-to-face level is extremely important to the Japanese paople because it enhances the understanding and knowledge of the other person. "Since the Japanese rely upon one another to work cooperatively, great emphasis is placed upon the predictabil- ity of each person's behavior," Mowery observes. "They strive to maintain a shared value system which works toward the collective good for the people as a whole and much less for the individual." Earhart's visit to Kyoto and Sayama [Middle column] strengthened her appreciation for the Japanese sense of beauty and style. She found this sense reflected throughout their culture, and particularly in their presentation of food. One of her favorite destinations while visiting was the public gardens, each having a history in the religious or ruling hierarchy of the country. The seemingly natural but intricate designs are punctuated with architectural treasure. Earhart [Photograph] particularly enjoyed the people who, upon her arrival were "Japanese," but on her departure were "people." [Caption] "And what From left, Jim Mowery, Jeanne Earhart, Christy Morgan, Mayor lovely people Junichi Machida and Jane Trucksis. they are, "she adds. Trucksis also cited the most enjoyable part of her trip as being with the "wonder- ful people of SIFA." Although she was unable to converse in Japanese, Trucksis said she and her hosts found a common language, speaking with their hearts and with humor. "We were adding to the global pyramid of friendship and under- standing," she said. With the exception of the entry to a home with its bookcase for shoes and slippers and the ceremonial room with its 2 [Right column] Thank you On behalf of my fellow travelers, I wish to convey the warmest feelings of friendship to our many friends in Sayama. We were overwhelmed with the enthusi- asm and harmony experienced while visiting your city. We hope that our visit is another step in our journey to a better understanding between the people of our two cities. We eagerly look forward to many cultural exchanges being planned for the future. We hope there can be more face to face meetings of our people so there can be a higher degree of understanding between us. Your friend, James S. Mowery, Jr. mat-covered floor, Trucksis found the furnishings in the modern Japanese house to be similar to homes in Worthington. The homes she visited had upholstered davenports and coffee tables, tables and chairs in the dining area and even computers. Christy liked the time she spent in school. She felt privileged to be able to participate in Sports Day and enjoyed learning about the organization of their high schools. In Japan students stay in the same classroom throughout the school day and the teachers rotate from class to class. She also has fond memories of the night she was given a beautiful kimono to wear. She looks forward to returning someday to Sayama to see her new- found friends again. [Top half of page] [Left column] Russians Visitors better place for our people," he said. But official ceremonies were only one of the ways WIFA extended its hospitality to the Russian visitors. City Manager Dave Elder, who served as the chairper- son of the Russian Visitors Committee, arranged a bowling and pizza party for the guests. While some had seen bowling on Russian television, most of the visitors had never bowled before. Even though many balls ended in the gutter, the students had fun and liked the food. Toward the end of their stay, WIFA hosted a cookout and dessert party for the Russians at the home of Avery and Countney Chapman. WIFA board mem- bers and other Worthington-area resi- dents told stories of how and why their ancestors came to America. The Russian students and their teachers shared information about their families' back- ground. Avery described the various waves of immigration to the United States, starting with the migration of Native Americans from eastern Russia, Siberia, Mongolia and places futher west to the late 20th century immigration of non-Europeans. [Middle column] [Photograph] [Caption] Russian student Julia Borissova learns about the city's fire services from the driver's seat of a fire truck. Among the reasons for immigration she cited were greed, free land, revolution, war, forced emigration, famine, desire for work opportunities, escape from military service, opportunities for better educa- tion, and desire for religious and political freedom. Floyd Shepherd told how his African- American ancestors, probably from western Africa, were captured packed tightly into ships and brought to America as slaves. One of his slave ancestors escaped and ran to a Native American settlement, where he or she was shel- tered and may have joined the tribe. [Right column] Jane Trucksis and Avery told of their English and German ancestry; Chapman described his English ancestors and City Councilman John Duffey related how his great grandfather left Ireland after the Great Potato Famine to work in America. Bonnie Michael, also serving on City Council, talked about her Hungarian grandparents who were Catholic and her German grandparents who were Jewish. Janyce Katz, also Jewish, told how her grandparents left Russia for Cincinnati, Ohio, to avoid persecution for their religious belief under the Czar's rule. Eung and Kay Lee left South Korea for the United States to study in American colleges. Eung abaondoned North Korea for South Korea during the Korean War. Rohini Mulchandani, born near Bombay, also left India to obtain an advanced degree in an American university. Emi Yamagata, a student at Ohio State University, came to Worthington when her father was trans- ferred to the Honda America Plant in Marysville, Ohio. [Lower half of page] Arts Council's Programming Reflects Community's Interest in Cultures, Diversity The 1995-96 Performance Series of the Worthington Arts Council [Photographs] featured programs that represented cultural significance as well as excellent entertainment. Three national touring companies presented performances in the auditorium of Thomas Worthington High School. [Left column] [Caption] (Clockwise from top right) Using a combination of spoken word and sign language, the National Theatre of the Deaf performed "An Italian Straw Hat," a comedy of mistaken identities, impossible situations and close calls. The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company blended Chinese classical dance with Western-influenced modern choreography. The ensemble Troupe America [Right column] presented Mahalia, the story of Mahalia Jackson, who became the musical voice of the entire civil rights movement in America. Songs, such as "We Shall Overcome" and "Precious Lord, Take My Hand," helped trace the life of Mahalia from her humble birth in a three-room shanty in New Orleans to her performances before American presidents and European royalty. 3 [Top half of page] Students and Community Celebrate Diversity [Left column] Approxiamtely 600 students, parents and community members celebrated diversity and recognized student writers at a special event in May, sponsored by the school district and the Worthington Alliance of Black Parents. At the Multicultural Writing and Diversity Celebration school officials presented this year's edition of the district's multicultural writing project, Shared Visions. The booklet is a collaboration of the school district and the Alliance. It is also funded by the Worthington Community Relations Commission, Huntington National Bank and Wendy's International. The 238-page book features the writings and art work of more than 400 Worthington students from kindergarten through the 12th grade. Students wrote about the traditions, roles and contribu- [Middle column] tions of women in various cultures, national origins, and the value of African Americans and Native Americans and their impact on Ohio history. In addition, [Sketch] [Right column] students in middle and high schools wrote about themes traditionally found in African American poetry, prose and drama, including struggle, uplift, oppres- sion, resistance, injustice, survival and triumph. Approximately 45 students read their writings. Children from Liberty Elementary School sang a multicultural song they wrote, and the Thomas Worthington High School Jazz Band performed. In addition, there was a demonstration of how technology is being used by students in English as a Second Language (ESL) classes to communicate to others through the World Wide Web. A Group of ESL students from Bluffsview Elementary School also sang "It's a Small World After All."