It is with sad news, that Edmonds Commission received the following letter from our counterparts in Hekinan, Japan.
June 15th, 2009
The Honorable Gary Haakenson
Mayor
City of Edmonds
Dear Mayor Haakenson,
On behalf of the citizens of Hekinan, we would like to express our sincere gratitude for your cooperation in the mutual exchange programs to you and the citizens of our sister city, Edmonds.
With the outbreak of the influenza A (H1N1) virus, there were the confirmed cases in Japan, as you know.
Moreover, Influenza pandemic alert has been raised to Phase 6. "The world is now at the start of the 2009 influenza pandemic." the Director-General of WHO said at the press conference on June 11th.
The City of Hekinan and the Hekinan Sister City Association have been preparing to execute the junior high & high school student exchange program. However, in view of the following points, we decided to discontinue 2009 students exchange programs, receiving Edmonds students and dispatching Hekinan students.
1. Statement by WHO Director-General on June 11th, 2009
2. In Aichi prefecture, the person who returned from the United States got new influenza A (H1N1) virus.
3. In Japan a person getting new flu must be isolated to a special medical institution for one week at least.
4. New influenza caused the people who will accept a visitor from foreign countries uneasiness.
5. The vicinity cities decided to cancel student's exchange program recently.
As a result of the repeated meeting between the City of Hekinan and Hekinan Sister City Association, we were forced to make a decision to discontinue 2009 exchange programs.
We are very sorry for the students and the people who have worked hard for the program.
We would most humbly like you to understand our situation and idea for Crisis-management and accept our decision.
Very truly yours,
Masanobu Negita
Mayor
The City of Hekinan
Masashi Kuroda
President
The Hekinan Sister City Association
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
Edmonds Delegate Alumni Event on Sunday May 17th, 2009
Please join us for this special Student Delegation Reunion night for all former delegates and their families to share stories, compare notes and to provide informal thoughts and feedback to the 2009 Student Hekinan/Edmonds delegates prior to their departure in July!
Meet with old friends, bring your photos and learn about volunteer opportunities for the 2009 Hekinan student delegation!
We look forward to meeting each of you and your families! We will be having a drawing for an iTunes gift card...you won't want to miss that!
Light snacks, coffee, tea provided!
Location: Coldwell Banker Bain at 108 5th AVE S Edmonds WA
Date: Sunday May 17th, 2009
Time: 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
RSVP: edmondssistercity@gmail.com
Meet with old friends, bring your photos and learn about volunteer opportunities for the 2009 Hekinan student delegation!
We look forward to meeting each of you and your families! We will be having a drawing for an iTunes gift card...you won't want to miss that!
Light snacks, coffee, tea provided!
Location: Coldwell Banker Bain at 108 5th AVE S Edmonds WA
Date: Sunday May 17th, 2009
Time: 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM
RSVP: edmondssistercity@gmail.com
Report from Hekinan
From Carl & Heather Jensen living & teaching in Hekinan - March 2009
The weather is growing milder and the cherry trees are beginning to blossom after a long and surprisingly windy winter in Hekinan. The winters here are much sunnier than in Edmonds, and there was no snow this year, but the winter wind sweeping down from the mountains and out to sea is a constant feature of life in Hekinan during these months. Everyone seems to welcome the change in seasons.
The end of March also brings the end of the Japanese school year. At the five Hekinan junior high schools, the 9th graders have graduated and scattered to their new high schools. In Japan, junior high school students don’t move en masse to their local high school; rather, they apply to various high schools and go to the best one that they can perhaps in Hekinan, at Hekinan High School or Hekinan Technical High School, or perhaps in one of the neighboring towns of Nishio, Kariya, or even the big city of Nagoya. Every morning, high school students from Hekinan head for the train station to take the train to school in another town, and students from other towns arrive on the train for their school day in Hekinan.
The Hekinan Sister City Association is preparing to send fifteen students to Edmonds for the student homestay exchange this summer. The students were selected just a couple of days ago, and will be preparing for their visit for the next few months. The student exchange is a very important part of the sister city program; at every school there are teachers and vice-principals who have travelled to Edmonds on one of the exchange programs, and they are consistently the teachers who have the best understanding of foreign cultures and who are the most welcoming of a foreign teacher in their midst! Likewise, the students who visited Edmonds last year have benefitted from the homestay. They are outgoing, open, and have a perspective that most junior high school students don't have. All of the families who hosted students last year have really made a big difference for their Hekinan students. Thank you again for your kindness in opening your homes to the students!
The weather is growing milder and the cherry trees are beginning to blossom after a long and surprisingly windy winter in Hekinan. The winters here are much sunnier than in Edmonds, and there was no snow this year, but the winter wind sweeping down from the mountains and out to sea is a constant feature of life in Hekinan during these months. Everyone seems to welcome the change in seasons.
The end of March also brings the end of the Japanese school year. At the five Hekinan junior high schools, the 9th graders have graduated and scattered to their new high schools. In Japan, junior high school students don’t move en masse to their local high school; rather, they apply to various high schools and go to the best one that they can perhaps in Hekinan, at Hekinan High School or Hekinan Technical High School, or perhaps in one of the neighboring towns of Nishio, Kariya, or even the big city of Nagoya. Every morning, high school students from Hekinan head for the train station to take the train to school in another town, and students from other towns arrive on the train for their school day in Hekinan.
The Hekinan Sister City Association is preparing to send fifteen students to Edmonds for the student homestay exchange this summer. The students were selected just a couple of days ago, and will be preparing for their visit for the next few months. The student exchange is a very important part of the sister city program; at every school there are teachers and vice-principals who have travelled to Edmonds on one of the exchange programs, and they are consistently the teachers who have the best understanding of foreign cultures and who are the most welcoming of a foreign teacher in their midst! Likewise, the students who visited Edmonds last year have benefitted from the homestay. They are outgoing, open, and have a perspective that most junior high school students don't have. All of the families who hosted students last year have really made a big difference for their Hekinan students. Thank you again for your kindness in opening your homes to the students!
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