OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — A group of middle school students and members of a Japanese delegation arrived in Oak Ridge Thursday as part of an international program meant to encourage friendship between nations. The 17 students arrived in East Tennessee as part of the Sister City exchange program between Oak Ridge and Naka Shi, in Japan.
The program gives the chance for people from Japan and East Tennessee to visit each country and explore the area. The students are set to stay in Oak Ridge for a week, and they were welcomed Thursday during a ceremony with Bruce Borchers, Oak Ridge Schools superintendent, as well as Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch.
"This is actually the first time for me to come to Oak Ridge. The kids have been coming as part of the student exchange, but this is actually my first time to the American mainland. I've been to Hawaii and Guam," said one member of the Naka Shi delegation.
He said he felt like Tennessee is similar to an area of Japan named Hokkaido. He described it as a place with swaths of open land and bountiful nature, as well as people who "have very warm hearts."
The students arrived with two chaperones and the Naka Shi mayor, according to a release. While in East Tennessee, they will attend classes at Robertsville Middle School and Jefferson Middle School. They will also have the chance to tour Oak Ridge National Laboratory and visit The Sunsphere. Visiting the Museum of Appalachia is also on their agenda.
This exchange program marked the first time the program brought students overseas since the program was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
John Smith, the Chairman of the Sister City Support Organization of Oak Ridge, said Oak Ridge sends 10 students to Naka Shi over the summer as part of the exchange program. He said the program started in 1990.
"Friendship is our number one goal, and we encourage our students to find what we consider to be sisters and brothers of a new family," he said.