Bond Between BSM, Japanese School Grows

A new tree sits in front of , but it wasn’t planted just for its beauty.

The young cherry blossom was a gift from Kaisei Gakuin High School in Japan, in recognition of more than $1,700 raised by BSM students, staff and faculty last spring to help with earthquake and tsunami relief efforts.

It is also a symbol of the growing relationship between these two distant schools. On Thursday, 47 students from Kaisei Gakuin visited BSM to observe classes and participate in the tree-planting ceremony. It was the third straight year that the Japanese students have made the visit.

“This tree represents a connection between two schools, separated by an ocean, but connected by a culture,” said Tom Haeg, a former BSM parent who was instrumental in connecting the schools. “Today, their soil will be our soil. Their water will be our water.”

Three years ago, Haeg said he was interested in igniting a relationship with the Japanese school, which was founded in 1961 by Benedictine Sisters from the College of St. Benedict in Minnesota. Soon after, Kaisei Gakuin students were making the annual, week-long trip to Minnesota.

Mitsuo Takada, the principal of Kaisei Gakuin, said he’s grateful for the support his school has received from BSM, and he was more than happy to give a symbol of appreciation.

“It's a token of the ever-lasting friendship between our two schools," he said of the cherry blossom. "I hope this tree grows big enough to bloom and become part of BSM legend.”

Of course, Kaisei Gakuin students were on hand for more than just the ceremonial tree planting. Throughout the day, they toured the halls of an American high school, taking note of similarities—and differences—from what they’re used to back home.

“This school is big,” said Hiroto Endo through an interpreter. Kaisei Gakuin has around 200 students, while BSM has roughly 1,200 students, 900 of which are in the high school.

But big doesn’t necessarily mean bad, Endo said. “The students are very kind and friendly,” he added.

Friendly is the perfect way to describe the relationship between the two groups of students, as they were laughing in the halls and snapping pictures with each other before the day was over. A number of BSM students served as “buddies” for their Japanese guests, while some BSM parents provided housing for the week.

Dasia Davenport, a BSM sophomore, was Endo’s buddy this year. Davenport was also involved last year.

“I learned a lot of things and became friends with (Endo)," she said. "We message each other all the time, and I learned some Japanese.”

Haeg said he’s happy to see such relationships grow, and he hopes this continues for many years.

“It’s something that’s just blossomed like the cherry tree,” he said.