Heads Up: Horowhenua College Japanese sister school students visit Levin

The Japanese students from Namiki High School visited Horowhenua College for a 10-day exchange.

Kia ora koutou, talofa lava, greetings everyone.

Namiki High School is our sister school from Japan. They recently visited us and we thoroughly enjoyed hosting 27 Japanese students for 10 days.

Our students and their families are the host families for these students. They very willingly shared their homes and families to allow these Japanese students to experience life in New Zealand. These families are very generous and have provided life-long memories for these students to take home with them to Japan.

Our students and college have also gained from hosting these students from Japan.

Language is no barrier, and experiences have been shared enabling friendships to develop quickly. Having the Japanese students speak and sing at our college assembly was enjoyed and really well-received.

Four international students from Germany, Switzerland and Austria started at Horowhenua College in term three.

As well as hosting 27 students from Japan, we also recently welcomed four international students from Germany, Switzerland and Austria. These students are with us long-term and they have quickly settled into our college.

Horowhenua College has 70 countries represented among the students and staff. This means we have 35% of the 195 countries in the world represented at our college. This is something we celebrate and enjoy.

Each of these cultures positively contribute to the life and the culture of our college. We are rich in culture and this positively influences all we do at Horowhenua College.

I therefore want to take the opportunity to thank all those who open their homes and their families to host an overseas student.

We have numerous visits from overseas schools each year but we cannot do so without host families. Thank you so much - your generosity is greatly appreciated.