10 Japanese exchange students to attend Shaler Area High School classes in March

Hailing from Niigata High School on Japan’s western coast, 10 Japanese students attended three days of classes at Shaler Area High School.

The students, mostly third-year high schoolers, sat in on science, technology, engineering and math classes from March 10-12 in an effort to learn more about American STEM education.

Michael Burke, Duquesne University’s director of international student services, said the visit was organized by the college’s Center for Global Engagement. It chose to embed the students at Shaler Area High School because of its pre-existing Japanese program, he said.

In past years, Burke said his program had hosted students from Pittsburgh’s Japanese sister city, Saitama. But word about Pittsburgh’s educational opportunities, he said, spread to Niigata on the other side of Honshu, Japan’s main island.

In addition to participating in American-style STEM education, Burke said the students focused on English language and cultural exchange. While here, he said the students stayed in the homes of local families.

“I think this is a good thing and opens up for cultural understanding and cooperation, even on this small scale, between people from different countries,” Burke said.

As part of that development, Burke said Duquesne guided the students through Pittsburgh landmarks such as the Cathedral of Learning, Carnegie Science Center, Senator John Heinz History Center and the Strip District.

At the high school, Japanese teacher Steve Balsomico said that even though the students focused on STEM, he also organized conversation sessions between the visiting students and their Shaler Area peers who are learning Japanese.

Balsomico, who taught in Japan for several years, said Japanese and American education is “very different in most aspects.”

For two days, the students participated in Abbey Nilson’s sustainability class at the high school. Nilson said her students, some of whom also study Japanese, are “very excited” to meet their temporary classmates.

During their visit, Nilson said she likely will have the Japanese students collaborate with their sustainability classmates to build small solar-powered cars.

“I feel like grassroots exchange like this is so important, and it just doesn’t happen enough,” Balsomico said.

In the future, Burke said Duquesne hopes to host Niigata students annually and likely in larger numbers.