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American School in Japan

January 31, 2023

The American School in Japan (ASIJ; Japanese: アメリカンスクール・イン・ジャパン) is an international private day school located in the city of Chōfu, Tokyo, Japan. The school consists of an elementary school, a middle school, and a high school, all located on the Chōfu campus. There is also an early learning center (nursery-kindergarten) for children aged 3–5 located in the Roppongi Hills complex in downtown Tokyo. Instruction is in English and follows an American-style curriculum. About two thirds of the school's students are the children of citizens of a wide variety of countries who are on temporary assignment in Japan, and the remaining one third are Japanese students who speak English. The campus is fenced in, resulting from heightened security measures taken after the September 11 attacks, with campus surroundings including the Nogawa Park and the neighborhood of Tama. The Good Schools Guide International called ASIJ "an impressive school, not only for its size and facilities but also for its strong sense of where it is going."[citation needed]

American School in Japan
Location
Chōfu, Tokyo, Japan

Japan
Information
TypePrivate
MottoFostering a community of inquisitive learners and independent thinkers, inspired to be their best selves, empowered to make a difference
Established1902
Head of schoolJim Hardin
GradesPre-K to 12
Enrollment1647
MascotMustang
AccreditationWASC
Affiliationnone
Websitewww.asij.ac.jp

History

Officially founded in 1902, The American School in Japan was started by a group of women who recognized the need for a school among the growing foreign community. Beginning life in rented rooms in the Kanda YMCA, the Tokyo School for Foreign Children, as it was then known, quickly attracted a growing numbers of students from around the world and soon needed to move to a more permanent home in Tsukiji. In 1921, the school moved to a new 3 story building in Shibaura. The building was deemed unsafe after the Great Kanto earthquake, and classes resumed on the Friends Mission compound in Shiba, in the former home of the Bowles family.[1]

In the early 1920s Frank Lloyd Wright, who was in Tokyo building the Imperial Hotel, drew designs for a proposed new campus,[2] as did Antonin Raymond. Although neither of the designs were constructed, Raymond assisted in the move and repurposing of some buildings when the school moved to Nakameguro in 1927.[1] In 1933, local expatriate architect William Merrell Vories was asked to design and build a new main concrete building for the campus, which was completed in 1934. After closing during the war years, the school reopened in 1946. The current campus in Chofu was opened in 1963.

A series of major improvements to the main campus began in the late 1990s, with seismic updates, a new elementary school gym, and an expansion to the high school which included a redesigned entrance. A new cafeteria building with classrooms and administrative offices on the second and third floors opened in 2003. In 2004, the school's Early Learning Center opened in Roppongi Hills, moving from Nakameguro. A new theater complex opened in 2005. Between 2006 and 2009, athletic fields and playgrounds were upgraded and solar panels were installed. Between 2010 and 2013, a series of changes designed by Paul Tange addressed campus traffic flow, added new athletic facilities (including raised tennis courts with covered bus drop-off below, and replaced the Multipurpose Room, along with the Elementary music and art classrooms with the CADC (Creative Art Design Center) which not only houses the music and art classrooms, but also houses multiple rooms for the high school and middle school Design Technology classes, a Japanese Culture center, and holds multiple meeting rooms.[3][4]

Jack Moyer sexual abuse

In March 2014, the school publicly announced that a teacher, Jack Moyer, had sexually abused students during his tenure from 1963~1988. He also continued to be involved in the school's 7th grade Miyake outdoor program until 2002, when the erupting island volcano ended that locale for the program. The school stated that the current administration and board had found out about this abuse in November 2013. However, victims of Moyer allege that past administrators were informed as far back as 1968. The school says that it has no record of this earlier reporting. Moyer committed suicide in 2004. Alumni called on the school to commission an independent investigation into a possible years-long cover-up by the school's administration over the abuse allegations.[5][6] The school announced on 4 June 2014 that it had contracted the law firm Ropes & Gray to conduct an independent investigation into the allegations against Moyer and how ASIJ responded to the allegations.[7]

In June 2015, the ASIJ Board of Directors released a letter admitting that an independent investigation found that Jack Moyer's abuse of students was extensive and that the abuse was covered up by faculty and administrators for years. The board apologized for the harm this has caused and promised to release the report in English and Japanese by mid-June, 2015.[8] The full report, released by Ropes & Gray LLP on June 15, 2015, concluded "[i]n light of all of the evidence we have examined, it is apparent to us that Moyer was a serial pedophile who, in our assessment, sexually abused female ASIJ students".[9][10] Lawyers for 13 of the victims also released their report on June 15, 2015.[11]

Curriculum

ASIJ follows a broadly American curriculum and Advanced Placement courses are offered for high school sophomores, juniors and seniors. There is a Japanese language program, which begins in the first grade. Other languages taught are Spanish and Chinese. All the students in the Elementary School must learn Japanese for one period every other day.

The Early Learning Center's philosophy is heavily influenced by the Reggio Emilia Approach and the curriculum is project based. The elementary school uses the Columbia Writing Program and Everyday Math program in addition to curriculum units developed by faculty. In 2011, ASIJ joined Global Online Academy, a consortium of leading independent schools that offers courses taught by consortium member teachers to member school students. GOA courses are designed to give students an opportunity to offer their local perspective to global issues.[12]

Environmental sustainability

SAFE, Student Action for the Environment, has been recycling paper for over a decade, approximately 20 tons last year. The school started keeping baseline data on energy usage and garbage volumes in 2007 when they began composting cafeteria waste and campus leaves using earthworms. The compost is used to fertilize the gardens and greenery around campus. Used cooking oil is donated to Revo International to produce biodiesel fuel.

Reflective paint on building roofs, reflective film on windows, the installation of more double pane windows and LED lighting were largely accomplished in 2008. In 2009, with the help of government funding and private and corporate donors, the school installed solar panels on top of the gym and pool buildings which have a maximum capacity of 80 kWh. ASIJ also promotes energy conservation each year by not turning on the heat or air-conditioning during October and April, aka NO HEAT-NO COOL months, and has reduced PET bottle consumption by promoting the use of water bottles such as SIGG and replaced regular PET bottles in vending machines with Coca-Cola's I Lohas bottles.[13] Since the 2007–2008 school year, ASIJ has reduced annual energy consumption on campus by 25.1% with a goal of 30% by the end of 2013.

A 2010-2011 carbon footprint audit by ECO3 Design has given the school new goals to replace heavy-oil boilers and install a ground source heat exchange system.

Notable alumni

See also: Category:American School in Japan alumni

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Campus Timeline". The Ambassador: 10, 11. Fall 2010. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  2. ^ Severns, Karen (Spring 2010). "A 20th Century Close Encounter". ASIJ. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  3. ^ "A Man with a Plan". The Ambassador: 4–9. Fall 2010. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  4. ^ "Facilities Master Plan: 1998–2014". The Ambassador: 12–15. Fall 2010. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  5. ^ Mitchell, Jon (21 March 2014). "ASIJ admits honored teacher sexually abused students". The Japan Times. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  6. ^ Mitchell, Jon, "After ASIJ admission that teacher abused kids, ex-students demand inquiry", Japan Times, 13 May 2014, p. 10
  7. ^ Mitchell, Jon, "ASIJ announces investigation into sex abuse", Japan Times, 10 June 2014, p. 10
  8. ^ Tomohiro Osaki. "American School in Japan admits covering up teacher's sex abuse for decades". The Japan Times. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
  9. ^ (PDF). American School in Japan. p. 30. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-07-01. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  10. ^ Tomohiro Osaki. "ASIJ sex abouse report is finally released, blames 'culteral taboos'". The Japan Times. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  11. ^ "Report on the Sexual Abuse of Students at the American School in Japan" (PDF). Crew Janci LLP. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  12. ^ . Global Online Academy. Archived from the original on 2012-10-14. Retrieved 2012-09-29.
  13. ^ "I Lohas Bottles". Greenlaunches.com. Retrieved 2012-09-29.

Further reading

  • (in Japanese) 島沢 みどり. "アメリカンスク-ル・イン・ジャパン フレデリック・P・ハリス図書館を訪ねて." 学校図書館 (477), p68-71, 図巻頭2p, 1990–07. 全国学校図書館協議会. See profile at CiNii.

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to American School in Japan.
  • American School in Japan home page
  • American School in Japan at the Wayback Machine (archive index)

Coordinates: 35°40′51″N 139°31′17″E / 35.68083°N 139.52139°E / 35.68083; 139.52139

January 31, 2023
american, school, japan, asij, japanese, アメリカンスクール, イン, ジャパン, international, private, school, located, city, chōfu, tokyo, japan, school, consists, elementary, school, middle, school, high, school, located, chōfu, campus, there, also, early, learning, center, . The American School in Japan ASIJ Japanese アメリカンスクール イン ジャパン is an international private day school located in the city of Chōfu Tokyo Japan The school consists of an elementary school a middle school and a high school all located on the Chōfu campus There is also an early learning center nursery kindergarten for children aged 3 5 located in the Roppongi Hills complex in downtown Tokyo Instruction is in English and follows an American style curriculum About two thirds of the school s students are the children of citizens of a wide variety of countries who are on temporary assignment in Japan and the remaining one third are Japanese students who speak English The campus is fenced in resulting from heightened security measures taken after the September 11 attacks with campus surroundings including the Nogawa Park and the neighborhood of Tama The Good Schools Guide International called ASIJ an impressive school not only for its size and facilities but also for its strong sense of where it is going citation needed American School in JapanLocationChōfu Tokyo JapanJapanInformationTypePrivateMottoFostering a community of inquisitive learners and independent thinkers inspired to be their best selves empowered to make a differenceEstablished1902Head of schoolJim HardinGradesPre K to 12Enrollment1647MascotMustangAccreditationWASCAffiliationnoneWebsitewww wbr asij wbr ac wbr jp Contents 1 History 1 1 Jack Moyer sexual abuse 2 Curriculum 3 Environmental sustainability 4 Notable alumni 5 See also 6 References 7 Further reading 8 External linksHistory EditOfficially founded in 1902 The American School in Japan was started by a group of women who recognized the need for a school among the growing foreign community Beginning life in rented rooms in the Kanda YMCA the Tokyo School for Foreign Children as it was then known quickly attracted a growing numbers of students from around the world and soon needed to move to a more permanent home in Tsukiji In 1921 the school moved to a new 3 story building in Shibaura The building was deemed unsafe after the Great Kanto earthquake and classes resumed on the Friends Mission compound in Shiba in the former home of the Bowles family 1 In the early 1920s Frank Lloyd Wright who was in Tokyo building the Imperial Hotel drew designs for a proposed new campus 2 as did Antonin Raymond Although neither of the designs were constructed Raymond assisted in the move and repurposing of some buildings when the school moved to Nakameguro in 1927 1 In 1933 local expatriate architect William Merrell Vories was asked to design and build a new main concrete building for the campus which was completed in 1934 After closing during the war years the school reopened in 1946 The current campus in Chofu was opened in 1963 A series of major improvements to the main campus began in the late 1990s with seismic updates a new elementary school gym and an expansion to the high school which included a redesigned entrance A new cafeteria building with classrooms and administrative offices on the second and third floors opened in 2003 In 2004 the school s Early Learning Center opened in Roppongi Hills moving from Nakameguro A new theater complex opened in 2005 Between 2006 and 2009 athletic fields and playgrounds were upgraded and solar panels were installed Between 2010 and 2013 a series of changes designed by Paul Tange addressed campus traffic flow added new athletic facilities including raised tennis courts with covered bus drop off below and replaced the Multipurpose Room along with the Elementary music and art classrooms with the CADC Creative Art Design Center which not only houses the music and art classrooms but also houses multiple rooms for the high school and middle school Design Technology classes a Japanese Culture center and holds multiple meeting rooms 3 4 Jack Moyer sexual abuse Edit In March 2014 the school publicly announced that a teacher Jack Moyer had sexually abused students during his tenure from 1963 1988 He also continued to be involved in the school s 7th grade Miyake outdoor program until 2002 when the erupting island volcano ended that locale for the program The school stated that the current administration and board had found out about this abuse in November 2013 However victims of Moyer allege that past administrators were informed as far back as 1968 The school says that it has no record of this earlier reporting Moyer committed suicide in 2004 Alumni called on the school to commission an independent investigation into a possible years long cover up by the school s administration over the abuse allegations 5 6 The school announced on 4 June 2014 that it had contracted the law firm Ropes amp Gray to conduct an independent investigation into the allegations against Moyer and how ASIJ responded to the allegations 7 In June 2015 the ASIJ Board of Directors released a letter admitting that an independent investigation found that Jack Moyer s abuse of students was extensive and that the abuse was covered up by faculty and administrators for years The board apologized for the harm this has caused and promised to release the report in English and Japanese by mid June 2015 8 The full report released by Ropes amp Gray LLP on June 15 2015 concluded i n light of all of the evidence we have examined it is apparent to us that Moyer was a serial pedophile who in our assessment sexually abused female ASIJ students 9 10 Lawyers for 13 of the victims also released their report on June 15 2015 11 Curriculum EditASIJ follows a broadly American curriculum and Advanced Placement courses are offered for high school sophomores juniors and seniors There is a Japanese language program which begins in the first grade Other languages taught are Spanish and Chinese All the students in the Elementary School must learn Japanese for one period every other day The Early Learning Center s philosophy is heavily influenced by the Reggio Emilia Approach and the curriculum is project based The elementary school uses the Columbia Writing Program and Everyday Math program in addition to curriculum units developed by faculty In 2011 ASIJ joined Global Online Academy a consortium of leading independent schools that offers courses taught by consortium member teachers to member school students GOA courses are designed to give students an opportunity to offer their local perspective to global issues 12 Environmental sustainability EditSAFE Student Action for the Environment has been recycling paper for over a decade approximately 20 tons last year The school started keeping baseline data on energy usage and garbage volumes in 2007 when they began composting cafeteria waste and campus leaves using earthworms The compost is used to fertilize the gardens and greenery around campus Used cooking oil is donated to Revo International to produce biodiesel fuel Reflective paint on building roofs reflective film on windows the installation of more double pane windows and LED lighting were largely accomplished in 2008 In 2009 with the help of government funding and private and corporate donors the school installed solar panels on top of the gym and pool buildings which have a maximum capacity of 80 kWh ASIJ also promotes energy conservation each year by not turning on the heat or air conditioning during October and April aka NO HEAT NO COOL months and has reduced PET bottle consumption by promoting the use of water bottles such as SIGG and replaced regular PET bottles in vending machines with Coca Cola s I Lohas bottles 13 Since the 2007 2008 school year ASIJ has reduced annual energy consumption on campus by 25 1 with a goal of 30 by the end of 2013 A 2010 2011 carbon footprint audit by ECO3 Design has given the school new goals to replace heavy oil boilers and install a ground source heat exchange system Notable alumni EditSee also Category American School in Japan alumni Alev Alatli Turkish economist columnist and bestselling novelist Thelma Aoyama Japanese pop and R amp B singer Agnes Chan Japanese singer television personality university professor John Cornyn American politician Bobak Ferdowsi NASA flight engineer Norma Field author Joan Fontaine British American actress Beate Sirota Gordon American performing arts presenter and women s rights advocate Yu Hayami Japanese singer Ernest Higa entrepreneur Kaz Hirai Japanese businessman Joi Ito Japanese businessman Mizuko Ito Japanese cultural anthropologist James M Landis American academic Lisa Japanese musician born 1974 Japanese singer Lois Lowry American writer Daryl F Mallett American author editor and publisher May J Japanese singer Hikaru Nishida Japanese singer Judy Ongg Taiwanese Japanese singer actress author and woodblock print artist Vladimir Ossipoff American architect Rudolph Pariser physical and polymer chemist Oliver Platt Canadian born American actor Linda Purl American actress and singer Edwin O Reischauer American diplomat educator and professor at Harvard University Haru M Reischauer Japanese American writer Frederik L Schodt American translator interpreter and writer Steven Smith astronaut American astronaut Norman Tindale Australian anthropologist archaeologist entomologist and ethnologist Oleg Troyanovsky ambassador Hikaru Utada Japanese American pop singer Oswald Wynd Scottish writerSee also EditList of Japanese international schools in the United States Americans in JapanReferences Edit a b Campus Timeline The Ambassador 10 11 Fall 2010 Retrieved 6 January 2014 Severns Karen Spring 2010 A 20th Century Close Encounter ASIJ Retrieved 29 July 2021 A Man with a Plan The Ambassador 4 9 Fall 2010 Retrieved 6 January 2014 Facilities Master Plan 1998 2014 The Ambassador 12 15 Fall 2010 Retrieved 6 January 2014 Mitchell Jon 21 March 2014 ASIJ admits honored teacher sexually abused students The Japan Times Retrieved 21 March 2014 Mitchell Jon After ASIJ admission that teacher abused kids ex students demand inquiry Japan Times 13 May 2014 p 10 Mitchell Jon ASIJ announces investigation into sex abuse Japan Times 10 June 2014 p 10 Tomohiro Osaki American School in Japan admits covering up teacher s sex abuse for decades The Japan Times Retrieved 5 June 2015 The Ropes amp Gray report of sexual abuse by Jack Moyer PDF American School in Japan p 30 Archived from the original PDF on 2015 07 01 Retrieved 15 June 2015 Tomohiro Osaki ASIJ sex abouse report is finally released blames culteral taboos The Japan Times Retrieved 15 June 2015 Report on the Sexual Abuse of Students at the American School in Japan PDF Crew Janci LLP Retrieved 15 June 2015 About Global Online Academy Archived from the original on 2012 10 14 Retrieved 2012 09 29 I Lohas Bottles Greenlaunches com Retrieved 2012 09 29 Further reading Edit in Japanese 島沢 みどり アメリカンスク ル イン ジャパン フレデリック P ハリス図書館を訪ねて 学校図書館 477 p68 71 図巻頭2p 1990 07 全国学校図書館協議会 See profile at CiNii External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to American School in Japan American School in Japan home page American School in Japan at the Wayback Machine archive index Coordinates 35 40 51 N 139 31 17 E 35 68083 N 139 52139 E 35 68083 139 52139 Portals United States Tokyo Schools Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title American School in Japan amp oldid 1125564614, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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