Hanamaki delegation's visit is coming to a close next week

An 18-student delegation from Hanamaki Higashi High School, sister school to Lakeside High School, arrives Wednesday, November 30 to participate in a student exchange that is a “first” for Hot Springs’ Sister City Program: one involving students from just the two sister schools.

Lakeside and Hanamaki Higashi high schools were the first to sign a sister school agreement between a Hot Springs area school and a school in Hanamaki, Japan, Hot Springs’ sister city.

Several years ago, groups traveled from Lakeside High School to visit Hanamaki Higashi, but this is the first group of students solely from Hanamaki Higashi to visit Lakeside. Each year, a few Hanamaki Higashi students travel to Hot Springs with the Hanamaki student delegation to visit Hot Springs, but this large group is the first of its kind.

The Hanamaki Higashi students, all in their second year, were originally scheduled to travel to Canada, and in years past have even traveled to Europe. However, due to the hospitality shown to Vice Principal Omari who visited with the annual Hanamaki delegation in January, it was decided that the students should travel to Hot Springs, Arkansas instead.

While in Hot Springs, the students will stay with host families. They will attend school at Lakeside on Thursday and go on a field trip with Lakeside students on Friday. They will also visit Garvan Woodland Gardens’ Christmas light display, Mountain Tower, Hot Springs National Park, and experience American-style shopping at Wal-Mart. The group leaves Hot Springs on Monday, December 5.

A welcome dinner will be held on Wednesday evening at the Hot Springs Convention Center, where visiting students will meet their host families. Volunteer interpreters will assist them in getting to know each other. For information, contact Sister City Program Coordinator Mary Neilson, 545-6960.