Student exchange program may be in jeopardy

Japan may seem a distant island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean and of little consequence to happenings in Jasper, apart from the occasional trip to a sushi restaurant.

However, despite the geographic separation, Jasper and Hakone, Japan are sister cities with more than a three-decades-long bond. According to the municipality’s website, the relationship was established to “promote friendship, education and tourism.”

Since July 4, 1972, Jasper and Hakone have been engaged in a sort of cultural exchange, which according to Milt Gilmour – who as a member and past president of the Jasper Chamber of Commerce took a great interest in the Hakone file – is “actually one of the oldest sister-city relationships in Canada.”

It was decided that one of the best ways to form a long-lasting relationship with the city was to get young people involved and the Jasper-Hakone student exchange program was initiated, said Gilmour.

The operational responsibility for the exchange program, which sends between one and three Grade 11 students to Japan for three weeks over the summer, has had a few iterations.

Initially, the program was run by the Chamber of Commerce. Then, once the municipality was created, it took over responsibility for a couple years and then finally last year, the high school took over control of the program.

Beryl Cahill, administrative officer for the municipality, was also involved with the Hakone exchange program and said responsibility was turned over to the high school because it had taken part for so long.

“The principal of the school came over to council and requested that this would be considered a high school program because the high school had been involved since around 1972,” Cahill said. “So council agreed that the program should be turned over to the high school to run completely.”

However, the new principal of the Jr/Sr. High School, Mark Crozier, does not see the school running the program in the future. “It provides an exceptional opportunity for two students, but that in itself is the problem,” he said. “My job as principal of the school is to provide the best educational opportunities I can, but for all the students.”

Crozier wrote council a letter expressing his concerns and was invited to speak at the last council meeting on Feb. 3. Council seemed to appreciate Crozier’s position and decided that the Jasper/Hakone sister city committee would review the program. “It sounds like everybody agrees that the program is valuable,” said Mayor Richard Ireland. “It’s a question of cost accounting.”

Every year since its inception, local businesses, in addition to the Rotary Club, Lion’s Club and the Bellman’s Association, have donated to help in the cost of the trip for the two-or-so students.

Even though, according to Gilmour, “it always ended up being a zero balance thing,” last year some businesses did not give the entire amount they pledged and the school has ended up with some of the cost on its books this year.

Gilmour does not want the program to die however, and said he has some ideas how the program might be continued and the “school wouldn’t be involved.”

Crozier is not “down on the program” as he told council because it is an “exceptional” opportunity. Ethically speaking though, Crozier thinks that even if the fundraising and trip organization were easy, if the school is raising funds, he said he thinks the funds should be distributed towards “public education, education for all.”