Annual Family Holiday Night Sasebo ES

Third graders from Humphreys West Elementary School (HWES) visited Baedari Elementary School in South Korea on Monday, December 2, 2024. The visit exemplifies the positive partnerships established between DoDEA schools and our host nations.

Baedari Elementary is HWES’ “Sister School.” Coordinated by HWES’ Host Nation Liaison, Ms. Courtney Burks, this visit marks the first between the two schools for the 2024-25 school year. Upon arriving at the Baedari, students received a warm welcome from the principal, teachers and students, who provided beautifully designed name tags with their names written in Korean.

HWES’ students were paired with a buddy from Baedari and they bonded and worked together for the entire visit. They engaged in a number of activities that provided multiple opportunities to learn about Korean culture. And despite the language differences, they participated in games like Archery and traditional Korean games such as Gegi, Yut Game, and Bi Seok; worked on crafts such as making colorful lanterns; communicated with each other mostly through a translator installed on their tablets; and had tons of fun learning about each other’s culture.

“I love it,” said Ms. Adriana Fierro, a chaperone and third grade parent. “I think this is so very important for our students to see and experience different cultures. This is how they grow and become more understanding of other people and cultures.”

Groups comprised of HWES and Korean students competed in an icebreaker activity, using hand gestures and capitalizing on whatever language skills they had to cheer each other on. Many of their Korean buddies knew some words in English and they really enjoyed showing off their skills to our students, who also tried to use Korean words they learned in their Korean culture classes.

“This is so much fun”, said Levi Horne, HWES third grade student, while participating in a game of Gegi. “I am learning a lot about Korean culture from my new friend.”

It was heartwarming to watch the students talking and laughing with each other, and during lunch it was evident that the bond between them grew even stronger. Staff and volunteer chaperones noted how students seemed completely at ease with each other; even holding hands as they walked to and from the cafeteria.

“This is a good opportunity for Korean students since it motivates them to learn English and further opens their minds toward foreigners,” said Kim Min Jeong, one of the teachers from Baedari.

Toward the end of their time together, Baedari students gave gifts to HWES students to show how much they appreciated the visit. Teachers and chaperones also received gifts from the Baedari staff.

When the visit finally ended, both HWES students and their Korean peers were sad. Many exchanged contact information and promised to keep in touch. Baedari staff and students gathered at the gate outside their school, waving and saying “goodbye” and HWES students and staff boarded the bus.

Ms. Paek, HWES Korean Culture teacher, said this was a great way for students from both schools to learn about each other’s culture.

“Both groups benefit from this experience,” she stated.