 |
Welcome to the community of Gregg International School. As we mark our 21st year of providing progressive primary education to children in the Greater Tokyo area, I would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to all of the families, past and present, who have helped us create an international learning community here at GIS. Educating children to search for knowledge, care about their responsibilities and appreciate the cultural diversity among people has been, and continues to be, the mission of our school.
Reflecting on the changes during these past 20 years, we have seen the introduction, evolution, and diffusion of computers and the Internet, which have vastly altered the way that we gather information and communicate with one another. When GIS embarked on its mission of providing an international education to young students, advances in transportation and communications had already lessened the distances needed for peoples of different countries to visit or talk with one another. However, cultural distances remained significant.
It has been our great pleasure to witness the bridging of some of this cultural distance by providing a place where people of different countries can learn and share with each other. While you can find an unlimited amount of information about different countries and cultures through a multitude of media, this doesn't offer the dynamically authentic experience of conversing face-to-face with someone whose life experiences may be dramatically different from your own. As friendships develop among people of different cultures, the most rewarding kind of education occurs: that which enriches the knowledge of the individual while at the same time building a small bridge between cultures. It is our hope that the cultural bridges that have been built at GIS over the years have played some part in spreading an appreciation for international understanding among people, and that appreciation has been instrumental in cultivating a sense of personal responsibility toward caring for our fellow human beings.
With best wishes and sincere regards, |
 |
 |
