2017-2018 Yearbook_clone

THE DIAMONDBACKPRESS

Spring 2018

ACCEPTING ADMISSIONS FOR 2018/2019

Choosing a school for your child is one of the most important decisions you will make. As a WASC-
accredited and International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme and Diploma Programme
authorised school, we are confident that we offer the quality education and loving care that meets both
you and your child’s needs. To find out more about DISK, come and see us in person. We are more than
happy to schedule a day and time for you and your family to tour the school and meet some of the
students and staff. To arrange a school tour or visit to DISK please contact the Admissions Officer,

Sue Loafmann, at [email protected] or submit the form on our website.









DESIGN

DEPARTMENT UPDATE

NEWS ALERT: PRODUCT DESIGNERS GROW Greg Laidler

Head of Department
ON TREES AT DISK
[email protected]
Using the ‘design cycle’ methodology, years 6 to 10 students were tasked
with creating and combining symbols, images, and text to form visual
representations of ideas and messages, which was based on a design
brief they wrote for themselves as part of a graphic design project.

Students came up with a variety of interesting project ideas such as
album and book covers, product packaging, and branding projects, and
then set about figuring out what they needed to know, do, and
understand. Students were expected to apply their knowledge of the
principles of graphic design, namely layout and composition,
typography, color theory, branding and identity, the rule of thirds, and
the golden ratio to create a digital solution. The quality of work created
was professional, and just goes to show how creative and skilled DISK
students are.

SAE (Y10)











ART

DEPARTMENT UPDATE

Gisèle March

Head of Department

[email protected]

SONG (Y7) HINATA (Y7) SPICE IT UP!

NAOKI (Y6) Variety is the spice of life!
This is the intention behind
SAE (Y10)
HAJIME (Y7) all the art classes at DISK, in
both the elementary school

and the secondary school.

We work with many
different media (e.g. paint,

pastels, clay, ink, even wool
and found materials), and

use multiple techniques so

that we experience a taste
of all that art has to offer.

MAU (Y6) The imaginary world is
explored as seen in the

Wacky Shoe and the

Surrealism Collage, as is the
real-life one depicting tree

bark, insects and the human
form. The immediate

environment is celebrated

with students doing
drawings, paintings and

collages of the school
campus, the residential

buildings, and Kizugawa

park and pond. The
possibilities for expression

through art are endless!











CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR GRADUATES!
WE WILL MISS YOU.

SPRING ELECTIVES

CALL YOUR MANICURIST! Neil Theisen

Kickball Coach and
It was a nail-biter in DISK’s championship kickball series this term. A best-
of-seven series went down to the wire, a game 7 for all the marbles. Organizer
Team "Eh" got off to a rough start and went down 3-1 in the series. The [email protected]
entire school was questioning the inexperienced Miyagawa’s
leadership. In an epic comeback for the ages, the young Miyagawa
showed us all what true leadership is made of and he rallied his team to
tie the series at three games each. Game 7 did not disappoint and lived
up to the pregame hype, with these two juggernauts exchanging blow-
for-blow throughout the match. There was a lead change in every inning.
In the final inning, down by three runs, The Skins, led by the wise Ellis
Arimitsu and the magical right foot of Jong Park, found a miracle and
scored three runs to tie up the game with two outs on the board. The
game was all tied up at 13-13 and because of time constraints we had to
end the game and series in a tie, unfortunately.
It was an exciting and heart-stopping kickball season this year, and Mr.
Theisen would like to thank all the players for their effort and dedication
in making this year’s season fun and competitive.









SECONDARY SCHOOL HANAMI PICNIC

& SPORTS DAY

Gregory Laidler

Organizing Teacher
[email protected]

RUMBLE IN THE

JUNGLE!

This year it rained rather
heavily leading up to and
on the day of this event,
which meant that the cherry
blossoms were almost all
washed out. So our planned
hanami picnic took place
inside, in a dark, cramped
corner in one of the campus
buildings overlooking the
tennis courts. However, that
didn’t matter too much,
because we were there to
play sports, not eat!

Students had a great time
competing against each
other in basketball,
dodgeball, and racquetball.
They were split into four
different teams, and by
cooperating, they strived to
win each game and match
they played. It was a lot of
good fun and an
opportunity to get away
from school, and another
opportunity to socialise and
cooperate with students
from other years.











YEAR 10 PERSONAL PROJECT PRESENTATIONS
TAKERU

SAE

SHUSEI Neil Theisen
Personal Project
PASSION CUBED
Supervisor
Year 10’s passion projects were on full display this year as they presented [email protected]
their personal projects to the entire secondary school as well as parents.
As Mrs. Vaughn said, “When it comes to the personal project, students
just pick up the ball and sprint because they are finally awarded
complete freedom in their work.” This year’s personal project students
were no different, with Shusei, Sae, and Takeru champing at the bit to
show us what they are truly passionate about.

Shusei showed us his passion for short story writing and Greek
mythology, and provided an intricate examination of a writer’s thought
and writing process. Sae drove us in a time machine all the way to her
childhood questions of and experiences with fear, and conducted a
scientific research project on the concept of fear. Finally, Takeru brought
us on a journey through the mind of a performer and actor, which
showed us his resolute dedication to and love for the stage.

YEAR 5 TRIP TO TOOYOKA

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING Mark Krabousanos

Year 5 Homeroom
This year’s trip to Toyooka City was fantastic! We made several changes
to the itinerary so that it aligned better with our current UOI Teacher
(transformation of energy). We added two additional learning [email protected]
experiences that made the trip so much better. On the second day we
visited a solar cell manufacturer (Kaneka) in the morning and then we
visited a solar farm in the afternoon that had more than 8,000 solar
panels. It was a great experience to meet with experts and residents
about solar energy in the region and learn so much from how they are
using solar power to help the city.

Additionally, we had a fantastic experience of social learning with the
Nagoya International School year five students. A highlight moment for
DISK students was the game they created for a free play session one
evening after dinner. They received so many compliments on their game
idea, their ability to instruct others how to play, and successfully set-up
and coordinate without any teacher support or guidance. We hope next
year’s trip will be just as memorable and rewarding.









YEARS 1 & 2

CLASS UPDATE

Roel Theuws
THE GARDEN OF KNOWLEDGE
Homeroom Teacher
[email protected] One of our units of inquiry had the following central idea “All living things
go through a process of change.” Students connected to this central idea
to themselves by reflecting on all the changes they have experienced in
their lives. They identified changes in appearance, abilities and emotions.
Furthermore, it was a great opportunity for us to utilize our school’s
garden, which we have had since the start of this school year. Before
planting their seeds, students learned the process of how plants grow.
This made their work in the garden more meaningful, because it inspired
new questions such as, “Why are the radishes over here growing faster
than those over there?” This led to new learning and understanding.
Students were fascinated to see their small seeds grow into huge
radishes and now have a deeper understanding of this process.











MINAMI (Y3)

SAKURAKO (Y5) JULIE (Y3)

ALLEN (Y4) CHIKARA (Y3)

KOJI (Y5) AILEE (Y1)

HARU (Y4) MAIA (Y4) MIZUHO (Y3)

THE DIAMONDBACK PRESS

© This newsletter and its content are copyright of Doshisha International School, Kyoto. All rights reserved.

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Model Students from Grades 9 and 10 participated
United in the MUN at Kobe. It was a valuable
Nations experience for us students as we exchanged
our thoughts and viewpoints with various
students from many different schools. We
learned about current global issues and the
multiple perspectives that countries may hold
in relation to them.

After the meetings, we spent time together in
the hotel, helping each other come up with
ideas for the next day’s meetings. This
helped strengthen bonds between students as
friends, and it was a wonderful experience
for us students to have.

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DISK

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Science
Fair

This year's Science Fair had a physics
theme. Students were asked to find or make
an experiment and create their own
hypothesis and present their experiment.
It was great to see so many different
experiments. Grades 6-10 all did an
excellent job in creating and presenting their
research to teachers and parents.
We look forward to seeing next year’s event.
Congratulations to all of our award winners!
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DISK
FACETIME WITH THE OVERALL WINNER, YUUKI K!

The theme for the science fair this year was physics, and I really like
physics! My science fair topic this year explored the best method or
technique for shooting a basketball. I really enjoyed doing this
experiment and learned a great deal about basketball through this
research. My chances to play in the NBA are skyrocketing all
because of science! So, if I go pro,I plan to buy a house for my mom,
a new guitar. and give to charity, of course!

SALINA and LEMONIE HINATA, HAJIME, AILI SAE
and KENJI
Visual Display Award Knowledge Award Research Award
Creativity Award
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Doshisha Tatara Campus TRIM LINE TRIM LINE

This event was called hanami picnic last year, but by the time we arrived the cherry tree petals had almost all but
disappeared. To add insult to injury, it was also raining cats and dogs, so we were forced to take cover inside for lunch.
However, that didn't dampen our spirits as we were really their to play sports, particularly racquetball as we don't have
any courts at DIA.

Overall, we had a wonderful time competing against fellow students in basketball, dodgeball, and racquetball. We were
split into four different teams, and by cooperating, strived to win each game and match. It was good fun and another
opportunity to socialize and cooperate with students from other grades.

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