2016-2017 Yearbook

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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During the spring holidays, twelve secondary students went to Fiji. Most people know Fiji as a tourist destination with beautiful
resorts, but we weren't going there to relax! Our 8-day trip was a Marine Service and Global Issues Excursion that consisted of a

variety of community service projects and activities to learn about marine life and Fijian culture. Through immersion in the
community through service, we were able to experience the lives of the local people and their unique Somosomo culture, as well
as Fiji's beautiful marine ecosystem. We boarded our flight in Osaka, made a pit-stop in South Korea and then finally arrived in

Nadi, where we would start our unforgettable journey. (Natsumi)

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INTERNATIONAL LEARNING
TRIP TO FIJI

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DISK
As we landed at the airport in Nadi,
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from the local people. After we got
our luggage and bought some
drinks, we got on a bus and

headed off to the Rustic Pathways
eco-lodge. We spent several days

at the eco-lodge where we had
many unforgettable experiences
such as: the welcome ceremony,

swimming in the beautiful sea,
kayaking through the mangroves,

jumping off sand dunes, and
simply experiencing the best time

of our lives!

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But soon we had to take our leave and we were on a boat heading to the island of Somosomo. There, we interacted with the local
villagers and we learned many things about the Fijian culture, we also learned about the current state of the coral reefs after
Cyclone Winston hit in 2016. We snorkelled at many different sites and saw just how beautiful the Fijian ocean was! After a
couple of days, we made coral plugs and fish houses to help the marine ecosystem recover faster, but unfortunately, our time in
Fiji was coming to an end. We spent our last day at a hotel after having a pizza party and soon we were heading back to Japan.
The trip was full of new and fun experiences and we can’t wait for another exciting adventure! (Shusei)

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HANAMI PICNIC

The Hanami Picnic is an
annual event that takes
place in order to promote
community spirit and to

support friendly
competition amoung the

students in secondary
school. At 11:45, the
students rode a chartered
bus from DISK to Tatara

Campus.
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