The Crowsnest Consolidated High School Parent Advisory Council held a fundraiser on Wednesday, March 30th, raising $1,500 for the Japanese relief effort.
Over the regular lunch hour, parent volunteers served approximately 300 helpings of “Taco in a Bag” to CCHS students, with students in the school’s Foods program preparing the hamburger, and parents donating other food items.
Carrie Baher of the PAC approached Council at the Governance and Priorities Committee meeting on March 29th to inform them of this fundraiser, and to request that Council match the dollar amount raised.
During her presentation, Baher informed Council of the important relationship the Crowsnest Pass has with Hokuto, a city located in Japan’s Yamanashi Prefecture.
An exchange program between the high school and Hokuto was started a little over 18 years ago, and since that time, more than 300 students have been involved in the program.
The exchange had no association with either the municipal Anpachi exchange or NIT programs.
Japanese students were selected to participate in the program based on their grades, participation, and commitment of pre-training programs.
Every spring, CCHS welcomes about 12 Japanese students for a period of seven days, during which time the students attend school and community functions, and in turn, local students are provided the opportunity to visit Japan for a week in October.