Highfields State School has taken its appreciation for Japanese language and cultural studies to a new level following the recent signing of a Sister School Agreement with a Japanese school in the Toowoomba Region's Sister City of Takatsuki.
Toowoomba Region Mayor Geoff McDonald said he welcomed the school formalising its links with Takatsuki Gunge Elementary School.
Principals from the two schools formalised the Sister School Agreement via an online ceremony in late October that was overseen by 1260 students and fellow teachers at Highfields and Takatsuki.
After speeches from the principals, Highfields State School captains Maddison Janetzki and Aamna Hafeez-Baig delivered speeches in English and Japanese. Students from both schools performed school songs and music presentations.
Highfields State School is planning a second Japanese study tour in June 2024, including a day visiting Gunge Elementary School to share and build friendships with the students they have seen online.
Mayor McDonald said the formal signing followed the development of links from 2018 when Council and the Takatsuki International Association suggested Gunge Elementary School as a potential sister school for Highfields State School.
"I'm pleased to see Council's initial suggestions for the links between the two schools have evolved into a strong and formal bond," Mayor McDonald said.
"The idea of our Sister City links is for business, education, cultural and sporting groups to pursue more direct links to foster greater connections between the cities and people."
Highfields State School conducted a Japanese study tour in 2019, during which the party visited Gunge Elementary School and was welcomed at Takatsuki City Hall by Mayor Hamada.
Students have conducted conference calls and other exchanges in the years following the 2019 visit.
Sister City history:
Takatsuki, Japan
Aformal Sister City agreement between Toowoomba and Takatsuki officially was established on November 13, 1991.
The Declaration of Friendship agrees to deepen the relationship through mutually beneficial exchanges in the educational, cultural, sporting and commercial arenas.
Toowoomba and Takatsuki have enjoyed a very active relationship with many exchanges occurring over the years, including student study tour exchanges.
Takatsuki, with a population of 352,000 people, is located almost halfway between Osaka and Kyoto in the southern section of the Honshu Island of Japan.
