It was Japan Day for first-graders

CORNWALL — A volcano erupted in front of Cornwall Consolidated School last Friday. There was little or no damage, but lots of cheering as the model of Mount Fuji spewed gluts of pink baking soda and vinegar “lava.�

May 7 was designated Japan Day and first graders invited the rest of the school and members of the public to see and hear what they had learned in a month-long study of Japan.

No one was more excited than teacher Bonnie Burdick, who said she is always thrilled to see her young charges willingly immerse themselves in another culture.

The youngsters wore traditional dress and had lots of artwork and stations set up. Visitors could learn about Japanese food, see a Japanese newspaper, try the paper-folding technique called origami and view a “working� model of a sumo wrestling ring. The well-versed first-graders offered explanations and demonstrations.

Like a perfect little tour guide, Natalie Nestler gestured to a model of Japan laid out across two long tables.

“There are 300 or 400 tiny islands, and four major ones,� she said.

She pointed out Mount Fuji, which is pronounced more like “Wooji� or “Hwooji.�

“It last erupted hundreds of years ago,� Natalie said. “We were laughing when the model erupted outside, but they weren’t laughing when it really erupted in Japan.�

“Tokyo is the capitol,� she added. “Micah used to live there.�

Micah is a classmate who moved here two years ago. He doesn’t remember much about Japan, except that it is crowded in Tokyo and people drive on the “other side� of the road.

But his dad, Mappe Matsudaira, is a long-term substitute in the middle school and a native of Japan. He helped inspire the study of his island nation.

“Every year, we study a country, comparing it to our own,� Burdick said. “Of course we had to do Japan this year. The seventh grade has also been studying it, and we have been going back and forth between our rooms to share what we have learned. The students have been working together as well, and it’s been great to see how the older and younger ones get along and bring different perspectives.�

The sumo ring was a popular demonstration station. Micah and Jonah Folds explained that sumo wrestling is Japan’s national sport and has been an “organized sport� for about 300 years. Wrestlers have to weigh at least 300 pounds, and they push each other to the ground or out of the ring to win.

The boys proceeded to demonstrate karate on each other, inspired to greatness, perhaps, by the authentic uniforms they were wearing.

When asked what one thing inspired them to visit Japan in school, the resounding answer was, “Rice!�

They tried lots of authentic food during their studies, from soy beans to seaweed, but the authentically steamed sticky rice was their favorite.