HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — Southern High School and Okayama Higashi Commercial High School are now sister schools, with a signing ceremony held Thursday at the Sånta Rita-Sumai school making it official.
Southern High School Principal Michael Meno and Yasuyuki Moriyama, principal of Okayama Higashi Commercial High School, signed the sister school agreement in front of dignitaries from Guam and Japan as well as student representatives.
“We are (a) humble school with big dreams, and we invite you to be a part of our vision. We invite you to be more than just friends, more than just partners, but be active participants with our students whom we are very proud of. So let’s begin with welcome, but let’s not end with goodbye. We hope that this partnership is strong enough to last the years,” Meno said.
It was a commitment welcomed by both schools.
“I am very happy to meet everyone at Southern High School. This is my second time coming to Guam. Last time, I remember the view of Two Lovers Point and being overwhelmed by the CHamoru dancers at the CHamoru Village. I love Guam’s culture and local people, so it’s great for us to become a sister school with Southern High School. This sister school relationship will be a step forward toward opening the future for both schools, and we hope that our friendly relationship will continue for many years to come,” Moriyama said.
Watching the proceedings online from Japan, Nonoka Kosaka, Student Council president of Higashi Commercial High School, also shared in the excitement.
“I have been looking forward to getting together with Southern High School. After the online exchange meeting, there were many opinions of the school students who would like to go to Southern High School to interact again. Some student(s) also say that … they want to study together and enjoy playing sports,” Kosaka said.
Yasuyuki Moriyama, principal of Okayama Higashi Commercial High School, left, and Southern High School Principal Michael Meno display certificates after a sister school partnership signing ceremony at Southern High School in Sånta Rita-Sumai on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023.
