Nishimachi International School
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| Head of School | Terence Christian |
| School type | Private |
| Religious affiliation | None |
| Established | 1949 |
| Location | Tokyo, Japan |
| School color(s) | Blue and White |
| School Address | 2-14-7 Moto Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0046 Japan |
Contents |
[edit] History
Nishimachi International School (NIS) was established in 1949 by the late Tane Matsukata on the family property in the Azabu area of Tokyo. She had recently returned to Japan after seventeen years in the U.S., where she received her education and spent the war years.
Miss Matsukata found Tokyo still badly scarred from the war although the slow process of rebuilding had begun. It was apparent to her that there was moral rebuilding to be done as well. In discussions with friends, who were themselves mothers, she began to realize the important role that education would play in the process. Together the women explored alternatives and concluded that a new approach to traditional education was needed, one that stressed the human side of learning and had peaceful coexistence among neighbors as an objective.
Accordingly, Miss Matsukata and her friends decided to start their own school, along the lines of the progressive academy Miss Matsukata's mother had established for her and her siblings in the years before the war.
Learning a second language, in this case English, was step one in the educational process. They saw this as fundamental to extending children's understanding beyond the boundaries of their own culture.
Tane Matsukata and her sister undertook the English part of the curriculum. They hired a teacher for the Japanese portion, and the school that was eventually to become Nishimachi opened its doors to its first four students.
[edit] Current day
By the end of the 2006-2007 school year, Nishimachi's student body population expanded to some 520 students. The school offers education from the kindergarten level through the ninth grade. The original Matsukata house that housed the school is still located on the property, now serving primarily as the administration building. Over the summer, a new, larger Library Media Center was constructed. The school has purchased property around the original building and built two multi-story school buildings, a gymnasium, which enclose an open play area. All buildings have additional recreational areas on the roof. Many children love to play afterschool in these play areas.
The school's teams are known as the NIS Vikings, and the school offers badminton, volleyball, cross country, co-ed soccer, track and field, and boys and girls basketball programs.
There are also programs in drama and music and the arts. The school offers extra-curriculars such as choir, yoga, cooking, calligraphy, and many more.
After 9th grade, many students go to the United States or other schools in Tokyo for schooling.
[edit] References
NIS Development Office
