Saipan Mayor Juan B. Tudela said 20 students wanted to join the KSKK International Youth Exchange Organization in Tokyo, but due to the delay in opening of classes, only five could participate.
The parents of the other students cancelled their children’s participation.
According to the mayor, the parents were worried about their children’s classes on Saipan and they didn’t want them undergo make-up classes after coming back from Japan.
On July, 30 students from Japan arrived on Saipan for the 30th Annual Student Cultural Exchange Summer program. They visited historical and tourist sites on island, including the Suicide Cliff and the Last Command Post in Marpi.
For their part, the CNMI students’ six-day visit to Japan focuses on cultural and traditional studies at the schools there, Tudela said.
But the CNMI children also visited important historical sites, he added.
The CNMI students learned some of the traditional songs and dances of Japan during their visits at different schools.
Those who joined the program were Ashely Babauta, Sharon Sanchez, Yong Park and Raymond Teregeyo Jr.
They were accompanied by the mayor and chaperones Joe Tenorio and Jema Tenorio as well as the children’s adviser Rosemaire Blas.
