University of Southern Indiana - Outreach and Engagement: Community Outreach

Celebrating 10 years of excellence Click here for Japanese version

In the Beginning The Southern Indiana Japanese School (SIJS) opened in September 1997 in Evansville, Indiana, at the request of Japanese companies locating in southwestern Indiana. SIJS exists to enable the school-age children of Japanese employees of these companies to keep up with their peers in Japan and to help these children integrate smoothly into Japanese school life when they return to Japan. Any local child who would like to study at SIJS may also be accepted if he/she has adequate Japanese language skills for participation in classroom activities.
SIJS holds classes on Saturdays most of the year, and on some Fridays during the summer.
On Weekdays The students of the SIJS live in Evansville or in nearby towns. These students study at local schools with American students on weekdays, and they study at SIJS on Saturday using the same textbooks used at schools in Japan.
	Number of Students SIJS has 55 students and 11 teachers. SIJS is a small school with a very friendly and family-like atmosphere where intensive individual and small-group teaching is practiced. Students and teachers at SIJS are working hard and with enthusiasm. SIJS Classes SIJS offers elementary school, middle school, and high school. When the number of students at a particular grade level is small they study in combined classes of students at two different grade levels. With the recent growth of the school, most grade levels have their own classes.
Number of School Days SIJS has 48 school days, which is five to six days more than other Japanese supplementary schools. This is possible because SIJS has classes not only on Saturdays but also on Fridays in June and in July when the local schools are not in session. School Hours School starts at 9 a.m and ends at 3:05p.m. at SIJS. SIJS offers Japanese, math, and social studies for elementary school and middle school, and Japanese, English, composition, and math for high school. Start of a Day School starts with short homeroom (SHR). In SHR, each student talks about what happened in the past week and submits homework. Students enjoy SIJS because they have an opportunity to talk with friends in Japanese here.
Library with Japanese Books In the break between second and third periods students go to the library to borrow books sent from Japan. SIJS, now in its sixth year, has accumulated numerous bookcases filled with Japanese books. Japanese newspapers and weekly magazines are also available.
	Lunch Time Students and teachers have lunch together in the middle of the day, with everyone bringing their favorite foods from home. After lunch, students enjoy themselves playing with their friends.
Activities of the School Year Each September a Field Day is held in which many parents and the Japanese residents of the area participate. You will see more adults than students. This is a festival for the Japanese living here. All the participants are separated into teams and participate in footraces, tug of war, tamaire (a type of basketball), relays, and other contests. At the annual Christmas party students read their literature works, give performances, and exchange presents. Such events as special writing for the New Year and New Year card party in January, and the graduation ceremony in March, remind students of Japanese traditions and culture.
Click here to read student comments.
In Conclusion Southern Indiana Japanese School is a place of a warm, cheerful, and family-like atmosphere, where the students study hard and teachers teach enthusiastically. Evansville, Indiana: Home of the Southern Indiana Japanese School Evansville lies in southwestern Indiana on the Ohio River, which forms the Indiana-Kentucky border. The Illinois border is approximately 30 miles to the west. With a population of about 130,000, Evansville is one of the largest cities in Indiana. The tri-state region has a population of about 300,000. Evansville developed as port of the wide, slow-flowing Ohio, and the river still figures prominently in the life of the city. A brick walkway along the river has become a place of recreation and relaxation for workers at downtown businesses. In the evening twilight, many people take walks or cycle with the Ohio River glowing with the splendor of the setting sun in the background. Our school is located in the Nativity School Building on Evansville's southeast side. Its location is convenient to Green River Road and the I-164 bypass. Click here for information on the Evansville area. For more information, contact:
Keietsu Nishimura Principal, Southern Indiana Japanese School c/o Nativity Church 3635 Pollack Avenue Evansville, IN 47714 USA TEL: 812/471-1210, FAX: 812/471-7166 E-mail address: knishimu@usi.edu	Dr. Mark C. Bernhard Associate Provost of Outreach and Engagement University of Southern Indiana 8600 University Boulevard Evansville, IN 47712-3597 USA TEL: 812/464-1829, FAX: 812/465-7061 E-mail address:mcbernhard@usi.edu

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8600 University Boulevard - Evansville, IN 47712-3596 - 812/464-8600