Cook Island Visitors Offer Glimpse Of Distant World EV Students May Get Chance To Study In South Pacific

East Valley High School students soon might spend a semester on an island where a blow of a conch shell signifies the changing of classes, mangoes are plucked from a tree at lunchtime and native dancing is part of the curriculum.

The island, Aitutaki, has a population of 3,500 and is part of the Cook Islands in the South Pacific. The 15 Cook Islands constitute an independent country, but rely on New Zealand for military and international affairs.

Through Eastern Washington University’s international field study program, an exchange was arranged between Araura College, a high school in Aitutaki, and EVHS. In July, English teacher Joaun Clark and school board member Karl Wilkinson visited Aitutaki.

On Oct. 24, Tupuariki Puna, the principal, Isa Kiria, a teacher, and Caroline Bishop, a 14-year-old student, arrived from Araura College for a visit to East Valley. They will stay until Nov. 8.

The threesome is traveling from school to school, demonstrating native dancing, presenting gifts and answering questions. Among their other activities: a visit to Coeur d’Alene, which they said was beautiful, a shopping trip, where they were astounded by how cheap everything was, and a Spokane Chiefs hockey game.

“That was cool,” said Bishop, who also is Aitutaki’s national junior dance champion. English is taught in Cook Islands schools, but the native language is Maori.

John Vickrey, who heads up EWU’s student exchange program, has ambitious dreams for the relationship between EVHS and Aitutaki. The Cook Islands is quickly becoming a hot tourist destination with 100 tourists daily on Aitutaki alone.

But there’s a paucity of technology on the islands. The Cook Islanders might benefit from the computer knowledge of some EVHS students, Vickrey said. He envisions sending students on “a kind of Peace Corps type of situation” to help the islanders set up computer networks to handle the booming tourism industry.

“It’s a win-win thing for everybody,” Vickrey said. The students would exercise their technological skills and would “genuinely help people.” It’s just one possibility that could develop from the new relationship, he said.

While here, the Aitutaki group also has been studying EVHS’s administration and observing differences between students here and in the Cook Islands.

The group was surprised by how rigidly scheduled everything is at East Valley, with students rushing from class to class. They attended a school dance and were slightly shocked with the students’ dancing.

“They way they were dancing…” said Kiria, looking up and shaking his head. “When you’re a student, you behave like a student.”

But the group found people friendly, interested and hospitable. Puna also was impressed to see students standing and saying the pledge of allegiance every day. That’s something he’d like to start at his school.

“It’s a very good thing to plant in the minds of students that they should show some respect to their country. That is beauty,” Puna said.

Student to deliver speech in Japanese at celebration

An East Valley High School student will deliver a speech in Japanese at a cultural celebration on Friday.

David Antich, a junior, will speak about his trip to Japan during Mukogawa Fort Wright Institute’s “Bunka-no-hi,” which translates to cultural celebration. Two other American students will deliver Japanese speeches. Three Japanese students will deliver speeches in English.

The presentation, which is free and open to the public, will take place at the Mukogawa commons from 10:15 to 11:45 a.m.

Dog sledder to speak at elementary schools

Pam Flowers, an Alaskan who made a 2,500-mile solo dog sled expedition across the Arctic, will tell elementary school students about her trip next week.

Flowers will speak to an assembly of Trentwood Elementary students at 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 7 and to Ness Elementary students at 9:30 a.m. on Nov. 9.

School to hold turkey dinner

Bowdish Junior High will hold its sixth annual turkey dinner from 5 to 8 p.m. on Nov. 21.

The dinner will be held in the cafeteria at the school, 2109 S. Skipworth. For information or reservations, call 922-6880.

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