Melissa Schissler, 18, leads a cultural exchange Saturday at Yokota Air Base, Japan’s West Chapel for 19 Japanese girls from the Tama-Fussa Kindergarten School and 14 of their U.S. counterparts. (Courtesy of Noriharu Kawashima)
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — Nineteen girls from the Tama-Fussa Kindergarten School visited more than a dozen of their U.S. counterparts Saturday in a cultural swap held at the Yokota West Chapel.
The event was the culmination of a six-week project organized by Melissa Schissler, the daughter of Col. Mark Schissler, the 374th Airlift Wing commander. Called “Zink the Zebra,” it’s a collaborative effort by a nationwide foundation and the Girl Scouts designed to promote diversity and self-esteem.
Melissa Schissler, 18, taught separate classes to American and Japanese girls once a week, emphasizing the themes of understanding, acceptance, respect and compassion. It was part of her work toward the Girl Scout Gold Award, the program’s highest honor, which she’ll receive in a ceremony Friday at the Yokota Officers’ Club.
“You have to plan your own project,” said Schissler, a Senior Girl Scout and Yokota High School senior who’ll attend Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., this fall. “I really like to work with children. I want to be an elementary teacher, so this was perfect for me.”
According to the foundation’s Web site, the story of Zink, a fictional zebra with spots instead of stripes, was written by Kelly Weil, an 11-year-old girl who died of cancer in 1993. It’s the first time the message was brought to Yokota — and unique because Schissler also carried the program to Japanese girls from Tama-Fussa.
“We brought them all together today in a celebration for their completion of the program,” she said. “It teaches girls to accept others, regardless of their differences. The purpose was to show that we can all live together, and be friends with the Japanese girls off base.”
On Saturday, the entire group — which included 14 American preschoolers — took part in a bridge ceremony, walking across a tiny passage that symbolized their completion of the program and eligibility for Daisy Scout status.
Afterward, the Japanese children and their parents were linked with an American family for a day of activities around Yokota. Some planned to stay overnight.
“We’re encouraging them to continue their friendship and see what life is like in another culture,” Schissler said. “It seemed like all the girls really enjoyed being with each other.”
Melissa Schissler, 18, leads a cultural exchange Saturday at Yokota Air Base, Japan’s West Chapel for 19 Japanese girls from the Tama-Fussa Kindergarten School and 14 of their U.S. counterparts. (Courtesy of Noriharu Kawashima)
Melissa Schissler leads Japanese and American kindergartners in a cultural exchange program. Schissler is working toward the Girl Scout Gold Award. (Courtesy of Noriharu Kawashima)
American and Japanese kindergartners decorate boxes during a cultural exchange Saturday at Yokota Air Base, Japan's West Chapel. (Courtesy of Noriharu Kawashima)
