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Keio Academy of New York, situated in a nature-filled campus on the outskirt of Manhattan, will be celebrating its 20th anniversary.

To further enrich its educational offerings, Keio Academy launched the Outreach Program Office in December 2008. The Outreach Program Office provides more opportunities for students to experience the international city of New York, as well as to enhance the involvement of the schools in the local community through extra-curricular activities such as community service and cultural exchange with other local high schools. Meanwhile, the Outreach Committee which mainly consists of faculty members was also formed for policy-making purposes and in order to streamline the procedure so it encourages more students’ participation in these activities. Furthermore, Outreach Program Office coordinates home stay program and is planning an afterschool program to teach Japanese language and culture to the children in the neighboring community.

Past and On-going Activities (Example):
• Japanese-American senior citizen’s home visit (January 2009)
• Holiday toy and clothing drive for local children in need (Winter 2009)
• Food drive at supermarkets (October 2009)
• Cultural exchange events at Horace Mann School (April 2009) and Greenwich Japanese School (October 2009)

Last November, the students’ services to the local community were recognized by Westchester Community Opportunity Program (WestCOP), one of the largest community organizations in Westchester County. Along with the Corporate Community Service Award awarded by WestCOP, Keio Academy also received proclamations from The New York State Senate and Westchester government.

Another highlight of Outreach activities is the Bilingual Summer Program, which started in 2008. It is a two-week residential program in which middle school students from Japan and the U.S. engage in, along with many other activities, film production and language study in a small group setting. The Summer Program has earned a great reputation from the past participants for its enriching cross-cultural experiences. For the summer of 2010, with great supports from corporations and non-profit organizations in New York, Keio Academy is, once again, able to offer even more meaningful cross-cultural learning opportunity for younger students.

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