THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 28, 1996 TAG: 9604270117
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 22 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SHIRLEY BRINKLEY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: COURTLAND LENGTH: Medium: 93 lines
A LITTLE BIT of Japan has come to Southampton Academy.
The Tatami Project, sponsored by the Japan-America Society of Washington, D.C. Inc., is a hands-on resource that enables students to study in authentic Japanese surroundings without ever leaving home.
A life-size replica of a traditional Japanese room, complete with furnishings, was shipped by van to the Academy. There it was assembled and set up in the school library.
``The room is so popular that teachers reserve it a year in advance,'' said JoAnna Phillips, the educational liaison for the Society and an alumnus of Southampton Academy.
As a rule, schools are allowed to reserve the room for only two weeks. But due to spring breaks during April, no other school had reserved it, Phillips said. It was available for a month and will remain at the school until the first week in May.
After its arrival, Phillips visited the school, conducted a workshop for teachers and gave a brief introduction to several classes. She is the daughter of Billy and Toni Phillips of Franklin.
Toni Phillips, who requested the use of the tatami room, is a language arts teacher for middle school students at the Academy.
Since the ``traveling room'' was inaugurated in 1989, thousands of students have used it to broaden their understanding of Japan. Programs have included tea ceremonies, dramas and studies about Japanese lifestyles.
The room is characterized by the usage of woven grass floor mats, ``tatami.'' Students are asked to remove their shoes at the genkan, or entrance, of the room, sit down on zabuton (floor cushions) and enjoy the ``feel'' of Japan.
``Although the Japanese have modern homes, they hold on to tradition,'' JoAnna Phillips said. ``In most homes nowadays, this versatile room is the equivalent of our living room. Concentration is on the floor, with a raised area for shrines or art objects. Families eat their meals, serve tea, and relax in the room by day, while at night, they bring out their futons to sleep.''
The room at the Academy is enclosed on three sides by walls made of paperlike window panes. A small vase of flowers adds color to a corner of the room, and a rice bowl, chop sticks and a child's lunch box are displayed on a low table. Usually, a small heater is placed under the table to provide warmth to a family in cold weather, Phillips said.
``The third-grade through sixth-grade children are having an intensive study of Japan, while the other teachers also are incorporating Japan into their studies,'' Toni Phillips said. ``They have seen a video of Japan and studied the culture and geography. JoAnna put together lesson plans that run the gamut from math to art.''
Classes have gathered in the room to compose Japanese poetry called ``Haiku,'' create origami art projects, and learn a few Japanese words and characters.
``In Japan, the room is reserved for guests,'' JoAnna Phillips said. ``When I was a guest in a Japanese home, I stayed in their tatami room.''
Phillips studied Japanese and graduated from Randolph-Macon College with a bachelor's degree in international relations. After earning a master's degree in international studies at Old Dominion University, she was an assistant language teacher at a junior high school in Kitakyushu City, Japan for two years.
``It was a wonderful opportunity, and the people respected and looked after me,'' she said.
More than a year ago, Phillips moved to Washington and joined the Japan-America Society, which is a nonprofit, nonpolitical association of individuals and institutions with an interest in Japan and U.S.- Japan relations. Founded in 1957, there are 35 branches across the country, which serve as a forum for promoting understanding between Americans and Japanese through its cultural, public affairs and educational programs.
``My main job is to coordinate the Japan Bowl,'' Phillips said. ``This is a language competition for students at the high school level who are studying Japanese. Thirty schools have participated and all questions are about Japan or the Japanese.''
Sara Rawlings, a student at Southampton Academy, was recently selected as a finalist in the Fourth Annual Japan Bowl. She competed against 10th- and 11th-graders from Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C.
Sara's essay, along with those of other regional winners from across the United States, have been sent to Tokyo for further competition. The winner will be granted a homestay for two weeks in Japan.
Sara is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Art Rawlings of Courtland. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos by MICHAEL KESTNER
From left, Southampton Academy teacher Toni Phillips works with Mary
Gleason, Betsy Bell, Sera Harvilla and Molly Marks in the Japanese
Tatami room, which is set up in the school library.
Sara Rawlings was recently selected as a finalist in the Japan
Bowl.
by CNB