HURRICANE, W.Va. - Yuko Aoyama was shocked to see her friend carry a garbage bag full of recyclables toward the trash can.

She looks over to the teachers standing nearby and says: "Mottainai!" In English, the Japanese term translates: "What a waste!"

The teachers then separated cans, bottles and paper and placed the items in recycling bins.

Across the library, another team clings together as they simulate a morning ride on a crammed Japanese subway car.

Later, both teams of teachers will see who can split a watermelon, while blindfolded, with a bokken.

There's one catch to the immersion exercises. The teachers, who act as students this day, almost only speak Japanese.

"Yesterday it was funny because you could see some of the teachers scratching their heads," said Christy Day, spokeswoman for the West Virginia Center for Professional Development.  

Last week, teachers from eight West Virginia schools met for a four-day GoGlobal training session at Hurricane High School in Putnam County.

Teams from 18 schools applied for the session, Day said.

The two-year GoGlobal program, a partnership of the Center for Professional Development and the state Department of Education, is meant to promote international understanding of academic content.

As part of the state's 21st Century Learning initiative, greater emphasis is placed on a student's understanding of foreign cultures and a broader global perspective.

Last Tuesday, Aoyama and other Japanese students who attend Marshall University helped lead the activities.

With the help of drawings, they showed teachers to count from one to 10, and offered English-sounding words to help sound out the numbers. For instance, "itchy, knee and sun" helped with "one, two and three."

At the dinner table, teachers shared traditional Japanese greetings and learned the calorie content of snacks like rice crackers and yokan, a traditional Japanese sweet dessert.

While blindfolded and in pursuit of the watermelon, a teacher only heard instructions in Japanese to help her move left, right, forward or backward.

Teachers plan to take what they learned during the four-day seminar into the classroom.

HURRICANE, W.Va. - Yuko Aoyama was shocked to see her friend carry a garbage bag full of recyclables toward the trash can.

She looks over to the teachers standing nearby and says: "Mottainai!" In English, the Japanese term translates: "What a waste!"

The teachers then separated cans, bottles and paper and placed the items in recycling bins.

Across the library, another team clings together as they simulate a morning ride on a crammed Japanese subway car.

Later, both teams of teachers will see who can split a watermelon, while blindfolded, with a bokken.

There's one catch to the immersion exercises. The teachers, who act as students this day, almost only speak Japanese.

"Yesterday it was funny because you could see some of the teachers scratching their heads," said Christy Day, spokeswoman for the West Virginia Center for Professional Development.  

Last week, teachers from eight West Virginia schools met for a four-day GoGlobal training session at Hurricane High School in Putnam County.

Teams from 18 schools applied for the session, Day said.

The two-year GoGlobal program, a partnership of the Center for Professional Development and the state Department of Education, is meant to promote international understanding of academic content.

As part of the state's 21st Century Learning initiative, greater emphasis is placed on a student's understanding of foreign cultures and a broader global perspective.

Last Tuesday, Aoyama and other Japanese students who attend Marshall University helped lead the activities.

With the help of drawings, they showed teachers to count from one to 10, and offered English-sounding words to help sound out the numbers. For instance, "itchy, knee and sun" helped with "one, two and three."

At the dinner table, teachers shared traditional Japanese greetings and learned the calorie content of snacks like rice crackers and yokan, a traditional Japanese sweet dessert.

While blindfolded and in pursuit of the watermelon, a teacher only heard instructions in Japanese to help her move left, right, forward or backward.

Teachers plan to take what they learned during the four-day seminar into the classroom.

Lorri Burgess, a fourth-grade teacher at Logan Elementary School, plans to partner up with a sister school in Japan.

"In Logan, it's a very rural area, so maybe [this will] just open up their world," she said.

Deborah Spicer, principal at Hurricane Town Elementary, also plans to partner with a school in Japan. Hurricane students also will learn haiku, celebrate a Japanese-themed grandparent's day and an international week.

"We are interested in truly becoming a global society," she said.

There is another very practical reason why Hurricane Elementary took part in the four-day program: the school has six students who are Japanese.

Beth Robinson, one of the English as a second language teachers at Hurricane Elementary, wants to learn more about her students' culture.

At first, one of her students was scared to eat lunch in the cafeteria. In Japan, young children eat in the classroom, Robinson said.

"It was so frightening for her," she said. "I didn't know why."

During the recycling exercise, Spicer said she plans to recreate the lesson for students and parents at Hurricane Elementary.

Also, each classroom at the school will have its own recycling bin, she said. 

Burgess expects the same in Logan County. 

"As much as we were enjoying it, think how the kids will love it," she said to Angie Kennedy, a third-grade teacher at Logan Elementary.

Early next month, several teachers will learn about Spanish culture during a session at Musselman High School in Berkeley County, Day said.

For schools to have success with these types of international immersion programs, there must be significant support from the principal on down, Day said.

Reach Davin White at davinwh...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1254.