Emily Wang, Geovanni Salcedo (standing, second and fourth from L), Idara Ukpanah, and Shadi Al-Tawrah (kneeling, third and fourth from left) study kendo, the Japanese art of fencing.
A dozen students from Westside High School did their part to improve international relations this summer when they participated in a program sponsored by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The students spent ten days exploring that island nation in July through the Kakehashi Project/Bridge for Tomorrow, a program designed to cultivate a more positive relationship between the U.S. and Japan through youth cultural exchange.