St Mary's High School welcomes Japanese students on one day cultural exchange
WOODSTOCK - Nearly 30 students from Toyota Boshoku Technical Skills Academy are getting a taste of Canadian life. 
The students spent Tuesday at St Mary's High School in Woodstock.
Vice Principal at St Mary's Mrs Wojcik says this is the sixth year the school has welcomed the Japanese students.
"It's a cultural exchange of gifts and talents and an opportunity of sharing of food, friendships, faith and culture. Our students and their students from the school perform music numbers, drama and dance and show their talents."
"Toyota approached our school. It started on a very small scale where we just had sort of a tour of their group and they did one number. It expanded to a full day performance and really caught on and our students love it and we're really connecting with their culture and they are connecting with ours."
Wojcik says the Japanese students go to a very specialized school.
"It's a trade school and many of their students will come and work in the Toyota plant here in Woodstock and that is what they are trained for. These particular students will be looking at locating themselves here in Woodstock to work in the Toyota plant here."
Each Japanese student was given a gift bag full of St Marys swag including t-shirts, pens and water bottles.
Wojcik says in past years, the Canadian and Japanese students stayed in touch through email and Facetime.

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