By Linda Wang

Humor Editor

Los Gatos High School has another newsletter rolling in with the publication of the Japanese class’s very own paper, Yamaneko News. Finalized over Thanksgiving break following months of writing, editing, and submissions, the electronic newspaper is available for all Los Gatans, and gives students in the LG Japanese program an opportunity to highlight the cultural activities in which they’ve participated, whether inside or outside of class. 

The newsletter categorizes its activities ingo different sections: regular class, Japanese National Honors Society (JNHS), Japanese Culture Club (JCC), and outside of class. Articles featured include joint Japanese and American culture summits, writing pen pal letters to Japanese students, and meeting and connecting with Japanese foreign exchange students. Students and senseis alike submitted articles, and seniors Aarav Singh, Rebecca An, and Sensei Kumi Kobayashi worked together to put everything together.

When asked about the best part of the project, An, who served as editor of Yamaneko News, described that she loved to read others’ articles. “As an officer of both JNHS and JCC, it was nice to see others had appreciated the events we hosted for them, especially the undoukai, a sports festival,” she added.

Yamaneko News is another example of how the Japanese class has often proven itself to be more than just a language learning program. The Japanese Culture Club holds different cultural activities every week, such as drawing yonkoma (a type of four-panel comic) or playing with kendamas, with plans to practice their calligraphy as well. JNHS has also made the delicious onigiri snack and held T-shirt design contests for its members. Last year, JNHS also hosted the Haiku Holiday Film Festival to raise money for Mental Health America. Festivities included club booths, streaming a feature film, and an art contest.

When asked about the paper’s impact on the community, An answered, “I hope that the community will see how active the Japanese program is and support JNHS’s annual Haiku Holiday Film Fair to raise money for Mental Health America.” She concluded, “While the students sharing the stories have experienced authentic Japanese culture for themselves, we hope that the newsletter will inspire others to get involved in our program or at least be exposed to authentic Japanese culture.”