In the summer of 2025, a group of four Upper School teachers embarked upon a VITAL project aimed at establishing a foundation for a student and teacher trip to Japan in March of 2026. VITAL, which stands for Valuing Innovative Teaching and Learning, is a PC grant program that allows educators to be lifelong learners and reflective practitioners. Its mission is to provide faculty with funding for projects during the summer months to allow for the transformation of their craft through research, collaboration and innovation. The ultimate goal of VITAL is to provide students with an outstanding, current and meaningful education.
The following was written by Ryan Aponte, social studies teacher and Model UN advisor, about a VITAL grant project designed to deepen cultural connections to Japan before 30 students and five teachers embark on a spring 2026 trip to that country. Why is this work important? Because, as the VITAL Japan project states, "students will travel not as tourists but with the mindset of cultural ambassadors. As global citizens, they embark on the opportunity to connect with peers abroad and learn from a society remarkably different from our own."
Students visited the Shofuso Japanese Cultural Center Philadelphia's Fairmount Park.
The particular goal for this group of teachers awarded the VITAL grant – Ben Dziedzic, Joy Lai, Michael LoStracco and myself – was to foster closer relationships prior to our visits to Tokyo Friends School and Temple University Kyoto next March. While our relationship with Tokyo Friends has developed over the past few years, the link with Temple Japan was an exciting addition over the summer. Through virtual meetings with faculty and administration at both institutions, we discussed ways our students can build community with their peers abroad. In addition to brainstorming activities we could share during our time in Japan, we also designed connections we could establish prior to our departure. Examples included sharing introduction videos, exchanging research questions, composing pen pal letters and developing cultural immersion experiences.
Through our VITAL work, the team also sought to enhance our students' prior knowledge of and experience with Japanese-centered topics. We strategically developed internal touchpoints across different courses and departments, with the idea that such curricular foundations would cultivate connections with Japan leading up to and expanding long after our trip in March. We hope that such deliberate planning will ensure the longevity of our relationships abroad and the opportunities within the Japan trip. In addition to utilizing local resources, notably the Shofuso Japanese Garden, Philadelphia Art Museum, Penn Museum and the University of Pennsylvania, we explored ways in which we can bring opportunities to campus through class projects, visiting speakers and student-led workshops.
The culminating product of our VITAL work was the creation of a website, shared below, in which our larger Penn Charter community can learn about curricular highlights and have access to resources for developing connections. The VITAL Japan website is intended to be a living document that will continue to evolve as our community explores Japan. We hope that our work provides the foundation for how our students and teachers will continue to build community with both Tokyo Friends and Temple Japan.
– Ryan Aponte