City Manager

Sister City Relationships - 2011 Student Exchange with Handa, Japan

Three students from Midland high schools have been selected to travel to Handa for a three-week exchange opportunity in Midland’s sister city of Handa, Japan, between late July – mid-August 2011. Traveling to Handa during summer 2011 are Emily Bischoff, Keenan Hammer, and Chantala Kumar, all of H. H. Dow High School. The students were interviewed and selected from a pool of eligible students by Midland's Sister City Committee during late spring 2011.  Committee members include:  Tina Van Dam, chairperson; plus members Marion Newman, Randi Kawakita, Dick Dolinski, John Metcalf, Stephanie Baiyasi, and Liz Pahl.  City of Midland Communications Coordinator Libby Richart is staff liaison to the committee.

The students will receive free air flights to Japan and stay with three different Japanese host families during their visit. Air travel will be funded through the generous donations of many individuals and organizations in our community .

Image Gallery

Before taking flight, the 2009 Midland exchange students met a well-known bird in our community, Lou E. Loon, at the Dow Diamond baseball stadium on Monday, July 13, 2009. The message on the scoreboard - "Midland & Handa, Japan... Friendship is a Ball" - perfectly describes the relationship between Midland and Handa. 

The students also were introduced by Committee Chairperson Tina Van Dam to Mayor Bruce Johnson and the City Council at a Council meeting that same evening (see photos below).