Christian Academy in Japan

Winter 2017-18

FLY

LEARNING TO

But those who trust in the
Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings
like eagles.
They will run and not growweary.
They will walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31 nlt

LEARNING TO FLY
C H R O N I C L E

EditorStephanie Ban
Photographer
Ushio Sawada
Graphic Design
Martin Barker
Juliana Barker

Christian Academy in Japan
1-2-14 Shinkawa-cho
Higashi Kurume-shi
Tokyo, Japan 203-0013+81–42–471–0022
www.caj.ac.jp

Follow us on Facebook@christianacademyjapan

The CAJ Chronicle is back and we have lots to share with you.
I hope that you enjoy hearing what is going on across thecommunity, from the Shinkawa-cho campus to the far ends of theearth. Wherever God has called us, we are all a part of His amazing
plan. As we trust Him, it is encouraging to know that He will give us
strength to accomplish our goals for 2017 and beyond.
A year ago I was sitting at the same desk that has been mine forover 10 years, in the same office of High School Principal. What was
slowly sinking in was that I was also diving into the role of Head of
School. Something I had never done before. Something that I did
not seek out. Something that God had planned to challenge me
in areas that I never expected. Yet, something that has brought megreat joy as we, the CAJ community, have reached out to each otherto celebrate who we are, identify where we need to improve ourschool, and look forward to the possibilities ahead of us.
Just as the newly appointed Leadership Team and I were learning
to fly so to speak, a dear member of our community’s flight wasdiverted. Last November, less than two weeks after we celebrated
Lois Seely’s 60th birthday, I received a call from Rick to let me knowthat Lois had at least one brain tumor and was declining rapidly. On
a snowy Thanksgiving day, Rick admitted Lois to the hospital andthey began a journey that they never asked to take. Down a paththey’ve never been. Yet, they’ve taught us all how to fly. One day at
a time. Through sunny skies and dark storms. Always keeping theireyes on Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith.
Really, Lois has been good at teaching people to fly for many years.
Her family. Her “second” family of boarders, including the recent CAJ
grad flying on the cover of this magazine. Her students. Her friends.
It seems like we’ve all been touched by Lois’ warm smile and caring
spirit in some way. And, she continues to radiate God’s love throughthat smile every time she ventures out to church or campus fora few minutes. In the midst of her struggle for life each day, she
knows her final destination is Heaven and that God is her guide.
We dedicate this magazine to this remarkable woman, and herloving husband, Rick, who encourage each of us to trust in the Lord
every day.
Anda Foxwell, Head of School

Rick and Lois Seely
with Anda Foxwell2

Introducing the CAJ Core Values

Creation in the image of the one living and true God bestows special dignity and value on all
human beings, and mandates us to be God’s agents of creativity, care, and compassion in the world.

GOD…
Is the Authorof All Truth• God is Creator, Sustainer, Redeemer and Restorer of
His world [Colossians 1:15-17]• In Him is all knowledge [Colossians 2:3]
• God’s unified truth in His Word [John 17:17] and in His
world [Romans 1:19-20] is the lens through which weview education

John 14:6

CreatedHumans in
His Image• Each human has intrinsic value and is worthy ofrespect. [Acts 17:29; Deuteronomy 6:5]
• Each individual has unique gifts needing to be
developed. [1 Corinthians 12]

Genesis 1:27

CreatedHumans forCommunity
Acts 2:42 – 47

• Community reflects God’s triune nature and is best
expressed in a relationship with Him through Christ,
and with others [Gen. 1: 26-28, 1John 4:9-12]• Community requires service [1 Peter 4:7]
• Community extends beyond our local boundaries[Isaiah 12:4; Matthew 28:19]• Community resources require wise stewardship[Colossians 3: 23-24; Matthew 25:21]

3

TEACHING TRUTH

A Day inthe Life
of aCAJ
TeacherE

ach year brings its own unique joys
and challenges, but the main joy andchallenge for this school-year has beenlearning to balance being both a teacher
and a daddy, as my daughter was born in
February.
Fortunately, I live next-door to the school in
the Matsukawa Place apartment building.
This proximity makes it a little bit easier tosay goodbye in the morning, and I am able
to come home for lunch most days. My wife
brings our daughter with her to the door
to see me off. I kiss both of them, wave
goodbye, and very nearly forget to grab my
CAJ lanyard from the hook on the door on
my way out.
I check my phone. It’s 7:50 am. Althoughschool starts at 8:30, my first class is not until
10:30. This year, for the first time ever, I haveback-to-back prep periods at the start of theday. I stop in at Tully’s for my morning coffee,
and manage to grade a few AP rhetoricalanalysis essays before making my way to myclassroom to set up for the day.

4

The bell rings at 10:31, and my first
Humanities class of the day begins. I teachtwo sections of Humanities: this first section
meets 3rd and 6th period, while the othersection meets 4th and 5th period.
The central theme of Humanities is exploring
what it means to be people of justice inthe world today, and we weave in rhetoric,
history and literature as we seek to develop a
Biblically-informed understanding of justice.
21 students settle into their seats, andseveral students take out notecards. It
is time for News Circles, our openingclassroom routine. At the start of the year,
I assigned the students to one of sevendifferent geographical regions aroundthe world: Africa, Asia, Europe, Middle
East, North America, South America andOceania. We hear from a different region
each day, rotating through, and when astudent’s assigned region comes up, they are
responsible for sharing a current news itemfrom that region.

I asked the students to prepare note-cards so thatthey can practice reading from notes and not ascript. In their short presentation of the news, theymust touch on the “who, what, when, where, andwhy” of the story, and must examine the story fromat least two different news sources. After sharing
their summary, the student must address what
differences, if any, they observed between the way
both of their sources handled the story.

regular basis, students will make a habit of following
the news themselves; that by having regular
opportunities to practice public speaking withouta script, students will become more comfortablespeaking in front of their classmates; and, that byreading multiple news sources with an eye toward
the differences, students will become more sensitive
to the various types of bias in the news, and grow as
critical, thoughtful consumers.

Today, we’re hearing the news from South America,
which for organizational purposes, also includes
Central America. One student shares about
earthquake relief in Mexico, and another reportson the alleged sonic attacks against American
diplomats in Cuba. The rest of the class takes noteson their laptops as they listen intently.

With the News Circle finished, I distribute a sheetwith sample thesis statements, and a template
for thesis writing. Of course, by 11th grade, thesestudents have been writing thesis statements
for several years. I learned early on in my career,
however, that thesis-writing is a skill that merits
revisiting and sharpening each year.

When they finish, I collect the note-cards andpost them on the whiteboard at the front in caseanybody wants to have a closer look at the outline of
the story, or the sources used.

The students are about to begin writing their firstessay of the school-year, a synthesis essay in which
they must cite excerpts from our units’ readings
to show the relationship between imago dei(being created in the image of God) and a Biblicaldefinition of justice. This is a new assignment, and a
new unit—in past years, I found that students wereMy hope for this routine assignment is three-fold:that by hearing news from all around the world on a5

TEACHING TRUTH

still struggling to define justice even in their
final essay of the school-year, so adapted
my first unit of the year to ensure that thestudents had a solid foundation to workfrom the rest of the year. This change has
also allowed me to meet the students where
they are at, having studied themes related toshalom and being created in God’s image intheir previous English class in 10th grade.
I spend five minutes talking the students
through the sample theses. I have written one
for each level of performance on the rubric: 1
being poor, 2 being mediocre, 3 being basic,
and 4 being good. I intentionally left 5 (anexemplary thesis) blank, as this is what I want
the students to wrestle with today.
I explain to them that the best essays are notmerely organized, but have a logical senseof development to them, beginning with aparticular premise or definition, and drawing
reasonable inferences, supported withevidence.
I ask the students to refer back to theirsources for the synthesis essay. Yesterday, they
worked in groups to categorize the sources by
key ideas. Now, they must develop their own
working thesis statements, which start from afoundational idea, and build upon it.
As I walk around the room and watch thestudents working, I marvel at two things:
while more than a few students are struggling
to find a solid premise to start with, they are
genuinely wrestling with the connections
between the ideas in the sources. Secondly,
all of these students are leagues ahead ofwhere I was when I was their age.
I tell my students every year that although
I have enjoyed writing since I was small,

6

organization and logical sequencing cameslowly for me, and I did not really get thehang of thesis writing until my second year ofcollege.
Then, the bell rings, breaking my reverie. This
group of Humanities students departs, for
now—they will come back for their second
period of Humanities after lunch—and thenext group comes in.
They, too, open with News Circles, we look at
the sample theses together, and they start inon developing their own thesis statements.
This section, however, has back-to-back
Humanities periods, so they will keep working
straight through the bell.
With working thesis statements drafted, I
ask the students to write their theses on
notecards, which I then place on desks allaround the room. The students have left
their names off of the notecards, so they areanonymous, distinctive handwriting aside. I
provide the students with three post-it notes
apiece and instruct them to read each thesis,
then vote for the three that they believe havethe strongest logical development to them.
There’s a subdued chatter as the studentsbrowse the gallery of thesis statements andmake comments to their peers. Several clear
front-runners emerge, and after ten minutesof browsing, I set the timer on my phone andtell the students to make a decision within
two minutes.
The top vote-getter reads as follows:“If justice means giving people what they
are due, and these rights come from being
created in the image of God, imago dei acts
as the backbone of justice ­­— and a light toguide it.”

The bell rings, and the students depart for lunch. I
hurry to the office, sign out again, and walk throughthe front door of my apartment two minutes later—
the perks of a short commute! My daughter is taking
her noon nap, but wakes up just as my wife and I are
finishing lunch. I pick her up, and hold her for a few
precious moments before returning to school for mylast class of the day.
Class begins at 1:49, and my Humanities class from
3rd period settles in for the second half of ourlesson. They finish their working thesis statements,
and go through the same process of reading andvoting on their favorites.
The top vote-getter in this section:
By correctly understanding the relationshipbetween God and man, it is possible to define
the natural rights of humans and seek toapply justice to uphold them.
I inform the top vote-getters from both classes that
I will bring donuts for them the next day, not somuch as a prize, but compensation for the fact that
I will provide public critique and feedback on their
thesis statements on a GoogleDoc I shared with theclass. Having one’s work critiqued can be difficult,but I want students to understand that this is avaluable and necessary part of the learning process.
In particular, I believe that students less confident
and developed in their writing need to see thateven their classmates who enjoy writing still needto receive feedback and go through the processof revision. Writing, and all of learning, really, is an
ongoing journey.
The bell rings, and the students leave for their 7th
period classes. This year, I have set aside my 7th
period prep time for departmental and curricularresponsibilities. Today, I am meeting with several
other colleagues to discuss the structure of ourwriting and presentation rubrics. After a lively
discussion that raises more questions than it
answers, we decide that we need to preparea survey to send out to the other high school
teachers, to gauge the types of rubrics they areusing, and why. The bell rings. It’s 3:30, and theschool-day is over.
I walk down to the plaza, and meet my wife, who
is pushing our daughter in her stroller. Together,
we walk to the office to check my mailbox, anerrand which we know will take a while as weare surrounded every few steps by students andcolleagues alike who admire our daughter, and tell
us how big she is getting.
Shortly after our daughter was born, the Student
Council president sent out a GoogleDoc to start a
meal chain for us. Many 11th and 12th graders, andseveral colleagues made sure that we had meals
every week-night for nearly four weeks! While
teaching as a new parent can be challenging andexhausting, it is not a solitary adventure.
It truly takes a village, and I am grateful to God thatour daughter will grow up in this village!

Nate Gibson hails from Lynden, WA in the great Pacific Northwest of
the U.S. He graduated from Dordt College in Iowa, finishing his student
teaching in December 2008, and three weeks later he began towork at CAJ as a short-term volunteer in the Learning Resource
Center. He soon fell in love with the school and community,
and applied for an opening for High School Bible, English
and History for the next year.
Nate Gibson currently teaches 11th grade Humanities,
a two-period combination of U.S. History and English,
co-coaches debate, and serves as the Social Studies
department chair. He and his wife Tomomi recently
welcomed their first child, Emma, this past February.
Nate and Tomomi Gibson

7

TEACHING TRUTH

SchoolSupportServices
Reaching Out
to Students
Across JapanIf Japan were to have a “Bible Belt”, then it would probably
run along the Seibu Ikebukuro line from western Tokyo
to southern Saitama where many missions have theiroffices and churches abound. CAJ was one of the earliest
inhabitants of this area, relocating from Naka-Meguro to ourcurrent campus in Higashi Kurume in 1951.
But not all missionary families live in Tokyo. In fact, evenin the early years, there were several families in the
outlying areas of Japan who needed support with
their children’s education. In 1982, CAJ gathered
these families to learn about their uniqueneeds. Soon, CAJ established School
Support Services (SSS) and Flossie
Johnson Epley was appointed as thefirst coordinator.
Today, SSS offers consultancy, resources, andprograms to member families and affiliated schools.
CONSULTANCY• Information on homeschooling approaches andhow to order curriculum• Advice and information from a cross-cultural
educational consultant regarding educational
challenges• Weekly emails keeping families in the loop

8

RESOURCES• Selected homeschool curriculum forsale or loan

PROGRAMS• Events such as Speech Festival, Sports Day,
Arts & Skills Day, and Writers’ Workshops• CAJ library privileges• Weeklong activities for homeschooled high school
students during Spiritual Life Emphasis Week (SLEW)• SSS library featuring leveled books,
unit boxes, and books for parents on
homeschooling and parenting• Online books and guided reading
practice for beginning readers• Access to selected online teaching
programs• Reading incentive programs• Classes for preschoolers twice a month called
Stories Plus
• Classes for local elementary-aged homeschoolers
called Homeschool Plus
• Achievement testing• PTA membership

Satellite School Support
A few years after SSS got it’s start, another group of
missionaries from Yokohama asked for permission
to become a satellite school of CAJ. In September
1987, Yokohama-CAJ was formed with Tom
Williams as their teacher. Denise Owen went toYokohama periodically to work with the children
on music so they could join the classes in Tokyo for
performances. Ula Shibazaki also went to teachart. Needs in Yokohama changed fairly quickly andafter 2 years, the Yokohama-CAJ school was closed.
Then again in 1991, a similar school was started in
Nagoya. Rita Schellenberg was sent from CAJ’s

main campus to teach 10 students. The second
year Beth Fennema joined Miss Schellenberg toteach the lower grades. In 1993 Miss Schellenberg
returned to the Tokyo Campus and other teachers
joined the Nagoya staff.
Not many years later, Tom Williams also helped tosupport a satellite school in Zushi. These satellite
schools met a particular need for specific periodsof time. SSS continues to offer support to thoseinterested in setting up satellite schools outsideof Tokyo, although the school does not currently
operate any satellite schools.

Affiliated School Support
In 1995, affiliated schools were formally added to
the School Support Services program. Affiliatedschools run completely on their own but look to
SSS for resources and consultation.
Affiliated schools for the 2017-18 academic year:

Sonshine Kids (Higashi Kurume, Tokyo)
Grace Christian International School (Ome, Tokyo)
Covenant Community School International (Chiba Ken)
New Life International School (Yamanashi Ken)
Sano International School (Tochigi Ken)

February 2017 Spiritual Life Emphasis Week participants

9

TEACHING TRUTH

Flossie Epley offers book suggestions to Barbara Suzuki, circa 1990

This year, School Support Services (SSS) celebrates
35 years of serving missionaries, other expatriate
families, and bilingual families. SSS started
with 20 families and now has more than 100
families and 5 affiliated schools. About half of
SSS families homeschool their children and theother half send their children to local Japanese
schools and supplement with English studies
at home. Affiliated schools range in size fromabout 5 students to 50 students. Though given
no pressure to do so, many students end up
coming to CAJ and about 25% of CAJ’s student
population has come through the SSS program.
With Flossie Epley’s retirement at the end of
this school year, current Elementary Principal,
Jacquie Willson, has been appointed as SSS
Director and educational consultant effective
August 2018. Jacquie grew up as a missionary
kid in Toyama doing distance education throughthe Ontario Ministry of Education until she
became a boarder at CAJ for high school. She
received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing
and then decided to pursue education. Her
undergraduate education degree is from York
University in Toronto and her Master of Educationin Educational Leadership degree is from CalvinCollege in Michigan. Her teaching posts were inkindergarten, second grade, and fourth grade.
She has served as a curriculum developer for CAJ
and for the last eleven years has ably served as
CAJ’s elementary principal. She and her husband
Steve are missionaries with Japan Baptist
Fellowship.
Jacquie looks forward to building on what
Flossie and the SSS team have done. “I value
and desire to honor the purpose and legacy of
School Support Services. I have much to learn
and I am interested in being involved in moving
SSS forward into the the future in a relevant,purposeful, innovative and sustainable way.”

10

Homeschooling parents share ideas with each other while
their children attended classes on Arts & Skills Day, circa 2003

Ethan Eby leads the tug-of-war pack at SSS Sports Day 2005

Jeannie Johnson teaches preschoolers in ¥100 Club on
Valentine’s Day assisted by Gina Abraham and Talitha Hansen, 2007

SSS students pack lunches totake downtown to distribute tohomeless people 2009 or 2010

Flossie Epley, Debbie May, and Alecia May entertaining
everyone at Books on Parade, October 2017

TH A N K YOU Flossie Epley…
We received a flood of responses to our request for words of appreciation to Flossie. Below are just a few.

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ris
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After spending
endless hours researching wha
up my children’t is necessary tos English readinkeepg and writing w
on top of the hu
hile trying to st
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Japanese publ
ic schools, I was
d unsure we co
uld continue do
I met Flossie an
wn this road. Th
d in an hour shene counseled mneeded to heare in exactly wha— both personaltIanwell as everythi
d parenting en
ng we need — acouragement asplan and simpl
up our English
e curriculum —studies. I am gr
to keep
ateful for all ththis work, it hae time she hass been an invest
given toment in my fam
ily and our min
istry.
– Felicity Congdon

I can’t express in words what a support and help Flossie has
field.
been in my nine (so far) years of homeschooling here on theshe
Kyushuindown
I’m
thougheventhatul
thankf
I am mostly
has always been available through Skype meetings and always
had the best advice and answers to my challenges. My favorite
up
part, she always prays with me when we talk, and follows
praying for us and checking to see how God is answering those!
prayers! I am so thankful for your precious servant heart, Flossie
ately!
adequdegratituoursexpresThank you can not– Marla Ayatsuka

During our daughter’s college
decision and application
process, you gave us advice
that was based not only on
feelings but also on fact andthorough research. That was
why we could really rely on
you and not panic during thatprocess! We cannot find any
appropriate word to describe
just how much you mean tous. Thank you so much, Flossie— we will never forget all you
have done for us!
– Akihito/Kieko Sano

Flossie has been
our life saver
on numerous tim
es. She has
been able in ju
st the righttiming to guideand direct ourfamily as we have struggledwith schoolingissues in areas
where internat
ional schools
aren’t possible. God has usedhermightily and be
autifully!
– Sue Plumb Ta
kamotoEven
her home to us.
g her heart and
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ie
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ithalways dedicate
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you so much,for the girls! SSS
ised girls. Thank
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American-ness, and especially
rk
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Flossie, for– Doria Yamazak

COO R D I N ATO R S
Flossie Epley 1983-1985
Karol Harmon 1985-1987

Kathleen Burton-Lewis 1987-1990
Janet Ekstrand 1990-1992

Flossie Epley 1992-2018
Jacquie Willson 2018-

C U R R E N T S TA F F
Debbie May (4 years)

Alecia May (2 years)

P R E V I O U S S TA F F
Jeannie Johnson (20 yrs)
Gina Abraham (15 yrs)

Talitha Hansen Ernst (2 yrs)
Mary Mawhorter (1 year)

Linda Otsuka (1 year)
Lydia Park (2 yrs)

Rita Schellenberg (1 year)
Kathi Weemes (1 year)

The Dottie Mawhorter Lehman Fund provides scholarships and library resources for SSS members.

11

REFLECTING HIS IMAGE
12

Art on Campus

God as the Ultimate Creator, has made us in His own image, with the desire and ability
to create…We are able to show that truth, create beauty, find meaning, tell stories, blessothers, and worship God through our art.
— Lois Seely, CAJ Insights blog September 2016

If you take a few minutes to walk aroundthe CAJ campus, there are a few things thatmight catch your attention. The abundanceof indigenous trees scattered throughout thecampus. The unique design of the auditorium.
The variety of mosaics that tell various parts ofour story. This year, you might also notice ourannual theme banner, the new campus map,and the school’s updated branding. For manyfamilies, this artwork plays a key role in forming
their first impression of CAJ.

continued. Tile left over from the Psalm
43 mosaic was used to complete a twopiece set for the auditorium in 1980. Susan(Tucker) Hersey (who married Philip Hersey,
class of 1973) and some of her students andcolleagues, including current CAJ staff member,
Barb Duhrkoop, class of 1969, created thismosaic that covered the front side walls of
the auditorium’s main hall for many years.
The mosaic represented the The Sower and
The Reaper, from Matthew 13. This artwork
remained until the main hall was renovated in
The most prominent mosaic just outside thethe early 1990s. During her time at CAJ, Bette
Academic Office was created by students 50
Vander Haak was instrumental in reviving theyears ago. Tile was given to CAJ and the art
tradition of student mosaics as part of the 6th
students filled in their teacher’s sketch of Psalm grade art curriculum.
43:3, O send out thy light and thy truth; letthem lead me. Lorelei VerLee, class of 1968,
Current head art teacher, Erin Hughes, class ofrecalls: “I seem to remember the glass tiles were 1998, continues to look for ways to encourage
from Italy. We cut each one with special plier
her students to collaborate with school staff on acutters and used adhesive to put them in place. wide range of projects. This year, in particular, theIt was great fun!”school has commissioned several pieces fromstudents and alumni. Explore more student
Throughout the years, the mosaics haveartwork and the enrichment it brings CAJ life.

Ayumi, class of 2021, with her
2017-18 school theme design.
Takashi, class of 2018, helped
digitize the artwork for the school to
produce this year’s theme banner.

Stars mosaic created by Mrs.
Vander Haak’s last 6th grade class,the graduating class of 2022.

Meg, class of 2019,with her artwork forthe new school map.

Class of 2020 created the Music
mosaic in the auditorium.

Students regularly contribute to theMiddle School Wall of Honor.

Roja and Riko, class of 2019, painted
the Thanksgiving Tree this year.
Elementary school students added
leaves to express their gratefulness.

Room title tiles
Collaborating on color
scheme and style,individual students fromthe high school ceramics
classes designed andconstructed each letter.

Bas relief sculpture ofarchitectural elements
by middle school art
students in the late ‘90s.

Photography by Jeremy, class of 2018 and Mayu Ono, class of 2017

Flower Garden mosaic outside the Home Ec room madeby the class of 2018, when they were in 6th grade.

Mount Fuji mosaic
by students from theclass of 2017.
13

LIVING IN COMMUNITY

Reunions, Updates & Farewells

Jack Bellar | 1957
Jackie “Jack” T. Bellar, age 79, of Hobart, passed
away Saturday, October 7, 2017. Jack proudly
served his country in the United States Air
Force. He was a 40 year member of the Good
Shepherd Presbyterian Church in Valparaiso
and also a member of the American Legion.
He retired from Inland Steel. Jack loved
the outdoors. He was an avid duck hunter,
fisherman, golfer, and enjoyed playing all
sports. He was preceded in death by his loving
wife of 45 years, Ruth Bellar; brothers, Chuckand Larry Bellar; and his parents.
Jack Fitzwilliam | 1959
Francis John “Jack” Fitzwilliam of Warsaw,
Indiana passed away on February 19, 2017 at
the age of 87. He was born on June 19, 1929
in Tengyueh, China to missionary parents
Francis Julius Fitzwilliam and Jennie Eliza(Kingston) Fitzwilliam. In 1951 he graduatedfrom Wheaton College and married Alice Ruth
Larson. In 1961 he received his Master’s degreefrom Northern Illinois University.
He moved to Tokyo, Japan to teach Math andScience at CAJ. Later he was transferred toFaith Academy in Manila, Philippines as thebusiness manager for three years. In 1964 hereturned to Wheaton, Illinois and worked asa business administrator until 1984. Jack was
the C.E.O. of Business Link Executive Suites
which he founded and retired from in 1999. He
enjoyed gardening and most of all he dearly
loved his family.
Bob Sorley | 1959
Bob retired in 2008 after 38 years as a
missionary in Japan. He and his wife, Nancy,
moved to Ohio. Their daughter, Lisa, teaches
fourth grade at Okinawa Christian School
International. Their son, Jason, is a pastor in
Minnesota. Bob served for six years as an elder
in their church in Ohio, and also preached14monthly at a Japanese church in Columbus.
For the past eight seasons, he has played in theCentral Ohio Senior Softball League.
Dave Sweet | 1960
Dave and his wife were visiting our World
Partners missionaries in Turkey this year andmet Becky (Meyer ‘74) and Harold Porterfield
who live and serve there. It was an encouraging
connection given that both had been students
at CAJ, although years apart. Dave was astudent the first day the school opened in 1950.

Ron Nipper | 1965
Retired from the USAF in 1999 after 30 years
then worked for USAA till 2012. Tessy and I
sing with the choir at St Andrews Presbyterian
Church in Newport Beach, CA. Our daughter
Elena is an Associate Professor and Librarianat Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, CA andour son Matt and his wife Leah, and daughter
Junia, live in Nashville where Matt is a productmanager with The General Insurance Co.
Since retirement I have spent more time
backpacking in the California Sierra andtrekking in other mountains around theworld. Latest trip was the Three Passes trek
around the southern part of Mt Everest in the
Himalaya. Missed the 1965 reunion last year but
hope to make the next one.

Upcoming Reunion | 1965-67
There will be a CAJ reunion for the classes of 19651967 in Michigan on September 6-10, 2018. Contact
Linda Fox Sabatini (‘67) for more information.
LLSABATINI@comcast.net

some time in Nebraska during the year to see
three of our four children, and also the other one in
Alaska. We have 13 grandkids, and more are on theway! Life is good!!

Annesley Wright | 1966
Annesley Wright OBE, Vice Chair University
Business Advisory Council. Annesley’s primary
career has been as managing director of Japanesemanufacturing companies in North Wales (29 years),initially with Hoya Lens in Wrexham (15 years) andlatterly with TRB, a Toyota manufacturing subsidiary,in St Asaph. His background is in finance andaccounting and evolved to general management inwhich he rapidly developed a reputation for successin managing change and growing companies.

Daniel Westberg | 1967
Rev. Dr. Daniel A. Westberg, D Phil (Oxon), Professorof Ethics and Moral Theology at Nashotah House
Theological Seminary, died October 18, 2017 in aboating accident on Upper Nashotah Lake. Link tothis tribute from Nashotah House: Rev. Dr. Daniel A.
Westberg.

A fluent Japanese speaker, he was honoured by
the Japanese Government in 2008 for service toJapanese corporates and the Japanese community
in UK. In 1998 he was awarded the Achievement
Wales Business Person of the Year and in 2006,
the University of Bangor sponsored Wales Business
Person of the Year, both in association with theWelsh Government.
He currently holds Welsh Government Board
appointments in Careers Wales, Deeside Enterprise
Zone and, locally, Cefndy Healthcare. He also holds
board appointments on UCAT, NYAS, Adoption
Matters, ABF, Wrexham Foyer and Q3 Academy andsits on several charitable trusts as a trustee.
Chuck Luber | 1967
Chuck and his wife, Dianne, are enjoying retirement.
Chuck does a huge garden every summer and weput up lots of good food for the year. We spend

Joyce Warrick | 1967
Former CAJ staff member and parent, Joyce
Warrick passed away on October 22, 2017. She
was born in Dublin, IN spending 26 years inTokyo, Japan as a missionary before moving toOregon in 2004. Joyce and her husband, Robert,
served as elementary school dorm parents from
1967-69. Joyce was also instrumental in starting
CAJ’s kindergarten program and later worked in
the cafeteria.
Joyce was a member of Turner Christian Church
and WCTU (Women’s Christian Temperance
Union). She enjoyed music, singing, reading,writing poetry, making new friends of many
cultures, and collecting teddy bears. She will
be remembered as a godly woman who wasa hard worker and was always ready to help
others. Joyce is survived by her husband: RobertTurner; children: Ed Warrick of Mableton, GA,
Barbara Duhrkoop (1969) of Tokyo, Keith Warrick(1970) of Cincinnati, OH, David (1978) and Don(1986) Warrick both of Indianapolis, IN, andMiriam Warrick (1988) of Greenwood, IN; 10
grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren.

Reunions, Updates & Farewells

15

LIVING IN COMMUNITY

Flossie Epley | 1973
Russ and Flossie Epley enjoyed having thewhole family home for Christmas 2016 in
Higashi Kurume.

Russ Epley, Joel Epley (’05), Christina Epley, Chul Moreau, Christina Epley
Moreau (’03), Azariah & Aravis Epley, Flossie Johnson Epley (’73)
Cecilia Jeanne Reich “Jeanne” | 1974
Excerpts from obituary by Jeanne’s husband:
Jeanne was born Cecilia Jeanne Reimer onJune 19, 1956 in Tokyo, passed away July 19,
2017. Most of her school age years were spentattending CAJ. After graduating high school
she moved to the United States to attend
college where she completed her associates
degree. On February 5, 1978 she married Tim
Reich and her deep desire to have children
and a family was fulfilled when she had

16

her two sons, Matthew, now 38 yrs old andNicholas, 37 yrs old. Jeanne always looked
forward to the years when she would see oursons married and eventually be able to enjoy
the blessing of grandchildren. Jeanne deeply
loved her daughters-in-law, Tara and Ashley;but, the biggest joy in her life was spendingtime with her grandchildren. She loved having
them spend the night; those times were filledwith hours of playing games, eating together,going to the park, watching movies and justhanging out. Jeanne touched many lives whileon this earth. Most of her work life outside thehome was working for the State of Oregon.
She truly cared for her fellow employees and in
return, was deeply loved and respected by thepeople she worked with.
Reunion | 1976
The class of 1976 had their 40th reunion in
Seattle, September 9-11, 2016. See photo below.
Michael Essenburg | 1981
Michael and Kim Essenburg serve at Okinawa
Christian School International, where Michael
serves as head of school and Kim teaches
English and coordinates the curriculum. They
are the proud grandparents of Zion, son of
Caitlin (Essenburg) Berney (2009).

1976 Reunion: from L to R: Les Barker, Theresa Owens Robinson, Dan Reimer, John Pickering, Lorraine Little Klassen, Joanna Westberg Sjoblom, Tom Kinley,
Kathy Kwantes, Susan Bauman Regis, Alida Bouwman, Ted Morris, Mary Noell VanSyckel, Ruth DeShazer Kutrakun, Ladd McDaniel, Paul Boardman, Keren Allen
Beek, Paul VanSchooten, Mary Wayne, Lois Springer Dresselhaus, Kerry Nicolas Cheesman, Sam Minagawa, Suzanne Lin, Keith Seat, Brenda Helland Seat

Karen Madsen | 1981
Karen sends her greetings from Denmark.

Ryan and Nelle Potter | 1998
Ryan and Nelle (Pettit) and their 3 children Ezra (7),Luna (5), and Vera (3) welcomed their new baby,
Jude Aizen Potter, into the family on Sept. 5th.
Although born a month earlier than expected, Judeis happy, healthy, and home.

Karen’s family - from the left: Jonatan (Karen’s son), Peter (Karen’s husband), Louise(Karen’s daugther), Karen, Rebekka (Karen’s daugther), Nikolaj (Louise’s husband)sitting with their girl named Kaisa.
Tom Ehnle | 1981
Tom, miraculously, married Yvonne Troya on 2
August in San Francisco where they both lived andstill do.
Joel Peterson | 1984
Joel’s daughter, Joy, is in the 8th grade and enjoys
being on the volleyball team. His wife, Yuki is activeon the PTA. Joel is on the CAJ board again this year.

Jude Aizen Potter, born September 5, 20172007 Reunion
The class of 2007 had celebrated their tenth reunionwith a gathering in Tokyo They also held a reunion in
the U.S. in September.

Laura Mimms Wolfe | 1987 Reunion
We had a small group from 1987, but a great timenone the less! It was kind of funny that Laurel Young
Laird was the only one of the three of us who actually
graduated from CAJ in 87. Elaine Zook Wright andI were both in the states for senior year. We did getschoolmates from classes of ‘86 and ‘88 who joinedin for the Vegas reunion.

Back row, left to right: Yosh Morita, Yuta Soda, Victor Eby, Phil Ellison, Paul Mori,
Stephen Yosypiw. Front row, left to right: Yohan Na, Shannon Ikuta, Megumi Suzuki,
Emi Okayasu, Sarah Turner, Marian Mine1987 Reunion: Laurel Young Laird, Zana Kent Paul (‘86) (back), Frieda Buss Nossaman( ‘88), Laurie Fleenor ( ‘86), Lisle Wilkerson ( ‘86) (back of Laurie), Laura Mims Wolfe,
Christine Fujii ( ‘86), Elaine Zook Wright, Chad Wright ( ‘86); Not pictured: Elizabeth
Ross Bailey ( ‘88), Chris Wolfe (Laura’s husband)

Thomas Postema | 2008
After leaving CAJ in 2008, Tom and Michele
Postema taught at an international school in
Suwon, South Korea for three years. Since 2011, Tom
has served as the Head of School at Mustard Seed
School in Hoboken, NJ and Michele is the Directorof Admissions and Community Relations. Antje(PhD, University of Chicago) teaches at UC Berkeley;
Erica (MD, Wayne State University) is a pediatrician
in Kalamazoo, MI and has three children; Chris(BA, Calvin College) is a political fund-raiser in
Washington DC.
Bryan Little | 2008
Bryan Little married Jessica Lange on December
18th, 2016 in Saint Charles, Missouri.

Reunions, Updates & Farewells

17

LIVING IN COMMUNITY

Justin Barber | 2011
Justin and Nidhi Koshy (2012) were marriedon December 18, 2016 with close friends andfamily in Atlanta, Georgia one day after Nidhi
graduated from Georgia Tech.

Brady Carrico | 2014
Brady married Isa on June 28, 2015 in Costa
Rica. They had a reception in Japan June 2016
and now live in Costa Rica where Brady works
for Amazon and Isa works at the Portantorchas
Bible School where they first met.

The wedding party included CAJ grads Jared Johnson(‘11), Jacob Winter (‘11),
David Vander Haak (‘11), Nineesha Koshy (‘15), Grace Charley (‘12), Amy
McDonald (‘12), and Sarah Schaeffer (‘12)
Megan Woon | 2012
Megan recently returned to Canada andstarted in her first year studying Early
Childhood Education at Mohawk College in
Hamilton Ontario.
ALL YEARS REUNION CRUISE | MARCH 201718

Back: Joel & Susie Thomas Deriso, Paul & Sharon Jensen (in blue dress),husband of Sherry McKay’s sister, Tim & Linda Metcalf Nelson, Dave & Karen
Thomas Rayner, Tim & Sharon Oxley. Middle: Sherry McKay’s sister, Debbie
Weber Millard, Barbie Weber Burrage. Front: Jared Deriso (Susie’s son), Dale
& Ruth Jensen Zschoche, Susie Deriso’s daughter and family (Jenna & Michael
Brucker & kids Carter, Shad, Bergan & Lakelynn), Pat Jensen & David Fogel ,Sherry McKay & Jim Gray

Back row: Paul Jensen, Rob Thomas, Tim Oxley. Middle row: Debbie Weber
Millard, Barbara McKay, Linda Metcalf Nelson, Karen Thomas Rayner, SuzanneThomas Deriso. Front row: Pat Jensen Fogel, Sherri McKay Gray, Ruth Jensen
Zschoche, & Barbie Weber Burrage.

November 9, 10 & 11, 2017
CAJ presentation of
RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN’S

CINDERELL A
For more photos link to flickr

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New monogram and mascot logos designed by Martin Barker (class of 1978).

Equipping students to serve Japan and the world for Christ.
Thank you for your ongoing prayers and support making our mission possible.

www.caj.ac.jp20