Sixteen junior high school students, along with four chaperones, from Hokuto City Junior High School arrived on Friday, July 27 for a week in Crowsnest Pass.

Until this year, this was a junior high school student exchange program, but last year after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, the students of Crowsnest Consolidated High School raised funds for relief aid instead of their usual trip to Japan.

Crowsnest Pass students raised $1,500 through a "Taco in a Bag" fundraiser and the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass matched the amount and donated an additional $1,000. A total of $4,000 was wired to Japan.

On behalf of Hokuto City, students and chaperones came to the Pass to say thank you.

Although the students' visit was short, they had a full itinerary and managed to pack a lot of activities into a short time.

After settling into their accommodation at Country Encounters B&B, students had a tour of Crowsnest Museum and a walking tour of Coleman.

On Saturday, they visited the Frank Slide Interpretive Centre where they had a guided hike, watched the movie about the disaster, and visited the exhibit galleries and gift shop. That evening they had a relaxing picnic dinner in Flumerfelt Park.

Sunday saw the students attend a service at the Crowsnest Community Christian Centre and later travel to Allison Lake for a hot dog roast.

On Monday, July 30 the group visited the municipal office where they were given a tour of the building and then expressed their thanks for both welcoming them to the community and the donation.

That afternoon, students had a tour of the Bellevue Underground Mine and participated in volunteer work at the site. They also had a brief visit with Blairmore post office staff.

Tuesday was the day students shared their culture with a kamishibai (Japanese folk tale story with picture) presentation at the Blairmore Library and a library tour. They also spent time at the Crowsnest Pass Boys and Girls Club before a farewell BBQ at Flumerfelt Park.

The students departed on Wednesday, Aug. 1 after an eventful week in the Pass.