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School

The Wartime Civilian Control Administration (WCCA) did not plan for schools in the rush to build assembly centers and relocation camps. However the Japanese Americans within the camp soon saw a need to create some sort of educational structure for children and adults. Classes were offered for everyone: spelling for children, crafts and sports for adolescents, shorthand and first aid for adults, and English and Americanization classes for the Issei.

Churches too provided Sunday school and bible classes.

Graduating seniors from high schools and the University of Washington attended ceremonies within the camp. Only 5 seniors from Puyallup High School were given permission to leave the camp and attend commencement.

"Vacation School." Camp Harmony Newsletter, June 12, 1942. Complete issue.	After a month of inactivity, 312 children of grammar school age went back to school, as Area A's vacation school officially opened its doors last Wednesday. Under the direction of Education Officer Joanne Mori, classes are held twice daily: 9-11 a.m. and 2-4 p.m. Teachers number 16 with the classes ranging from first to the eighth grade. Interest groups also began their session beginning last Wednesday. The schedule follows: (1) First Aid -- Tuesdays and Fridays from 7 p.m. at mess hall 1; (2) Creative Writing -- Mondays from 7:30 p.m. at mess hall 4; (3) Shorthand -- Tuesdays and Fridays from 7:30 p.m. with the beginners meeting at mess hall 5 and the advanced students, mess hall 6; (4) Public Speaking and Parliamentary Law -- Wednesdays from 7:30 p.m. at mess hall 6; (5) German -- Wednesdays from 7:30 p.m. at mess hall 1; (6) English -- issei meet on Mondays and Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. at mess hall 1 and 2 while the kibei meet on the same dates from 7:30 p.m. at mess hall 6.
Class Schedule for Eight to Eleven Year Olds. Hiroyuki Ichihara Papers. Reel 2. UW Libraries Special Collections.	Teachers: Misses Sachi Nakauchi and Tamiko Takenaga PLACE TIME CLASS TEACHER Dorm. B 9:30 a.m. Roll Mr. Shizuo Yamada Story Hr. Dorm. B. 10:00 Grp. Sing. Mr. Yosh Uchida Mrs. G. Abe Dorm. B. 10:30 Outdoor Mitzi Sugino Recreation Min Katsuyama Dorm. A 11:00 Handicraft **** Art GIRLS' HANDICRAFT: Miss Sachi Nakauchi; Miss Matsuko Imori, Mrs. Takakoshi. Project: Braiding, Basket making, Fundamental Embroidery, Knitting, Monograming. BOYS' HANDICRAFT: Mr. Tadao Sunohara and his assistants. Project: Clay modeling, whittling, drawing (creative). Art supervision by Mr. Ed Tsutakawa and assistants.
*Photograph by Tacoma News Tribune* photographer, Howard Clifford**. UW11336. UW Libraries Special Collections.
Letter dated May 28, 1942. Elizabeth Bayley Willis Papers. Box 1. Manuscripts and University Archives, UW Libraries. Other letters in the Willis collection.	Signing up for classes in public speaking, creative writing, stenography, music appreciation, and one or two others have begun. A vacation school for children between the ages of 6-15 is starting tomorrow at 10 A.M. I hear this latter is compulsory. Signing up for "gym" classes are in order also. Classes in wrestling, boxing, tumbling, weight lifting & jujitsu are offered. None of these classes however have any date for starting, nor the time, except tumbling and weight lifting.
"Center Issei Study English Language." Camp Harmony News-Letter, July 18, 1942. Complete issue.	Americanization classes to acquaint the issei with the English language are being conducted in A, B, and C, while the program in D is scheduled to start Monday. John Hayatsu is instructor in A; Lilyan Inana, Haarue Sao, Mitsuo Kihara, and Kikuko Osaki in B; Marguerite Okamura, Kinjo Kinno and Hiroshi Yamada in C; and in D, Yoriaki Nakagawa will lecture. Issei wishing to enroll in the Americanization classes may sign up at their area information offices.
"Five Japanese Get 'Leave' to Receive H.S. Diplomas." Seattle Times, May 29, 1942.	Japanese graduating seniors from Seattle high schools will have their names on the graduation list and program, as if they were attending commencement exercises here. Their diplomas will be mailed to them by the Seattle Public Schools central office after the exercises. Broadway has 125 Japanese, largest list of Japanese graduating seniors. There are 49 from Garfield High and 17 from Franklin High School.
"High Schools Hold Evacuee Commencement." Camp Harmony Newsletter, June 12, 1942. Complete issue.	Commencement exercises were held last Saturday and Monday for graduates of Garfield and Broadway high schools, while students of other Seattle schools received their diplomas Wednesday night. All exercises were held in the grandstands of Area D. Samuel E. Fleming presented the diplomas to 48 Garfield graduates and Superintendent Worth McClure to the 124 Broadwayites. The number graduated last nite [sic] were: Cleveland, 9; Lincoln, 2; Queen Anne, 5; Franklin, 17; Roosevelt, 3; West Seattle, 2; Edison Vocational, 23.
Memo from Richard Weir, Recreational and Educational Leader, dated June 9, 1942. Hiroyuki Ichihara Papers. Reel 2. UW Libraries Special Collections.	It has been decided by Mr. J.J. McGovern, Center Manager, that all graduating seniors of the University of Washington will not be allowed to travel to Seattle for commencement exercises. Instead, arrangements are being made for a service in Area D and a party following. Some representatives of the University of Washington will attend and present the diplomas. The date has not been announced as yet. All those who have graduated in the past fall or spring quarters will be allowed to attend. All those of senior standing at the University of Washington will also be able to attend. Each graduate will be allowed to invite their immediate relatives and/or friends, approximately four each.
"Nisei Students Win Many Honors at Washington U." Pacific Citizen, June 4, 1942.	Twenty-two nisei students were honored recently by the University of Washington at the fifth annual honors convocation held in Meany hall on the campus. In all 524 scholastic awards were made. The great majority of the nisei, being already evacuated to various assembly centers, received their honors in absentia. Phi Beta Kappa memberships went to George Kumasaka, Mary Toribara, Kazuko Umino and Kiyoshi Yamashita. New members and associates of the Society of Sigma XI (Science) include Kazuo Kimura and Thomas Okabe. Chiyeka [sic] Kiyone and Yoshiko Uchiyama are members of Omicron Nu (Home Economics). William T. Makino and Liy [sic] Yuri Yorozo were accepted by Alpha Kappa Delta (Sociology). Sigma Epsilon Sigma (Undergraduate Women) extended membership to Mariko Fujioka, Kazue Kiyono and Alice M. Togo. Ben T. Uyeno is a member of Phi Sigma (Biology) Toshiyuki Fukushima, Yoshiko Ito and William T. Makino made Zeta Mu Tau (Mathematices - Applied). Kazuko Umino was one of four accepted by Iota Sigma Pi (Chemistry - Women). Minori Araki and Norio Higano are members of Pi Mu Chi (Pre-Medic). Kiyo Fuji, Toshio Noma and Mary Shimoda were among the ten who were honored by Pho Chi (Pharmacy). Mary Toribara also made Pi Mu Epsilon (Mathematics). Ruby Inouye made Sigma Epsilon (Women's Allied Medical Arts).
"Five Japanese Get 'Leave' to Receive H.S. Diplomas." Seattle Times, May 29, 1942.	Four Japanese girls and one boy, in "best clothes" borrowed from their classmates, will be permitted to leave the evacuation assembly center at Puyallup tonight long enough to attend graduation ceremonies of their class at Puyallup High School. Japanese graduating from Seattle high schools, however, will not be allowed to attend ceremonies at their schools, but will get diplomas in the mail, it was announced today. Paul B. Hanawalt, superintendent of Puyallup schools, received permission to take the five seniors from the camp to exercises at 8 o'clock tonight at the high school returning them immediately afterward. Classmates found "formals" for the four Japanese girls to wear tonight, and the boys have found a "best" suit for the Japanese boy. "The Japanese pupils didn't plan on graduation when they were evacuated," Hanawalt said today, "so naturally their best clothes have been packed and left in various places. Some of our girls took dresses down to the assembly center, left them at the gates for the Japanese girls to try on, and left those that fit for them to wear.