Kid-inspired group is off to Japan

At a time when most graduating fifth-graders aren't thinking much beyond the challenges of middle school, 10-year-old Christina Katsuse was thinking about her legacy.

One year later, those thoughts have given birth to a program that will annually pay for two students and one teacher at Christina's alma mater, Combs Elementary School in Raleigh, to travel abroad and develop leadership skills.

The first group of six people, including Christina and her parents, flew out of Raleigh-Durham International Airport on Friday to spend 10 days in Japan. They'll study at an elite private school, sample the local culture and meet business and political leaders, including a former prime minister.

"I wanted to leave behind a legacy so that the students who come after me can learn about becoming leaders," said Christina, now 11 and a rising seventh-grader at Cary Academy.

The idea came about when Christina was a fifth-grader at Combs, a magnet school that emphasizes developing leadership skills and using principles from Stephen Covey's "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People."

Christina talked about it with her parents, who helped her with the idea of a student exchange program. Her father, Hiro, who owns and operates several businesses in the U.S. and Asia, agreed to fund the program for at least seven years.

It came as a pleasant surprise to Combs Principal Muriel Summers when the family proposed the program to her at last year's graduation ceremony.

"We've never had in the history of this school an offer that's been more generous and been the inspiration of a child," Summers said.

Christina didn't just lend her name to the Christina Katsuse Student Ambassador Program. She developed the questions asked of the six finalists. She rated their answers to help pick the two students who would go this summer.

Simon Mason and Megan Bohm were thrilled to be chosen. The program tapped rising fifth-graders so the students can share their experiences with classmates upon their return.

"It's going to be a great trip," Simon said. "It's a great opportunity to learn about other cultures."

Accompanied by Michael Armstrong, the school's magnet coordinator, they'll spend much of the first half of the trip at the Tamagawa Academy, a respected private school in Tokyo that has agreed to form a partnership with Combs. In keeping with their leadership theme, the students plan to talk with the Tamagawa students about how to apply Covey's effective habits in their lives, such as having a personal vision and putting first things first.

Use of the habits has helped Combs gain national recognition and mention in Covey's latest book. It's also helping the students get access to Japanese leaders through the cooperation of FranklinCovey, the company Covey co-founded.

Simon says he's especially looking forward to meeting Morihiro Hosokawa, who was a reform-minded prime minister in Japan. Hosokawa made headlines in 1993 when he said that World War II was a"war of aggression" that was wrong.

"It will be a great meeting someone with his high reputation," Simon said.

They'll also meet with the head of the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Tokyo and visit North Carolina's Department of Commerce office in Tokyo.

The students will keep their classmates updated by using laptops, Web cameras and blogs set up by Lenovo, where Simon's mother works.

After they return, the students will help improve the program. It's something Summers looks forward to as the program provides future Combs students with more life-changing experiences.

"It's like what Mr. Katsuse said, the world is getting smaller," Summers said. "They will be the next generation of leaders. This will help them get there."