205 W 5th Ave Ellensburg, WA 98926-2887
Monday - Friday 8 AM - 5 PM
Kittitas (pronounced 'KITT-i-tass') County is located in central Washington State. It spans from the lush forested Cascade Mountains to the upper Yakima River Valley plains and the Columbia River.
On March 29, 2015 a group of high school students from Sanda City, Japan arrived in Ellensburg to participate in an exchange. Those who took part in the exchange included Nanami Oka, Kenijiro Saeki, Tsuyoshi Kobayashi and Keiya Masumura. Their group leader and English teacher Ms. Nami Yoshida accompanied them on their trip. Without the support of local host families their trip would not be possible. The host families included: Kevin & Julie Kjorsvik; Wade & Lisa Young; Rick & Amy Gibson; and Rex Wirth & Stefanie Wickstrom.
When the group arrived in Ellensburg they were picked up by their host families and settled in to their new place to get an experience of a typical American family. Some of the activities included in their visit were a tour of Central Washington University; Kittitas Valley Fire & Rescue; shopping; roasting marshmallows and attending a local high school baseball game. They were also able to take part in an art lesson at the Gallery One and a personal tour of downtown Ellensburg. The students attended Ellensburg High School for a full day where they met with students from the Japanese classes and did a Judo demonstration at lunchtime. This was an exciting experience for the high school students. Although it was a quick trip they were able to have a great experience and made lifelong friendships.
