T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY

A group of Marshalltown students held their final meeting at the Starbucks located inside Hy-Vee last Wednesday to prepare for their upcoming exchange trip to Marshalltown’s Japanese sister city of Minami-Alps, located in the Yamanashi Prefecture about 55 miles from Mount Fuji. The students practiced their greetings during the brief meeting. They will depart on Saturday and spend nine days in Japan learning about the country’s culture, art, history and schools while having a little fun in the process. Pictured, from front left to back right, are Airi Hoven, Lily Johnson, Sophia Richardson, Exchange Director Kris Alman, Colin Potter, Tyler Beare and his mother Jennie Beare. Not pictured is Eliot Heitmann.