Dear Titan,
Why is our lunchtime so short compared to other schools?
signed,
Questioning the System
Dear QTS,
Great Question! I contacted some international schools in the Kanto area to find out if our lunchtime is shorter
compared to other schools. It turned out that most schools, such as YIS (Yokohama International School), ASIJ (American School In Japan), and St. Mary’s International School, have an average lunchtime of 45 minutes. Seisen International School also has 45 minutes of lunchtime but has an additional 15 minutes of break time in the morning. St. Maur has the longest. It has 55 minutes of lunchtime, 10 minutes more than other schools in Kanto Plains. It seems like our school is not unusual to have 45 minutes of lunchtime–that gives all students time to eat in the cafeteria(elementary, middle and high have their own time slots to share the space), and have a break, but does not make the school day too long.
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Dear Titan,
Why does St. Mary’s have a school uniform?
Signed,
Curious about Uniforms
Dear CAU,
Excellent question! I asked Mr. Bayfield for his opinion. He explained that when stu
dents dress alike, comparison issues—such as when someone wears a flashy Rolex to “flex” their wealth—are reduced. By eliminating status symbols, we reduce the focus on financial differences and let students be recognized for who they are rather than what they own. As a result, students’ views of one another become more equal.
Uniforms also convey a feeling of pride and unity. Many students take pride in representing their school in this way, and wearing the same clothes displays that you are a member of a community. It’s about belonging, not just your appearance.
I hope this answers your question!
HISTORICAL NOTE:
Japanese school uniforms in public schools have been around for over 100 years. The vaguely naval- inspired dresses that girls wear, and the military style tunics and pants that are worn by boys, date back to the 1920’s when this was very much in style in western countries.
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Dear Titan,
Why were the cup noodles discontinued from Cezars Kitchen?
Signed,
Need My Noodles
Dear NMN,
Thanks for writing. I asked Mr. Sameera, the Kitchen Manager at Cezars Kitchen, your question. He said that they never had cup noodles in the cafeteria but did have Ramen they made by hand for the students. He explained that a couple of years before the pandemic, there was an accident that resulted in the hot water from the ramen burning an elementary school student. Ramen was seen as a safety risk and was discontinued from the menu. Sadly, it won’t be coming back.
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Dear Titan,
Do colleges specifically look if students have been suspended before?
Signed,
Worried about future
Dear WAF,
I asked Ms Marwood, the high school counselor, and this is what she said. Most colleges require students to report significant behavioral issues, especially those incidents which included putting yourself or others people in danger. There are applications, such as the Common Application that ask if the student has had criminal records and if the student was ever dismissed from any school. Additionally in the counselor section, there is a place for counselors to report major incidents that happened at school. However, these reports are usually about very serious situations, and schools won’t automatically report minor issues unless they are asked about it.
I hope this answered your question.
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Dear Titan,
Why can’t we use the field after school?
Signed,
A Human
Dear Human,
Thanks for writing. I asked Mr. Kagei your question. He explained that the field is reserved for organized sports after school, and at other times there would need to be organized supervision. Because it is private land, not a park, it can not be used in the same way that a public space can be.
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Dear Titan,
Please help me understand how a US President can still ‘win’ the election even though he/she doesn’t win more votes that his/her rival.
Signed,
Trying to Understanding American Democracy
Dear TTUAD,
Great question! I asked Mr. Douglas in the high school social studies department to explain. Here is his answer:
That’s a good question! Many Americans also do not understand the system. The president and vice president are selected by a process that was created in 1787 in the U.S. Constitution. Back then, the people who created the government were not sure how much power they wanted to give to the 
majority of the voters when it came to choosing a president. Some people were afraid that big states with large populations would have too much power, or big cities would do the same and not represent the small states and countryside. Because of that, they created something called the electoral college. Basically it means that each state has a number of votes equal to the number of its members of the House of Representatives, and its two senators. When there is a presidential election the winner in each state then has these “electors” cast a vote for him or her. On election day there are 51 separate contests in every state and the District of Columbia (Washington D.C.). There are 538 electoral votes in total, which means that a candidate needs a majority of 270 to win the election. Because no state, no matter how small, can have less than two senators and one member of the House, it is not very proportional. A small state like Wyoming, with a population of just 576,851, has 3 electoral votes—so 1 vote equals 192,283 people. California has a population of 38.9 million, and has just 54 electoral votes—so 1 vote equals 720,370 people. Small states tend to vote for Republicans, and large states for Democrats, resulting in instances where 
Democrats often win the “popular vote”–meaning they have more votes cast for them, but Republicans often have more weighted electoral votes from smaller conservative states which diminishes that advantage.
In 2016 Hilary Clinton received 65,853,514 popular votes compared to Donald Trump’s 62,984,828–that was a difference of nearly 3 million votes. She lost the election because he had more electoral votes.
In 2020 Joe Biden also won the popular vote, but he also won several additional states that Hillary Cli
nton did not (Arizona, Michigan and Wisconsin) and a s result he won the election.
There has been an effort for many years to change the system, but it is difficult to amend the Constitution, and there are many people who do not want to see smaller states lose their power.
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Dear Titan,
Why do we not have a snack break[in addition to the lunch break]?
Signed,
Hungry for Snacks
Dear HFS,
Great question! I reached out to Ms. Fradale and Ms. Ashmore (the principals of Middle and high school) to ask them about this. They explained that almost 10 years ago there used to be two shorter breaks for the high school students instead of a single lunch. The middle school did not have two breaks. Because it was a shorter time the students were not able to get a hot meal, just snacks at both times. It was changed because it was decided that a longer break was better and allowed for a better meal time.
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