KINGSTON — Tetsuo Okoshi and 13 students from Shimokitazawa Seitoku High School in Tokyo were two days away from their trip to Kingston when the 9.0 magnitude earthquake hit Japan.

The earthquake and following tsunami which devastated part of the country on March 11 was the worst natural catastrophe Okoshi has experienced in his life. Despite the events, the plans to bring the students to Kingston as part of an exchange program continued.

Okoshi accompanied the students to Kingston, where they will study alongside students in the North Kitsap School District until the end of March.

Okoshi and the exchange students arrived Monday morning. Though the earthquake and tsunami are still on their minds, Okoshi said the students’ focus is in the classroom.

“We worry about the nuclear power station,” Okoshi said. “But when we left, we decided to concentrate on this program.”

Many of the students’ families live in Tokyo and while they were affected by the earthquake, he said their families are safe. Students have begun to receive e-mails from their families, notifying them they are OK.

Shimokitazawa Seitoku High School is a sister school to Kingston High School, allowing students from both schools to participate in an exchange program. The program began after a visit from the Seitoku principal in 2007, followed by a visit of five exchange students in March 2008.

Since then, 14 KHS students have visited Seitoku with KHS English teacher Alison Roberts and Kingston Middle School seventh-grade teacher Lynn Atherton.

Besides working with the program and acting as chaperone, Roberts also hosts exchange students, such as Natsuki Maeda, one of the 13 students currently visiting.

“I really think that student exchange is the best way to foster understanding with personal interaction and between cultures,” Roberts said.

The students’ presence has sparked more interest in the global event in Kingston schools, Roberts said. Japan is more than just a place on a map.

“It really brings it home,” she said.

Though the Japanese students prefer not to discuss the catastrophe in their country, it sticks with them.

“I think they’re putting a brave face on,” Roberts said, adding that she thinks they like being in North Kitsap despite their worries about their friends and families at home.

Maeda, one of the exchange students, said she has enjoyed what she has experienced in Kitsap so far. She particularly has enjoyed the food — especially the pizza, she said with a grin.

Though the 13 girls are in high school, they spent the school day at Kingston Middle School. On Thursday, the students received a tour of the school, including a visit to John Goar’s eighth-grade science class.

Kingston High School sophomore Megan Kelly and her parents are hosting Megumi Komatsu. Though Komatsu has spent less than a week with her host family, Kelly said she has learned a lot about Japanese culture.

Komatsu said the hike they took in Kingston so far has been a highlight of the trip, along with shopping.

“Before they got here, we were all really worried about them,” Kelly said. “We wanted to make sure they were OK but had no way to talk to them.”

Now that the exchange students have settled in, Kelly said she enjoys just spending time talking on the couch.

“The students have experienced the people,” Okoshi said.

The students are fortunate to be here, Okoshi said.

This article has been corrected. The print version had the wrong last name for Megan, her name is Megan Kelly.