The foreign language program at Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy (CSKYWLA) will get a significant boost Thursday, when the Consul General of Japan in Atlanta will visit the school to present a check for $30,000 to help bolster its Japanese language program.

Consul General Kazuyuki Takeuchi will make the presentation during a celebration of Japanese culture that will include songs, dances and other performances by students at CSKYWLA, a single-gender school that serves female students in grades 6-12 and recognizes proficiency in world language as a door to future possibilities. The gift is from a grant program established by The Japan Foundation, working in coordination with the Japanese Consul General. 

CSKYWLA Principal Eulonda Washington envisions a future in which every student will graduate with an Atlanta Public School diploma and a Georgia Seal of Biliteracy. When students begin sixth grade, they rotate through four, nine-week world language courses:  French, German, Japanese, and Spanish. At the end of sixth grade, each student identifies a language of focus for the remainder of their tenure at CSKYWLA and progresses through the high school world language coursework, concluding with the Advanced Placement-level language class during their senior year. 

The grant provides $30,000 this year to support the salary of a Japanese teacher (Kimie Briem) with an option to renew the grant for a 2nd term.

WHAT:           Consul General of Japan in Atlanta Kazuyuki Takeuchi will visit Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy to award the school with a $30,000 grant to help establish a Japanese language program.

WHEN:          Thursday, February 10 | 1 – 1:45 PM

WHERE:       Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy (CSKYWLA)
1190 Northwest Drive, NW

WHO:            Officials available for brief interviews after the program include:
-- Dr. Lisa Herring, Superintendent, Atlanta Public Schools
-- Kazuyuki Takeuchi, Consul General of Japan in Atlanta 
-- Eulonda Washington, Principal, CSKYWLA
-- Eshe’ Collins, Chair, Atlanta Board of Education
-- Margaret McKenzie, Director, APS World Language Program