The Clarkstown School Board voted last Thursday, 5 to 1, to reduce Japanese language courses at Felix Festa Middle School. The board’s vote would eliminate Japanese from the sixth grade exploratory class during which students study a different foreign language, Japanese, Italian, French or Spanish, each semester and remove it as a course for seventh graders. The vote hints of future plans for a further cutback.
The notation next to the motion reads "Approval to eliminate 7th grade Japanese, phasing out the program over the next 5 or 6 years."
Clarkstown students reacted strongly to the news and began spreading the word through an online petition opposing the move. The petition “Save Japanese as a Foreign Language at Clarkstown Schools” garnered more than 600 signatures by early Thursday morning.
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Clarkstown North High School Student Kevin Ryu created the petition. Ryu, who will be a senior in the fall, said the decision could impact the district’s reputation.
“Even on a purely objective level, here are some logistic reasons on why they should keep the language in the district. The Japanese government acknowledges Clarkstown as one of the few established 6-year Japanese programs in the Whole region. That is why they always turn to Clarkstown first for all their programs. Thus last summer, 23 students from our districts were able to spend 2 weeks in Japan Entirely For Free on the Kizuna project.”
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Patch ran a series of articles on the Kizuna program in 2012.
Ryu, who has taken Japanese since the seventh grade, pointed out the action goes against the district’s mission statement to “meet the unique needs of its students and motivate and enable them to be life-long learners and productive, ethical contributors to an ever-changing global society." If Japanese as a foreign language is removed, only the European languages will remain (although each with its own merits), when they make up only 10% of the global population.”
School Superintendent Dr. J. Thomas Morton was not in the district offices on Wednesday and a request for more information was not answered.
Clarkstown North graduate Alana Corey of New City wrote on the petition about the tremendous benefits.“This program literally changed my life and I refuse to let this die because of 'budget.' Japanese at North was remarkable. I was exposed to a culture that I would have never dreamed to be real and want to join. I went to Japan and experienced a world that I want to live in for many years of my life because of the inspiration I received from class.”
Clarkstown South graduate Nicholas Ohrynowicz of New City found tremendous value in the program.
“This program is by far more amazing than the district understands. Who can say they've gone to Japan? Who can say they can read a language that looks more like art than letters on a page? The program is an art in and of itself, and with my progression from 7th grade through to my senior year, I've never thought twice about leaving the program.”
Board President Joe Malgieri, who voted against cutting the classes, said he expects it will be on Monday’s agenda. The agenda is not yet online at the district’s web site. The school board meets at 8 p.m. at the Chestnut Grove District Office.
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