Central Pennsylvania Japanese School gift funds library resources

In March 2022, the Central Pennsylvania Japanese School (“Central Pennsylvania Nihongo Gakko”) made a $20,000 contribution to the Education Foundation to honor the educational opportunities given to children of the Central Pennsylvania Japanese School by SCASD over the past 37 years.

A portion of the gift was recently used to purchase Japanese books for SCASD libraries so that students can learn about Japanese culture with the hope that some will become interested in working as a bridge between the U.S. and Japan in the future.

“For nearly 40 years, our students have learned at the local elementary and middle schools in SCASD on weekdays and learned at our school on every Saturday.”

The school was established in 1985 to offer an education in Japanese language to Japanese children and other qualified children from ages 6 through 15—the ages corresponding to the ages of compulsory attendance at school in Japan—living in State College and Central Pennsylvania region. The school was supported by the government of Japan.

“For nearly 40 years, our students have learned at the local elementary and middle schools in SCASD on weekdays and learned at our school on every Saturday,” said Shinichiro Sugihara, Director & President of the school.

The contribution illustrates the power of community partnership and the importance of organizations working together to benefit students.