Foreign language classes provide students with opportunities to learn about a culture that isn’t their own. New York City public schools, such as Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and the Performing Arts, are fortunate to offer such education to their students. LaGuardia High School currently offers four years of Spanish, French, Italian and Japanese languages, in which the fourth and final year of study is an Advanced Placement class; however, that option may soon not be available for the Japanese language learners at LaGuardia.

        LaGuardia’s Advanced Placement Japanese class is in danger of being cut due to assumed low enrollment. On the contrary, facts about the school’s student body say otherwise. The Japanese program at LaGuardia is quite popular. Since the inception of the AP Japanese class in 2008, the class has only attracted more and more students. This year alone, the two instructors, Mrs. N. Hasegawa and Mrs. C. Rochkind, handle 205 students from all years of study. Although it is true that the number of students decreases with each advancing level, this academic year provides the largest junior-level Japanese class LaGuardia HS has ever had. Instead of usually having one section, there are two this school year. Usually there is only one junior class, but this year there are TWO. 45 of the 66 junior class members confirmed on paper that they wish to take AP Japanese their senior year. It would be a shame if the current juniors were not able to continue their fourth and final year of Japanese education at their high school, especially if there are many that are motivated to do so.

         Many current students of Japanese declare that Japanese classes were an influential factor of choosing to attend LaGuardia High School. Not many New York City public high schools have such a diverse curriculum as LaGuardia Arts does. In fact, we have the second largest Japanese program in the city. Students who go on to AP Japanese want to study Japanese in college, travel to and study in Japan, learn more about the culture, and even live in Japan. Every year, selected students in the Japanese department participate in programs such as the Youth for Understanding Program, Japan Exchange and Teaching Memorial Invitation Program, and the Northeast Council of Teachers of Japanese - Speech Contest. They choose to push themselves and learn, not because it’s seen as a task, but because it is something that they greatly love and appreciate. Alumna Lea H., Class of 2012, declares "Saying goodbye to AP Japanese would be saying goodbye to the right to excel in 'uncommon' languages… by openly declaring it LESS WORTHY of a college level class than other languages… It would be unfair and disadvantageous to cancel this class, either forcing [students] to… forget what they've learned, or pay to pursue higher level classes elsewhere.” Students agree that the fantastic teachers make it easier for us to comprehend a language that is otherwise considered remarkably difficult for a high school course. Mrs. N. Hasegawa, who has been at LaGuardia for 10 years, occasionally reserves days for students to make some typical Japanese foods such as onigiri and okonomiyaki. Mrs. C. Rochkind, LaGuardia instructor for 9 years, likes to put on her neon pink baseball cap and sing/rap her original songs to help us learn vocabulary. These methods are fun ways for our students to immerse themselves in the material. These teachers inspire students who actively take the time to learn about Japanese language and culture.

        We, the students of Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, would like to keep AP Japanese are a part of our curriculum. It is an important asset for students and allows them to reach their greatest potential. Please do not take that away from us.

        Thank you for your support.