The Japanese language program at Lindbergh High School in Renton, WA is unfortunately in danger of being cut. It has been around for well over a decade and my former teacher, Hiromi Sensei, has built it up to an amazing program in the last 10+ years she’s been teaching there. Even though she has 190 students signed up for her classes for the 2022/23 school year (well over 100% capacity), the principal has still decided to eliminate the program.

I was a previous student of hers over 10 years ago and she and her classes made such an impact on me that I still visit and keep in contact with her to this day. She’s put her heart and soul into teaching Japanese to so many students and we would hate to see this go away.

During a time when learning a foreign language provides a priceless multicultural education within an ever-evolving global economy, keeping the Japanese language program is the right thing to do so we can continue to educate and expose our students to other cultures, not remove this opportunity from them.

This program at Lindbergh High School is one of the few, if not the only, Japanese language program in the Renton School District. If you are in support of keeping it within the school, please sign this petition. Thank you.