The Hot Springs National Park Sister City Foundation recently announced the members of the 2018 student and teacher delegations. Following a detailed application and interview process, all of the delegates will spend approximately a week in Hanamaki, Japan, Hot Springs’ sister city, home staying with Japanese families and immersing themselves in educational and cultural experiences. Upon their return, they will be expected to participate in Sister City Program activities. The teachers will incorporate what they have learned into classroom experiences for their students.
The students, all from area high schools, will leave Hot Springs for Hanamaki on Sunday, June 3. They include: Zakary Butler, Fountain Lake; Finnegan Riley, Lake Hamilton; Nina Thomas, Hot Springs; Kaliyah Jackson, Hot Springs; Mackenzie Shelton, Cutter Morning Star; Bayley Brown, Mountain Pine; Jonah Nester, Lakeside; Emily Talos, Lakeside; Georgia Gooch, Lakeside; and Katie Hope, student mentor, Fountain Lake. The Sister City Foundation contributes to the travel costs of the student delegation.
The teachers will visit Hanamaki in mid-July, with the Sister City Foundation fully funding their travel costs. Teacher scholarship winners include: Principal Frank Janaskie, Fountain Lake Middle School; K-12 ESOL Coordinator Tracy Criss, Lake Hamilton School District; and Secondary Science Teacher Matthew Balcome, Lakeside High School.
For more information about the Sister City Program, contact Executive Director Mary Zunick, 545-6960.