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USI's Southern Indiana Japanese School receives 10th consecutive writing award

November 16, 2015

USI's Southern Indiana Japanese School (SIJS) has received the School Award in Writing from the Japan Overseas Educational Services, a subsidiary of the Japanese government's Ministry of Education and Science. Only 20 out of nearly 300 Japanese schools abroad received the award. This is the 10th consecutive year that USI's SIJS has received this honor.

"I am also delighted to report that SIJS received the School Award," said Keietsu Nishimura, principal of SIJS. "This is owing to the support of the University of Southern Indiana, the school board of the Southern Indiana Japanese School and the parents of the students. I also appreciate all of the effort from the students and teachers."

Nine additional writing prizes were awarded to seven SIJS students. A total of 40,311 literary works were submitted to the writing contest this year. Two students from SIJS were awarded writing prizes in 2014.

SIJS, a program of USI Outreach and Engagement, opened in 1997 at the request of and with the financial support of Tri-state regional companies to keep children of employees abreast of their peers in Japan and help prepare students for a smooth transition when they return home.

Currently, the school enrolls 51 students and 11 teachers who provide instruction in Japanese language, culture and other selected disciplines on Saturdays and after the regular school day. Many SIJS teachers are a part of the exchange program between USI and Tsukuba University in Japan.

For more information on USI's Southern Indiana Japanese School visit USI.edu/SIJS.

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