Shaler Area High School has a thriving Japanese program. One of the resources that has been integral to the success of the program is a partnership with The Japanese Language Education Assistant Program (J-LEAP), a program which brings native Japanese language Assistant Teachers to U.S. K–12 schools. Through J-LEAP, Haruka Nishida has come from Japan to be an assistant teacher working alongside Shaler Area High School Teacher Steve Balsomico. Shaler Area is one of only 6 programs on the nation selected for participation in this program.

“It’s more fun, and the opportunities are just better….having a native speaker is better for students in every way, both culturally and linguistically,” Balsomico told the Tribune. Read the entire article here.