Home > Departments > Public Information > News Releases >

SISTER CITY TEACHER SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS ANNOUNCED

            The Hot Springs National Park Sister City Foundation announces that area instructors Ben Iverson, Sarah Riley and Lynn Janaskie have been awarded grants from the foundation to study the culture and educational system in Hanamaki, Japan, Hot Springs’ sister city, this June.   
The grants, which cover the full cost of transportation to Hanamaki, have been awarded by the Foundation to area public school teachers since 1998. The City of Hanamaki reciprocates by providing home stay arrangements for the instructors and by organizing their activities while abroad.           
Iverson currently serves as a physical education teacher at both Park Elementary (International Baccalaureate Magnet) and Langston Aerospace and Environmental Studies School, in the Hot Springs School District. He serves on the Hot Springs District Coordinated Health Committee to promote staff and student health and wellness, and utilizes international dance in his health curriculum.  
Riley, an elementary art teacher in the Lake Hamilton School District, holds graduate degrees in landscape architecture and teaching.  Her keen interest in ceramics, gardens and landscape design have led her to supervise the construction of a school garden, currently underway.  She is interested in learning more about Japanese garden design and paper arts.
Janaskie currently teaches Spanish and school publications at Fountain Lake High School, and is the English as a Second Language (ESL) instructor for all 12 grades.  She is also a past instructor of English and history.  Janaskie holds a master’s degree in curriculum instruction with an emphasis on ESL, and a bachelor’s degree in English literature.
When the teachers return to their classrooms in the fall, they are expected to incorporate their new knowledge and experiences into their classroom curriculum. The Sister City Foundation, a private, non-profit entity, is able to provide the scholarships through grants and foundation memberships. The foundation acknowledges Leading Sponsors Levi Hospital, Dorothy Morris Foundation, Hot Springs Area Community Foundation and Elisabeth Wagner Foundation. Sustaining Members Hot Springs Bank and Trust and the Jane Howard Foundation also provide financial support.
By sending teachers each year, the Foundation is able to bring first-hand experience of Japanese culture to hundreds of students in Garland County classrooms. Each January, Hot Springs has the opportunity the chance to host Hanamaki students for home stays. Many families now look forward to sharing their homes with these students during their visit.
 “We’re pleased to select teachers representing three different school districts this year,” Sister City Foundation president Donna Casparian stated. “We believe that they will contribute strongly to the future of the Sister City Program through the students they will teach.”
Contributions to the Foundation are tax deductible and can be sent to: HSNP Sister City Foundation, Box 700, Hot Springs, AR 71902 or contact donna@sistercityfoundation.com.

-30-