Toyota International Teacher Program Sends 40 U.S. Teachers to Japan
Professional Development Opportunity Now Open to Teachers Nationwide
TORRANCE, Calif., May 16 -- Forty U.S. teachers, chosen as educational ambassadors by the Toyota International Teacher Program, will travel through rural and urban Japan from Tokyo to central Honshu June 22 through July 7, 2007.
For the first time since the Toyota teacher program's inaugural study tour to Japan in 1999, high school educators in all 50 States and the District of Columbia were invited to apply for the 2007 program. Previously open to teachers from only 10 states, Toyota sends educators on a study tour to learn about Japan's past and present, explore global issues and experience the culture firsthand. The selected teachers will bring their unique perspectives to those they meet in Japan, and upon their return to the United States, share insights from their experience with their students, colleagues and community.
The Toyota International Teacher Program to Japan focuses on four themes -- history, education, environment and technology -- and how these affect industry and society. Program activities include visits to elementary, secondary level schools, factories and sites of historical and environmental importance. The study tour will also be highlighted by discussions with well-known authors, historians, educators, environmentalists and business leaders. This unique experience has been distinguished as one of the preeminent professional development programs in the country for American teachers.
"In 1999, Toyota was proud to send its first group of teachers on an annual study tour to Japan. We now mark another milestone by selecting high school educators to participate from across the nation," said Michael Rouse, corporate manager, philanthropy and community affairs, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. "This expansion will help a broader spectrum of teachers integrate environmental and cultural themes in multiple disciplines, at a time when the need for a global community, workforce and society has never been greater."
Funded through a $1.2 million annual grant from Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. (TMS), the Toyota International Teacher Program is the only one of its kind sponsored by a major U.S. corporation. To date, nearly 500 teachers nationwide have participated.
The Institute of International Education (IIE) in Washington, D.C., the nation's most experienced nonprofit educational exchange organization, administers the program. "Exploring another society and culture transforms individuals and has a significant multiplier effect that extends to the classrooms and communities of every Toyota program participant," said IIE President and CEO Dr. Allan E. Goodman.
The study tour to Japan is one of three international professional development programs for teachers that Toyota sponsors each year. The Toyota International Teacher Program strives to expose educators of all disciplines to the diversity of peoples and ecosystems worldwide in an effort to inspire the creative teaching of international, cultural and environmental themes in U.S. schools and communities.
The next 2007 study tour will be to the Galapagos Islands in October, and the selection process for this program is currently underway, including applications from many bilingual educators. In March 2008, another international opportunity will be offered to Costa Rica, and applications are being accepted through September 7, 2007.
The 40 educators traveling to Japan this summer teach a variety of subjects and were selected based on their professional and leadership qualifications as well as their plans to incorporate their experiences and research into their curriculum. To be eligible, applicants must be a U.S. citizen, employed full-time as a secondary classroom teacher (grades 9-12) and have a minimum of three years of classroom experience. The 2007 Toyota International Teacher Program participants are:
Alabama
John Griffin Walter Wellborn High School Anniston
Chelonnda Seroyer Bob Jones High School Madison
California
Ann Curtis Shenandoah High School El Dorado
Norma Mota-Altman San Gabriel High School Alhambra
Devery Rodgers South East High School South Gate
Colorado
Terese LeFavor Cherokee Trail High School Aurora
Hawaii
Richard Bilenchi Punahou School Honolulu
Iowa
Kelly Frascht Abraham Lincoln High School Council
Bluffs
Illinois
Teena Bolton Gifford Street High School Elgin
Michael Delligatti Canton High School Canton
Kansas
Gaea Wimmer Centre High School Lost Springs
Kentucky
Keri Polevchak South Oldham High School Crestwood
Lyle Taylor U.S. Grant Career Center Bethel
Jeffrey Wright Louisville Male Traditional Louisville
High School
Louisiana
Glenn Delcarpio John Ehret High School Marrero
Elizabeth Meyers French Settlement High School French
Settlement
Massachusetts
Joshua Bridger Dover Sherborn High School Dover
Maryland
Kamilah Williams Suitland High School Forestville
Maine
Kristen VanDusen Brewer High School Brewer
Missouri
Alicia Walker Park Hill South High School Riverside
North Carolina
Mary Beth Immediata Ravenscroft School Raleigh
Lisa Sterling Southeast Guilford High School Greensboro
North Dakota
Lynn Dewitz Steele-Dawson Public School Steele
New Jersey
Caryn (Lori) Perez Livingston High School Livingston
New York
Victoria Dougherty Hudson High School Hudson
Joel Key Bronx High School for the Visual Arts Bronx
Linda Maier Emma Willard School Troy
Ohio
Jennifer Boggess Mount Notre Dame High School Cincinnati
Oregon
Clayton Morishita Clackamas High School Clackamas
Nichole Spearman Yamhill-Carlton High School Yamhill
Pennsylvania
Laurence Marcial Delaware Valley High School Milford
Amy Pint W.B. Saul High School of Philadelphia
Agricultural Sciences
Thomas Redfern Milton Hershey School Hershey
South Dakota
Jerome Janisch Milbank High School Milbank
Tennessee
Cecilia Moix Franklin Road Academy Nashville
Texas
Denise Howard Stratford Senior High School Houston
Linda Mayfield Newman Smith High School Carrolton
Utah
Brian Kane Lehi High School Lehi
Virginia
Chuchun Tsai W T Woodson High School Fairfax
Washington
Douglas Woodrow Okanogan High School Okanogan
About Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. is the marketing, sales, distribution and customer service arm of Toyota, Lexus and Scion in the United States, celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Established in 1957, TMS markets products and services through a network of more than 1,400 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealers. Toyota sold more than 2.5 million vehicles in 2006 in the United States.
About Toyota's Education Programs
In addition to sponsoring a number of nonprofit educational organizations, Toyota offers three major programs that support teachers with grants and students with scholarships; Toyota TAPESTRY, the largest K-12 science teacher grant program of its kind in the U.S.; Toyota Community Scholars, which provides 100 scholarships to high school seniors based on academics and community service and the Toyota International Teacher Program.
Toyota also supports scholarships through the Hispanic Scholarship Fund; United Negro College Fund; Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation; National FFA and the American Indian College Fund. In 2006, Toyota USA contributed $40 million to U.S. philanthropic programs, with a majority of funding supporting education. For more information, visit www.toyota.com/community or contact karen_polan@toyota.com.
About the Institute of International Education
An independent, nonprofit organization founded in 1919, the Institute is the world's most experienced global higher education and professional exchange organization. IIE designs and implements over 250 programs of study and training for students, educators, young professionals and trainees from all sectors with funding from government and private sources. IIE also conducts policy research and provides advice and counseling on international educational opportunities abroad. The Institute of International Education has a network of 15 offices worldwide, over 800 college and university members and more than 5,000 volunteers. Information about IIE can be obtained from IIE's Web site: www.iie.org/toyota, or by contacting Joshua Beatty at toyotateach@iie.org.
Media Contact: Toyota Contact: Ann Melkessetian Karen Polan GolinHarris for Toyota Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. Phone: (213) 438-8735 Phone: (310) 468-4861 amelkessetian@golinharris.com karen_polan@toyota.com