A Japanese language and culture class rooted in Boyle Heights’ Japanese American history will no longer be offered at Roosevelt High School due to declining enrollment and course requests, according to the Los Angeles Unified School District.
The course, which will end after this semester, has been offered at Roosevelt since the beginning of the 2022-23 school year.
Yoriko Hongo, the Japanese language class instructor, said she has been “displaced” from her position. An LAUSD spokesperson did not confirm Hongo’s employment status, saying that the district “does not comment on confidential personnel matters.”
Roosevelt High has deep ties to the neighborhood’s Japanese American past. Its students were among the thousands of Japanese Americans forcibly removed and sent to incarceration camps during World War II.
Former Roosevelt principal Ben Gertner said the school was able to add the current Japanese program at a time when the student population was growing, citing both student interest and the neighborhood’s history.
“I wanted to add the Japanese program back because of the Japanese American history at Roosevelt and Boyle Heights, the history of offering the Japanese language at Roosevelt, and the proximity to Little Tokyo,” Gertner said.
Japanese language was last offered at Roosevelt during the 2012-2013 school year.
Through the current course, Hongo said staff and students have “built a vibrant and inclusive Japanese language program.” She said her goal was to make the Japanese language, which can be perceived as difficult or unfamiliar, “accessible to all students.”
Hongo, who has taught Japanese for decades, said she was struck by the students’ commitment to learn a language that many English speakers may find difficult to learn.
“They’re not afraid … They’re just willing to listen and practice and explore,” said Hongo, who also sponsors the Japanese Club on campus.
“… Our approach centered on openness, cultural connection, and student belonging,” she added.
Hongo said the course goes beyond language instruction, connecting students to the neighborhood’s past.
In late March, a Japanese appreciation concert was held in collaboration between Hongo’s class and band director Pedro Ramos. Songs like Hironobu Kageyama’s “Cha-La Head-Cha-La,” the theme from “Dragon Ball Z,” and selections from Hayao Miyazaki’s cult classic “My Neighbor Totoro” were part of the production.
“All the history, our important past stories need to be embraced and that can be done because we have Japanese class,” Hongo said.
Ethan Macias, a junior at Roosevelt, said his interest in anime led him to take the Japanese language class during his freshman and sophomore years.
“I took the class and that’s when I learned more and more Japanese culture,” said Macias, who is also the vice president of the Japanese Club.
Macias said he enjoyed learning about Hongo’s hometown, the food, and “how to appropriately greet people in the language.” He yearns to visit Japan, “to learn the many inspirations that people have to offer there.”
The district said courses, including choir, were cut due to low student interest, while classes like studio art and film production courses were added.
The Japanese Club may still continue at Roosevelt next school year if a certificated staff member is available to serve as the club sponsor, the district said.
LAUSD currently offers Japanese World Language & Culture courses at the following schools: Ramon C. Cortines, Chatsworth Charter, Cleveland Charter, Bernstein High, Venice High and Amestoy Elementary.
Hongo said she wishes the Japanese program had received more promotion.
“I was honored to be working for Roosevelt High School,” Hongo said. “I worked really hard. I have no regrets. I did everything I could. .. I care about each and every kid I encountered.”
“Regardless of everything, I want to thank Roosevelt and the community,” she said.
