Hopwood Jr. High School principal Christine T. Masga said the program motivates students to perform well in school.
“They have to maintain a good academic performance to qualify to the program,” she said.
Tudela left Saipan on Sunday with 15 junior students from Hopwood Jr. High School to participate in the Sanpo-En Cultural Exchange Program in Japan from Feb. 9 to 15.
Two staffers from the mayor’s office, three Hopwood faculty members — Fred Salaveria, Epi Cabrera and Frankie Angel — and one translator joined the mayor.
The Saipan delegation will visit the cities of Ohtsu, Nanatan and Kyoto in Japan.
Masga said the parents and other members of the community have been very supportive of the program.
In Japan, the Saipan students will stay at Japanese homes and discuss local culture and traditions with their counterparts there.
Once they return to the CNMI, the students will share their experiences with Hopwood’s other students, Masga said.
“It really does benefit everybody,” she noted. “The students will be exposed to different languages and cultures and they become more respectful about the importance of culture.”
The students, she added, will learn about the role of the family in Japan which will help them build their character.
Last month, Tudela, with seven exchange students from Hopwood, went to Noboribetsu, Hokakaido, Japan.
The mayor said his trip was funded by the organizing committee of the Sanpo-En Cultural Exchange Program.
