Local students get park renamed to honor Chitose, Anchorage’s Japanese sister city

(left to right) Michael Tranberg, Addison Myers and Stella Falsey were among nan Sand Lake Elementary School students down nan effort to rename Sand Lake Park to Chitose Park. (Wesley Early/Alaska Public Media)

The Anchorage Assembly has renamed 1 of nan city’s parks aft its first sister city, pursuing a push from a group of section students.

Students from Sand Lake Elementary School lobbied nan Assembly to alteration nan sanction of Sand Lake Park to Chitose Park successful grant of nan Japanese city. 

On Tuesday night, 11-year-old Stella Falsey said to nan Assembly and presented a slideshow, noting nan 55-year business betwixt Anchorage and Chitose. She visited nan metropolis this summer, and said it has its own Anchorage Park, complete pinch trees from Alaska’s largest city. 

“It has a play course, a playground, really cool stuff, and they’re honoring america successful this way,” Falsey said. “So I deliberation nan slightest we tin do is grant them successful our metropolis arsenic well.”

Sand Lake Elementary besides houses nan schoolhouse district’s Japanese immersion program, which has been successful spot since 1989. Addison Myers, 11, participates successful nan programme and says she hopes nan naming of nan parkland highlights nan benefits of connection immersion — particularly erstwhile nan territory weighs really to trim its budget. 

“The past fewer years, it has been connected nan committee for getting, like, unopen down… nan immersion programs, immoderate of them,” Myers said. “And I deliberation it’s conscionable really awesome that immoderate of america person this opportunity to beryllium capable to study really to speak Japanese and spell connected these astonishing trips.”

Students for illustration 11-year-old Michael Tranberg said they were welcomed pinch unfastened arms erstwhile they visited Chitose.

“Chitose, and beautiful overmuch for illustration each of Japan, is an astonishing spot pinch astonishing people, and they’re nan astir friendliest group that you tin perchance imagine,” Tranberg said.

The Assembly unanimously approved renaming nan park. A group of dignitaries from Chitose will sojourn Anchorage astatine nan extremity of August to sojourn Chitose Park erstwhile it’s officially unveiled.