Kumiko Gale, Japanese teacher at Bayside Middle School, won a $3,000 Sakura Grant from the Japan Commerce Association Foundation of Washington, DC.  Through charity work and education, the Foundation promotes economic and cultural communication between Japan and America.

Gale is using the grant to purchase mini iPads for her classroom as well as to attend the upcoming Foreign Language Association of Virginia (FLAVA) conference.

Gale has taught Japanese for six years at Bayside Middle both in the classroom and in the Distance Learning lab.