Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences will welcome a group from Tono, Japan in January as part of the school’s annual exchange with schools from Tono. The visiting group that includes exchange students and adults will visit for two weeks during January. The adult delegation of Tono citizens led by Tono Mayor Toshiaki Honda will tour the Chattanooga area. Both delegations will be celebrated at CSAS on Thursday, Jan. 11 at 3 p.m. in the Creed Bates Auditorium. The special welcoming committee will include Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke and HCDE Superintendent Dr. Bryan Johnson.
"This visiting delegation is particularly special because Chattanooga and Tono became Sister Cities earlier this year. The relationship between the two cities located a world apart on the globe is the result of a relationship that was built between the town and the Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences through exchanges dating back to 1990. The two have exchanged high school and junior high students in the annual student exchange program. The exchange now seeks to deepen the ties between the cities in culture, business, tourism, and other areas," officials said.
A delegation from Chattanooga led by Mayor Berke visited Tono in September. The group of 10 Chattanooga area citizens participated in a signing ceremony coinciding with Tono’s largest festival, the Tono Matsuri.