The sound of taekwondo’s shout of concentration will resonate in 14 schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).
On September 24, the Korean Cultural Center Los Angeles (KCCLA) announced that it will be conducting the Taekwondo Education Program with LAUSD to public schools in Los Angeles. The program will be held at a total of 14 elementary, middle, and high schools in LAUSD, and about 1,200 students are expected to participate.
The first class started on September 23 and will last for 10 weeks until December 6. Throughout the program, students will learn the basic taekwondo forms, discipline, and etiquette.
In the final week of the program, a completion ceremony will be held where students will demonstrate their taekwondo skills to their family and friends.
To run the program, the Korean Cultural Center will send taekwondo instructors to the participating schools and provide the students with taekwondo uniforms and belts.
The public school taekwondo education program began in 2010 and is part of LAUSD’s Beyond the Bell program. Beyond the Bell is LAUSD’s educational program that serves students before and after the regular school day.
“We hope that this taekwondo education program will provide an opportunity for American youth to improve their physical fitness and learn the spirit of taekwondo, such as courtesy, discipline, and strong mind, through the Korean national martial art,” said Sangwon Jung, Director of the KCCLA. The program is supported by the Taekwondo Promotion Foundation.
BY KYEONGJUN KIM, HOONSIK WOO [kim.kyeongjun1@koreadaily.com]
