Tokmok School of Blessing

The Tokmok Ak-Bata (in Kyrgyz, "Blessing") School was opened on September 1, 2000.  The school is licensed with the Department of Education of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan.  The school was co-founded by New Life Ministries and Elder Chia Shan Yang's New Life Company, which purchased a former Soviet kindergarten and supervised its renovation and conversion into the Tokmok School of Blessing during the first half of 2000.  

There was a festive presentation of the school on October 14, 2000, at which a symbolic ribbon was cut by founder Wesley Hughes, the Tokmok Regional Governor, and founder Chia Shan Yang (left to right in picture).

The overall orientation of the Tokmok School differs that of the other ACSCA schools in that rather than focusing exclusively on the needy, it aims to train mentally-gifted children of all social classes to be future lawyers, doctors, congressmen, and leaders of Kyrgyzstan with strong moral-spiritual qualities.  The school includes children from all strata of society; the only criterion of admission is the passing of a rigorous test of intellectual abilities.  Nevertheless, in accordance with the core values of ACSCA, the Tokmok School of Blessing has a class devoted to the most needy of �okmok, where acuteness of need rather than ability to pass the entrance exam is the criterion of admission.  

The Tokmok School is able to attract strong students because it is the only school in Kyrgyzstan which offers a dual-diploma program in cooperation with the International School of Tomorrow.  All students who complete both curricula will receive a Kyrgyzstani high school diploma and an American high school diploma from the International School of Tomorrow Program.  This extra American diploma makes admission in many foreign universities possible for students, for whom such opportunities would be otherwise impossible.  Accordingly, the English language program at the Tokmok School of Blessing is very strong.  As in all ACSCA schools, frequent concerts, competitions, holidays, and other festive occasions offer students opportunities to perform and to earn and win awards (second picture).

The school's ethnic composition is primarily Russian, Kyrgyz, and Dungan (a small ethic group, traditionally Muslim, which moved from China to Kyrgyzstan under the Russian Tsar Alexander I).  In the near future, ACSCA intends to build a boarding school for students from other ACSCA schools who demonstrate exceptional academic potential.  

The generosity of Elder Chia Shan Yang made possible the immediate acquisition of the building in which the school meets, as well as the purchase of uniforms for all students.  (Yang stands behind the children in their uniforms in the third picture, below).

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