By: Raquel Williams | November 13, 2025
Clarksdale, MS — Meet Clarksdale High School’s first-ever Anime Club. The advisor is second-year English teacher Jessica Manrriquez, affectionately known by her students as Ms. Jess.
A native of Cleveland, Mississippi, and a current Teach For America Corps Member, Ms. Jess created the Anime Club to provide a space for students to share, discuss, and view Japanese-style art, animation, and manga (comic books and graphic novels). Her goal is to help students who have an interest in Japanese culture build community and learn from one another.
The club recently hosted visitors from the U.S.-Japan Partnership Program at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss), whose objective was to convey the department’s vision that participating students will serve as bridges connecting Japan with the international community. Their message resonated deeply with the students and staff of CHS.
The U.S.-Japan Partnership Program aims to raise awareness of Japan throughout North Mississippi, and the visit to Clarksdale High School highlighted the meaningful connection between the Mississippi Delta and Japan—a bond rooted in goodwill and strengthened through educational and cultural exchange.
Learning about Japan’s language and culture promotes understanding and broadens global perspectives. Members of the CHS Anime Club share these goals: to raise awareness of Japanese language and culture, foster cross-cultural understanding, promote language learning, and enhance international collaboration that strengthens both education and economic ties.
The Anime Club meets once a month. Photos from their recent meeting captured moments of joy, curiosity, and connection between club members, advisors, and presenters. Students were not only entertained but also highly receptive to the information shared.
The Anime Club is one of many enriching extracurricular activities available to students at Clarksdale High School—each designed to inspire learning, creativity, and global engagement.
Pictured on the front row is Shinobu T. Sullivan (3rd from left), Director of US-Japan Partnership Program out of the Office of Global Engagement at the University of Mississippi and two graduate students who traveled to Clarksdale High School to share information about Japanese culture, language, and customs with the Anime Club
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