2019年10月の記事一覧

Yusui Minami, a musical actress in the U.S.A. and a graduate from Izumigaoka S.H.S., visited us on October 24th.  After graduating from high school, she learned drama in a university in America, and now she is performing mainly in New York and taking a leading part in the musical world.
In her lecture, Ms.Yusui emphasized the importance of having a dream by talking about the hardships before she started to perform.  The students were impressed by her words, “The sky is the limit,” “It’s up to you” and “Heart connection.”  The lecture was followed by a workshop, where the participants played games and enjoyed talking with others. They were able to feel more open-minded and found how fun communicating with others can be.  Inspired by Ms.Yusui, who was full of the energy and aura of a musical star, they looked more determined to have their future as bright as Ms.Yusui’s.

On October 23rd, Yuta Ando, a graduate student of Kyoto University, was invited to give a special lecture on SDGs. “In what field are no SGDs set?” he asked, and the students answered, ”Religion.”  In such a casual exchange, they got a deeper understanding of SDGs.  After the session, they asked a lot of questions about SDGs and studies in universities individually.

(Voices from the Participants)

・I enjoyed a totally new approach to the understanding of SDGs.  Usually, in class, we started with the question of what we can do to achieve SDGs.  I expected that this lesson would go in the same way, but it was very different.  We thought of a new SDG or welcomed the criticism of what we usually praised.

・I have been thinking about becoming a researcher just because I like science.  I have never considered the relation between a job as a researcher and global perspectives such as SDGs. But after listening to this lecture, I can connect the two easily. I think the procedure of increasing knowledge to understand what is happening in the world by thinking logically is applicable in learning in science.  Finding something in common between different fields is truly important.

The students in Class 24 visited the U.S. for eight days. They left for America on September 30th and made presentations about their research projects at Princeton High School, Princeton University and Eco-village in Ithaca. While enjoying the discussions, they learned new things from a lot of people they met during the visit. It was a fruitful tour for them.
(Voices from the Students)
・I thought Japanese students should join in the class as actively as American students. I should be more active and more involved in classes I take.
・I was nervous about the homestay.  I knew I should not hesitate to ask a lot of questions, but I was not confident enough. However, I gathered my courage to talk, and I was able to communicate. If we become more confident and try to speak with a smile, our spirits will be brighter and we can be positive. I learned this from the experience.  I felt as if I had new family members and the homestay became a memorable experience.
・Seeing a lot of neon signs in Times Square, I enjoyed a flashy side of America, but when we visited the eco village in Ithaca, I noticed some people were environmentally aware. After helping villagers with their farming, many of our classmates said that they became hungry for the first time in the trip because they were overwhelmed by the large portions of food given at meals. We appreciated food more seriously through this experience than just by collecting information about wasted food in our research.
・If we get stuck in our research, we want to use the experience we had during this overseas trip.  I want to think of what I can do to solve problems in the world and work hard so that I can play a leading part in settling world issues.
・It was a good experience because I was able to improve my communication skills and capability to tackle problems.