This Friday, Nakano Campus community came together for a wonderful Sports Festival! With beautiful weather and our school field as the setting, students, teachers, and parents enjoyed a fun-filled day of teamwork, energy, and school spirit.
The celebration began with the exciting house march. Each house proudly marched with their banners and mini flags, showing off their unique spirit: Mysterious Kyonshi, Autumn Dragon, and Flaming Phoenix. The colorful flags and enthusiastic marching created a wonderful atmosphere as we officially opened the festival.
Then Head of Campus welcomed everyone with an opening speech, followed by speeches from representatives of each class. It was a great opportunity for our students to speak in front of the school community and help mark the beginning of the celebration.
The students then took part in a variety of exciting games, including a relay race, sack race, tug of war, and ball toss. Each activity encouraged students to work together, challenge themselves, and cheer for their teammates.
One of the highlights of the day was having our parents join the fun! Parents participated in the tug-of-war and obstacle race, bringing lots of energy and laughter to the field. Seeing students and parents competing, cheering, and enjoying the activities together made the day especially memorable.
The Sports Festival was a wonderful celebration of teamwork, participation, perseverance, and community. Most importantly, it gave our students the opportunity to enjoy time together outside the classroom and create happy memories with their families and teachers.
Thank you to all our parents, students, and staff who helped make the Sports Festival such a special day. We look forward to more opportunities to celebrate and learn together as a Nakano Campus community!
Learning About the Economy Through a Convenience Store Visit
As part of our Unit of Inquiry on Global Economic Interdependence, our students took their learning outside the classroom on Monday with a hands-on visit to our nearest convenience store.
Each student had ¥500 to spend and had the opportunity to decide how they wanted to use their money. As they explored the store, they compared prices, looked at different products and their origins, and thought carefully about their purchasing choices.
One particularly interesting discovery was a snack brand whose packaging color had changed because wars affected ink supplies. This unexpected observation helped students see how events happening in other parts of the world can influence the products and packaging we encounter in our everyday lives.
After making their purchases, the students continued their inquiry by looking more closely at consumption tax. They calculated how much tax was included in their purchases and considered how much the government collects through taxes.
This led to some important questions: What happens to the taxes we pay? How does the government use this money? How can our small purchasing decisions affect businesses, workers, and the wider economy?
Through this simple shopping experience, students discovered that something as ordinary as buying a snack can be connected to a much larger economic system. Products travel through different countries and businesses before reaching the shelves of our local stores, while our choices as consumers contribute to that system.
It was a meaningful opportunity for students to experience firsthand how trade, consumer choices, government, and the global economy are connected to our everyday lives.
Sometimes, the best classroom is just around the corner!
