A ten-year bond with a school in Tohoku

The Tohoku Team is one of the Service groups at Canadian Academy. This month, the Middle School Tohoku Team met with us and shared a remarkable story about a school in Tohoku, which the group has been supporting for ten years. 

For those wondering what the Tohoku Team is, the Middle School student team leader explained how the group has supported both Tohoku and our school community.

‘After the Tohoku Earthquake occurred in 2011, the team members collected donations every year and visited Tohoku to hand over the donations in person. 

In recent years, our team has been striving to raise awareness about earthquakes in our school community. As our school is located in Japan, where many earthquakes hit every year, it is significantly important to have knowledge about earthquakes and know how to prepare and what to do in case of disasters. This year, we hosted some activities and events for Canadian Academy students to deepen their understanding of natural disasters and how to prepare for them.’

Last month, the Middle School Tohoku Team received a letter and clock from Takatahigashi Junior High School in Iwate Prefecture. What is the story behind it?

‘To Takatahigashi Junior High School, we have sent donations and hand-written messages to show our continued support and connection (“kizuna” in Japanese) since the school started.’ The team leader explained.

‘The school was established two years after the Earthquake, merging three schools nearby. This year, the school is celebrating its 10th anniversary, and they show their gratitude by sending a gift, this memorial clock, to those who have supported them throughout the recovery from the Earthquake. They also kindly sent us a letter (translated below by the team leader). It made us feel that we are truly connected with them and so proud of what the team has been doing.‘ Ms. Watanabe, who has been supervising the team since it started, said, looking back on the 10 years.

At Canadian Academy, students are actively engaged in Service Activities, and many of the activities run long term, as you can see in the example of the Tohoku Team. It has provided our students with authentic experiences of connecting with the local/international community and making a positive difference. We are proud that Service is an essential part of our school identity.

(Translation)

Hello to all Canadian Academy members. We are the student council of the Rikuzen-Takata Shiritsu Takata Higashi Junior High School, and thank you for always caring about us.

This year, our school observed our 10th anniversary. And our school motto is “bond”. After the great Tohoku earthquake, our school was built with the support from so many people. The “Kizuna project” that we have been continuing since the start of our school, is a project where we think about what we can do for all the people who have supported us. For instance, we collected aluminum cans to fundraise for this project.

And as we are now 10 years from establishment of our school, we made a memorial clock to show appreciation for the supporters. The memories and growth we had in our school was thoroughly supported by you, and we highly appreciate it.

Us 10 years ago, when we were still in pre-school, have now started thinking about the future of our local environment as we grew. And we also want to be someone who could support others as well. In order to not forget that we were supported by others, we will continue to bond our hearts in our school so that we can grow even more. Thank you for supporting us for 10 years, and please watch over us from now on too.