The yearly recreation event for dormitory students was held just after the school festival on the 21st and 22nd of July at “Domin no Mori”.

For the past two years, the outdoor activities had to be held in the gym due to the rain, but better weather this time meant that students were finally able to choose from park golf, cycling, crafts, or even “a wee splash in the river”. This “wee splash” was, incidentally, just that; it was so cold that those brave enough to try up ended up fleeing to, ironically, the gym!

The three day event that is the Fuji school festival started with the junior school chorus competition on the 17th (Fri), and finished today, the main open day.

Students, parents, graduates, and teachers came together to welcome guests to this yearly festival in true Fuji fashion. All over the school, there were displays, shops, cafes, and rest areas for people to enjoy. There was also the 6th year “festival alley” area which was the scene of much enjoyment.

The students made sure that the day was a great success, thanks, in no small measure, to the way in which everybody managed to enjoy themselves.

The junior high chorus competition was held today. All of the students put their tiredness from the preparations for the school festival to one side and came together to give their best performance possible. The results are as follows:

　　1st year: Year song ("That's why I like it")

　　　　　　　　 Winner: 1-3

　　　　　　　　 Runner-up: 1-2

　　　　　　　　 Class song

　　　　　　　　 Winner: 1-3 ("Overcome the Tears")

　　　　　　　　 Runner-up: 1-4 ("The Flower-Coloured Chameleon")

　　2nd year: Year song ("Rainbow")

　　　　　　　　 Winner: 2-2

　　　　　　　　 Runner-up: 2-3

　　　　　　　　 Class song

　　　　　　　　 Winner: 2-2 ("The Moldau")

　　　　　　　　 Runner-up: 2-3 ("A Bird"),
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　2-4 ("Rejuvenating Water")

　　3rd year: Year song ("Oh, Mother Earth")

　　　　　　　　 Winner: 3-2

　　　　　　　　 Runner-up: 3-3

　　　　　　　　 Class song

　　　　　　　　 Winner: 3-3 ("The Full Moon's Mysterious Pororoca"),
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　3-5 ("Shikoku Ceilidh")

　　　　　　　　 Runners-up: 3-2 ("YELL")

Mr. Shimizu from the Muroran Institute of Technology visited the school along with his research staff to give a special lesson on the process of metal casting. Below are some thoughts from the students:

　"I realised how much was actually involved in this process. I had a lot of fun today"

　"I learned that you can't make something equipped only with basic scientific
　 knowledge. I was able to see how important it is to have specialised areas
　within science."

　"I thought it was amazing how I was finally able to actually create something by
　carefully following a set of steps."

　"To me, the word "technology" conjured up images of something difficult and boring.
　 However, I thought today's class was really interesting and this opened my eyes."

Fifth year student Manami Ueda has been chosen to represent Japan as an athlete at the upcoming Asia Youth Paragames which will be held in Tokyo from September 10th to 13th.

This international sporting event will see 218 athletes and delegates from 29 different Asian countries all between the ages of fourteen and nineteen come to Tokyo to compete against each other.

Manami will take part in 4 different swimming heats, including freestyle and backstroke. Here’s wishing her all the best as she sets her sights on a place at the London Paralympics.

Hinako Hara, a fifth year student at the school, has been awarded 3rd place in the 6th Arpista Lugovico International Harp Competition, which was held in Madrid, Spain from June 19th to June 29th. After a successful showing in the 1st and 2nd stages of the contest, Hinako went on to the final stage, where she performed Handel’s “Harp Concerto” with the backing of a full orchestra.

Hinako started playing the harp at the age of six and has been studying under the reknowned Kumiko Inoue for the last seven years.

Violin and Harp Concerto “Fantasia: Into the Dreamy Forest” will be held on July 20th (Mon) at The Luther Hall from 18:00 (doors open at 17:30).

The address is Sapporo-shi, Chuo-ku, Odori West 6.
Tel: 011-251-1311

The third year English Recitation Contest was held in the Fuji auditorium this afternoon. Twenty students who passed the first and second heats made their way to the stage under the watchful gazes of their friends and, one by one, gave a beautiful recitation of the story they had chosen for the event.

If one were to listen with one's eyes shut, it would have been nigh on impossible to accept the fact that the speaker was a fifteen year old Japanese girl, and not a native English speaker. After being treated to an afternoon of such splendid recitations, the judges were then left with the unenviable job of choosing only five winners, who were then presented with their certificates and prizes. Of these students, the top three will now go on to represent the school at various speech contests held outwith the school in Autumn, where they will put their skills to the test. Best of luck to you all.

The 1st year students headed off to Maruyama Park. Within this park is the Catholic Cemetery where two of the Fuji pioneers rest in peace; the founder Bishop Kinold and the first headmistress Johanna Solomon. Here, the students offered prayers and paid their respects with the message, “Thanks to your efforts all those years ago, we are now able to enjoy the school life we have today. Please continue to look over us and guide us in the years to come.”

Thereafter, the group worked up a bit of a sweat by making its way to the top of Mt. Maruyama (towering over Sapporo at 228 metres!), finishing the day off with a trip to the zoo for some observation of the more exotic wildlife to be found in central Sapporo.

The 2nd year students had a day where they were able to run around on the grass or ride with the wind till their hearts content. Available as options were a butter-making class, asparagus reaping, and horse-riding. The students were able to participate in whichever lesson took their fancy and thoroughly enjoyed their day out.

Yurigahara Park was the destination for the 3rd year students. They enjoyed creating a variety of ways to remember the many beautiful flowers they saw here by taking photographs and writing “haiku”. Many of the students enjoyed a game of “park golf”, while others played together with the children of a primary school, also at the park for an outing. After eating lunch and indulging in the all-important pastime of sharing sweets, the girls enjoyed relaxing in the beautiful weather, cementing their already strong friendships.

The senior high students went together as a group to Loch Shikotsu. Despite some ominous weather in the preceding days, the actual day of the outing turned out to be pretty nice, and the students were able to enjoy their 14 kilometre walk. This stroll ended at Morap Campsite, situated on the bonnie banks of the loch, and it was here that the students were able to relax and enjoy lunch together. The looks of happiness on the faces of the students gave a very clear indication of both the sense of achievement they were feeling at having reached their destination, as well as how happy they were to have a delicious lunch to enjoy with their pals.

In preparation for the 2010 entrance exam, a series of presentations were given on the Japanese, Arithmetic, Science, and Social Studies sections of the exam. In addition, there were also talks on the characteristics of the educational programme offered at Fuji, as well as the latest university results, the creation of the new C course, and what sort of school life can be expected once a student has entered Fuji

If any parents or primary school children were unable to take part in this, or in any of the recently held events, please remember that arrangements can be made on an individual basis. Should you wish a tour of the school or any of the information handed out at these events, please feel free to contact the school by facsimile or e-mail.

The second open day in as many weeks was help today, with over 200 primary school children and parents attending. After a short introduction on what makes Fuji so special, the first and second year classes were opened up for observation. Judging from the no-nonsense gazes with which the young visitors watched the classes, they certainly looked as though they were ready to get to grips with most of what the classes were dealing with!

The next event is the talk on the entrance examination next January, which will be held on June 7th (Sunday). We look forward to meeting any interested parties on this day. Homework answers will be posted in the "A Day in the Life of Fuji" section in the morning of Friday the 5th of this month.

The Chorus Club enjoyed a weekend of practice, spending two nights at the Fuji Hanakawa campus to the north of Sapporo at the weekend. On the last day of tests, 20 students congregated in the school's Music Room 1 for practice before heading off for their weekend at 4 o'clock. After arriving and before dinner, the students squeezed in some more practice which was then continued after their meal. Day one finished with the students forming a rota for bathtime and enjoying some recreation time before lights out.

Practice started at 08:30 the next day. Some sixth year former club members turned up in the morning to help out and give some advice, while in the afternoon some former students dropped by to give some "moral support". The result was a group of students burning with choral passion!

On the last day, the students, understandably, looked a little tired but didn't shirk at all from their practice. After practice, the students spent some time exchanging opinions and reflecting on the weekend before leaving at 13:30. All in all, it was a very fruitful and successful weekend.