1年生クラス写真

 Hello everyone! The 1st year homeroom and STEM class teacher, Brandon Wohlfarth, here to tell you about our trip with the 1st and 2nd year students on the Hakusan Shirakawa-go White Road on Friday September 20th, 2024. For those who do not know, Hakusan Shirakawa-go White Road is a famous sightseeing spot in the HAKUSANROKU (Foothills of Mt. Hakusan) area during the fall and summer. It is a beautiful stretch of road with various scenic photo spots where you can experience the wonderful expanse of nature, go hiking, or just enjoy a casual drive through nature. The original plan was to go for a hike through the woods along the White Road; however, due to the chance of rain that was forecasted for that day, we adjusted our plan to be a bus tour along the road instead. Even though we had planned for rain, it ended up being a beautiful, extremely hot day. 

 Our first stop along the White Road was a lookout point at the top of a mountain that separated Ishikawa and Gifu Prefectures. There, students could walk around the viewing area, take pictures on a swing that overlooked Gifu, or enjoy a snack or drink at a local shop. Seeing the students chatting, enjoying nature, and taking pictures of the spectacular view was wonderful.

 After this, we returned to the bus and traveled to a waterfall along the road. Here we took class pictures! This was only a brief stop just to see the waterfall, and we then continued to our last stop, the Chugu Onsen Visitor Center. Here, some students looked at the nature of HAKUSAN (Foothills of Mt. Hakusan) exhibits, while others went to the nearby river to play and skip stones. The students here really enjoyed the time they spent outside and playing by the river. Phillip Cadzow sensei even convinced some students to wade into the water with him. After that, the students returned to the bus, and we returned to ICT. I hope that the students were able to have some fun and enjoy their morning in nature, that we get to experience every day here at the Hakusanroku Campus.

Brandon Wohlfarth

Hello, everyone. I'm Meguru Ito, one of the physics teachers at ICT. This year, the STEM Fair was held on Wednesday September 18th, 2024, for the 1st year students, and on Wednesday September 25th, for the 2nd year students. The STEM Fair is an annual event held in mid-September, where students present the results of their Summer STEM Project, which is given as a summer assignment at ICT. In simpler terms, it’s a presentation of their summer independent research, but the students create posters in English and give their presentations in English, making it quite a challenging event. I envisioned it as something similar to a science fair, where students at schools abroad present their research, and hoped we could create a similar festive atmosphere when we started this at the Hakusanroku campus.

 Last year, in the Hakusanroku Journal , I introduced the origins of the STEM Fair and rules of the fair, so this year I would like to give a general review of the 2nd year students' presentations.
 Additionally, this year, we were finally able to reinstate the "Overseas English Program,” a short-term study abroad course for 2nd year students during the summer vacation. Seven students participated in three-week language training programs overseas during their summer break. Since the three-week program uses almost all of the summer vacation period, I thought it would be too difficult for the students to do the STEM Project, so I excused them from STEM projects. Instead, they conducted a “Debriefing Session of the Overseas English Program” at the same time as the STEM Fair. I was a little worried because there would be fewer students presenting at the STEM Fair, but they all gave presentations that blew those worries away.

Presentation by Mitsuki Ohta, a 2nd year student: Rear Wing and Downforce

 For the 2nd year students, I required them to write a proposal, collect data and give a poster presentation. For the presentation, they had to include tables and graphs on their posters as well as explain what they did so that everyone could understand the purpose of their research.
 What struck me the most this time was that many students presented topics and data from fields I wasn't familiar with, which made listening to all the presentations highly engaging. I was particularly impressed by Mitsuki Ohta, a 2nd year student who won the Best Presentation Award, for creating his own wind tunnel experiment equipment. His dedication was truly remarkable. Incidentally, Mitsuki Ohta also placed 2nd last year, and his brother, Haruki Ohta, a 3rd year student, has consistently placed 1st in past STEM Fairs. They are a family of top performers in the competition.

 I was also impressed by the significant evolution of the 2nd year students since last year. It was clear from their presentations how much effort and time they invested in this STEM project. Compared to last year's presentations, many students demonstrated a remarkable improvement in quality. Their familiarity with the tasks and presentations played a role in this enhancement, highlighting the effectiveness of the education at the ICT.

 I may have mentioned this before, but to be honest, I haven't really provided much direct guidance myself. However, thanks to the students' efforts and the support of the faculty, I believe the STEM Fair has become a signature event at ICT. As the number of students increases, we may need to change the way presentations are conducted, which could add to the faculty's workload. Nonetheless, I truly love the students' unique projects, and I hope we can continue this project. In the future, I would like to invite not only some of the faculty members from the Hakusanroku Campus, but also students, teachers and staff from Kanazawa campus as well. (Though the students might not be thrilled about it!)

Meguru Ito

Hello again! It’s me, Domyson Abuan, a Learning Mentor at ICT Hakusanroku campus. I am back with my second journal entry. This time, I have a story to share to mark my first anniversary of working at ICT!

My best friend gifted me a shirt that says, “EPIC FAIL.” At first, wearing something that labels me a failure seemed odd, but I proudly wear it anytime. “EPIC FAIL” has become a popular slang term for funny or ridiculous mishaps, usually made while doing something simple.

 It all started two years ago when the two of us joined a sports event in Ishikawa—wall climbing, BMX, parkour, all packed into one venue! So exciting! We drove a few hours to get there—only to discover that the event was mainly for kids!

 We were the only adults lining up to do parkour with children, looking like two out-of-place chaperones. To make it even funnier, I struggled with the course, and the kids easily beat me! We laughed so much that we dubbed the day an “EPIC FAIL.”

 Despite the mishap, we had a great time, and it became the start of more epic adventures—a race in Hokkaido, firefly squid fishing in Namerikawa, and even backpacking in the Philippines. Every trip brought more epic failures, but with each one, we picked life lessons. My friend gave me the shirt, and it reminded me of how much we’ve learned from those moments.

 Fast forward to August 7th, 2024. I wore my “EPIC FAIL” shirt during ICT Hakusanroku campus’s summer camp, where students from various schools gathered for STEM workshops. The theme of the camp was “Imagineering a dream company aimed at the future we want to see!!”, and I was assigned to introduce the concept. Imagineering blends imagination and technical skills, encouraging students to create innovative solutions for pressing social issues.

 I secretly hoped someone would ask about my shirt so I could tie it into the importance of failure in engineering. But to my surprise (and true to the spirit of an epic fail), all the workshops finished, and no one asked.

 Later that afternoon, while playing badminton with the participants in the gym, I finally got my chance. Three students from Thailand approached me, and one of them, a boy named CJ, noticed my shirt. He giggled and asked why I was wearing it. It was music to my ears! I felt like the universe was behind me, cheering me on to seize the moment.

 I told them about the meaning of the slang. We also discussed that in engineering—and in life—we often encounter failure. To my delight, they were genuinely engaged in the conversation. We discussed how failure proves that we’re trying, taking action, and learning. It pushes our ideas forward, eventually leading to better versions and successful outcomes. One of the boys chimed in saying, "As long as we keep trying, failing is okay." I couldn’t agree more, adding, "And if you’re going to fail while trying, make it epic so you always remember the lessons!"

 That conversation felt like a mission accomplished for the day.

 I saw the boys again later at the workshop venue. They smiled and waved, recognizing me as “the guy with the epic fail shirt.” Even if they didn’t remember my name, I was happy they recalled the conversation we had that night.

On the last day of camp, I was playing the ukulele with Sin, another participant. CJ approached me, holding something in his hands. He gave it to me and said, “This is for you.” He told me he enjoyed our conversation and wanted to give me a gift.

 I was thrilled to know that our talk had resonated with at least one student. As I write this, I’m marking one year of working at ICT. I’m incredibly grateful for moments like these, where we get to share engineering insights with students—lessons I hope will serve them as life skills as they grow.

 Oh, and by the way, CJ’s gift was a pair of traditional Thai pants! I’m sure they’ll go perfectly with my “EPIC FAIL” shirt. I can’t wait to wear the combo at a future workshop.

 Looking ahead, I’m excited to experience more realizations, “EPIC FAIL”, and eventual successes with the school community as we continue striving toward ICT’s goal of fostering global innovators. I’ll be sure to share more stories in future journal entries!

Domyson Abuan, Learning Mentor

 Hello everyone. I’m James Taylor, one of the English teachers at Hakusanroku Campus.

 On August 27th, 2024, I went to Shiramine to hold an English Café event for primary school children. We originally planned this event for the summer of 2020, but for various reasons, we had to postpone it for four consecutive years. Last year, my parents went to Shiramine for an English Café event (https://www.ict-kanazawa.ac.jp/journal/25373/?mode=null), but this was the first time I’d been able to go and meet the children in Shiramine.

 We had eight schoolchildren from Shiramine, which is most of the children at Shiramine Primary School! We also had one from Hakurei Primary School. We started by introducing ourselves in simple English, and then did a quiz. For the quiz, the staff members at Shiramine Community Centre used tape to make a big A and B on the hall floor. I asked a question such as “how do you say トラ(tora) in English? Is it (a) tiger or (b) lion?” and the children moved to the letter they thought corresponded to the correct answer. I asked a lot of questions, and they did really well!

 After that, we had a drink, and the children ate some snacks while I read some English books: ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ by Eric Carle, ‘The Tiger Who Came to Tea’ by Judith Kerr, and ‘Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus’ by Mo Willems. That last book is great for getting the children to interact, as they have to shout “NO!” very loudly many times!

 The final activity was bingo. First, the children made their bingo cards by drawing pictures of the fruits I named. Then we played the game for real, with prizes for everyone.

 The children seemed to have a good time, and I enjoyed the event too. I’m very grateful to the staff of Shiramine Community Centre and Oguchi Community Centre, who always work so hard to organize English Café events and find participants. I’m looking forward to the next opportunity to do English Café for kids in Shiramine.

James Taylor

　こんにちは。英語科目担当のジェームス・テイラーです。
　2024年8月27日に白峰で子供向けのイングリッシュカフェを開催しました。実はこのイベントは2020年の夏に開催する予定だったのですが、いろんな理由で4年連続中止になってしまったのです。2023年の9月に僕の両親が白峰でイングリッシュカフェ（https://www.ict-kanazawa.ac.jp/journal/25373/?mode=null）を行いましたが、今回は僕にとって初めて白峰の子供たちのためのイベントでした。

　今回白峰小学校から8人と白嶺小学校から1人が来てくれました。（ちなみに、白峰小学校は全校生が10人程の学校です。）最初に簡単な自己紹介をしてからクイズをしました。クイズのために、白峰コミュニティセンターのスタッフの方々が床に大きなＡとＢの文字をテープで作ってくれました。僕は問題を出して（例えば、「トラはえいごでなんていうの？タイガー、ライオン？」）、子供たちは正解だと思う方に移動しました。たくさんの問題を出したのですが、みんなほとんど正解できました！

　次におやつタイムにしました。子供たちがお菓子を食べながら、僕が絵本を3冊読み聞かせしました：「はらぺこあおむし」（作：エリック・カール）、「おちゃのじかんにきたとら」（作：ジュディス・カー）、「ハトにうんてんさせないで。」（作：モー・ウィレムズ）。「ハトにうんてんさせないで。」は子供たちが何回も大きな声で「NO!」を言うところがあって、とても楽しいお話です。

　最後のアクティビティはビンゴでした。ビンゴをする前に子供たちは自分のビンゴカードを作りました。僕が英語でいろんな果物の名前を言って、子供たちがその果物の絵をカードに書きました。それからビンゴが始まって、みんな景品もあたり、とっても喜んでくれました。

　子供たちはイングリッシュカフェに参加して楽しそうでした。僕もやっと白峰の子供たちと会えてとても楽しかったです。白峰コミュニティセンターと尾口コミュニティセンターのスタッフの方々、たくさんの準備と、参加者の募集などをしてくださり、とても感謝しています。また次回、白峰でイングリッシュカフェをできることを楽しみにしています。

ジェームス・テイラー

 Hello! My name is Tsutsui, and I’m a Japanese teacher. I joined ICT in April. I’m originally from Kanazawa, and I’d like to share some of my memories of HAKUSAN (Mt. Hakusan) and the HAKUSANROKU (Foothills of Mt. Hakusan).

 When I was in elementary school, I went camping with my family. It was my first time cooking rice with a mess tin and sleeping in a tent. I’ve climbed HAKUSAN (Mt. Hakusan) about three times so far, and it has always been a tough challenge. During every climb, I thought, "I can't go on," so many times, but with encouragement from friends and people around me, and the beautiful scenery lifting my spirits, I managed to push through. While hiking, I often think, "I shouldn't have come," but once I see the sea of clouds or the sunrise, I feel like all the effort has been worth it. The way down is much easier, and after relaxing in a hot spring, I feel so happy. I forget about the struggle and want to climb again.

 When I was in high school, I visited the Iwama Fountain Tower. Hot springs were gushing from the ground. It’s a place where you don’t need to walk much, so I’d like to visit again. Unfortunately, the road is not in good condition anymore, so it’s inaccessible now, which is a shame.

 I used to go skiing often, but I haven’t skied at all recently. Since there is one ski resort close to this campus, I’m hoping to go skiing this year. There are only two ski resorts left in the HAKUSANROKU (Foothills of Mt. Hakusan) area now, but there used to be more. There was even one called "Hakusan Sena Kogen Ski Resort" across from the Hakusanroku campus. From the top of the mountain, you could see the Tedori River Dam Lake.

 Now, I live in the northern part of Kanazawa. On sunny days, I can see HAKUSAN (Mt. Hakusan) from my house. When I see the mountain, I feel drawn to it, and I often drive while admiring its beauty. It always makes me feel refreshed.

Masako Tsutsui