"The Path to the Future" — Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the Founding of Keio Chutobu Junior High School

2022/12/21

Photo: 75th Anniversary Ceremony of Chutobu Junior High School

On November 12, we held the 75th Anniversary Ceremony of Keio Chutobu Junior High School at the West School Building Hall on the Mita Campus. The ceremony was attended by President Kohei Itoh, Vice-President Keita Yamauchi, Secretary General Toshiko Hirota, Akiko Suganuma (President of the Federation of Mita-kai and a Chutobu alumna!), Motohiro Tanaka (President of the Chutobu Alumni Association), the principals of the affiliated schools, former principals of Chutobu Junior High School, and Tomiji Katagiri (Director of the Second Branch of the Tokyo Private Junior and Senior High School Association). Including these individuals, we welcomed 58 guests and 18 alumni, creating an atmosphere that warmly embraced the current students from all three grades of Chutobu Junior High School.

The ceremony consisted of two main parts: a formal first half centered on reports, addresses, and congratulatory speeches, and a second half filled with laughter and emotion, featuring videos, photos, talks, and songs. While solemn, it also had a friendly atmosphere, making it a bright and lively event characteristic of Chutobu Junior High School. Ceremonies often tend to be stiff affairs where one must sit perfectly still, but by the end, everyone seemed to have enjoyed themselves with a smile. I believe this was thanks to the mood created by everyone in attendance.

In the first half of the ceremony, following the singing of the Chutobu song, a report on the "75-Year History" by Vice Principal Shinsaku Haga, and the Principal's address, President Itoh gave a heartwarming congratulatory message. He shared memories of his own days at Keio Futsubu School and his impressions of Chutobu Junior High School as a rival at the time. Alumni President Motohiro Tanaka, who was in the same year as President Itoh, also spoke about his memories of the soccer matches between Keio Futsubu School and Chutobu Junior High School (the so-called "Fu-Chu Match" held by many clubs). Speaking from the perspective of the current students, his humorous talk surely captured their hearts. In the subsequent congratulatory speech by Alumni President Tanaka, he also touched upon memories of the Fu-Chu Match with President Itoh, and the current students listened to his story with great interest. Furthermore, Takeshi Akuzawa, Principal of Keio Senior High School, representing the principals of the affiliated schools, shared a message quoting the "Book of Han": "Soaking it like the sea, nurturing it like the spring." He related this sentiment of taking time to raise people to the educational philosophy of Chutobu Junior High School (read by Shunichi Yamazaki, Counselor and former Principal of Chutobu Junior High School, due to circumstances).

In the second half, commemorative gifts were introduced. One of them was a Western confectionery made with environmental considerations. It was selected by Mr. Seiya Kowata, a self-proclaimed "sweets enthusiast" among the faculty, based on the "SDGs Declaration" made by Chutobu Junior High School.

In the following segment titled "Looking Back 1997-2022," we looked at photos from the past 25 years, from the 51st to the 75th graduating classes. Mr. Yuki Shima, who was the Student Council Chairperson for the 51st class, and Rintaro Nishikuma, the current Student Council President from Class 3-C, held a dialogue on stage about Chutobu students past and present. The students were thrilled to see photos of current veteran teachers in their younger days, and we were able to look back on the last 25 of the 75 years in a peaceful atmosphere filled with laughter. Through both what has changed and what has remained the same, I believe the students and alumni deepened their shared sense that the foundation of Chutobu Junior High School has been passed down through the generations.

Next, the 75th Anniversary Song of Chutobu Junior High School was performed. Both the lyrics and music were solicited from the students, and the winning entry was chosen from dozens of submissions. The song titled "The Path to the Future," with lyrics by Shunta Sato (Class 3-D) and music by Taiyo Wada (Class 3-A), was selected as the commemorative song. Many people were likely moved by this wonderful piece created through the power of the students. While I cannot introduce the music here, let me share a few passages from the lyrics.

The lyrics are interspersed with words reflecting the path built by seniors over 75 years and the determination to carve out a path to the future. Lines such as "Let us open the new door with our own hands," "Let us build a shining future with our own hands," "A path I create myself," and "A path I start walking myself" were likely written based on Chutobu's basic philosophy: "To foster independent individuals who can think for themselves, judge for themselves, act for themselves, and take responsibility for the results." Phrases like "With the teachings of our seniors in our hearts," "With the traditions of our predecessors in our hearts," and "The pride and elegance connected to the shining Pen Mark" express the traditions of Chutobu and Keio University with the fresh touch of a junior high school student. Furthermore, there are phrases that will surely remind students and graduates of their life at Chutobu, such as "The sound of volleyball in the courtyard" and "The clubs where we worked hard together."

Although we received professional help for the arrangement and recording, the finished song was performed to a captivated audience and received thunderous applause. I believe it will be sung by Chutobu students for many years to come, alongside previous commemorative songs like "The Wind, The Light," "Everyone's Thirty Years," and "The Bridge of Time." After the performance, the lyricist Mr. Sato and the composer Mr. Wada took the stage for an interview by Student Council Chairperson Nishikuma. While there was certainly help from the teachers, it was strongly impressed upon everyone that this was a song created by the students, which made me very proud.

After the ceremony, everyone except the students took a commemorative photo and moved to the Mita Co-op Cafeteria for a reception. At the beginning, a moment of silence was observed for Mr. Teruyoshi Osawa and Mr. Kohgen Yoshimura, who passed away this year. The reception was a modest non-alcoholic affair, but we received kind and warm words there as well, and the alumni enjoyed reconnecting with old friends. We heard a congratulatory speech from Vice-President Yamauchi based on the history of Chutobu and Keio University, a toast from Federation of Mita-kai President Suganuma filled with memories of her own days at Chutobu, and a delightful greeting from former Principal Hidefumi Yamamoto, representing the former principals.

It was a wonderful time to look back on the 75th anniversary by combining the founding spirit with the spirit of Yukichi Fukuzawa, while also looking forward to the decades ahead with a bright, enjoyable, yet disciplined attitude. I would like to express my gratitude to all parties involved.