Education Utilizing the Rich Natural Environment of Keio Shiki Senior High School

(Posted September 2024)

Keio Shiki Senior High School has a vast campus of approximately 100,000 square meters, about 40 to 50 percent of which is forested, creating a natural environment that preserves the *satoyama* landscape of the Musashino region's mixed woodlands. When I was first appointed to Keio Shiki Senior High School in 1995 and walked through this forest for the first time, I was astonished by its diverse layers of trees and plants and thought it was a tremendous asset.

Just under 600 species of plants have been identified within Keio Shiki Senior High School, and this dense layer of vegetation supports a wide variety of insects. It was here that I saw a living, flying jewel beetle for the first time. Stag beetles, Japanese rhinoceros beetles, and stick insects are also common, and as for butterflies, you can spot species like the common bluebottle and the chestnut tiger. There are also many wild birds, with over 20 species. At the fire-prevention water reservoir, spot-billed ducks raise their young almost every year, and sometimes you can even see a northern goshawk hunting.

Wondering how I could use the richness of this forest for student education and feeling the need to disseminate information to the entire school to raise students' awareness of nature, I began editing and publishing a small booklet in 2002 titled "Shiki—Shizen Hokoku" (Four Seasons—Nature Report), a bifold, double-sided B4-sized publication.

From the beginning, our editorial policy was to involve not only science teachers but also teachers from a wide range of fields to diversify the perspectives. Through casual conversations in the teachers' room, I asked teachers, such as a Japanese language teacher famous as a haiku poet, for contributions that would add depth from perspectives other than biology.

There has been a variety of reactions from teachers, including those in social studies and Japanese language, and it seems to serve as a communication tool among the faculty. I have also undertaken initiatives that fuse literature and science, such as visiting a Japanese language class to explain that the earthquake ("nawi") mentioned in the *Hojoki* is a historical fact properly recorded in the Chronological Scientific Tables. Currently, a lab assistant has taken over as editor-in-chief, and the teachers we ask for contributions have been very cooperative.

I believe the greatest appeal of the nature at Shiki is its rich biodiversity. For example, when large-scale logging is carried out to build a temporary school building for the construction of a new one, nature begins to reconstruct itself to recover. I feel that this unpredictable reconstruction is only possible because of the rich natural environment and diverse base that underlies it. It is fascinating to see what plants grow on land that has been completely cleared. Because there are so many trees and flowers, things like seeds being sown through bird droppings or being carried around by people's movements happen on a daily basis. The auxiliary means of seed dispersal exist right here within the school.

And the greatest benefit students receive from the school's nature is being able to witness these rich changes every day. It is an asset that students can continuously observe the small, daily changes, not just a fleeting moment they happen to see once. Our school's Biology Club currently has 20 to 30 members, and I feel that number has been steadily increasing since the COVID-19 pandemic. Since they walk around the school every day, I believe they are constantly observing these changes. Even among the insect-loving members of the Biology Club, there are students with diverse interests in plants and insects, and I think an environment where students stimulate each other is being fostered.

Personally, I have never been fully convinced by the division between the arts and sciences, and I have incorporated classes into my science education that encourage thinking based on folktales and legends. I once researched what kind of interest people have in science before they receive formal schooling, using folktales as a clue. For example, there is currently a lot of damage caused by bears across the country, much of which is due to them coming into human settlements in search of fruit trees like persimmons. There are quite a few folktales throughout Japan about yokai (supernatural monsters) that serve as a warning against wasting ripe persimmons by not picking them. While these stories don't directly involve bears, I feel they are connected in the sense of being a warning from nature, and science classes that incorporate such folktales seem to capture the interest of arts-oriented students as well. Also, when touching on historical events like the French Revolution, I also convey a shift in perspective, attributing the cause not to misgovernment but to crop failure following a volcanic eruption in Iceland the previous year. The various educational initiatives at Keio Shiki Senior High School that use nature as a theme can be described as an attempt to teach in a cross-curricular way, removing the framework stipulated by the Academic Advisory Board and approaching subjects from a free perspective. At Keio, there is no need to fit into a mold. Especially at the university level, students are required to create new frameworks themselves, rather than being confined to pre-existing ones.

When alumni visit Keio Shiki Senior High School after a long time, they seem to want to walk in the forest. The atmosphere, which is detached from daily life, is taken for granted while they are students, but after graduating, they often realize how privileged their environment was and appreciate its quality. Walking in the forest gives a sense of peace, a feeling of being isolated from the hustle and bustle. We also hold nature observation sessions for local residents twice a year, in spring and autumn, which provide a good opportunity for them to experience nature and get to know the school better.

In recent years, the trees have been growing taller and taller, and more systematic planting management is becoming necessary. I think for many people, the impression of this environment at Shiki is that "it's just there when you notice it." I feel it is necessary for faculty, staff, Keio Shiki Senior High School students, and alumni to consciously think about this forest that exists in our subconscious and consider how to protect and nurture it.

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