July 9: Beppu High School
by Mie
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The other day, one of my close friend called
me, saying Beppu High School, attached to
Beppu College, will welcome Korean high school
students who will stay in the families in
Beppu or Oita area. I said yes. I was very
surprised to know that the students would
come from Chang-Shing high school in Masan
Korea. I recalled anew that Mr. Byung-Do
Kang, the president of Chang-Shing college
to which we visited in this April, said the
college is in a sisterhood with Beppu college.
The world is small, indeed. This time, 32
high students will come from Masan for deepen
the friendship between the two high schools.
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We visited Beppu high school today for the
first time so as to become familiar in advance
with the location and the teachers. In the
entrance approach is a stone monument written
by Mr. Yoshiaki Sato, the first president
of the college. The monument quotes a passage
from the Bible: "Truth makes us Freedom."
I was again impressed by the coincidence
of the the school motto with that of Jiyu
Gakuen from which my son graduated. |
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We were guided by Mr. Takita who is in charge
of this time international exchange program
to meet the principal, Mr.Masao Kimoto.
When my husband started to explain
the relationship
with the late Mr. Terao and us and
on our
visit to Chang-Shing college in April,
he
said longingly, "Yes, I know Mr.
Terao
very well, because he was my senior."
I was again moved by a casual coincidence,
yes the world has again become smaller
today.
He showed me the agreement of the sisterhood
between the two high schools in 1995. (Click
the picture to enlarge.) |
 
Many commemorative items from Chang-Shing
high school were displayed on the shelf
behind
his desk (left.) "This is the
first
visit of Chang-Shing students to Beppu",
he put down a photograph , "the
Chang-Shing
president had promised his high school
students
that if they won the soccer championship
in whole Korea, he would take them
to Beppu
as a reward," he continues, "the
students were ignited and actually
won the
prize. Mr. Byung-Do Kang was very delighted
and kept his promise. This is the beginning
of our exchange. Since then, our friendship
has been tightened year by year. The
students
enjoy a short home stay in Beppu." |
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Mr. Kimoto pleasantly opened his privately-published
book and pointed a hand-written illustration
of a soccer game held between the two high
schools. President Kang's message in Japanese
was also recorded on the next page. When
I was interested in the wonderful book, he
kindly gave me a copy in commemoration with
today's meeting. Thank you very much. |
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Today's commemorative picture in the principal
office: from right, Mr. Takita, principal
Kimoto, and Mie. The large writing in the
center was the wonderful calligraphy by a
Chang-Shing student. A lot of commemorative
items in the glass case behind us tell the
prominent long history of Beppu high school
whose foundation dates back to 1908 as private
Toyosu girls' high school. (Click the picture
to enlarge.)
I am expecting to meet two student
on July
20. |
