All-School Assembly Report (September 16, 2025) — Broadcast Format / Science Club Highlights & International Exchange Begins
The long weekend has ended. Midday is still hot, but the later sunrise makes the morning light gentler during arrival time.
Today’s all-school assembly was held via the school broadcast.
Last Friday, the Osaka City Junior High School Science Research Conference was held at Osaka Kyoiku University. Our Science Club presented three reports. Using that occasion, the principal spoke about so-called “kotatsu articles” (desk-bound write-ups) versus on-site fieldwork, and praised the club’s hands-on efforts.
Starting today, as part of the Osaka City Junior High School International Exchange Program, one student from Australia will join our classes as a visiting student. If you see them on campus, please welcome them with a smile and a friendly wave.
Keywords: Hokuryō Junior High School / all-school assembly / broadcast assembly / Science Club / Osaka City Junior High School Science Research Conference / Osaka Kyoiku University / fieldwork / international exchange / visiting student / Australia
All posted photos were taken with school-owned cameras, transferred via a wired connection to staff PCs, and uploaded to the website from a securely managed environment.
Last Saturday, the “Osaka City Junior High School Student Science Research Presentations” were held at Osaka Kyoiku University. In the presentation category, our Science Club earned three Honorable Mentions. To everyone in the club—congratulations!
What made these projects special is that they weren’t just a lineup of facts gathered from the internet. You went out to Wakayama again and again to look for fossils. On campus, you picked up branches and leaves, buried them in soil, dug them back up, and observed how wood decays over time. You even grew morning glories to make a “green curtain,” watching them day by day. You sweated, you got muddy, you recorded your failures, and you kept checking with your own eyes and hands. That steady effort led to these results.
Changing gears: lately you may hear the term “kotatsu articles.” The word sounds cozy, but the meaning is simple—it’s what we’d call armchair reporting: articles stitched together from online sources without ever going to the scene. Of course, most real news comes from reporters who go out, listen, verify, and then write. That’s why their stories carry a certain atmosphere and warmth. There’s a big difference between checking facts on a screen and going out to check them on your own two feet.
The opposite of “armchair reporting” is fieldwork. You go somewhere, see it, touch it, measure it, and take notes. That is exactly what our Science Club did. When you step outside the classroom, you notice things you just can’t get from a desk—the smells, the sounds, the air, the weight of things. That hard-to-describe “feel” widens your understanding.
Tomorrow, our ninth graders will visit Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai. It’s a chance to see global exhibits and the latest technologies right where they are. Reading a brochure or watching a video is one thing; standing there in person is another. It stays with you in a deeper way. As you walk around, jot down a few short notes in your own words—“Wow, that’s impressive,” or “This part is really interesting.” When you share those thoughts with your family after you get back, it can spark your next round of learning.
The learning we do at school—the “sit-down” kind—is essential. But learning that moves your body, like fieldwork, matters too. I hope you bring back lots of discoveries tomorrow—the kind you only make because you went and looked for yourself. Ninth graders, travel safely and have a great day at the Expo.
