School Assembly: Mr. Sakagami’s Report from the World Championships

Today we held a school-wide assembly.

We began with the presentation of certificates to students who had achieved excellent results in various competitions and contests, with the vice principal presenting the certificates to the student representatives.

Having the efforts of each Hokuryō student recognized in this way, in front of the entire school, will surely be a source of encouragement for many others.

Next, we heard a talk from Mr. Sakagami, who always supports our special needs classes and the soccer club.

He reported on his participation in the Beach Ultimate World Championships, held in Portugal from November 13 to 25.

Ultimate is a team sport in which players use a flying disc (often called a Frisbee), passing it among teammates and scoring points when it is caught in the opponent’s end zone.

It is also a sport that places great importance on the “Spirit of the Game,” in which players are expected to respect and uphold the rules themselves.

In his talk, Mr. Sakagami shared that his team finished 14th out of 24 teams, and that he was able to have invaluable experiences available only on the world stage, such as playing against opponents nearly two meters tall and athletes with very high physical abilities.

He also emphasized repeatedly that he was only able to take part in the tournament thanks to the support of his family and friends, as well as the cooperation of his colleagues at work.

His message to the students was: “You are able to continue with your club activities and lessons because someone is supporting you. Please do not forget that, and always value a sense of gratitude.”

Through the real-life experiences of a teacher who has competed on the world stage, the assembly became an opportunity to reflect once again on the importance of taking on challenges and appreciating the people around us.

Keywords: school assembly, Mr. Sakagami, ultimate, world championships, special needs class, soccer club, gratitude

The photos posted here show Mr. Sakagami in action at the World Championships in Portugal.