「Sukkyanen Takigawa」第二天／学校闭校日通知

社区夏日祭「Sukkyanen Takigawa（すっきゃねん滝川）」迎来了第二天。日落时分，五彩缤纷的灯笼次第亮起，作为会场的公园里挤满了身着浴衣的孩子和一家老小。

这一天没有安排本校学生的演出，但会场各处都能看到北棱学生的身影。有的和朋友结伴而行，有的与家人一同前来，还有孩子在帮忙照看摊位。那些在校园里看不到的一面，在这里比比皆是。

在会场，我也有幸与联合町会会长、社会福祉协议会会长交谈。听他们谈到，这场夏日祭并不只是一夜的热闹，或许也关系到万一有事时社区能否动起来。而更重要的是，正是通过一次次这样的聚会，街坊邻里才彼此认得脸、叫得出名字。一个能说出「那是谁家的孩子」的社区，本身就是一份珍贵的财富。

准备工作绝不止于当天。数月前就开始的筹备会议、酷暑中的搭建、一只一只挂起的灯笼——这些大多不为人所见。可每年灯笼依旧准时亮起，孩子们依旧在灯下欢笑。这份「理所当然」，究竟由多少人的双手托举着，令人由衷敬佩。

北棱团队的各位。那片灯火并非自己亮起来的，而是由认识你们、关心你们的人为你们点亮的。若有人向你打招呼，请好好地回应。「珍惜自己，珍惜身边的人」——所谓「身边的人」，并不只在教室里。

另外，自下周起至8月17日（周一）为学校闭校日。此期间校内原则上无教职员值守，无法接听电话等。给各位带来不便，敬请谅解。紧急情况下的联络方式，已通过Mimamorume系统另行通知。

暑气未消，请注意补充水分，好好享受社区的夏天。谨向为「Sukkyanen Takigawa」付出辛劳的各位地区人士致以诚挚的谢意。

关键词：北棱中学校、学校日记、Sukkyanen Takigawa、社区活动、社区联系、闭校日

"Sukkyanen Takigawa", Day Two — and a Note on Our Office Closure

The local summer festival "Sukkyanen Takigawa" reached its second day. As the light faded, rows of coloured lanterns came on one by one, and the park filled with children in yukata and families out for the evening.

There were no performances by our pupils on this day, but Hokuryō students were everywhere you looked. Some walking with friends, some out with their families, and a few helping to run the food stalls. There was a great deal here that we never get to see within school walls.

At the festival I had the chance to speak with the chairman of the neighbourhood association and the chairman of the council of social welfare. What I took from the conversation was that an evening like this is more than an evening's fun — it may well have some bearing on whether a community can act when something goes wrong. And more than anything, it is through occasions like this that neighbours come to know one another's faces. A neighbourhood where people can say "ah, that's so-and-so's child" is itself something valuable.

The work does not begin on the day. Meetings held months in advance, setting up in the heat, hanging each lantern one at a time — most of it goes unseen. And yet every year the lights come on as though it were the most natural thing in the world, and the children laugh beneath them. Standing in the park, it was hard not to feel humbled by how many hands hold that "natural thing" up.

Team Hokuryō: those lanterns did not light themselves. They were lit by people who know you, who think of you, who care how you turn out. When someone greets you, greet them properly in return. "Value yourself, and value the person beside you" — and the person beside you is not only found in the classroom.

Please also note that the school office will be closed from next week until Monday 17 August. During this period there will normally be no staff on site and we will be unable to answer telephone enquiries. We apologise for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding. Contact details for urgent matters have been sent separately via Mimamorume.

The heat is still with us. Keep drinking water, and enjoy the summer in our neighbourhood. Our sincere thanks to everyone in the community who gave their time and effort to make Sukkyanen Takigawa happen.

Keywords: Hokuryō Junior High School, School Diary, Sukkyanen Takigawa, community event, community ties, office closure