Hello, this is Yuri Makada from the Hakusanroku Office. Today, I would like to write about the snowball fights and other winter activities held in the Health and Physical Education course for the 1st and 2nd year students.
 From Saturday, January 24th to Sunday, January 25th, 2026, a strong cold air mass covered Ishikawa Prefecture, including Hakusan City, resulting in a significant amount of snowfall within a short period. It was a “doka-yuki” a sudden, heavy snowfall, turning the entire area into a beautiful white landscape.

1st Year Students’ Snowball Fight

 About a week later, on Monday, February 2nd, the 1st year students eagerly took part in a snowball fight in their last PE class of the semester. Each team set up a cone that they had a protect from the other team. Based on the rules of the fight, such as winning by capturing the other team’s cone and requiring students hit by a snowball to freeze for one minute, students devised strategies and began the contest.
 Although both teams attempted to advance, snowballs kept hitting players one after another, slowing the game’s progress, and no winner was determined within the time limit. Despite the intense exchanges, the students’ laughter filled the field, creating a funfilled atmosphere.
 During the free play session that followed, students enjoyed throwing snowballs, building large snowmen, sledding, and having fun in the snow.

2nd Year Students Snowball Fight & Snow Slide Building

 On Tuesday, February 3rd, the 2nd year students participated in a snowball fight and snow slide building. The boys’ team started with a snowball fight, first by dividing into 2 teams and then building snow walls in their territory and preparing plenty of snowballs before launching their attacks on the opposing team. Their energetic attacks made them look like little snow warriors. As they were battling Philip Cadzow sensei unexpectedly joined in the fight. With overwhelming strength, he lifted the boys one after another and tossed them into the fluffy snow, sending them running away while laughing and shouting, a scene that delighted everyone.
 Meanwhile, the girls’ team focused on creating a snow slide. They packed the snow, carved it carefully, and shaped it until it was complete. When viewed from the front, the finished slide resembled a “Moai statue,” and its impressive craftsmanship drew surprised reactions from students and teachers alike.

 Surrounded by the rich winter nature of the HAKUSANROKU (Foothills of Mt. Hakusan) area, the students worked together, played in the snow, and spent a smile filled time together. This final Health and Physical Education course of the school year became a valuable snow country experience that strengthened relationships among students and created wonderful memories.

Yuri Makada

Hello again! This is Domyson Abuan, one of the Learning Mentors at ICT Hakusanroku.

Our usual Learning Session time turned into something magical on Friday night, December 19th, 2025. The Living Commons lit up with a kind of holiday cheer that’s hard to put into words even though we also played fun game of Scrabble!

But the fun didn’t start there. In the days before the party, students helped decorate the Living Commons with colorful lights and ornaments. The biggest star was our tall Christmas tree, where students secretly placed their gifts, , trying not to get caught by their Secret Santa matches. We also made a handmade Advent calendar, adding a small surprise to each day in December. It was a slow build-up to something truly special.

The night began with our first-ever Christmas Scrabble Tournament, led by the English department. Students from both 1st and 2nd year teamed up and got right to work, forming words faster than Santa’s elves wrapping presents. One student scored over 400 points, on their first time playing the board game! The winning team earned prizes, but honestly, everyone walked away with accomplished smiles.

Then came the Secret Santa gift hunt. While the students were enjoying dinner, the Learning Mentors turned into sneaky elves—elves who assisted Santa Claus in making presents and pulling pranks—, gathered the gifts from under the Christmas tree, and hid them all around the Living Commons. When the students returned, the search began! There were cheers, laughter, and a few puzzled faces—mine included! I needed help finding my own gift!

Once all the presents were found, we gathered near the tree to open them. Some students tried to guess what was inside, while others couldn’t wait and dove right in. The gifts were fun and surprising: a glowing lightsaber toy, a bag of tortillas (that the students love so much!), robotics tools, novels and other books, and cute room decorations. Everyone had something to smile about.

The rest of the night was a cozy mix of snacking, gaming, and simply enjoying each other’s company. Some students played video games, while others chatted over chips and cookies. No matter how they spent the evening, everyone left with a full stomach and a happy heart.

Big thanks to everyone who helped make this night so special. From decorating the tree to finding the perfect gift, every little moment added up to something unforgettable. Here’s to more word games, more surprises, and more reasons to celebrate. Merry Christmas, everyone!

Domyson Abuan

Hello everyone. I’m James Taylor, one of the English teachers at ICT’s Hakusanroku Campus.

On Wednesday, December 3rd, 2025, I went to the Oguchi Community Centre to lead the annual English Café Christmas Party for local residents. This time, we had 17 children and 5 adults from the Yoshino, Oguchi, and Shiramine areas. With almost perfect timing, we had our first proper snowfall about an hour before the party began!

Just like every year, we started by decorating the Christmas tree. Since the older primary school children finished school a bit later than the younger ones, the younger children were able to finish decorating the tree in time for their older friends to see it when they arrived.

After that, everyone got the chance to make their own advent calendar. An advent calendar is a calendar with 24 or 25 doors, one for each day from the start of December to Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Behind each door, there is usually some chocolate shaped like something Christmassy. The children at English Café were able to choose what small snacks or sweets they wanted to put behind the doors of their calendar. The advent calendars were make-it-yourself kits that the Community Centre staff bought especially for the event.

Once everyone had made their advent calendars and washed their hands, it was time to decorate some pancakes. The Community Centre staff used a British recipe and spent several hours making thin pancakes in preparation for the party, so guests were able to choose from a variety of toppings. They looked and tasted really good!

While they were eating, I read a story that was very popular when I read it to children at the Shiramine English Café in September: “Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed” by Eileen Christelow.

Finally, we played Christmas-themed bingo, with prizes for everyone. Just before it was time to go home, Father Christmas came to say “merry Christmas” to everyone!

Once again, the English Café Christmas Party was an enjoyable event for children and adults, thanks mainly to the hard work and careful preparation of the Oguchi Community Centre staff, Mr. Yamashita and Ms. Nakada. I’m already looking forward to the next English Café.

James Taylor

This is Philip Cadzow, one of the Physical Education Teachers on ICT’s Hakusanroku Campus. On Saturday, November 8th, 2025, the second annual Ekiden (a team relay race) was held at Hakusanroku Campus. The goal of the race was for each team of 15 members to complete 25 laps around the campus (roughly 670 m per lap). The teams were composed of students from different year levels and teachers. 

The objective was not to finish in the fastest time, but to be the team that completed the laps in a time closest to their estimate. This goal system may sound confusing and overly complicated; it is certainly more so than the usual “fastest team” approach. This design was chosen for several reasons: to reduce the risk of student injuries from sudden intense movement, to relieve pressure on those who were not as fast as others, and to allow more teachers to participate without feeling bad about slowing down a team.

Three of the teams chose 100 minutes as their estimated time, and only one team guessed that they would finish in 86 minutes. The day had perfect weather—clear blue skies with only a cooling wind. There were no clouds, only a blue sky contrasting with the changing colors of the leaves. With everyone lined up and mixed into their teams, Yuzuki Komoto—a 4th year student—gave a very nice speech about the event being an opportunity for different year levels to mix socially. He encouraged the 1st year students, saying that while the older students may seem big and intimidating, they should not feel afraid to talk to them.

After a countdown, the teams took off sprinting! What was meant to be a challenge to guess everyone’s pace soon changed with the energy of the day. I did not expect the excitement of running to be so powerful. The first eight laps were finished in only 25 minutes. Everybody was sprinting their fastest, even though they had plenty of time. Therefore, I had to make an emergency adjustment to the times, otherwise everyone would be far off their estimated time! Therefore, the competition was changed to which team managed to get the closest to 80 minutes total time.

I was most impressed with the atmosphere of the event; the feeling was very friendly between all year groups, and there was plenty of cheering and general enjoyment of the day. As much as I love and enjoy movement, sometimes that passion is not embodied in the many different types of students, especially when it comes to running. So, I was very happy that the atmosphere of the day was so joyous and filled with friendly rivalry.

A spontaneous guessing game of “How many laps has Ian-sensei run?” began to develop as well, his insatiable need to run being an inspiration to the watching crowd. The race continued and each changeover was cheered; each person had their time in the spotlight. Unfortunately, this also brought some of the same injuries as last year, with ankles and lungs feeling the pressure—but in fewer numbers than last year, and it was self-inflicted rather than prescribed.

The last laps were run, and the finishing times were very close! Considering that nobody had a watch or phone to keep track of the time, this was very impressive. All teams were within 10 minutes of the 80-minute goal.

In the end, having a time goal rather than a race was less satisfying to watch at the finish, but we had fewer injuries, more teacher participation, and the students had a slightly more relaxed and fun day rather than the pressure of competition. I don’t know what next year will bring—whether the allure of competition will call me back—but this year we had wonderful weather and good people. A lovely reminder that with a separated campus, events like these are important for social bonding.

Philip Cadzow