Hello. My name is Haru Abe, a 1st year student living on the Hakusanroku campus. In June 2025, five high school students from Columbia city in America visited Hakusanroku campus. This time, I will write about what I feel about living with them in ICT as study abroad buddies.

 On June 7th, American students arrived at Hakusanroku campus. All the students are tall, and I was surprised by how mature they look. I was a little nervous because it was my first time meeting American students, and I couldn’t talk with them in English. But American students talked with me, perhaps because they were interested in Japan. Therefore, I was able to ease my tension. With the American students, I was able to have a lively conversation about Japanese, overseas animation, and sports.

 Every after school, we played basketball together. When I saw the tall American student dunk, I was surprised. After that, because he also plays American football, he taught me how to play it. But that was very difficult, and I can’t throw as far as he does. Also, after that we went to the onsen.

 For sightseeing in Kanazawa, we went to Kenroku Garden. I haven’t gone sightseeing in Kanazawa, so I’m not very sure about it. But I taught American students how to buy some food in shops, and because of that, I think that I fulfilled my buddy duties.

 At the time, I didn’t have confidence, and I was nervous because I wanted to improve my English skills. Also, I want to be able to talk more with native speakers at the next opportunity. See you again!

 Hello, I am Shunta Tamura, a 1st year student. I learned many unknown and interesting things, when I communicated with American student. However, I am not good at English, so I had a hard time.
 First, the American students were very kind and funny! The most interesting part was about the favorite foods of American students. They were sushi, pizza, and many other foods, but the most surprising of all was that an American student said, “I like natto!”.
 The next thing that surprised me in my interactions with American students was that most of them were so tall. I am not very tall, so I envied them.
 Finally, unfortunately, I had some the difficulties in interacting with the American students. I am not very good at English, so it was very difficult for me to understand what they were saying. If I did understand them, I was also worried that they would not understand what I was saying. Luckily, I was happy because I had some good English conversations because I used English words and gestures to communicate what I couldn't tell. I am happy that I did not give up and continued talking because I could gradually understand what they were saying after talking with them every day.

Shunta Tamura 

Hello. My name is Hamish Barnetson, a new English teacher at ICT. Nice to meet you all! I’m from the UK. I was born in Scotland but moved around a lot as a child, so I am used to changes. I also went to boarding school when I was 7 years old, so I know what it’s like to be away from home! I have lived and worked in Japan for over 10 years in several regions including Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba and Niigata. I recently moved to Hakusanroku Campus with my family, and we are really enjoying living here so far. I am looking forward to meeting all the staff and students here.

So far, it has been really interesting to see the students participating in classes that are basically all in English. They seem to be making good friends and trying their best with all the new information. They are enjoying some friendly competition in classes, and getting used to interacting, working together and presenting their ideas in English.

As I mentioned, I have a family here so you might see them wandering around campus sometimes. Please say hello to them if you get a chance. I’m glad they can be in such an international environment and meet people from many different countries. Plus, what a great place for outdoor activities! I hope to get involved in some outdoor activities with students in the future.

Anyway, I will try my best to help the students with their English skills, and I really hope they enjoy their time here. I encourage them to use English as much as possible in my classes. It is usually challenging at first but after a while it should start to feel more natural hopefully.

Let’s enjoy this first year together at ICT!

Hamish Barnetson

  As the last patches of snow melted from the Hakusanroku campus grounds and tiny buds of spring began to bloom, something else started fresh, too—our newest batch of freshmen!

 Hi, I’m Domyson Abuan, one of the Learning Mentors (LMs) here at ICT, and our team works closely with both 1st and 2nd year students. This April 2025, we opened our doors to welcome the incoming students who are just beginning their journey of learning, growing, and living here at the Hakusanroku campus.

 Each weeknight from 7:30 P.M. to 9:30 P.M., we run Learning Sessions (LS)—a time dedicated to studying, doing homework, and building good study habits for students. And of course, us LMs are there to guide, support, and sometimes, just be a friendly face to talk to.

 To help our 1st year students ease into this new environment, we planned some fun and meaningful events to help them meet their schoolmates, and get a head start on the semester.

Kicking Things Off: Learning Session Orientation

 On Friday, April 4th, both 1st and 2nd year students gathered for our LS Orientation. We LMs introduced ourselves and gave a quick rundown of what the session is all about. Just like their morning classes, LS has a set of guidelines so everyone knows how to make the most of their evenings.

 One important part? English time! Students are encouraged to use English during LS so they can get used to it in preparation for their life in New Zealand when they are 3rd year students.

 We also introduced this year’s new activity: a Reading Laboratory where students read an article suited to their current level and answer a few questions to sharpen their reading comprehension.

 Afterwards, the 1st year students were given a short tour around the LS spaces—like where to find the announcements, where to grab study materials, and which rooms are used for quiet study and group work.

 Then, the real fun began.

Games, Giggles, and Getting to Know Each Other

 Back in the orientation room, it was time for some team-building games! First up was the Cup Stack Challenge. Divided into small groups, students had to work together using only a rubber band with strings (one per teammate) to stack paper cups into the tallest tower. With three rounds of fast-paced building, the room was filled with laughter, cheering, and a few dramatic cup crashes. Winners, of course, got snack prizes!

 Next was English Bingo, with questions about hobbies and personal interests. The goal? Talk to as many classmates as possible to complete your bingo sheet. It was a great icebreaker and got everyone chatting in English, asking questions, and realizing they already have things in common.

 To wrap things up, students worked together in groups to complete their STEM (Science subject) worksheets—an actual study task to help them prep for an upcoming quiz in their Chemistry class. They answered questions on laboratory safety and proper use of apparatus. We were really proud of how well they collaborated and focused, even after all the fun.

Welcome to the House System!

 On Wednesday, April 9th, excitement was in the air as the students were sorted into their Houses! Think Hogwarts vibes, but with homework points instead of magic spells. As each student discovered their house, you could hear laughter and surprise (“Yay! I'm with you!”) across the room.

 Meanwhile, the 2nd years, now seasoned pros, jumped right into earning points for their houses by completing homework and doing tasks. At the end of semester, the house with the most points wins the House Cup and a special reward. Let the friendly competition begin!

Karaoke, Board Games, and Bright Smiles

 To officially welcome the new students, we held a Welcome Party on Friday, April 11th. The 2nd years really stepped up—they helped set up games and even kicked off the karaoke session!

 One by one, students took the mic and sang their favorite hits. Many sang solo, some in groups, and others danced along. The room buzzed with energy and lots of laughter.

 There were board games, card games, and stacking challenges too—each bringing out bursts of cheers. A computer game even pulled a huge crowd, and before long, many were playing and bonding like old friends.

 Throughout the party, us teachers made our rounds, casually chatting with students in English about how they were settling in and what they looked forward to the most this semester - the chats were made more fun of course by delicious snacks.

 A Springboard into Something Special

 We hope these activities gave our freshmen a warm welcome and a strong start to their life here at Hakusanroku campus. With a new semester ahead, we're excited for more workshops, holiday events, and fun group challenges during our Learning Sessions.

 And yes—we’ll definitely keep you posted.

Domyson Abuan

Hello! This is Yuri Makada from the Hakusanroku office. At ICT, 24 new students have arrived and are beginning to settle into their new campus life. This time, I would like to write the icebreaker activities held on Tuesday, April 1st, 2025, after the entrance ceremony.

　 The first activity was a game called "Identity Crisis." Learning mentors handed out slips of paper to each student, with the name of another 1st and 2nd year student written on it. The mission was to find the person whose name was written on the paper. In addition, pieces of paper with students' names were also hidden under the chairs. At the end of the game, students had to find the chair with their own name written underneath and sit on it.
 As the game began, students introduced themselves to each other while searching for the person on their paper. It took some time to find one another, but once they found their name, they seemed really happy with big smiles and the atmosphere became lively and cheerful.
 It was also memorable to see students calling out to one another and then working together to find the chair with their own name on it.

 Next, a game called “In the Box” was held. The purpose of this was to find commonalities and hobbies among each other. First, students wrote their hobbies, hometowns, favorite foods, specialties, etc. on a piece of paper. The Learning Mentors then collected the papers and read out the contents one by one. If the students found something they had in common with what was read, they ran toward the center of the room.
 In the center of the room, there were two tape outlines in the shape of 2 boxes, with the rule that if they entered the outer box, they received one coin, and if they entered the inter box, they received two coins. The students wrote a variety of information, such as “I like reading books,” “I like penguins,” “I like ICT,” etc. When information such as “I'm from Norway” or “I'm from Indonesia” was shared, the students responded with applause, creating a warm and friendly atmosphere.
 At the end of the session, the three students with the highest number of coins were presented with snacks!
 Through the icebreakers, the students seemed to be able to get to know each other better.

@ictkanazawa

2025年4月1日（火）、白山麓キャンパス（1、2年生）でアイスブレイクが行われ、共通点を見つけるゲームが実施されました👀✨緑の枠に入ると2ポイント、白い枠に入ると1ポイント付与され、ポイントの多い3名にはお菓子がプレゼントされました🍫🍪 学生たちは、アイスブレイクを通して、お互いを知ることができたのではないでしょうか✨ #国際高専

♬ ABC - Jackson 5

Yuri Makada