The tree planting at Ushiku 3rd Junior High School was realized because a city council member of Ushiku learned about the project when it took place at Toride Second Junior High School in the neighboring city and introduced the project to the city’s education board. Ushiku-City dispatches representatives of students from junior high schools in the city to Hiroshima as peace missionary. When they come back from Hiroshima, they present what they have learned about war and the atomic bomb at a reporting session called “Peace gathering in school” every year.
To the “Peace gathering in school” held on 21st November 2008, head of the Kaki Tree Project, Tatsuo Miyajima was invited and those students who went to Hiroshima presented a wonderful report on what they had learned. During the session, students watched a DVD on the Kaki Tree Project and heard Miyajima’s explanations on the project, so they already had improved understanding of the project before sending the application form officially.
For the tree planting ceremony held on 12th March 2009, Teacher Fukuda, who was in charge, took the lead in preparations together with students. Mr. Ebinuma also came from Nagasaki to participate in the ceremony. Since the graduation ceremony was held on the day before, there were no more third year students around, however, we played true or false trivia quizzes on peace with first and second year students. Although there were some tough questions, a few of them got all the answers right. It was followed by a talk by Mr. Ebinuma and an address made by Miyajima and then two “seedlings from the bombed persimmon tree” were planted in the schoolyard. They surrounded the trees and sang “Furusato (Hometown)” in chorus. The voices of students were in wonderful harmony and left a strong impression on participants. Lastly we took group photos. Teacher Fukuda conveyed good news at the end of April that one of the two trees had put forth buds.
