Application for Participation
Associated Schools Project (ASP)
for Promoting International Education

Outline of the way the Project(s) will be implemented in the institution

Ⅰ Description of the Project1.

The background of our project

Gifu Prefectural Yoshiki Senior High School (hereafter referred to as “Yoshiki High School”) islocated in Furukawa town on a rise at the foot of the Anbou hills within Hida city. Yoshiki HighSchool looks over the Miyagawa river and Furukawa town, where historical buildings havebeen preserved. Furukawa Festival, held in cherry blossom season, is a
Nationally-designated Important intangible cultural property and currently under application
for World Intangible Cultural Heritage designation. Local highschool students take part indifferent traditional events during the festival, such as “Okoshi Daiko (a large Japanese drum)
parade,” “Yatai-Hikisoroe (festival floats)” and “Child Kabuki”.
Yoshiki High School maintains its position as a college-oriented school by guiding all students
to achieve their best according to their future plans. Once the number of students in Japan
rapidly increased and in those days Yoshiki High School had seven classes of students eachyear. Now the school size is becoming smaller, with 4 classes (3 for General course and 1 forScience and Mathematics) at present. As there are few colleges in our area, most students
from Hida city go on to colleges and universities in urban areas and find work there. Fewer
students choose to stay in or return to Furukawa town and so its society is aging with fewer
children, which is the biggest community problem.

2.

ESD (Education for Sustainable Development) in Yoshiki High School

In our ESD, development has two meanings: development of the local community anddevelopment of students’ abilities. For development of the community, Yoshiki High School
has been carrying out a project since 2015, cooperating with Hida city to solve the community
problem described above. In this project, we are working on different activities based on fourdomains: “local tourism,” “local welfare,” “local education” and “local disaster prevention,”
aiming to be a community-based school loved by its community and contributing to thedevelopment of its community. These activities are also necessary for the development ofstudents themselves in many ways. We expect each student participating in these activities tobe a member of a sustainable society, capable or can supporting and vitalizing the localcommunity. When our school is approved as a UNESCO school, we will further promote this1

project and share the experience with other UNESCO schools working on the similar local
problems.

Ⅱ Objectives of the Project
One of the objectives of our project is to develop students’ abilities and sense of values inmany aspects by planning, continuing and integrating ESD-related activities. The otherobjective is to contribute to revitalizing the local community and its sustainable developmentby promoting the project.
1Abilities and sense of values we want students will acquire(1) Abilities and sense of values expected to be developed through ESD projecta. Systematic thinking (understanding of the background of problems and actual
situation from a viewpoint both diversified and comprehensive) and communication
skillsb. Value for sustainable development (respect for humanity, diversity, tolerance,equality and the environment) and cooperation with and consideration for othersc. Sense of responsibility to take initiative in supporting the development of the localcommunity(2) Abilities expected to be developed based on our school precepts: “Unity of practiceand study, initiative and creativity, and mental and physical improvement”
a. We develop students’ individuality and ability with respect to their autonomy, andhelp them become intellectual people possessing creative minds as well aspractical skills.
b. We produce people with generous hearts and healthy bodies.
c. We encourage students to live with confidence as independent and responsible
members of society.

2

Improved contribution to the local community and educational capacity
1

Increased educational capacity and revitalization of the schoola. Sharing the school policy with students, parents and local communityb. Developing relationships and cooperation with elementary schools, junior highschools, special support schools, universities or other educational facilitiesc. Utilizing local educational resources and increasing the opportunities to cooperatewith other UNESCO schools

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Potential benefit brought to the local community
a. Revitalizing the local community with students’ volunteer activities
b. Establishing a system in which local educational facilities work together under thecommon objectives
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c. Developing human resources (i.e. more students will choose to live in Furukawa andsupport the local community, furthering the ESD concept)

Ⅲ Execution
The following is the list of activities based on ESD. They are classified in 4 categories: “localtourism,” “local welfare,” “local education” and “local disaster prevention.” We believe each ofthem is essential for development of both the local community and students themselves.
(1) Local tourism
As an important school event, we invite the members of Furukawa Festival Preservation
Society to our school and ask them for a lecture on the festival as a part of our strategy tohand down the local cultural traditions. The students in the Photography Club photograph ofthe festival, including its management and preparation, and publish them with pictures
online. Local tourism is also incorporated in the English Curriculum, in cooperation Hida city.
Students give information in English about sightseeing spots to visiting tourists at the tourist
information office in front of Furukawa station. We will continue these activities and improvethe method based on evaluation results.

Students photographing festival

Students assisting touristspreparation(2) Local welfare
Students have engaged themselves in various voluntary activities in the welfare area. Somestudents visit Wako-en, a nearby nursing home for the elderly, several times a year. This
activity includes playing games with the elderly, holding a tea ceremony and cleaning thefacility. Other students have opportunities to interact with children with disabilities in the lower
grades of Hida-Yoshiki Special Support School. They exhibit and sell products handmade by
the students at the school cultural festival. We expect each student to grow mentally throughthese extra-curricular activities in order to be a person with a thankful and considerate heart
who can support future community welfare.

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Association with the elderly

Clean-up campaign(3) Local education
Students of the Science and Mathematics course play a key role in interactive education
between the school and the local community. They conduct “Science Class for Elementary
School Children” in which they perform various experiments with local children to inspireinterest in science. All also give study support for local children during vacation. In addition,
the students of the Science and Mathematics course do research on selected scientificthemes every year and present the results at the public hall in front of junior high school
students and local residents. Through these activities, they give local public opportunities tolearn science. On the other hand, a research facility, located in the nearby town Kamioka, theInstitute for Cosmic Ray Research of the University of Tokyo ("Super-Kamiokande") gives
students great opportunities to learn about the most advanced scientific research. They are
directly instructed by the researchers both by visiting the Institute where two Nobel
prize-winning studies have been completed as well as when professors and graduates havebeen invited to Yoshiki .

Study support for children

Science Class for Elementary
School Children4

Science Tour and lecture at "Super-Kamiokande"(4) Local disaster prevention
The students of the Earth Science Club have been engaged in research of Furukawa Basin,
for which they were awarded the highest prize at the Science Exhibition sponsored by Gifu
prefecture for two consecutive years (2014 and 2015). In this academically appreciatedresearch, they gave presentation of geographical features and historical development ofFurukawa Basin. Through their investigate they proposed the hypothesis that there could bean active fault concealed beneath the larger Furukawa-Kokufu Basin and the area to the westof the active fault, including Furukawa Basin might subside in the future.” Their activity
developed more awareness toward disaster-preparedness among the local people who had
believed that earthquakes rarely occur in Furukawa Basin.
Our school also participates in “Sunflower Project” in order never to forget the sufferings ofthe earthquake victims. After the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, students, mainly themembers of the Photography Club, worked as volunteers to help people in Minamisanriku
town suffering from damage due to the earthquake and following by tsunami. The town
presented the students with seeds of sunflower which had survived the earthquake. They
planted and grew a seeds at the school and the community gardens, and after collecting newseeds, the whole school released balloons with messages on them and the newly collected
seeds attached. 2016 is

the third year they have grown the same sunflowers. We also

invited a photographer who has continued to take photos of the affected areas to learn morefrom the disaster.

Newly collected sunflower seeds

Balloons released by all the students

Ⅳ Type of materials to be used
We will select the most appropriate resources for each of the four domains, making good useof human, cultural, scientific and national resources available in the local community.

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Materials on local tourism

Domestic and international tourists from home and abroad as well as local people working in
the tourism industry are good teachers themselves. We also have maps provided by Hida
City Hall Tourism Division and a guidebook of our own making.
(1) FurukawaFestivalandits

preservationsociety(2) Brochures for tourists provided by Hida CityHall Tourism Division(3) An English guidebook of our own making(4) Handmade paper lanterns for an illumination
event
Our English guidebook of our own making

Students’ paper lanterns for an illumination event
2.

Materials on local welfare

Exchange activities with patients or residents and staff or care workers at local welfare
facilities(1) Wako-en, a nursing home for the elderly (Hida city is its designated administrator)(2) Hida-Yoshiki Special Support School, a Gifu Prefectural special support school forchildren with disabilities
3.

Materials on local education

Neighboring elementary or juniorhigh schools, and a national research facility in thenearbyKamioka town, Hida city, and its staff.
(1) Other schools in Hida city (Furukawa junior high school, Furukawa elementary school
and Furukawa Nishi elementary school)(2) The Institute for Cosmic Ray Research of the University of Tokyo ("Super-Kamiokande")and the Large-scale Cryogenic Gravitational wave Telescope (KAGRA)
4.

Materials on local disaster prevention(1) Topographical maps of Furukawa Basin, Microtopographic maps which students drewusing surveying instruments in field works

6(2) Sunflower Seeds which survived the 2011 tsunami following the Great East JapanEarthquake in Minamisanriku town in Miyagi Prefecture

ⅤIs there any type of evaluation to examine the effects of the project on

students’ comprehension and attitudes?
1.

Aspects to evaluate(1) Understanding: students’ knowledge about basics of welfare, international society andenvironmental problems, etc. and their understanding of the basic ideas and significanceof ESD(2) Skill: students’ skill and ability to put what they learned into practice in their local, family
and school lives(3) Attitude: students’ positivity to ward approaching challenges and problem solving
schedule
2.

Evaluators and time points to evaluate(1) School staff (self-evaluation): School staff set goals and numerical targets for eachdomain at the beginning of every school year (April) and evaluate the degree ofachievement (every January).
(2) Students and parents: We send out questionnaires to students and their parents foreach activity and draw responses and opinions (every July and December).
(3) Independent councilors: We invite 4 external experts as councilors and explain theproject. They observe related activities and independently evaluate students’performance (every June and January).

On behalf of my institution, I apply for participation in the UNESCO Associated Schools
Project and give the assurance that this institution will make an active contribution to theProject, as outlined above, for a minimum period of two years.

At the end of every year, I

shall submit a report of the Project to the ASP National Co-ordinator of my country.

Date

Principal’s name
Position,
Institution’s name7