明けましておめでとうございます。皆さん、有意義な冬休みでしたか。「一年の計は元旦にあり」と言われますが、新しい年の目標を立てましたか。いよいよ令和３年、西暦２０２１年の幕が開けました。昨年の世相を表す漢字は「密」でありました。新型コロナウイルスの感染拡大で、多くの人が「３密」を避ける行動をしたことなどが理由であったことが想像されます。しかし、「密」には親しむという意味もあり、ソーシャル デイスタンスで物理的には離れるけれど、心の中では人とのつながりをさらに持ち、今年がいい年であるよう願う気持ちが込められているようです。 イギリス滞在中、ホームステイで世話になった友人と毎年クリスマスカードを交換していますが、今年はコロナについて書かれていました。彼女が住んでいるイングランド南西部のサマーセットもコロナが猛威を振るっているようです。日本の北海道と同じ緯度に位置し、冬は大変寒いと聞いています。今年は感染対策で換気をするために室内もかなり寒くなり、常に厚着をするなど寒さをしのぐのが大変だと書いてありました。世界中どこも大変なのだなと思いました。日本も本格的に寒くなります。これからが正念場です。しかし、一度話をしましたが、コロナの感染は、これまで以上に、いつでも誰でも起こる状況になりました。そんな中、皆さんの友だちがあるいは先生が感染することがないとは言えません。そうなった時は、皆でその人をいたわり、温かい思いやりを持って早く良くなることを願う気持ちを持つことが大切です。ところが残念なことに未だに感染者をひぼう、中傷する事例があるようです。その人はコロナの感染だけでも大変なのに、その上、他人から差別を受ける。もう地獄ですね。どうぞ皆さん、自分が感染者になったときのことを想像して、して欲しくないようなことは絶対にせず、してもらいたいような行動をとってください。それが人間として大切な有り様です。 さて、３学期は、一年の締めくくり、即ち、総仕上げの学期であります。１、２学期と違い、日数的には短い学期ですが、「本気でやれば」十分に使える時間があります。勉強はもちろんのこと部活動等の諸活動に東雲生としての自覚をもって、一人一人が、やれた、やったという成就感をもてるよう、早く正月の休み気分を一掃して、新しい年の第一歩を踏み出してください。高校３年の受験生にとっては、いよいよ大学共通テストですね。これまで蓄えた力が充分発揮できるよう願っております。また中学３年生は修了式、高校３年生は卒業式という人生の大きな節目を間近に控えています。まさに本校での３年間あるいは６年間の集大成とも言える時期となりました。「終わりよければすべてよし」という言葉がありますが、一人一人が「本気になって」、自分の目標の達成に向けて努力し、それぞれの学年の「有終の美」が飾れるよう切に願います。 Let's get started on your own goals.
Happy new year! 2021 has finally begun. Did you all have a meaningful winter vacation? As they say, "The measure of the year is made on New Year's Day." Have you set your goals for this year? Last year, the Chinese character for "dense" was used to represent the social situation in Japan. I imagine that this was due to the fact that many people avoided "the three C's" to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. However, the word "dense" also means "to be close to," and it also expresses the wish for a good year ahead, to be further connected with people in our hearts, even though we are physically away from each other due to social distancing.
I exchange Christmas cards every year with a friend who I lived with during my stay in England. This year, she wrote about corona. Somerset, her hometown in the southwest of England, also seems to be ravaged by corona. It is located at the same latitude as Hokkaido in Japan, and I hear that the winters are very cold there. I read that this year it has become much colder indoors due to the extra-ventilation to prevent infection, and that they managed to survive the coldness by constantly wearing heavy clothes. I thought, "It is difficult to live through this winter everywhere in the world." It's about to get really cold in Japan. It is going to be a critical period for facing corona from now on. Corona infections are more common than ever before and can happen to anyone at any time. In such a situation, your friends or teachers may be infected one day. When this happens, it is important that we all take care of them, show them warmth and compassion, and hope that they will get well soon. Unfortunately, there are still cases that the infected people are slandered and run down. It's hell for them to be discriminated against by others, on top of the difficulties they face just by being infected with corona. Please, imagine what it would be like if you were an infected person. Never do anything that you would not want others to do to you, and act in a way that you would want others to act. That is an important way to be human.
Compared with the first and second term, the third term has fewer days, but there is plenty of time to use if you work seriously. I hope that each of you will take the first step to accomplish things this year. Do your best in all things, whether it should be study, club activities or any other challenges you choose to take. As students of Shinonome, I want you to do your best. For third-year high school students, the Common Test for University Admissions is finally here. I hope that you will be able to fully demonstrate the strength you have accumulated so far. In addition, the graduation ceremonies for the third year of junior and senior high school are approaching, which are major milestones in your lives. This is truly the culmination of three or six years at our school. As the saying goes, "All's well that ends well," I sincerely hope that every one of you will get serious and work hard to achieve your goals, so that each of you can make the most of your time here.
Let's get started on your own goals.
