Seems like whenever anime or manga show graduation ceremonies, there are cherry blossoms (sakura) blowing in the wind everywhere. Romantic as it is, its kinda unrealistic since graduation is usually early to mid-March and most places in Japan don’t see cherry blossoms until late March-early April. Artistic license, I guess.

So, instead at today’s Mukaihara JHS graduation, we had light snow blowing gently in the wind. Didn’t look bad I guess and it wasn’t too cold.

Practice and preparation for graduation has been going on for a little while. Weeks ago I wrote goodbye messages for both the yearbook and a booklet they give out. Yesterday I went to graduation practice and helped with decoration of the gym and the 3rd years’ classrooms.

Since some incoming JETs often worry over what to wear, I’ll describe how it was at my school. I went with the black suit & white shirt I wore for my JET interview. Also wore my Black Watch tartan tie, since my school’s uniform uses that pattern on its pants & skirts — don’t know if anyone notices but I like to show a little school spirit. Most of the other teachers were in black suits, men with various ties. A couple guys had grey suits, a few (namely the vice principal, the male 3rd year homeroom teacher and a BOE guy) wore more formal white ties. The principal wore a tailcoat, which I though looked classy. The students wore their uniforms as usual and there were a few moms in kimono.

Before the ceremony began, I went with one of my English teachers, Mrs. Miyagawa, to her 3rd year homeroom. I mostly just watched her talk to the class (I wanted to just get a feel for the goings on that final day), but was asked to make some impromptu comments. Eep, its amazing how easily I get emotional at these times. ^_^;;

When I was in JHS, we didn’t do graduation ceremonies. I guess they’re pretty common these days, though. So I’m not sure how to compare a Japanese one to a US one, other than my high school graduation. The ceremony was held in the gym on a Saturday morning, rather than on the football field at night. Considering the weather, I was quite glad of that. There was a march in, one-by-one, of the 3rd year students, I think to “Pomp and Circumstance”, followed by speeches from the usual school, BOE & PTA types, not too different than the US I’d guess.

Main thing I have to get used to is all the bowing instead of clapping. Anytime we’d usually clap in the US, there’d be a set of bowing. Only time there was clapping was after a couple songs and when the graduating students left at the end.

Each student was called on stage and their diploma read out. Took a little while, but with only fifty students it didn’t seem that long. One of the 3rd year girls then gave an address and did a pretty good job of containing herself, only breaking up about 3/4 thru. Better than I’d do, anyways. I think then the various dignitaries left about that time.

With them gone, the 3rd years turned their seats around so that they were facing the 1st & 2nd year students. The younger students (kohai) sang and gave some parting word for their seniors (sempai). This also included a slideshow of the departing classes’ years at JHS and a little video of their previous class trip to Okinawa. Then the graduating students performed a song in return and gave a few words as well. After that, the ceremony was done and the graduates marched out to music and confetti.

The students’ bit over, there was a brief bit between the parents and the teachers. The principal, vice principal and the two 3rd year homeroom teachers gave their thanks to the parents, then a parents representative returned the sentiments.

Then it was back to the homerooms. Parents packed in the back of the classroom while some parting packets of stuff were given out to the students. Then each student presented their homeroom teacher with a flower. Finally everyone shook hands before going back outside to depart.

The 1st and 2nd year students stood along the road leading down the hill away from the school, waiting to see the graduates off. The graduates gathered in front of the school, as the snow started to fall softly again. We teachers lined up (under the awning) and the students as a group gave their thanks. Then one student went to each teacher to individually thank them and give them some flowers. One of the girls, Midorii, gave me mine and read me a bit she’d written in English. I haven’t spent quite as much time with the 3rd year students (all the ones in the English festival skit were 2nd year), but I’d helped her and a few other students at cleaning time recently, so she mentioned that as something she’d enjoyed along with being able to use English more in class when I was there. Again it was a little hard to contain my sentimental self.

That done, the students proceeded down the hill…

…to return again. Well, everyone came back up to take pictures and hang around for a bit more. So I posed for a lot of group pictures and went shutter happy myself. There were also various thanks from the individual parents, some of whom are coworkers at the elementary school or adult conversation students of mine. Finally the crowd thinned and we teachers retired to the staff-room for lunch.

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