Kagoshima Kinko Wan High School
Takushi Kitasako Dr. (left)Takumi Yamazaki Principal (middle)Dr. Yuichiro Kono (right)

No one can imagine what the world will be like 10 years from now. That is why we want our students to learn important elements that will be useful in any world," says Principal Takumi Yamazaki. In a world that is rapidly changing along with the development of science and technology, what are the important elements for students to develop their careers?
We also interviewed the students to find out what elements the schools sending them to such an environment should allow them to experience.

Solid track record built up over 15 years of history

　Kagoshima Kinko Wan High School, which was designated as a Super Science High School (SSH) in 2005 and has a 15-year history, has launched many activities throughout Japan, including the Daikon Consortium (research projects conducted with 23 high schools across Japan using Sakurajima radish seeds) and the Prefectural Research Exchange Festa (a research project presentation event by four public and private SSH schools in the prefecture). Festa (a presentation of the results of research projects conducted by four SSH schools in the prefecture), and many other activities throughout Japan. The daily activities have resulted in research projects initiated by the students themselves, which number as many as 50 a year and have received numerous awards both in Japan and abroad.
Why do so many research projects emerge from the students at this high school? The reason is a curriculum designed by Mr. Kitasako and other teachers to help students develop their careers over the next 10 years.

Teachers' "enthusiasm" creates a hot curriculum.

　Activities in which students discover and explore issues on their own can greatly nurture the ability to express, think, and judge, which is necessary for entrance examinations, employment, and other life activities," says Professor Kono. However, it is not easy for high school students to discover an issue and start research. Therefore, in the first year, many opportunities are provided for students to develop the basic skills necessary for research. For example, "information exploration" and "bibliography" classes, in which students learn how to extract correct information from the Internet and specialized books. The "Exploration Guidance Seminar" in which students learn how to write from local newspaper reporters. These include "experiment classes" and "visiting classes at elementary and junior high schools," in which students develop the ability to communicate what they have learned in an easy-to-understand manner to local elementary and junior high school students.
All of these classes are the result of the "SSH Subcommittee. The weekly meetings are attended by as many as one-third of the school's faculty members, ranging from physical education to geography. Any teacher can throw out an idea, and if it is interesting, the idea is immediately put into practice and incorporated into the class. Because students are exposed to a curriculum that is the result of passionate discussions among teachers, they are able to discover a wide variety of issues in their immediate environment and incorporate them into their research.

The students taught me what was important.

　Although the school stands out for its outstanding achievements, at one point it was omitted from SSH adoption and became a transitional school, and government support for the school was greatly reduced. It was at this time that the teachers conducted interviews with alumni. When asked what they had learned in high school that they could use today, many of them responded that it was the ability to communicate their thoughts in a clear and concise manner, which they had cultivated through their research projects. It was this voice that convinced them of the significance of their assignment research experience, and they decided to expand the assignment research curriculum to all schools, including the regular courses.
The results of SSH are only visible when students are ready to make their careers five or ten years from now," he said. The images of the students who have left the school continue to generate passion in the hearts of the teachers. This year, many alumni will return to their alma maters to give "advice lectures to seniors. They will pass on to their juniors the lessons they have learned from their research projects.