The mountains visible in the distance have also turned colors, making the autumn leaves even more beautiful. And at last, the season of hearty appetites—autumn—is here!
We held an Imoni (potato and vegetable stew) gathering, inviting local residents and parents. While the ingredients for the pork miso soup were ordered from various food companies, we received support from local shops to cook the rice. Many people contributed to the cooking, including community and parent volunteers.
Thanks to the volunteers who started preparing the rice and vegetables and organizing the seasonings in advance, the 5th–9th grade students were able to start cooking smoothly. Meanwhile, the 1st–4th grade students practiced how to serve and welcome the guests.
The miso pork soup and rice balls were ready, and the opening ceremony of the Imonikai began. The Imonikai Executive Committee, formed from the student council, took charge of hosting and giving the opening greetings.
From GM:
“How was the hospitality today? Thank you for coming to the Imonikai. This hospitality was planned by the children, who discussed how to make the local community happy. They suggested, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice to give a presentation?’ or ‘How about singing the Yumenomori school song?’ Among these ideas, a third-grade student proposed, ‘Why don’t we sing the school songs of Ono Elementary and Kumamachi Elementary?’
—What made you want to propose singing the school songs?
—“Because people from Okuma would be here, I thought it would be nice to sing a song that represents Okuma.”
—Why the school songs?
—“Because originally, Ono Elementary and Kumamachi Elementary existed here.”
Yumenomori School wasn’t suddenly created here. It was born from the cherished memories of many people. We have a teacher at our school who is originally from Okuma. During practice, the children listened to this teacher’s thoughts and worked hard to prepare. Yumenomori currently has 99 students, and next month, a 0-year-old will enroll, making them the 100th student. With the support of the local community and parents, we were able to prepare the meal. Thank you very much.
~To be continued in “Hospitality That Connects Hearts—Imonikai②”~
