3月11日、第6期生の卒業証書授与式を執り行いました。
厳かな雰囲気の中、担任の呼名に応えながら卒業生一人ひとりが壇上に上がり、校長より卒業証書が手渡されました。

6期生は、本校の歴史をさらに積み重ねてくれた学年です。日々の学習に真摯に向き合いながら、学校行事や部活動にも全力で取り組み、仲間とともに多くの経験を重ねてきました。その姿は、後輩たちにとっても大きな目標となっています。

式では、在校生代表による送辞と卒業生代表による答辞が述べられ、これまでの学校生活への感謝と未来への決意が語られました。会場は温かな拍手に包まれ、卒業生たちは本校で過ごした日々を胸に、新たな進路へと歩み出しました。

第6期生の皆さんのこれからの活躍を、教職員一同心より願っています。

卒業生の皆さん、ご卒業おめでとうございます。

【卒業式校長式辞】

ご来賓の皆さま、本日はご多忙のなか、六期生の門出を祝うためにご臨席賜り、誠にありがとうございます。山本中央区長様、小田原理事様、清水同窓会長様、雲下保護者会長様をはじめ、日頃より本校を支えてくださる皆さまに、心より御礼申し上げます。

そして、六期生の皆さん。ご卒業おめでとうございます。今日まで皆さんを支え、励まし、時に背中を押してこられた保護者の皆さまにも、心よりお祝い申し上げます。本日は誠におめでとうございます。 

卒業生の皆さん。六年前に皆さんが入学した時は、コロナ禍のまっただ中で、入学式もなく、しばらく学校に来ることさえできませんでしたね。そんな状況の中でも、皆さん一人ひとりが思いを共有し合った「夢宣言」を覚えていますか。この学校で何をしたいのか、どんな未来を描いていくのか。あの時の自分を今日あらためて思い返すと、どんな気持ちが胸に浮かぶでしょう。

「夢に向かって歩んでこられた」という充実感でしょうか。「もっと努力できたのでは」という悔しさが混じっている人もいるでしょう。あるいは、六年間の学びと出会いの中で新しい自分を見つけ、夢そのものが変わった人もいるでしょう。

そんな皆さんにとって、今日という節目は、これから紡いでいく人生に向けて、第二の「夢宣言」を考える良い機会ではないでしょうか。ぜひ考えてみて下さい。

ところで、将来の夢を語ることは、自分の進む道を選ぶことと切り離して考えられません。皆さんはこれから、進学、就職、転職、出会いと別れ、といった人生を左右する選択を何度も経験します。

その「選択」の本質を見事に描いた詩を紹介したいと思います。アメリカの詩人ロバート・フロストの “The Road Not Taken（選ばれなかった道）” です。原文を読みながら日本語で説明します。

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth. 

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

私が紅葉の林の中をひとり旅していると、道が二つに分かれていた。身体はひとつしかないから、どちらかを選ばないといけない。さて、どうしたものか。じっと目を凝らすと、左の道は折れ曲がって下生えのなかに消えている。右の道は、踏みならされていないが、左の道だって同じようなものだ。

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

そんな二つの道を前にして、左の道を後々のために、ということで右の道を選んだ。とは言うものの、選んだ道は次々と新しい道へとつながるだろうから、後戻りして選ばなかった道をたどることはないだろう。そして、こう締めくくります。

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence;

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference. 

何十年もしたら、このことをため息交じりに思い返すだろう。林の中で道が二手に分かれていて、たしか、踏みならされていない方の道を選んだ。それが自分の人生を大きく変えたのだ、と。

フロストが伝えたかったのは、人生の選択には「正解」も「不正解」もないということです。家族や友人、先生は助言してくれるでしょう。しかし、最終的に選ぶのはあなた自身です。そして、その選択の結果を引き受けるのも、あなた自身です。

目の前に二つの道が現れたとき、どうか現実から目をそらさず、自分の心に向き合って勇気をもって進むべき道を選んでください。それが、私から皆さんへのささやかな餞の言葉です。

この六年間、皆さんは学び、悩み、笑い、仲間と共に成長してきました。その日々は、これからの人生で直面する数々の選択に向き合い、前に進む自分への責任感と勇気を育てる時間だったと思います。後悔や迷いのない人生などありません。それらを抱えながらも前に進み、自分の可能性を朗らかに追求し、楽しむ人生を歩んでほしいと願っています。

最後に、中学高校の六年間で築いた仲間や恩師とのつながりは、皆さんの人生を支える大切な拠り所になります。どうかこの絆を大切にしてください。そして時には、この学校で過ごした日々を思い返し、明日へ向かう糧にしてもらえれば、校長としてこれほど嬉しいことはありません。

六期生の皆さん。改めて、ご卒業おめでとうございます。皆さんの未来が、選び取った道の先で豊かに花開くことを、心より祈っています。ご健康とご多幸をお祈りし、式辞といたします。

【Principal’s Address at the Graduation Ceremony】

Distinguished guests, thank you very much for taking time out of your busy schedules to join us today and celebrate the graduation of our sixth graduating class. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Yamamoto, Mayor of Chuo Ward; Mr. Oda, Board Member; Mr. Shimizu, President of the Alumni Association; Mr. Kumoshita, President of the Parents’ Association; and everyone else who supports our school on a daily basis.

And to the members of the sixth graduating class: Congratulations on your graduation. I would also like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to the parents who have supported, encouraged, and at times pushed you forward all the way to this day. Congratulations to all of you today. 

Graduates, when you entered six years ago, we were in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. There was no entrance ceremony, and for a while, you couldn’t even come to school. Do you remember the “Dream Declaration” that each of you shared during that time? What did you want to do at this school? What kind of future did you envision? When you look back on yourselves from that time today, what feelings come to mind?

Perhaps a sense of fulfillment, thinking, “I’ve been walking toward my dream.” Or maybe some of you feel a tinge of regret, wondering, “Could I have tried harder?” Or perhaps, through six years of learning and encounters, you’ve discovered a new version of yourselves, and your dreams themselves have changed.

For all of you, isn’t this milestone today a good opportunity to consider a second “Dream Declaration” for the life you will weave from here on out? Please take some time to think about it.

By the way, talking about your future dreams cannot be separated from choosing the path you will take. From now on, you will face many life-changing decisions—whether it be further education, starting a career, changing jobs, or experiencing new encounters and partings.

I would like to introduce a poem that beautifully captures the essence of these “choices.” It is “The Road Not Taken” by the American poet Robert Frost. I will explain it in Japanese while reading the original text.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth. 

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

As I was traveling alone through a forest of autumn leaves, the path split into two. Since I have only one body, I had to choose one. Now, what should I do? Staring intently, I saw that the left path curved and disappeared into the undergrowth. The right path was untrodden, but the left path was much the same.

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how one path leads to another,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

Faced with those two paths, I chose the right one, thinking I would save the left one for another time. That said, since the path I chose would surely lead to new paths one after another, I likely would never turn back to follow the one I had not chosen. And so, it concludes:

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence;

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference. 

Decades from now, I will look back on this with a sigh. In the woods, the path split in two, and I’m sure I chose the one less traveled. That is what changed my life so profoundly.

What Frost wanted to convey is that there are no “right” or “wrong” answers when it comes to life’s choices. Your family, friends, and teachers will offer advice. However, ultimately, the choice is yours alone. And it is you who must accept the consequences of that choice.

When two paths appear before you, please do not look away from reality. Instead, listen to your heart and choose the path you should take with courage. That is my humble parting message to all of you.

Over the past six years, you have learned, wrestled with challenges, laughed, and grown alongside your peers. I believe those days were a time to cultivate the sense of responsibility and courage needed to face the many choices you will encounter in the years ahead and to move forward. There is no such thing as a life without regrets or doubts. I hope that, even while carrying those burdens, you will move forward, cheerfully pursue your potential, and live a life filled with joy.

Finally, the bonds you have formed with your classmates and teachers over these six years of junior and senior high school will serve as a vital foundation supporting your lives. Please cherish these ties. And if, from time to time, you reflect on the days you spent at this school and use those memories as fuel to propel you toward tomorrow, nothing could make me happier as your principal.

Members of the Sixth Graduating Class. Once again, congratulations on your graduation. I sincerely pray that your futures will blossom richly along the paths you have chosen. Wishing you good health and happiness, I conclude my address.