Active in observing club activities! School Life” of Eugene, a new student at Chikuzuke High School

The University of Tsukuba High School, for which His Imperial Highness Prince Eugene has been eagerly awaiting, began his school life after the entrance ceremony on April 9.

His Imperial Highness Prince Eugene is in the 5th class of the 1st grade, attendance number 1. Of the 240 students in the first grade at Chikuzuke High School, about two-thirds are “internal students” from the junior high school attached to the school. The remaining 80 students, including both male and female students, are high school entrants. This year, about 640 students applied for admission to the high school, and they passed the narrow entrance exam.

The students who enter high school are also placed in classes with the internal students. At the entrance ceremony, the child who is in class 1, attendance number 1, represents the class every year, and since his/her last name is ‘A,’ he/she may be the representative of the class. … There were rumors about that (laughs). (Laughs.) Classes are determined by the choice of art subject, so I knew early on that Eugene would be in class 5 or 6 if he chose “Crafts. So, I thought, ‘There won’t be a representative address'” (current student).

When Eugene entered Ochanomizu Junior High School, he stood on stage as a representative of the new students, but this time he attended the entrance ceremony as a student.

However, he attended the ceremony as a student this time. “Even so, he answered questions from reporters inside the school, and there were security guards present, so it was a different atmosphere than usual,” said a parent of a current student.

In an exchange with a reporter before the entrance ceremony, when asked, “How do you like your new uniform?

He replied, “Oh, it’s a suit. I’m wearing a suit.

He answered with a smile, giving the impression that he was a little more “sophisticated” than in the past.

One week has passed since the start of the school year. How are they spending their time at the high school of their dreams?

Traditional solicitation” for new students

On his way to school, he was seen walking down the hill in front of the school in plain clothes and a backpack.

There are plainclothes security guards in front of and behind the school, and security vehicles inside the school as well, making for an unsettled atmosphere. I wonder if they will be going to school with this kind of security all the time. I’m a little worried that it will affect the operation of school events. … …” (see above)

The University of Tsukuba has a free school culture, and club and extracurricular activities are very active. In this environment, Prince Eugene seems to be enjoying his school life in a relaxed manner.

I visited the badminton club,” he said. The athletic clubs have international matches, and it’s quite hard work if you want to do it properly. Some students are so enthusiastic about club activities that they even say, ‘We are a four-year high school,’ and are prepared to be a ronin.

(A current student) “Because of this, the club activities are very active in recruiting new students. For example, the kendo club has a tradition of “shoulder-to-shoulder recruiting,” in which new students are approached by holding them by the shoulders.

A senior member of the kendo club, in keeping with tradition, put his arm over Eugene’s shoulder and solicited him firmly. When I heard that, I thought, ‘That’s the Kendo Club!　He’s so brave!

It was a very heartwarming episode. I am sure that Eugene is enjoying the friendly school culture to the fullest. His homeroom teacher has been “instructing” him to “treat the students in a normal manner,” and the senior high school students in the second and third grades have generally “accepted” the school in that way.

They are walking around with two or three friends on campus. I walk around with two or three friends on campus. I guess I’m just a normal, simple boy” (a current student).

Although Eugene was subjected to a variety of “voices” during the process leading up to his enrollment, his high school life seems to have gotten off to a smooth start.

His mother, Noriko, was said to have been smiling and talking positively with the parents around her at the school entrance information session. She must be taking a breather after the rough and tumble of the past few years.

She said, “As the first member of the Imperial Family to be educated exclusively outside of Gakushuin, Eugene will take full advantage of the environment he has chosen to defy precedent and make friends, broaden his horizons, and learn for the future. I hope that during these three years, he will learn a great deal and grow up with lifelong friends,” said Midori Watanabe, a journalist on the Imperial Household.

What will he see and feel at the school of his dreams? I can’t help but pray that His Highness Eugene’s “future” will be filled with great fruitfulness.