ISR Students Shine Globally: Excellence Award in Japan’s Prestigious Sedia Foundation Contest

ISR 5th-grade students Sawa, Yojuro, Haruka, and Shuma have achieved a remarkable distinction by securing the Excellence Award (3rd place) in a prestigious nationwide competition in Japan. The “10th Sedia Foundation National Elementary School ‘Our Lives and Water’ Wall Newspaper Contest 2024” challenged elementary school students to create innovative wall newspapers based on the annual theme. Our ISR students conducted in-depth research on “the essential water that is indispensable in our lives” and crafted their wall newspaper after studying the innovative role of sheep in protecting the Rhine River.

This year’s contest attracted an impressive 4,766 entries from 176 schools across Japan. What makes this achievement truly remarkable is that ISR was the only school outside of Japan to participate, demonstrating our students’ ability to excel on a global stage. The winning entries were selected through a rigorous judging process, and we are thrilled that our students’ hard work and creativity have been recognized with this award.

The contest was supported by prominent organizations such as the National Association of Municipal Education Committees and the National Union of Elementary School Principals, highlighting the ingenuity and creativity of elementary school students from across Japan.

As a result of this outstanding achievement, Sawa, Yojuro, Haruka, and Shuma will receive a certificate, a commemorative trophy, and a ¥20,000 bookstore gift card. Additionally, the booklet featuring the winning works will be distributed to over 10,000 elementary schools in Japan, further amplifying the impact of their project. We extend our deepest gratitude to our exceptional Japanese teacher, Ms. Inagaki, for her tireless efforts in organizing the project and inspiring our students to produce such outstanding work. We hope this accomplishment will inspire us all to continue exploring the importance of water and to keep learning. As we always say, “It’s cool to be good”!