History of Sendai Daisan High School

1963.04.01    Miyagi Prefecture Sendai Daisan High School opened

1963.04.16    Sendai Daisan High School (as boys’ school) opening ceremony and first entrance ceremony

1964.02.17    Sendai Daisan High School song was complete

1966.02.28     Alumni association launch ceremony

1968.04.01　 Science and mathematics course was established for the first time in the prefecture

1969.08.　　  Japanese archery club won the first national title in inter-high school competition

1980.08.         Fencing club won the first national title in inter-high school competition

2007.10.13     School building renovation work started

2009.01.22　  New school building and gymnasium completed

2009.04.01     Co-educational system started

2010.04.01     Sendai Daisan High School was designated as Super Science High School (SSH) 1st period by the                                                     Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology

2013.01.10     Sendai Daisan High School concluded a partnership agreement with Taiwan Normal University Affiliated                                             Senior High School

2013.03.17     Sendai Daisan High School concluded an agreement for “pedagogy” with Miyagi University of Education

2015.04.         Establishment of SSH-Teaching Center --- research center for creating lessons

2017.04.01     Sendai Daisan High School was designated as Super Science High School (SSH) 2nd period by the                                                   Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology

2022.04.01     Sendai Daisan High School was designated as Super Science High School (SSH) 3rd period by the                                                   Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology

2022.11.          Sendai Daisan High School was certified as a UNESCO school

 

Introduction of Sendai Daisan High School

Sendai Daisan High School is in Sendai city, which is the largest city in Miyagi prefecture and the Tohoku region, the gateway to northern Japan and located just 90 minutes from Tokyo by shinkansen bullet train.  In 1963, our school opened as a prefectural school for boys.  In 1968, science and mathematics course was established for the first time in Miyagi prefecture.  In 2009, co-educational system was introduced.  In 2010, our school was designated as Super Science High School and was certified as a UNESCO school in 2022. 

The first high school principal was Mr. Toshiichi Kohari, who made the founding spirit and high school song, and until nowadays, there are 19 school principals.  Every principal tries to push the school to be the prefectural leading school.  Sendai Daisan High School has been developing continuingly, improving students and teachers, including organizing educational facility and equipment, three sports fields, four laboratories, two of which are equipped with either an electronic microscope or a fluorescence microscope, and school natural forest, in which the students observe the vegetation.

To improve the structure of information technology network covers service areas.  Contributing academic information and surfing internet sources are provided students so that they are able to access themselves continuously.  Every student has a chromebook, makes full use of ICT technology and pushes forward inquiry learning during class. 

Now, Sendai Daisan High School has two courses, which are general course and, science and mathematics course.  In each grade, the number of students is 320, including 80 in science and mathematics course, and a total of 960 students in three grades, grade 10-12 students, are learning in our school.

The school curriculum is aimed at enhancing capacity of all students, especially academic areas.  For instance, "Inquiry-Based Study for Innovation" and "Data Science" are established for all students.  In addition, we have advanced program, which is "STEAM Life Science" and "Research Expression" for those who are in science and mathematics course.

Sendai Daisan High School is concentrated in educational mission, improving the quality of education which serves the needs of individuals as well as those of Japanese society.  Therefore, extra educational program, for those who want to go to university, is prepared and about three fourths of students go on to national and public universities, which are generally difficult to enter.  In foreign languages advanced program for those who have a talent in foreign languages, the students can deepen exchange with the international students in Global Learning Center in Tohoku University, University of Malaya students and Taiwan Normal University students, and ultimately improve communication skills in English.

The students are successful in all skills of academic issue, sports and music, such as natural science club winning Fine Work Prize in Global Link 2022 in Singapore, and fencing club, track and field club, broadcast club, music band advancing to the national high school competition and winning many awards.

In addition to all above, the policy of the school has been encouraging the teachers to hold a workshop, which is a forum project for creating lessons, for many teachers in Japan to foster teaching talent, participate in domestic study trip and apply research process to improve the students’ competency.

The result of educational quality development satisfies parents and students and highly succeeds gradually, increasing the rate of admission to national and public universities. 

However, we are committed to improve the quality of education continuously and ready to step towards the door of world standard as UNESCO school with our willingness in order to reach the expectation of citizen of the world.

We will pioneer innovative, participatory and creative methodologies and approaches, focus on UNESCO Associated Schools Network's three thematic action areas, especially global citizenship, sustainable development and lifestyles, intercultural learning and the appreciation of cultural diversity, and improve and transform the existing education systems and policies.

 

Three pillars of the founding spirit

１　Nurturing sound mind and body: In addition to trying to live a clean and healthy life, we will strive to train ourselves physically and mentally and acquire the willpower not to be discouraged even in the face of difficulties.

２　Pursuing Truth, Goodness, and Beauty： Young people are full of futures and have infinite possibilities. Cultivate an attitude that always pursues the truth, the good, and the beauty, and strive to acquire a broad and harmonious education.

３　Fostering love and knowledge: Appreciate the affection of society and parents, and strive to maximize one's intelligence while loving oneself and others.

 

Educational goals

１　Strong and Rich Humanity: Sendai Daisan High School cultivates a tolerant spirit to collaborate with a diverse range of people, and fosters strong and rich humanity that responds flexibly to changes in society.

２　Attitude to Pursue the Truth Deeply: in Sendai Daisan High School, the students learn from the wisdom accumulated by mankind, hone their intellect and sensibility through the pursuit of truth, and develop an attitude of deeply investigating phenomena.

３　Creating a Better Future： Sendai Daisan High School contributes to the creation of a better future through human resource development that nurtures the spirit of philanthropy and creative knowledge.　

 

6 Competencies that Sendai Daisan High School wants the students to acquire:

１　Self-control: In order to maintain physical and mental health, the students should acquire healthy lifestyle habits and have the flexibility to overcome various obstacles.

２　Trust building: the students should be considerate and respectful of other people's positions, and be able to build mutual trust.

３　Self-improvement: the students should respect the psychology that humankind has built up, and try to improve their own qualities and abilities by acquiring it as an education.

４　Breakthrough: In order to confront and solve difficult problems, the students should have the ability to improve individual qualities and work as a team.

５　Future design: In order to confront the unknown, the students should believe in their own potential and the potential of their surroundings, and actively increase their intelligence and take action.

６　Social traction: the students should lead a group, contribute to society and live in harmony with others, with comprehensive judgment to understand and think about others.

 

Sendai Daisan High School has produced around 20,000 graduates have made remarkable achievements in various fields nationwide since its foundation in April 1963.  This year, it started its new school year with the 60th class, the class of 2022.  Three pillars of its founding spirit; “Nurturing sound mind and body,” “Pursuing Truth, Goodness, and Beauty” and “Fostering love and knowledge” have been passed down with honor from student to student and have been outstanding success both in and outside the school.  Our student council is very active, and many sport teams or culture clubs have won the championship in the prefectural competitions, and have gone to Tohoku regional, or even to the national ones, which proves they are accustomed to autonomous learning in every challenge they face in and outside the class.  These are part of positive outcomes of our students’ proactive learning style.  This learning style has been promoted since 2010, when our school was designated as Super Science High School.

Our school became the first school in the prefecture to have a science and mathematics course in 1968.　 In 2010, when our school was designated as SSH (Super Science High School) school for the first term, we started to design an ideal learning cycle for students in the science and mathematics course, who identify issues around them, study them carefully to find out factors or solutions and present their ideas.  Through the repetition of the learning flow (learning cycle), our students have learned to proactively solve problems with scientific method.  In the second term from 2017, we extended this method, in all subjects, to students in the general course as well as those in the science and mathematics course by organizing SSH-Teaching Center consisting of all staff members.  Since then, we have developed the training method cultivated in the first term, and we have achieved to produce successful promising science leaders who have both science literacy and global perspective.

From 2022, we have moved on to the third term. Based on the results up to the second term, we aim to fully utilize and develop “Shoshigaoka Field” ― the physical and social environment which surrounds school, and “Sendai Daisan High School-type STEAM education” ― integrated learning in order to foster three qualities and abilities of “understanding the current situation,” “setting goals,” and “solving problems.”  By doing so, the students can deepen their scientific inquiry activities along with the characteristic of every subject in both science and mathematics course and general course, and develop human resources in science and technology who can work together to realize a sustainable society.

The achievements of students’ activities in every aspect especially related to SSH have been highly evaluated, and every year many study groups or club teams have participated in the prefectural conferences or competitions, some in the national and even in the world as a representative.  In recent years, the achievements in the fields of humanities and social sciences have been outstanding, as their opportunities to present their ideas or have discussions in English have increasingly challenged them.

In class, students apply active learning in all subjects of all grades, where students initiate their study by asking questions and try solving problems so that they will be capable of handling whatever problem they may face in the future.  Their learning styles in a well-equipped ICT environment are getting attention from various schools and institutions in many places in Japan.  Furthermore, we have extended our activities directly or online with foreign high schools and universities from the perspective of ESD/SDGs (UNESCO Schools) beyond mere international understanding to conduct exchanges to share these issues.

In response to the new university entrance examination system that highly values these learning activities, many students have passed exams of the national and public universities at the passing rate of 75 percent in the 2021 school year.  Many students have successfully been chasing two or three hares, although the saying ― if you run after two hares, you will catch neither ― goes otherwise.

To all junior high school students who hope to spend a fulfilling high school life, we are looking forward to your participation in open school or other occasions to see or experience school life in Sendai Daisan High School.

 

Principal

Toshiki Ishikawa

SSH（Super Science High School）Project

Our school has been designated as a Super Science High School (SSH).  We started a third five-year term of this designation in the 2022 school year.  The objective of the third term is to develop human resources in science and technology who can co-create a sustainable society.  Specifically, we foster students’ understanding of the following three key things: (1) where the learner is going, (2) where the learner is now, (3) how can the learner get there.  The science and mathematics Course aims to nurture human resources who contribute to the invention and discovery of science and technology, while the general course aims to nurture human resources who contribute to the practical use of science and technology in society.  To achieve this goal, we carry out our own style of STEAM Education, "Daisan STEAM education," centering on inquiry-based learning while utilizing "Shoshigaoka Field," the environment surrounding our school.

 

Our SSH projects include the following:

・Sanko Inquiry Activity Day, Innovation Festa ― presentation of inquiry and research activities

・Cross-curricular lessons such as data science and STEAM life science

・Collaboration with the local community, including neighboring elementary and junior high schools

・Collaboration with universities or companies

・International exchange activities with schools in Taiwan and Malaysia

・Lectures by guest speakers on advanced scientific topics

・Fieldwork in Shirakami ― a mountainous area that is one of the World Natural Heritage Sites

・Fieldwork in Minamisanriku ― an area of the rias coast that was severely damaged by the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

・Study tour in Tsukuba, ― Japan’s science city famous for Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

・Participating in academic conferences or other events

 

Inquiry-based learning based on SDGs

Sendai Daisan High School will nurture students who can connect with the community and think about the future through our inquiry-based learning system.

At the beginning of this system, students learn concepts and skills necessary for inquiry-based learning.  At the same time, students participate in various programs such as SDGs lectures or Model United Nations experiences to have an international point of view and develop the ability to identify issues close to them from this perspective.  Then, students are divided into groups and each group sets a global or local theme linked to the SDGs and conducts learning activities. In these activities, students collaborate with companies or universities from neighboring areas and high school students from other regions.  Through interaction with people outside the school, students will gain new perspectives and values that will lead to the discovery and solution of problems, thereby further deepening their learning. At the end of this system, students make up posters and slides and write papers on their findings to present their studies inside and outside the school.

Our inquiry-based learning system enables our students to consider social issues as their own problems and acquire the ability to work toward solving them for a better future.