The other day, I had a very interesting conversation with Mr. Taira. He has been taking care of the gardening and maintenance of AMICUS since the school was founded.

When we go through the school gate at AMICUS, there is a quiet path leading to the school building. We can feel the wind blowing through the trees. Every morning, our students walk along this path to school.

At the end of the path, there is a long staircase. For the children, this staircase may feel like a big challenge before they reach the school building.

Mr. Taira told me that when this long staircase was made, he imagined energetic carp swimming up a waterfall.

There is an old story that a carp swims strongly up a waterfall and becomes a dragon. Mr. Taira hoped that AMICUS students would climb these stairs every day with energy, gain strength little by little, and grow into strong people.

After climbing the stairs, there is a short path leading to the school entrance. Mr. Taira said this path was made with the image of “the back of a dragon.” If you look carefully, the pattern of the path looks like dragon scales.

At the end of the path, there is the school entrance. Beyond it, we can see the blue sky.

This means that the path to AMICUS carries a special wish:

“We hope our children will climb the stairs like energetic carp, ride on the back of a dragon, and fly into the wide sky.”

Mr. Taira kept this wish quietly in his heart for many years. When I heard his story, I felt once again that AMICUS is not made only of buildings and classrooms. It is also made of the warm wishes of many people who care about the growth of our children.

The trees, flowers, stairs, and paths around our school all carry warm hopes for the students.

The staircase that our students climb every morning may look ordinary. But in fact, it holds a special wish: “Please grow strong. Please fly out into the world.”

Dear AMICUS students,

Move forward strongly like energetic carp.

Have confidence, as if you are riding on the back of a dragon.

Fly into the blue sky, and out into the world.

Ken Oshiro, Headmaster