校長　　カレン　ベッシン

 北星学園女子中学高等学校のウェブページへようこそ！ あなたがこのページに来てくれたことをとても嬉しく思います。実際、私もこの場にいることがとても嬉しい！私は、米国で20年間教師を務めた後、この北星女子に戻ってきたばかりです。

 20年ぶりにも関わらず、私はすぐにくつろいだ気分になりました。学校の美しさは変わっていません。季節を感じる中庭の美しさ、ステンドグラスから差し込む遊び心たっぷりの光線、何度も参加した英語劇の舞台である講堂の荘厳さ、すべて変わっていませんでした。さらに、新しくモダンなガラスの通路から見える100周年記念館は、私が日本で一番好きな景色です。伝統と現代性が隣り合って共存し、その対比ゆえにそれぞれがより美しくなっているのです。

 廊下を歩いていると、私の好きな音も聞こえてきました。楽しそうにおしゃべりする生徒の声、ピアノで賛美歌を練習する音、クラブ活動中の真剣な掛け声、レッスン室から流れる力強い音楽、そして、それぞれの目標に向かって努力しながら友人同士仲良く一緒に勉強する静けさも、私にとっては音の一つです。

 学校生活の中で私が最も好きなことは、生徒たちとの会話です。生徒たちは、学術的なことでも実生活の問題でも、私たちを取り巻くあらゆる状況について質問し、解決策を探します。世界がどうなっているのか、どうなっていくのかについて興味を持っているのです。中でも私が一番好きな会話は、将来の夢と、その夢に近づくために今何ができるのかについての会話です。

 創立者サラ・スミスがこの札幌の地で女子教育をスタートさせてから137年。キリスト教教育から受ける霊的影響は、今も変わらず生徒たちにとって生涯支えとなる精神的な基盤を形成しています。また、その時々の女子のニーズに合わせて計画された女子教育によって、生徒たちは様々な分野で自らの可能性を最大限に生かす挑戦を続けています。

 私たちは、137年の伝統を土台に、生徒たちが自信を持って未来に向かって進むための新しい取り組みを行います。グローバルなパートナーシップの構築、STEAMアクティビティへの挑戦、一人ひとりの興味と能力を反映した未来へ導く柔軟なカリキュラム・・・

 私の愛する北星女子を皆さんに紹介するのが待ちきれません。いつか実際に学校を案内する機会があることを心から願っています。

 

 校長　　カレン　ベッシン

 

 

 

Welcome to Hokusei Gakuen Girls’ Junior / Senior High School’s webpage!  We are so happy you are here!  In fact, I am happy to be here, too, having just returned to Hokusei after many years teaching in the United States. 

 Allow me to share with you what I love about Hokusei.

 The Sights and Sounds

Arriving back at Hokusei after 20 years away, I immediately felt at home. The beauty of the school had not changed. The splendor of our gardens through the seasons, the playfulness of the light shining through the stained glass windows, and the majesty of the auditorium where I participated in so many English musicals were all unchanged.  In addition, the view of the 100th Anniversary building from the new, modern, glass walkway showcased one of my favorite types of views in Japan – tradition combined with modernity – coexisting side by side, each more beautiful because of the juxtaposition.

 Walking through the halls, I could hear my favorite sounds, too: the voices of students chatting happily, the sound of a student practicing a hymn on the piano, the laughter of friends taking a break, the joyful sounds of students hard at work at their club activities, the powerful music coming from the music students’ practice rooms, and the companionable silence of friends studying together, each striving toward their own goal.

 Those are the sights and sounds of the Hokusei I love.

 The Activities

Hokusei is so much more than sights and sounds, though.  Hokusei is full of life on regular days, and the school resounds with energy during our special events.  During activities, I can see who our students truly are.  Our students are hardworking – just look at them building sets, practicing rallies or free shots, or working together on the school festival.  Our students create beauty – simply visit the art club, listen to the brass band, choir, or the modern band clubs, or watch them make the stained glass for our annual Christmas celebration. Our students have fun, whether they are walking 20 kilometers from Chitose to Lake Shikotsu, picking up garbage in the neighborhood or on the beach, or preparing for the next dance competition. Students enjoy themselves even as they push to achieve new heights.

The Conversations

The conversations we have are probably my favorite part of life at Hokusei.  Here, students learn to live in community with others. They learn to collaborate to solve problems that no one student could solve alone.  They ask questions about the world we live in and look for solutions, whether those questions are academic or real-world. Hokusei students are curious about how the world is and how it could be. My favorite conversations are those about students’ dreams for the future, and what they can do now to get closer to those dreams.

 With 137 years of history in educating girls in Sapporo, Hokusei’s traditions are the foundation of all we do.  Our commitment to Christian education provides students with a spiritual grounding that will sustain them for a lifetime. Our commitment to educating girls means that every activity has been planned for the unique needs of girls today.  Our commitment to stimulating students to excel in their studies, to use their English skills to communicate with others, to hone their musical abilities to extraordinary levels – these are the foundations for educating young women with confidence.

 Looking toward the future, we are building on our traditions with new initiatives to propel our students resolutely toward the future. Learning is more interesting when it is social, so we are building global partnerships for students to share their learning with others near and far.  Learning is more effective when it is innovative, so we are piquing students’ curiosity with STEAM activities to design and share real-world solutions. Learning is best when it changes with us, supporting us when we need support and challenging us when we are ready. That is why Hokusei is embracing a new flexible curriculum where students’ choices guide them toward a future defined by their unique abilities and interests.

 This is the Hokusei I love, and I can’t wait to introduce it to you.  Thank you so much for your interest in our webpage!  I very much hope that someday I will have the opportunity to show you around our school in person!

 

Karen Bessin, Principal

 

 

 

 

Profile of the Principal:

 

Karen Bessin, Principal, Hokusei Gakuen Girls’ Junior / Senior High School

 

Originally from New Jersey, USA, Ms. Bessin developed an interest in Japanese language and culture after experiencing a three-month homestay in Gunma Prefecture in 1984. After graduating from Williams College in 1989, she worked as an AET (Assistant English Teacher) in Oketo for three years and devoted herself to various international exchange projects. Ms. Bessin worked as an English teacher at Hokusei Gakuen Girls’ Junior and Senior High School starting in 1992 and obtained a Japanese teaching license through coursework at Hokkaido University. In 2003, she returned to New Jersey with her family and taught at elementary, junior and senior high schools there. While teaching, she obtained six types of teaching licenses, and completed Master’s courses in both Educational Technology and Information Science, also studying Holocaust education and prejudice reduction education. She returned to Hokkaido in July 2023 to embark on a new initiative as the principal of Hokusei Gakuen Girls’ Junior and Senior High School, believing that further development of girls’ education will lead to a richer future. Her most fulfilling moment as an educator is engaging in conversations with students as they discover what interests them most about the topics they are studying.

 

 Karen Bessin（カレン・ベッシン）北星学園女子中学高等学校　校長

 

  

アメリカ合衆国ニュージャージー州出身。1984年群馬県で3ヵ月のホームステイを経験して以来、日本語をはじめアジア文化に興味を持つ。1989年ウィリアムズ大学を卒業後（卒業論文は女性の生きた経験から考える認識論）、北海道置戸町で3年間ALＴ（英語指導助手）として勤め、さまざまな国際交流事業に尽力する。1992年から北星学園女子中学高等学校英語教諭として勤務、北海道大学で教育学を修得し、日本の教員免許を取得する。2003年にご家族とともにニュージャージー州に戻り、アメリカの小・中・高等学校での教職歴を持つ。勤務の傍ら、6種類の教員免許を取得、また、教育工学（Educational Technology）と情報学で修士課程を修了、ホロコースト教育及び差別現象教育を修める。2023年7月に北海道に戻り、北星学園女子中学高等学校校長として、女子教育の更なる発展が豊かな未来につながると考え、新しい取り組みに着手する。

 

教育者として最も充実しているひとときは、生徒が自分との会話を通して、学ぶことへの興味を深めていることを実感するとき。