"Gather Around! Elementary School Students" Nishiachi Elementary School Edition (Aired on November 29, 2025) ~ The Appeal of Nishiachi Elementary School with Over 1200 Students and Plenty of Intergrade Interactions

On FM Kurashiki, every Saturday from 8 AM to 9 AM, we broadcast "Gather! Elementary School Students".

The personality, Asuka Abe, visits elementary schools in Kurashiki City to interview children who talk about the charm of their schools and school districts, as well as their big dreams. Through the genuine voices of the children, we can once again feel the charm of the community.

In the broadcast on November 29, 2025 (Saturday), we introduced the situation at "Nishiachi Elementary School" located in Nishiachi-cho, Kurashiki City.

We will deliver the lively voices of the energetic children.

This article is a contributed piece by FM Kurashiki Co., Ltd. It has been edited and published by the Haretoco General Incorporated Association editorial team.

FM Kurashiki "Gather! Elementary School Students"

In "Gather! Elementary School Students," we conduct direct interviews with 6th graders at the visited elementary schools, deeply exploring the charm of the schools everyone attends. Additionally, we highlight the "School District Pride," where children share the good and favorite aspects of their community from their perspective.

We will also present heartwarming interviews that make even adults' hearts swell, as children talk about their exciting future dreams and express gratitude to their families who are always with them.

This time, we visited Nishiachi Elementary School located in Nishiachi-cho, Kurashiki City. It is a large school with over 1,200 students, where lively interactions occur across different grades.

About the charm of Nishiachi Elementary School, we immediately asked the children to share their thoughts.

About Nishiachi Elementary School

The first to introduce the school was Nobuharu Kobayashi. With a calm demeanor, he confidently shared three good points about Nishiachi Elementary School.

The first point is the "Special Greetings" that the entire school is working on.
By greeting each other by name, the school is filled with bright voices of greetings.

The second point is that there are many events where lower and upper grade students can interact.
There are sports festivals, cultural presentations, the "Wakuwaku Festival" where students set up shops, and "Fureai Day" where cleaning is done in mixed-age groups. The many opportunities to meet friends and become close across grades is also a charm.

And the third point is the volunteer activities by upper grade students.
6th graders take the lead in morning greeting activities, cleaning the hallways and stairs, and supporting 1st graders. Recently, they all wore black "Wadachi T-shirts" with the character for "wadachi" as their grade goal while engaging in service activities.

Kobayashi said, "Through this volunteer activity, I want to leave many 'wadachi' in the school."

Nishiachi Elementary School has an environment where active interactions born from a large number of students and a spirit of compassion are nurtured.

Children of Nishiachi Elementary School Talk About "School & School District Pride"

Next, we will introduce the "School and School District Pride" that the children are proud of.

The charm of Nishiachi Elementary School was shared in a ranking format by three children.

3rd Place: Lively Days Spent with Over 1,200 Friends

Mai Misao introduced the 3rd place pride, which is that Nishiachi Elementary School is the largest school in Kurashiki City.

As of 2025, the total number of students is 1,261.
Each class has about 30 students, and there are even 7 classes in the 3rd grade. Misao said, "School life surrounded by many friends is lively and fun."

Even when they grow up, they may have many opportunities to meet their classmates from their alma mater.

2nd Place: Greeting Activities and Cleaning Volunteers by All 6th Graders

Akane Takahashi mentioned the volunteer activities that all 6th graders are involved in as her 2nd place pride.

The greeting activities and cleaning volunteers highlighted in the school introduction are being actively pursued by the 6th graders.

The unity and compassion to make the school better may be what supports the entire Nishiachi Elementary School brightly.

1st Place: Community Members Who Gently Watch Over Students on Their Way to School

The person announcing the 1st place pride is Koki Kawai. Kawai introduced the warmth and kindness of the community members.

Due to the large number of students, the roads can get a bit congested during school commuting times, but at the crosswalks, drivers are said to kindly wait. Thanks to the kindness of the community members, over 1,200 students can safely commute to school every day.

Additionally, there are community members who greet the children on the roadside, and Kawai said, "It makes for a pleasant start to the day."

The environment where many people watch over the children outside of school, allowing them to spend their time safely, is truly a pride of this school district.

Nishiachi Elementary School, boasting the largest number of students in Kurashiki, has many initiatives that foster unity. I believe that the children can thrive because of the warm interactions with the community members. It will continue to be a school filled with smiles and compassion.

Thank you, everyone at Nishiachi Elementary School.

Voices of Children Looking Toward the Future

After learning about the school's charm, we also asked everyone about their future dreams.

This time, 15 students answered the interview.
There were friends who aspire to be sports players, veterinarians, dancers, announcers, and even those who admire the teachers at Nishiachi Elementary School and aim to become teachers themselves. Imagining everyone's future selves is exciting.

The sight of children challenging themselves with "what they love" as their driving force gave us adults great courage and inspiration.

Thank you, everyone at Nishiachi Elementary School.

Conclusion

In "Gather! Elementary School Students," we will continue to deliver the charm of schools and communities through the voices of children.

Every time we visit an elementary school, we feel that the children are growing every day with the warm support of the teachers and community members.

FM Kurashiki will continue to watch over the local children so that they can grow up healthy and happily.