１７回生の生徒２人が英語エッセイコンテスト「じゃれマガエッセイコンテスト２０２１ 中学の部」で全国１位と特別優秀賞を受賞しました！「じゃれマガ」というのは、大学の非常勤講師であるジャレルさんという方が毎日配信するやさしい英文のメールマガジンのことです。この「じゃれマガ」を単行本にしている浜島書店の主催で、年に１度、中高生を対象にした「じゃれマガエッセイコンテスト」が開かれています。全国の中学１年生から３年生が選りすぐりのエッセイを応募してきましたが、その中でも、２人の表現力や想像力は光っていたようです。以下作品を紹介します。

★1st Place Award
N.U
What does "pass" Mean?
One day when I was in the sixth grade of elementary school, I was walking with my friends after cram school. Then, we found a handkerchief that had fallen in the street. I picked it up and saw that. The tag “pass” was printed on it. My friend said, “Someday the owner will come to get it”. But, I was sorry to leave someone's handkerchief here and I couldn't forget the word “pass”. So, I took it home and washed it well, hoping that the owner would pass the exam. Thanks in part to that handkerchief, I passed the entrance exam. However, I later realized that the word "pass" meant that it had passed the Imabari Towel production test…

★Honorable Mention Certificate
I.Y
Sunny Man VS Rain Man
I am a "Rain Man". When I go out, it always rains. At a sports day in elementary school, it rained. When I went to the fireworks festival, it rained. However, my brother is a "Sunny Man". When he goes out, it's always sunny. When I was in the third grade of elementary school, I went shopping with my family. My brother said, "It's cloudy today. Let's pray for whether it will be sunny or rainy later!!" I prayed for rain, he prayed for sunshine. Then it was raining, but the sun appeared. Later, a big rainbow appeared in front of us. We were very surprised, and we said, "We are Rainbow Men!!" We laughed.