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Meet the Kids
Tokamachi Elementary
School
Coping with the Snow
Tokamachi Elementary School has implemented a lot of ideas so that the students and teachers can get through the snow-filled winter in comfort. Four kids from the student council showed us around the school and explained these ideas.
Snow Guards
At the first sign of winter, each of the trees around the school is enclosed with wooden posts several centimeters thick. These are called snow guards and serve to prevent the trees' branches snapping under the weight of the snow.
The Gym Roof
When several meters of snow piles up on the roof of a building, it can sometimes cause the building to collapse. But the Tokamachi gymnasium is safe because it has a special curved roof that allows snow to fall off naturally.
Snow Brushes
Next to the school entrance hang several 15-centimer-long "snow brushes" for brushing off snow that has collected on your body and clothes. When they arrive in the morning, the kids brush their heads, backs, and shoulders with the snow brushes before going into the building.
Window Protectors
In late November the first-floor windows on the gym side of the school are covered with planks of wood. This prevents the windows from breaking when the deep winter snow piles up against them.
Running Taps
If the water pipes in the school freeze, the flow of water may stop, and the pipes could even crack. To stop this happening, in winter the school leaves one tap in each toilet area running with a stream of water about the width of a chopstick.
Big Shoe Lockers
The kids come to school in winter wearing rubber Wellington boots, so their shoe lockers are tall enough to fit even winter footwear.
Drying Wet Clothes
The school does not have a special room for drying clothes damp with snow, so the kids hang their coats and ski suits on coat hangers in the corridors.
Hoods and Gloves
The kids wear hooded coats or even skiwear in order to cope with the heavy snow. Boots and gloves are, of course, essential for surviving the harsh winter weather.
Snow-Melting Pipes
Pipes laid next to the school entrance have small holes in them so that water is constantly spraying out. This causes snow to melt naturally, meaning there is no need to clear snow from the entrance with shovels.