Welcome from Chairperson, Board of Directors

Welcome from Chairperson

While we have entered a new and unexpected world at Nishimachi with the COVID-19 pandemic, I have been deeply inspired by the way our community has come together and has adapted quickly in these challenging and unprecedented times. Were we all on campus through the year, we would have been checking in on each other in the hallways, coming together at basketball games, and celebrating each other’s achievements during graduation. But it is precisely because we were unable to share these experiences together that we continued to find new and creative ways to stay connected. We saw the Nishimachi community rise to the COVID challenge with compassion, courage, and grace. I believe we are a stronger and better school because of our commitment to, and support for, each other during these times.

In spite of the challenges thrown up by the pandemic, the high school steering committee made tangible progress in our efforts to evaluate the building of a high school. While we were not able to make a final decision to commit to our target site, negotiations with the site owner advanced significantly, and we are targeting to make a final decision during the 2020 – 2021 school year. Separate from the site evaluation, the committee has made progress in making preparations to obtain the necessary funding, deepening our financial analysis, and getting further visibility into regulatory requirements. There remain significant hurdles to overcome, but SY19-20 saw us take several important steps towards our goals. We continue to welcome feedback and will update the community as we make progress through our evaluation process.

We also saw our community continue its tremendous support for the school. We closed our year of fundraising with ¥46.6m of total giving (+3% YoY), with participation from 264 community members. Annual giving campaign donations reached ¥35.6m, a 7% increase over the previous year.

We owe much of the success of our fundraising to the commitment of an incredible team of volunteers, including the TNK executive board, TNK committee chairs and members, the Nishimachi-Kai board, Outreach Scholarship event chairs, the school trustees and board of directors, and many, many more. Thank you for your continued generosity and vote of confidence in the future of Nishimachi. It is because of all of your dedication and energy that we are able to build an international educational community that celebrates Tané Matsukata’s philosophy and ethos.

Finally, I would like to express the gratitude of the board to our entire community for your tremendous support for our new head of school, Karen O`Neill, who has successfully completed her first year with us. Transitioning her family from across the world to Tokyo, made all the more difficult by COVID-19, Karen has expressed to me on multiple occasions through the year her joy at the help and kindness that so many of you have provided to her.

It takes deep support and commitment from all members of our community to steward the Nishimachi we all know and love. I am truly grateful for all of your patience and resolve this year and look forward to working with many of you to reach new heights, strengthen our community, and forge new connections in the coming year.

With my warm regards and thanks,

Philip Greenan

Chairperson Board of Directors