Along with supplies, a video message is being sent to the disaster area from Funabashi’s Miyama Junior High School/Chiba

Translated from the original article at: http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20120308-00000002-minkei-l12

Transmitted at 8:05 AM on Thursday, March 8 by the Minna no Keizai Shinbun Network

The entire school (344 students) yells out "Keep going, North-West Japan!"

On March 6, the Miyama Junior High School of Funabashi (Funabashi City, Miyama 6) sent a package including both a recorded video message and requested supplies (Such things as soccer and volley balls) to the Kesen Municipal Junior High School of Rikuzentakata, Iwate (Funabashi Business Newspaper)

In June on last year, immediately after the earthquake, Miyama Junior High wrote and sent 51 letters to the disaster area’s junior high schools. "I don't know if the schools in the disaster area are able to do anything about what they're facing," said the students, who wrote in their feelings of support. After that, it's said that the students of the Municipal Junior High school of Hikoroichi, Ofunato, Iwate prefecture wrote back one by one, with gratitude and photos of the disaster conditions.

"What can we do to help more,” “Let's think even harder as a school" asked the students of Miyama after being introduced to Kesen. Receiving a list of requested items such as volleyballs, soccer balls, basketballs and hockey sticks, they decided to use their previously gathered bell marks to purchase and send them items. (Translation note: A bell mark is an icon on the product packaging of cooperating companies, which can be gathered by students to turn into the school for supplies.)

"This isn't just ordinary support package we're sending. We're attempting to send our feelings" said the student council as they focused on writing down their messages one by one, making a horizontal banner along with the entire school. It read "Keep going, North-West Japan!" which they also yelled out in the video letter. They decided on having the year 3 students form the group which was recorded the main part of the video letter.

Student Council President Katou Tsukino (14) commented on the video letter: "We gave whatever we could to encourage their move towards recovery."

Original text:

船橋の三山中学校が被災地へビデオレター、支援物資と共に　／千葉

みんなの経済新聞ネットワーク 3月8日(木)8時5分配信

全校生徒344人で呼び掛けた「頑張ろう。東北」

船橋市立三山中学校（船橋市三山6）で3月6日、陸前高田市立気仙中学校から要望のあったサッカーボールやバレーボールなどの支援物資と共に同梱（どうこん）して送るビデオレターの収録が行われた。（船橋経済新聞）

同校では震災直後の昨年6月、「被災地の中学生に対し何かできる事は無いだろうか」と生徒たちの応援の気持ちを込めた手紙51通を被災地の中学校へ送った。その後、岩手県大船渡市日頃市中学校から生徒一人一人のお礼の言葉と被災状況の写真が届いたという。

「もっと支援できる事は」と問いかけると、「もっと大変な思いをしている学校がある」と気仙中学校の紹介を受けたという。気仙中学校から要望のあったバレーボールやサッカーボール、バスケットボール、ユニホックスティックを、かねてから集めていたベル・マークで購入し、支援物資として送ることを決めた。

「ただ送るだけではなく支援の気持ちも送ろう」と生徒会を中心に一人一人のメッセージを書いた横断幕と全校生徒で「頑張ろう。東北。」と呼び掛けたビデオレターを送ることに決め、3年生を送る会のメーンとしてビデオレターの収録を行った。

生徒会長の加藤月乃さん（14）は「復興に向けて少しでも励みになってくれれば」とビデオレターに思いを込める。