With a mission to “cultivate leaders who combine real-world skills with strong character,” HJ School provides programming education to students from 5th grade through 12th grade.
Students learn from the seniors who came before them, grow, and eventually take on the role of teaching the next generation themselves — building a cyclical community of learning. Looking ahead, HJ School will continue to expand opportunities for international exchange among second-generation members studying around the world.
As we enter the era of generative AI, the question “why do you want to do this?” matters more than ever — even more than “what can you do?” HJ School is committed to helping each student discover their God-given individuality and grow into someone who lives proactively and creatively.
School History
- 2021 Activities begin, offering the same know-how previously provided to the general public
- 2022 Expanded to 5 participating church locations
- 2023 Expanded to 8 participating church locations
- 2024 Opened to students nationwide
- 2025 Launched in South Korea, Hong Kong, and Ukraine; also began offering coaching for middle and high school students domestically, alongside programming
In five years, the program has grown from a local initiative into an effort spanning multiple countries.
Membership Breakdown (Japan)
Total membership stands at 102 students (86 male / 16 female). This includes 53 middle and high school students (50 male / 3 female) and 49 elementary school students (36 male / 13 female).
Students in 5th and 6th grade combined with middle schoolers make up 80% of total membership, and the overall gender ratio is roughly 85% male.
Teaching Approach: Combining Online and Offline Learning to Build Both Skill and Character
HJ School’s learning model rests on three pillars:
- Camps during long school breaks Intensive retreats are held during summer, winter, and spring breaks. These strengthen bonds among students, and having shared material to learn together naturally encourages active communication.
- Weekly online classes Regular classes are held online once a week, making it easy for students who live far away, or who are busy with schoolwork, clubs, or cram school, to participate with peace of mind.
- Year-end showcase and certification exams A nationwide showcase event lets students organize and present what they’ve learned over the year, while a certification exam measures their understanding of programming concepts.
Together, these two dimensions build learning that carries students toward the future.
Core Curriculum in Regular Classes
For elementary school students: Building initiative and creativity through game-making.
- Scratch
- Roblox, and others
For middle and high school students: Developing real leadership ability through full-scale programming projects.
- JavaScript
- Python, and others
Typing Practice
Typing practice is also part of the foundational curriculum. One example practice passage used is “Symphony of Love No. 2: True Mother.”
A History of Camps
Students from across the country have gathered for retreats during every long school break.
Student Reflections
“Eating together, talking, programming, doing recreational activities with everyone — it was so, so much fun.”
“What stuck with me most was sleeping together with everyone at the lodging facility and solving puzzles with my team. It was really fun.”
“Living together in our group brought us closer, both in class and during the stay. Solving the puzzle at the lodge together, as a group, was a chance for our team to grow closer — and in the end, we got every answer right, which felt like a real accomplishment. I think it was because we were all church members that we were able to bond so quickly. It made me appreciate our church and church family all over again.”
Creativity and Initiative in Action: Student Work
The skills students build in class and at camp carry directly into the projects they create.
- Roblox(RPG game)
- JavaScript
- Unity
- Phaser
The games and apps students have built are themselves the fruit of their proactive, creative effort.
Contact
- Website：https://pg.hjschool.net
- Email：info@hjschool.net
- LINE：https://lin.ee/tHqKNKb