Solo Graduation in a Dimming Town: Japanese Girl's Unique Achievement.

Akino Imanaka graduated as the sole student from Oteshima Junior High, a tiny island in Japan's Inland Sea. The school's staff of five instructors tutored her over the past few years, taking on unusual duties to create a semblance of normal class life. Rural schools, like Oteshima Junior High, are much more than places of learning, they give their community vitality. With Japan's population decline, many rural schools are facing closure, and when a community loses its last school, it's like the light goes out.