Sports Day! Happy 97th Birthday NeiWei Primary School

Today was Sports Day! On this day is when we celebrate our schools anniversary. Each school in Kaohsiung does this, but at different times. I so happened to be lucky enough to experience it while I was here! My school opened 97 years ago, and they are still going strong. Interesting fact, I learned that there about 250 elementary schools just in Kaohsiung alone, that blew my mind!

Anyway, Sports Day, we have a day to celebrate the school and students get to compete in all sorts of running races. It is held on a Saturday so parents are able to come and celebrate with the students and staff. There is an opening ceremony where all the grades walk into the court yard and get recognized. Awards are given to teachers, principals, directors, and parents. Staff from other schools are welcome to come, and many do. The school flag is raised and students sing along to the school's song. Each grade also gets to perform a dance during the opening ceremony! Surprise... so did I! My teacher and I taught a dance to a few selected sixth graders, and then performed it during the opening ceremony as well. The school has a dragon dancing club, who performed a dance that they had been working on, it was so amazing how good they were at such a young age already. I was so lucky to be welcomed by so many into a tradition that is so sacred to the school and it's community. I was also asked by the principal to grant awards to some of the race winners, how awesome! I cannot get over how genuinely nice these people are at this school, and in this city, everyone is making sure that we are having a great experience. It is falling nothing short of that.

I was blown away by the level of organization and preparedness by the school and the coordinators. The students, of all ages, participated in a series of running events including various length solo races, to a few person relay races, to whole class relay races between the grades. The weather was incredible, and I am so glad that everything worked out and it ran smoothly. Here are only a few captured moments of the many activities during the day.

Lion dancing during the opening ceremony

Me and my principal Ben

Above left: academic affairs representative awarding the students who had just finished an all girls race. Above Left: Renon, Sunny's son, guarding the metals! hehe

Below left: some more awards being given during the all boys race. Below right: NeiWei school in the background and the main stage area for sports day.

Here are the eight sixth graders who accompanied us during dancing to the YMCA! Below are a few pictures of our performance, it was a fun deal. I have not found anyone with a video of it yet, I will upload one later if I happen to run across one.