Miss Becky's Blog

SMILEY's FUN RUN at Gao Chun Special School

On Saturday, October 28th, some of the SUNSHINE Project leaders and students from Nanjing University traveled to the Gao Chun Special School to help the children with SMILEY's FUN RUN that day.

Hua Weina, Nanjing University teacher and one of the leaders of the Sunshine Project, along with Yang Hui and two of her deaf classmates (I love their SMILES!!!!) who have already graduated from this school and are now attending college in Nanjing. Yang Hui was one of the oldest children at the Gao Chun school when the SUNSHINE Project was started. She returned that day to visit with her friends, see the new campus and to participate in SMILEY's FUN RUN!!!!

Weina Hua, sent the following report and pictures:

"IT IS A WONDERFUL DAY. The Gao Chun Special School (the school changed its name since there are altogether 38 mental disabled students and 55 deaf students) has a new campus. It is much bigger and good in teaching and living condition. More teachers now in school.

"All the kids took part in the Smiley's Fun Run and had running games after the line running. The school had sound now with the mental-disabled students shouting 'Come on!' The kids were very happy today. And they were even happier to have the prizes with candy, balloon, toys, bouncing ball, and so on from Becky and JoAn."

The school in YELLOW today!

The youngest students are off and RUNNING!!!!!

Jin Jian (Jane), Sunshine Project leader from NJU leads the way as everyone "runs"!!!

Some of the children needed help in the running.

After the line running, there were running games! (I LOVE the sign!!!)

Jane plays the game!!! Look at the SMILES!!!

Here comes Weina ... she's a good player too!!

Here the children open their prize bags of smiley-faced toys, candy, pencils, balloons, etc.

Weina says, "The kids sent gifts to US grandparents, most of which are picture with greetings. Among them a box from a boy with four chocoletes. It would be no surprise if it came from our students. But it is from a boarding school deaf boy, who maybe thought it is very valuable and he sent to grandpa across the ocean and hope he would have a fully recovery (they all know that Ken had a heart attack before). And another box with 4 paper folded cranes also meaning fully recover soon. And some students wrote English meaning Missing You." (The Director, Teachers and Students of this school have always shown such great appreciation for what we have been able to contribute to their school.)

Eating lunch in the new dinning hall --- much nicer and so light! Weina reports, "There is some space in the school to plant vegetables

for their lunch. It is also very good!"

Yang Hui communicates with the students in sign language.

Weina ends her report with these special words about the teachers at the Gao Chun Special School: "We are much moved by the teachers' work. These teachers are really the contributers to the kids, especially those who are responcible to the mentally disordered kids. I couldn't explain very well in English, but I should say they are greater than us university teachers." The characters painted on the walls at the school show the spirit of the teachers and leaders there:

Body Disabled Gives You Special Potentials

Special Education Helps You Have A Unique Life

I'm sure the teachers at the Gao Chun Special School are most wonderful and dedicated to their students. BUT all of you leaders of the Sunshine Project are excellent teachers too and give so much of yourself not only to your students but to the students at Gao Chun. THANK YOU SO MUCH for all your work and effort in making SMILEY's FUN RUN such a special experience for everyone at Gao Chun Special School. TOGETHER WE ARE BETTER -- Working together we can really accomplish WONDERFUL things!!!