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!!!

Deaf Student and Teachers Train for SMILEY'S FUN RUN

All the students and teachers at the Gao Chun Special School of Deaf and Disabled students have been participating in the TOP SECRET ADVENTURE. They are walking/jogging together each day and reporting their miles.

   

Teachers and older students help the younger ones.

In three (3) weeks the Students and Teachers at Gaochun School did 1,290 miles!!! They send their reports on e-mail to Miss Hua who translates them and sents me the total miles.

The Students and Teachers will participate in SMILEY's FUN RUN at their campus on Saturday, October 28th. Some of the Chinese Teachers/Leaders of The Sunshine Project at Nanjing University will travel to the school that day and help to implement the FUN RUN.

There will be a special "SMILEY's FUN RUN" t-shirt for each of the children to wear during the "run". When the children have finished the RUN there will be a fun, bag of prizes (toys, balloons, pencils, etc.) as a reward for their efforts.

It is our hope that the teachers and students will continue to "walk/jog/or run" each day to keep their bodies in good health.

Look for a report and pictures after October 28th of the FUN RUN done at GaoChun Special School.

TOP SECRET ADVENTURE -- WEEK FOUR REPORT

Week - # 4

Chinese Team -- 809 miles

American Team -- 1,591 miles

TOTAL MILES: 2,400 MILES !!!!!

Good news for the Chinese team ... the teachers and students from the school for deaf children are all "jogging" and participating and have completed also 500 miles! Keep up the good work!

Happy National Holiday to all our Chinese Friends!!! Hope each of you will have a wonderful week with your family. Please keep walking/jogging/running -- "move it" with your family members.

I've loved hearing from so many of you. I've put a new "category" on my BLOG for Chinese Friends ... here's a place for YOU. If you would like me to post something on this BLOG you can send it to me on e-mail: missbecky@xmission.com -- this will be a good English writing experience. If you send me a picture of yourself, I can post that as well. It will be a nice place to post updates on each of you and your lives as many of you know each other.

At your National Holiday in 2002, Ken and I were in China teaching at Nanjing University, when our sixth grandchild was born -- Savanah Belle Mitchell born on October 2, 2002 in the USA. Her birthday each year reminds me of our wonderful China experience and your Holiday. Savanah turns four-years-old this year -- she is a beautiful, active, loving, and fun child.

To share more of my life with you, I will post more information about my Family, which is very important in my life. The following article about is our first grandchild, Baylor, who is 10 years old now ... a really good boy!!!

We have eight grandchildren, four boys and four girls. One of my favorite things to do with them all is read and I've done that from the time they are born. Because five of our grandchildren live away from us, I've organized Nana's Book Club and I send them stories and books each month to read with their parents. I've posted one of the stories that I've sent them for this month --. "Owen & Mzee" is the story of a remarkable friendship ... scroll down to read it, or click on the category "Reading and Books". Let me know if you like reading this story and I'll post more stories that I share with my grandchildren.

It's great to have so many of you "running" with family members!!! Remember the word FAMILY means Father and Mother I Love You!

Keep "running" ... just 4,600 more miles to go to meet our goal of 7,000 miles!!

LIVE STRONG * MOVE IT * BE HAPPY

Much love,

Miss Becky