Doors to Diplomacy Participants

Jhaigang Elementary School (2017 CyberFair Project ID 8243)
Taiwan, Taiwan, Tainan City
Official Status: Final Project: Ready for Judging
Teacher:
Category: 1. Local Leaders

We estimate 5 student(s) from 11 to 12 will work on this entry.

Description of Our Community: The area where we reside is called the Xuejia District, located in the northwestern part of Tainan City. Being close to the coast, the land has a higher level of salinity. The Bazhang River, Jishui River and Jiangjyun River flow through the region, and given the flat terrain, flooding is frequent during heavy rain.

The early residents of Xuejia District were the Pingpu Siraya tribe (Xuejia branch of the Soulang Community). Later, the Han Chinese migrated to Taiwan and settled along the river before moving further inland and developing the area into the Thirteen Villages of Xuejia, hence making Xuejia a Han Chinese settlement. The residents primarily worship Emperor Pao-sheng of Ciji Temple (Level Three Ancient Monument). Religious activities such as the Xuejia Fragrance (a pilgrimage procession) and the Upper White Reef (yezu ceremony) were further developed and became major religious and cultural activities in Tainan City. Moreover, the temple also specially constructed a Koji Pottery Museum to house and preserve works of Koji pottery by Yeh Wang.

Due to its proximity to the sea and higher soil salinity, we mainly specialize in milkfish farming, milkfish fishball production and cultivation of drought-resistant and salt tolerant crops such as sorghum, corn, watermelon and cherry tomatoes. Our line of milkfish products, watermelon and tomatoes are famous throughout the nation, and visitors to Xuejia must try these specialties to make their trip worthwhile.

Project Description: Father Brendan O'Connell was an American from New York City. He became a Maryknoll priest when he was 27 in 1963, and was sent to do missionary in the mountainous areas of Taiwan in the same year. During the arduous missionary journey, Father O'Connell found some mentally disabled not being taken high quality of care and education. Feeling much pity on them, he started getting involved in the exceptional education for the early intervention and integrated education in Taiwan. He set some exceptional education centers in Tainan and Kaohsiung. In 1997, Father O'Connell established Bethlehem Foundation at Syuejia district (the same location of our school), the northwestern part of Tainan City. It was affiliated with Tzumu kindergarten and Babies Child Development Center. Based on the idea of integrated education, these foundations recruited both anthropogeny delayed under 6 years old and preschool normal ones, to let them live and learn together.

Father O'Connell devotes himself over fifty years to Taiwan's exceptional education. And Early Intervention and Integrated Education, what he advocates, become the mainstream of Taiwan services for the exceptional education. Although he is eighty, he still stands on the front line for the education. What he intends to do for Taiwan lastly is to raise about eighty million NT dollars to set a center for the early treatment and integrated education.

Thanks to being in the same district where Father O'Connell lives, he becomes a role model for our school students. Therefore, we plan to have personal interviews with him. We try to know his intents and deeds on the exceptional education as well as his expectations on early intervention. This monographic study will conduct questionnaires and have data analysis. The purpose of this study is to know the awareness and feeling of local people about Father O'Connell’s contributions. We expect to make everyone have a better understanding of Father O'Connell and those D.D. Angels (developmental delay) from this study.

Click Here to View Project Narrative