On August 7, 1959, the worst flood in 60 years occurred in central and southern Taiwan. After hearing the news, patriotic overseas Taiwanese living all over the world sent donations back to their motherland for disaster relief. According to the instructions of the former President Jiang Gong, the money from these donations was to be “used for building school buildings.” At that time, the Department of Education of the Taiwan Provincial Government built 33 elementary schools in disaster-stricken counties and cities such as Miaoli, Taichung, Changhua, Nantou, Yunlin, Chiayi, and Pingtung. Except for 12 of the schools, the others were intended to be public schools, thereby serving all members of the local community. The other 21 schools’ names contained the the word “Giao,” which honors the overseas Taiwanese who donated money to their home country. Giao Ping Elementary School was the largest among them, and it was also the most majestic school in Chiayi County and City at that time.
At the end of November of that year, Tian Sui Wang, head of the National Education Guidance Group of the Provincial Department of Education, Pu Ren Feng, Chief of the Education Section of the Chiayi County Government, and Zhe Zhang Yang, Chief of the Education Section of the Chiayi County Government, visited Fuquanli ( Old Beigang Road Campus) in Chiayi City to investigate the potential site of the new school. On the site, they decided to set up a modern elementary school that had the largest scale in the province.
At the end of April 1960, the new school building project finally broke ground. County Mayor Zong Kun Huang hosted the ground-breaking ceremony in person. On May 10, Yu Feng Fang, the superintendent of the school, was sent to serve as the preparatory director. On that day, Bai Ru, director of the Provincial Department of Education, publicly announced the “Giao Ping Elementary School”, and Chairman Zhou Zhi Rou wrote the name of the school. On June 24, the school was formally established by order. On August 1, Gao Hong You served as the school’s first principal. The students temporarily borrowed eleven classrooms in Chuiyang Elementary School and five in Beiyuan Elementary School. The school building was completed on September 26, and all students who were temporarily at Chuiyang and Beiyuan returned to school, and were organized into 21 classes.
In 1988, the structure of the most magnificent school in Chiayi County and City, Giao Ping, had unfortunately become too architecturally archaic for modern needs. Moreover, the construction and management unit of Chiayi City Government had listed some classrooms as dangerous. In view of this, on January 10, 1990, the 30th Parents Committee, discussing and approving the relocation of the school, decided that “ the geographical environment and current conditions of the school are not suitable for carrying out our educational mission.” On May 16, the parent committee submitted a petition for the relocation of the school to the Chiayi City Government, and the city government agreed to “Wen Xiaowu” as the relocation site. On July 22, 1991, the Deputy Director of the Provincial Department of education, Wang Gong Tian, led personnel from related units to visit Chiayi. Together with the director of the Municipal Education Bureau Chen Chao Yang and related personnel, he visited the school and listened to the school’s principal Qiu Shui Biao’s briefing. On December 16, the Chiayi City Government officially approved the school’s relocation. Architect Cai Ming Hong was hired to handle the planning and relocation of the school. The school relocation project was finally contracted out on June 16, 1993. The groundbreaking ceremony for the new school building was hosted by Mayor Zhang Wen Ying on June 29. On August 1, the school relocation and construction of the new school building officially started. On July 20, 1994, the first phase of the relocation project was finally completed. On October 14, the teachers and students of the school moved to the new campus for office and class.
The school is located in the West district of Chiayi City, in the busiest commercial and residential area. It has convenient transportation and good living facilities. It is adjacent to the Shixian Library, Boai Community University, Women’s Youth Center and other institutions. The community is rich in resources.
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Features of Our School
1) Creative Facilities
Giao Ping Elementary School is the center of creative and technological education in Chiayi City. We have world class equipment that fosters a love of learning in our students. This equipment includes a variety of 3D printers, laser cutters, and screen printers. With this technologically advanced equipment, students have the opportunity to design and make practical objects such as T-shirts, mugs and a whole host of other useful things. Furthermore, students are able to engage with twenty-first century technology, which prepares them for the future.
2) Reading Facilities
Reading truly is the foundation of and the gateway to learning. At Giao Ping, we actively promote reading as the most important activity for students. Every morning, when students arrive to their classrooms, they are encouraged to read quietly from a book of their choice. This activity leads to a competition among the different classes to see which class reads the highest number and greatest variety of books. The winning class receives a gift from the school, however, the most important feature is that students get into an early habit of daily reading.
3) English Facilities
At Giao Ping, we recognize that learning the English language is a key to success in the future. English truly is an international language, and by equipping our students with skills in English, we are thereby opening the world up to them. We create this invaluable opportunity in numerous ways. Every year, we engage in a cultural exchange with a Japanese elementary school, which allows the students to learn about each other but by using English as their tool for communication. Also, we actively participate in the Chiayi City English Day, which has a changing theme each year. Furthermore, our Foreign English Teacher brings different cultural perspectives and ideas to students during their English classes, thus allowing them to bridge their ideas between Taiwanese and Western culture.
4) Physical Education Facilities
Young people need to nurture their minds but also need to nurture their bodies. At Giao Ping, we believe that physical education is of vital importance to our students’ health and wellbeing. Our school’s physical education program has designed exciting competitions for each grade level. The lower grades enjoy a jump roping competition, for which they spend numerous hours in preparation. While the middle grades engage in a frisbee competition, the upper grades participate in baseball games. No matter what the activity or level of success, all of our students are winners.
5) After School Program
At Giao Ping, we aim to support a variety of young learners, no matter what their background or ability. We recognize that different aspects of education can be quite a challenge for some students, and we provide these students with a myriad of opportunities to successfully engage with their education. For those students from an economically deprived background, we provide nutritious meals as well as extra tuition in key subjects such as Chinese, math and English. We also provide catch up classes after school for those students who require extra help with these subjects. Giao Ping cares for our students’ education but most importantly, for their minds, bodies, and spirits.
6) Extra-Curricular Activities
Of course, learning should not be limited to the classroom. Outside of Giao Ping Elementary School, a whole world of educational opportunities awaits. Our 6th graders enjoy a field trip to Alishan, Chiayi County’s most scenic mountain, where they expand their knowledge of geography, social science and science whilst appreciating the beauty of nature. Furthermore, they can appreciate the history of Alishan’s famous railroad and trains, which are a key feature of Chiayi’s past. In fact, all of our students in all grades learn about Chiayi’s railroad culture by visiting communities around the train station, including the famous Hinoki Village, which was an important community during the Japanese occupation.
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