Liouciou Elementary School in Pingtung County on Wednesday concluded its annual adventure sports challenge for older students to circumnavigate Siaoliouciou Island (小琉球) in canoes.
The event is organized by the five elementary and junior-high schools on the island, although only Liouciou Elementary School students are expected to complete the full 12km, as canoeing is part of the school’s curriculum, principal Chang Chien Cheng-feng (張簡振豐) said.
At the request of parents, the event was lengthened from one day to two, he said, adding that about 30 students participated this year.
Photo: Chen Yen-ting, Taipei Times
Parents and volunteers followed the canoes in motor boats to keep the students safe, he said.
They were accompanied by 16 fifth-graders, who came along to prepare for their own rite of passage next near, he added.
After departing from the Dafusi (大福西) fishing harbor, the canoes proceeded eastward and then north to land near Meirendong (美人洞), where teachers gave the students a guided tour of the ecology in the intertidal zone.
Afterward, students pitched camp at the Samaji Resort and ate barbeque with their parents, before attending a class on astronomy taught by Chang Chien.
The fifth-graders went back to school the following day, leaving the graduating class to finish the 6.2km return leg.
“I think canoeing, visiting the intertidal zone and camping beneath the stars is a great experience that my students will savor long after their graduation,” Chang Chien said. “The were very excited to spot the International Space Station.”
The school would like to thank the parents, volunteers and guides for their assistance, he added.
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