Project Narrative

Overview

Category

Local leaders figure

Our Community

1. Meinong Primary School is at Kaohsiung City, Meinong district where is a typical Hakka cultural area. The population in this district is about 40,000. It takes about an hour’s drive from Meinong  to downtown Kaohsiung.
2. Ling Jhou Primary School is at the heart of Kaohsiung City, Lingya district where the Kaohsiung City Government is located. The population in this district is about 180,000. With a longer north-south side and a shorter east-west side, its shape is like a valuable “Jade Rui Scepter.”
3. Coach Hsu Sheng-Ming, born in Meinong, is the first baseball coach with a master's degree in Taiwan. In his coaching career, he won 715 games that is the highest reocrd in the history of Taiwan baseball. He was the coach of EDA-RHINO Baseball Team before he passed away.
4. Hsu Sheng-Ming is a rigorous coach. On August 24, 2013, he passed away at the age of 55 due to a heart attack. To honor him, Team EDA-RHINO retired his number 85. Sports Administration, Ministry of Education awarded him “2013 Elite Lifetime Achievement Award” on December 18, 2013.

Our Community- Kaohsiung City:

 

Ling Jhou Primary School is located in Lingya district near Sanduo Shopping District. EDA-RHINO is at Dashu district, Kaohsiung City. (picture is from EDA official website) Meinong Primary School is located in Kaohsiung Hakka Village.

Hsu Sheng-Ming Memorial Exhibition (held at Meinong Hakka Cultural Museum from November 30, 2013 to February, 2014. And it will be held in other exhibition halls.)

Project Outline

Hsu Sheng-Ming, the coach of EDA- RHION Baseball Team, passed away in August, 2013. People feel sad about that. He left many memorable relics which were donated to Meinong Sports Hall. However, Meinong Sports Hall shut down in September, and then Kaohsiung Hakka Affairs took over the relics temporarily. Noticing that news, some students and teachers in Kaohsiung city, who have strong passion on basebalh, tought to make a research website of Coach Hsu to preserve his stories . We hoped to introduce Coach Hsu Sheng-Ming, a Kaohsiung local leader figure through collecting historical data, interviews, field experiences and other activities to the public. On one hand, we commemorate his achievements. On the other hand, we put his preserved relics on the Internet. We used the collected information to make a website, "Knuckleball Coach－Hsu Sheng-Ming" and attend the competition of "Local leaders figure, 2014 Taiwan School Cyberfair ".

Internet Environment

We used computers on an optical fiber network, which were connected to Taiwan Academic Network through a T1 line at school. We also used computers equipped with ADSL to search and send information at home.

Challenges

1. Tight Schedule:
   As every team member’s free time differs, we reached an agreement that we would meet time on Wednesday afternoons. Even at the later phase, in order to work as a team and complete the project on time, we spent weekends working. Sometimes, we gave up our after-school classes and then made up the missed lessons afterward. We all tried and worked hard.
2. Contact Difficulties：
   We owed thanks to professor Gu Jin-Song and Huang Jyong-Long, a coach from EDA Baseball Team. With their good personal connection, they contacted Coach Hsu’s relatives, colleagues, and friends for us. Thus, our interviewees agreed to accept our interview. On our own, it would be very difficult to do it.
   In Addition, It takes about an hour’s drive from downtown Kaoshiung to Meinong, so we felt tired in the journey. However, we enhanced the quality of research by two schools’ cooperation..
   
3. Computer Skills:
   At first, it was difficult for us to collect and integrate information, and to make a web page because everyone’s spare time and computer abililities are different. It was hard for us during the learning period, but after our continuous discussion and modification, we finally made our web pages.
4. Interviews:
   Our interviewees all are baseball celebrities. In addition, we didn’t have any skills and experiences with interviews. We were all worried about the interviews. Therefore, to be comfortable with interviewees, we prepared well and practiced several times before interviews.
5. Questionnaires:
   It needs courage to ask strangers to fill out questionnaires. At first, we were shy and hesitant to speak to strangers. Sometimes, we were rejected and we felt hurt. But after frustrating attempts, we finally learned how to successfully ask people.
6. English Translation:
   We hope to participate in the 2014 International Schools Cyberfair, but translating our web pages into English is very difficult for us. We therefore spent an enormous amount of time on looking up dictionaries, writing sentences, and learning grammar. We also asked our English teacher’s help to correct our writing.

Our Reflections

Although it is tough to proceed to do the research and schoolwork at the same time, t It is our hornor and pleasure to interview Coach Hsu’s family, relatives, friends, and teammates. In order to achieve Coach Hsu’s uncompleted dream, they donate money, made efforts, and travel from the North to the South to make contribution to Taiwan youth baseball. All they have done is admirable. 

We spend a lot of time on heritage shooting and digitalization. However, the way of display is limited. It makes the shooting not so perfect. We can only try our best. Being volunteers in Museum Hsu Sheng-Ming is meaningful. After we received the compliment from the museum visitors, we felt a sense of achievement. Although we are young and amomg us there are only 2 players in youth baseball team, we all experienced Coach Hsu’s baseball skill “Knuckleball.” In addition, we made a beautiful piece of Bodhi bookmark for him and made surveys for our government’s reference. We hope through our efforts people can remember Coach Hsu’s dream and baseball can take root in Taiwan. We also hope through the website we made for coach Hsu, the spirit of “Knuckleball” and Coach Hsu remains in people’s mind.

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