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一九七六年三月一日，師父宣公上人在三藩市成立了育良小學，至今已是廿一個年頭。萬佛城為了追思上人對教育用心的良苦，及慶祝學校生日，舉辦了慶祝會。
一九九七年三月七日星期五上午八時正，女校學生在校門口集合後，即由小沙彌尼學生們，帶領著同學往祖師殿，向學校創辦人－－宣公上人像致敬。校長恒是師先向上人上香，之後司儀為大家簡介學校的歷史，並勉勵大家將上人的辦學精神，發揚光大。大家並依序供花、獻旗，場面莊嚴隆重。
接著是緊張得足以令人窒息的機智搶答，全校的小諸葛亮分成六組，齊聚禪堂分高下。這個節目由老師們主辦，每一道題都是老師們絞盡腦汁精心設計出來的。題目的範圍非常之廣，上至天文下至地理，無所不包。磬聲代表答對，鈴鼓聲代表答錯，木魚是搶答鈴，現場氣氛緊張熱烈，如沸騰之水。男校學生上午舉行演講比賽。題目有二：如何尊敬師長，及如何愛護學校。由方丈恆律師親自主持，勝者有獎。
午齋時，突然蹦出舞獅隊。從齋堂的大佛像後面，一路舞到中央。登上台，揭開紅布，慶祝廿一週年的大發糕，霍然呈現在大眾眼前，節目正式開鑼了。只見一群天真活潑的小朋友，以唱遊方式開始了今天的節目。男女校也演奏了國樂。校長易果參居士接著上台演講，追憶當年在三藩市譯經院設校之初，只有八名學生。易校長自己及老師們都沒有教學經驗，都得現學現賣。易校長又提及上人當年如何以幽默、自嘲的方式編製英文歌曲來鼓勵老師，及教導學生。
午齋後，男校學生先去祖師殿在上人像前致敬，接著開始了老少咸宜的「舞獅表演」。震撼的鼓聲，一掃午後懶洋洋的氣息。看著男校學生賣力的表演，奇峰迭起，觀眾無不拍手叫好，神情也跟著舞獅變化，從欣喜而緊張：再從緊張轉回欣喜。最後舞獅攀上舞台旁的桿子上，以敏捷的身手，扯開掛在桿上頭的紅布。「慶祝二十一週年校慶」的字樣驀然出現在觀眾的眼前，引來了觀眾再次的喝采。咦！怎麼有火藥味？原來是鞭炮聲劈劈啪啪地響起，舞獅結束了。
保護地球，人人有責。現在我們所住的地球，三分之一是垃圾。所以垃圾再利用很是重要的。在女校高中部的後院，有一群軍師正深思著如何將垃圾重生。啊！哈！有了，每個人的頭上亮著一百支光的燈泡。不久，吉普車、火車、千層板、屋子……等學生作品，都從每位軍師們的巧手中跑了出來。 |
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Twenty-one years ago on March 1, 1976, the Venerable Master Hua founded Instilling Goodness School in San Francisco. Recently the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas held a special event to commemorate the efforts the Ven. Master dedicated to education and to celebrate the school's anniversary.
At eight o'clock in the morning on Friday, March 7, 1997, the students from the Girls Schools lined up in front of the schools. The novice nun students then led their classmates to the Hall of the Patriarchs, where everyone paid respects to the founder of the schools--Venerable Master Hua. After Principal Heng Shr Shi offered incense at the altar, the Master of Ceremonies gave a brief account of the schools' history and encouraged those present to carry on the Ven. Master's wishes in establishing schools. Then, one by one, each of the teachers and students offered a flower in front of the altar. Finally, the school flags were offered before the altar in a solemn ceremony.
The ceremonies were followed by an extremely intense question-and-answer game. All the students, young and aspiring Einsteins, were grouped into six teams in the Chan Hall. The teachers had racked their brains to come up with interesting questions covering a wide range of subjects. The handbell was used to indicate right answers, the tambourine wrong answers, and a wooden fish was used like a buzzer for when each team came up with an answer. The room was a hubbub of excitement.
Meanwhile, there was a speech contest at the Boys School. The topics were: (1) how to respect teachers and elders, and (2) how to cherish the school. The Abbot, Heng Lyu Shi, personally hosted the contest. The winners were awarded.
During the noon meal, all of a sudden the Lion Dance team appeared in the dining hall. They danced from the front of the great Buddha image to the middle of the hall, where they stepped onto a platform and lifted up a red cloth to reveal a huge 21st Anniversary cake. Then a group of young children opened the program with a recitation and song. Both the Boys' and Girls' Schools orchestras performed Chinese traditional music. Principal Terri Nicholson then spoke of how, when the school was first founded at the Translation Institute in San Francisco, there were only eight students. She and the other teachers had no teaching experience and had to learn as they went along. Ms. Nicholson also recounted how the Ven. Master would compose humorous and satirical songs in English to give the teachers encouragement and also to teach the students.
After the noon meal, the Boys' School students first went to the Hall of the Patriarchs to pay their respects before the Ven. Master's image. Then they performed a Lion Dance for the old and young alike. The quick beat of the drum swept away the afternoon laziness. Their intense performance led from one climax to another, drawing cheers and applause from everyone. The Lion Dance kept everyone in a state which alternated between joy and excitement. At the end, the Lion Dancers climbed up a pole beside the stage and, with great agility, unfurled a red banner with the words "Celebrating the Schools' 21st Anniversary," drawing another round of applause. With the pop! pop! of firecrackers, the performance drew to a close.
Everyone should be concerned about protecting our planet. One-third of the earth we live on is waste and garbage. Therefore, finding uses for garbage is a crucial task. In the backyard of the Girls Schools, a bunch of inventors put their brains to the task of how to make something useful out of garbage. Ah ha! It was as if a 100-watt lightbulb lighted up in each person's head. Pretty soon jeeps, trains, Jacob's ladders, houses, and other creations came forth from under the students' ingenious hands. That marked the end of the day's activities. |
