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一年一度的北加州中華文化常識比賽，五月七日星期六下午一點半在弭皮特思的「髑髏地聚會所」舉行，共有十一個隊伍參賽。初賽分成三組，A、C組各四隊、B組三隊，各組取前二名共六隊進入複賽；複賽分A、B組，再取前二名進入決賽。初複賽任何一場失敗，即被淘汰。男女校在高潮迭起的競賽中，沉著應戰，雙雙進入決賽，女校勇奪亞軍，男校得到第四名。
初賽時男女校同在C組，賽程本來非常不利。但是學生們沉著穩重，臨危不亂，他們交叉搶答，反而使別隊很難搶到題目，男校取得第一，女校第二。複賽抽籤時，男女校又是同一組，經過激烈角逐後，女校得到第一，男校第二。至此大勢底定，大家都鬆了一口氣。決賽時，四個隊伍都是一時之選，氣氛再度緊張起來；男校由於落入幾個陷阱題目，以致未能取得更好名次；女校則在驚濤駭浪中，力爭上游，保住去年席次。前四名皆可代表北加州參加全美中文學校聯合會所舉辦的全美大賽。
由於男女校去年已得到北加州比賽的第一、二名及全美比賽三、四名，根據規定，這些學生即不能再參加北加州的比賽。再加上限制參賽學生需連續六年在美就讀，對我們超級迷你的學校，要選出具備參賽資格又有良好中文能力者，頗為困難。不過從這次的比賽，可以發現它所帶來的正面意義，在短期間已經把我們學生中文程度及對中國文化的瞭解，迅速提升。
培德男女校在美國本土出生長大的學生，比例逐年提升，雖然家長都很在意孩子的中文教育，但孩子因習慣於英語的使用，相對地對中文的學習興趣就不是那麼濃厚，以致中文老師授課時往往要費盡九牛二虎之力，也不見得有良好成效。可是搶答比賽，因為過程緊張刺激，題目包羅萬象，無形中激發了學生的潛能和學習意願，老師只要因勢利導，就能收到立竿見影的效果。
今年女校代表隊中有一位洋學生，這在中國文化常識比賽中是史無前例的。這位同學在聖城住了將近五年兼學中文，她能聽懂所有問題，使北加州中文學校的主席非常驚訝，好奇地想對她多瞭解。
上學期男校有位母親向學校抱怨，她的兒子三年來中文一點進步也沒有。這次她目睹兒子在競賽中，冷靜答題，在初複賽的個人搶答時，不管任何型式的題目，都沒有讓對手有答題機會，在比賽中最受矚目，因而雀躍萬分。賽後她對老師說：「你們老師教得好！」
加州有很多熱心的義務老師，每年不辭辛苦，並絞盡腦汁，搜羅各種題目，舉辦如此意義深遠的活動，讓海外的青少年能夠承先啟後，繼往開來，傳承中國文化。這種飲水思源，把教育往下紮根的務實精神，與上人創辦教育的理念不謀而合，男女校將會全力支持學生參與學習。
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The annual Northern California Chinese Culture Competition was held at 1:30 p.m.on Saturday, May 7, at the Calvary Assembly Church in Milpitas. There were eleven teams, which competed in three groups (A, B, and C) in the first round. The top two teams from each group, a total of six teams, entered the second round, where they competed into two groups. The top two teams from each of thse groups would compete in the finals. Any team that lost in the first two rounds would drop out of the competition. In this intense and rather nerve-wracking competition, the Boys and Girls Schools’ teams both made it to the finals, where the Girls School took second place and the Boys School came in fourth.
During the first round, the Boys and Girls Schools competed against each other in group C, which was not quite a fair arrangement. However, the students remained cool-headed and took turns getting the answers, not allowing the other teams to score any points. The Boys School came in first, and the Girls School second. After drawing lots for the second round, the Boys and Girls Schools were again in the same group. After a tense competition, the Girls School placed first, and the Boys School placed second. Upon realizing that they had won the second round, everyone heaved a sigh a relief. But as the four top teams began the final round, the pressure mounted once again. The Boys School team, due to some tricky questions, did not perform as well as they could have. The Girls School competed fiercely and took second place, just as they had done so last year. All of the top four teams are eligible to represent Northern California in the national competition sponsored by the National Association of Chinese Schools.
Since the Boys and Girls Schools had placed first and second in the northern California competition and third and fourth in the national competition, the students on those teams were ineligible to compete in this year’s competition. Moreover, students must have enrolled in school for six consecutive years in the U.S. to qualify. For such a small school as ours, it is quite difficult to find enough students who are both strong in Chinese and meet the requirements, to go to the competition. From the competition this time, however, the positive effects are obvious. In a short period of time, our students’ Chinese abilities and understanding of Chinese culture swiftly improved.
The percentage of students at the Boys and Girls Schools who are born and raised in the U.S. has been increasing each year. Although parents care about their children’s Chinese education, their children are accustomed to using English and are not that interested in learning Chinese. Chinese teachers have to exert their utmost effort in teaching Chinese, yet do not always get good results. The Jeopardy-like Chinese competition is both intense and exciting, and the questions cover just about everything, imperceptibly stimulating students’ latent abilities and interest in learning Chinese. As long as the teacher guides them along, he or she will see immediate results.
This year, the Girls School’s team included an Euro-American student, an unprecedented first in the history of the Chinese culture competition. This student, who has been studying Chinese and living at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas for nearly five years, was able to understand the questions, which so amazed the president of the Association of Northern California Chinese Schools that he asked to interview her.
Last semester, a parent complained to the Boys School that although her son had been studying Chinese for three years, he had not made any progress. This time, she witnessed how her son calmly answered the questions during the competition. In the first round, no matter what the question was about, he gave his opponents no chance to answer. His outstanding performance filled her with happiness. After the competition, she said to her son’s teachers, “You teachers have taught him well!”
California has many enthusiastic volunteer teachers who spend their time and energy to come up with a wide variety of questions in order to hold his meaningful activity, allowing overseas youth of Chinese descent to learn about their heritage and pass on the Chinese culture. This down-to-earth spirit of remembering our roots and laying the foundation for education tallies with the Venerable Master’s educational ideals. Thus the Boys and Girls Schools will continue to fully support students to learn and participate in this activity.
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