Graduating students from Taoyuan's Houcuo Elementary School made a bicycle tour of 13 fellow elementary schools in the city ahead of a final round-the-island ride before the school is decommissioned at the end of the school year.
Speaking to CNA on Sunday, the school's principal Wang Chien-hsing (???) said the Christmas ride was a warm-up to the graduating class's upcoming March ride around Taiwan.
Led by Wang, the school's class of '23 split into six groups on Sunday and visited the 13 districts of Taoyuan to visit 13 other elementary schools.
According to the principal, the peloton departed from Houcuo Elementary school at 8 a.m. and rendezvoused at around lunchtime to return to the school together.
Wang added that the school had also taken the students on a ride on Dec. 8 within the proximity of the city's Dayuan District, where Houcuo Elementary is located and where students had visited 12 elementary schools.
Wang also said following the Christmas Day event, the students who will embark on the graduation ride became more motivated and excited for their adventure in March.
Wang said the school's tradition of taking its graduating class on a round-the-island ride helped build character, independence, and problem-solving skills.
While the graduation ride around the island is a tradition of the Taoyuan school, the unique rite of passage will be a thing of the past after the 2023 ride, as the school will be decommissioned after the class of '23 graduates in the summer.
The school is one of four schools that will be decommissioned as they are located in the zones designated for the Taoyuan Aerotropolis project.
Wang said 16 of the 18 students in the class of '23 will embark on the final ride of Houcuo Elementary school, which has added stops on Caisancho Island and Xiaoliuqiu as part of a special itinerary.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel