The Unimagined Cheerleading Spirit
This is not the kind of documentary on cheerleading you would expect. Rather than impressive dance routines, you are to be touched by genuine inclusiveness. Rather than spectacular stunts, you are to be awed by perseverance despite difficulties. In 1989, Professor Wu Shwu Mey, a pioneering Taiwanese educator, implemented the very first inclusion program in Taiwan, where one-third of the students in each class were with exceptional needs. In 1999 the program began an annual tradition of cheerleading contest, which was not only rarely-seen at the level of elementary school but also unheard of for such students. Whether with exceptional needs or not, every year students practiced and performed all together. At a young age, they showed invaluable determination and sportsmanship. The inclusion program was terminated in 2014 due to the government's policy change, but fortunately Professor Wu had documented these precious moments throughout the years. The film takes the viewer into the chirpy world of these school kids as they learn to respect, cooperate, and give support, fulfilling the kind of cheerleading spirit that was unimagined before.
This is not the kind of documentary on cheerleading you would expect. Rather than impressive dance routines, you are to be touched by genuine inclusiveness. Rather than spectacular stunts, you are to be awed by perseverance despite difficulties. In 1989, Professor Wu Shwu Mey, a pioneering Taiwanese educator, implemented the very first inclusion program in Taiwan, where one-third of the students in each class were with exceptional needs. In 1999 the program began an annual tradition of cheerleading contest, which was not only rarely-seen at the level of elementary school but also unheard of for such students. Whether with exceptional needs or not, every year students practiced and performed all together. At a young age, they showed invaluable determination and sportsmanship. The inclusion program was terminated in 2014 due to the government's policy change, but fortunately Professor Wu had documented these precious moments throughout the years. The film takes the viewer into the chirpy world of these school kids as they learn to respect, cooperate, and give support, fulfilling the kind of cheerleading spirit that was unimagined before.
