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turning the
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siddhartha school project newsletter |
issue #5 |
december 2000 |
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Siddhartha School Picnic (return to index) "Today is a wonderful, joyous day" by Geshe Tsetan At the end of August, six teachers and classes one through four went for a picnic to the Opshi pashmina farm. Early in the morning, the children gathered at school with their lunch boxes. We had rented a bus and rode one hour and fifteen minutes to Opshi. On the way from school the children became excited and started singing many happy songs in English, Tibetan and Hindi. Among the English favorites were "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep" and the "Barney Song." They also sang "Tering Nyima Gyit Poi Shag," a Ladakhi song that means "Today is a wonderful, joyous day." On the way we stopped at two places. First we stopped in Chorlansa to buy necessities like chewing gum, juice and soda. Then before reaching Opshi, we stopped at a little store to buy snacks like bread, tea and cookies. We got to Opshi about mid-morning. Opshi is a government farm with beautiful gardens. One of the workers gave us cushions and a tent, where we enjoyed our tea and bread and a little bit rest. There we walked around the farm until lunchtime. After lunch we walked along a path a mile or two through the trees to the farmhouse. The children enjoyed climbing trees and playing in the grass, hiding between trees and in the grass and trying to chase each other - some singing, some dancing, some playing. I tried to explain to the children how the place looked before-when I was traveling through Tibet in 1952. It was barren, no trees growing, just stones, like a desert. Now everything grows. There are flowers, trees, and streams. Everything the government made valuable this place. Then after that we came back to the place where there was a pond. Many of the children wanted to swim. The water was too cold for me, but they enjoyed it. All the teachers and students enjoyed the day there. Around two o’clock we began our bus trip hack to the school. We stopped at Stakna Project electric generating station. I showed the children how the electricity is produced, how the electric system works. This was for their science class. They got an idea where the electricity comes from, what makes run this machine, the waterfall causing the generators to turn. Afterward, we stopped by an open field. There the children played basketball
and football and flew kites. We went next to the Indus River where the teachers brought out cookies and orange juice for the children to eat. Then back to home, get there around seven o’clock in the evening. Everyone enjoyed the day and learned a lot about pashmina farming, electricity, and the value of development. SSP News Briefs (return to index) Classroom Dedicated in Memory of SSP Friend A classroom will soon be dedicated to John Bernotavicz of Maine, who passed away recently. John’s dying wish was that his friends and family donate to Siddhartha School. More than $5,000 has been received in memory of John Bernotavicz. Even his passing has not stopped this generous friend from helping others. ***** Hepatitis B Vaccination In June, Dr. Guenther Koke, Mrs. Ursula Erny, and Dr. Neugebauer brought vitamins and medical supplies for the school. Drs. Koke and Neugebauer administered Hepatitis B vaccine to both students and staff. Siddhartha School is extremely grateful for the selfless work of these very special volunteers. ***** Tanker Saves Trees Last summer during the dry season the Indian government delivered a free tanker of water every week. In addition to providing water for people and saving the trees lovingly planted by teachers and parents, the tanker enabled the construction crew to mix the mud that serves as cement for the sun-dried bricks used in the school’s buildings. ***** New Faculty Members Two new teachers joined the faculty. Deschen Palmo will be teaching Hindi and Dawa Doma will teach Bodhi (Classical Tibetan) beginning in the spring. What makes Siddhartha School special? (return to index)
Tsewang Dorjay familiarity with the children, the curriculum and the community as well as his personal involvement in the preservation of the Ladakhi culture, make him a valuable asset to Siddhartha School. But perhaps the greatest quality of Tsewang Dorjay is his great love for the children and the warm and close relationships he has built over the years with his students ‘families. Following are some of Tsewang Dorjay thoughts about Siddhartha School. To be quite honest, I find it rather difficult to write about how special Siddhartha School is to me. The time I have spent with Siddhartha School cannot be shared as a mere teaching experience; rather, I would
say it has become part of my life. We deeply feel and want our children to see service to the community as their highest life problem We want our children to excel in the modem way of education, while at the same time realizing and respecting the importance of the years-old culture and traditional values of their native land. But such individuals are not formed by what is heard, said and learned, but by labor, activity and actual performance. This is a method of teaching that we here at Siddhartha School apply in bringing up our children, where they are urged to actual performance. 1 feel this is something that places us above the common herd. For all of us here, the most important motive for work at Siddhartha School is the pleasure in work, pleasure in its results, which we can see on the smiling faces of these children. Pleasure is the reason they give for coming to school. It is why they show eagerness to learn and have fun at school. Today, being at Siddhartha School, we all share the common aim that our little children leave the school as a harmonious personality, and not as a specialist. It seems for us that the wit was not wrong who defined education in this way: “Education is that which remains, if one has forgotten everything learned in school.” At Parents’ Day 2000 dignitaries
(return to index) by Geshe Tsetan In India, it is customary to invite dignitaries to Parents’ Day
celebrations. Siddhartha School To begin the program, I gave a short history of the school and my plans for the future. Then the head teacher and principal gave short lectures about how the children are doing, and how important it is for the parents to be involved in the school. The children then began their program. Each class gave a performance. The Nursery Class sang a Tibetan song that teaches the honorific names for parts of the body. Lower Kindergarten danced and sang a Hindi song. Upper Kindergarten played a Hindi song using various rhythm instruments donated by Asha Jagerson, a French friend of the Siddhartha School. First Grade performed a line dance. Second Grade dressed in traditional Tibetan costumes and performed a Tibetan song and dance. Third Grade sang an English song. Wearing white T-shirts and black pants, and with painted faces and balloon headdresses, Fourth Grade performed a dance inspired by Western ballet. Each class did very well. For this Parents’ Day, the children made special decorations for the classrooms. After lunch and tea, the parents went to the classrooms to admire the decorations. They also spent some time talking with the teachers. After the parents talked to the teachers individually, we had a big meeting. Teachers and parents talked freely, sharing their ideas about the school—their criticisms, and advice. Some of the parents were concerned about the study of Tibetan— the problems arising from the differences between the Ladakhi dialect and the Tibetan spoken by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. They expressed the need to balance the teaching of the Ladakhi dialect with the study of Tibetan. However most of the comments were about the need for a school bus. The parents were concerned about the children, some as young as nursery-school age, ‘walking two or three kilometers to and from school. We assured the parents that, we are continuing to work to raise funds for the bus, and are putting all our best efforts toward solving this important problem. The meeting went very well and the day was wonderful. The teachers and parents liked the idea of not having special guests. We all had much more opportunity for conversation and spent time getting to know each other. That was the real purpose of the day. Siddhartha School is
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Thanks to you, our donors, Siddhartha School is growing stronger every
year; adding more teachers, more facilities and, of course, more students.
One hundred and six children in seven classes are We wish every person who has contributed to this effort could see the pride the children nave in their accomplishments and the warmth of their relationships with their teachers. Though the Siddhartha School is far from finished, it’s a good time to look back over the past six years and realize how far we’vet come. 1992-93 In 1992 only about seven percent of tenth grade students in Ladakh were able to pass the national proficiency programs. Geshe Tsetan received money from the United Nations to help pay for tutoring of the children of Stok during the winter vacation period. However, Geshe-la soon realized, that tutoring did not address the more basic problem—the inadequacy of the education the children were receiving during the school year. 1994 Geshe Tsetan shared his concern about the problems of education in Ladakh with one of his former Smith College students, Laura Kogonis, then at Harvard University. He told her of his visit to a public school in the village of Stok where he had been shocked to discover that sixth graders were unable to write their own names. Geshe-la knew then he wanted to open a private school, but felt unable to handle all the grant applications and fundraising that would be required. Laura offered her assistance and with the help of fellow Harvard classmates, Sonya Rhie and Gray Tuttle, the board of the Siddhartha School Project (SSP) was formed. 1995 Siddhartha School enrolled its first class of 25 children, ages 3-1/2 and 4. Although 40 acres of land had been donated by the community, nothing had yet been built. After the June 1 opening ceremony, led by dignitaries Prince Thupten Tsewang and Princess Sarla of Ladakh, classes began in a rented house in Stok. Tsewang Dorjay, who today serves as principal, taught the children the English and Hindi alphabets, simple songs, and how to count to 50 in Tibetan, Hindi and English. The children quickly adjusted to the school routine. 1995 also saw the rapid growth of an infrastructure to support the fledgling school. SSP was granted nonprofit status under the umbrella of Friends of Tibetan Women’s Association (FOTWA) and the Siddhartha Cultural and Welfare Society. A Ladakhi board of prominent community members was established to guide the school’s development. It was also in 1995 that Uschi Erny, a German marketing executive, visited Ladakh and saw the school for the first time. She would become instrumental in founding a support organization in Munich and in bringing her friend, Dr. Heinz-Guenther Koke to Stok to develop a health care program for the school. 1996 Math teacher Tsering Dolkar joined the faculty. Seventeen new students began Nursery School. The school hired Padma Dorjay were still being held in the rented house, but in May 1996, construction began on three classrooms on the site which is now Siddhartha School. Geshe-la arrived in Ladakh in June 1996 with news that His Holiness the Dalai Lama had named him abbot of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in South India. Concerned that his new responsibilities would interfere with his leadership of the school, Geshe-la met with His Holiness on September 4 to ask whether he should take up the abbotship or continue to focus full-time on the school. His Holiness gave his full support to the school project, donating 50,000 rupees and a new thanka to the school. Shortly thereafter, construction of the classrooms was completed, and on November 1, 1996, students and teachers moved into the new buildings. Siddhartha School parents and family members spent two days clearing away the many stones that covered the 40 acres of land the school had acquired, making possible the planting of grass and trees to beautify the children’s learning environment. Sarah Lukas donated the school’s first computer and Sarah Noetzli trained the staff in its use. 1997 Siddhartha School welcomed T.N. Vivek, who taught social studies for one year before going on to serve as principal. A new Nursery class was also added. With only three rooms and three classes, the school secretary Padma Dorjay, worked in an area curtained off from one of the classrooms. 1998 A new Hindi teacher was hired and work began on two new classrooms. The school also added a second computer, a donation from Bill Kite. The high point of 1998 was a visit by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who blessed the school. His Holiness also donated 50,000 rupees and a thanka. Siddhartha School was the only school in Ladakh honored by a visit from His Holiness and the villagers of Stok will remember the auspicious occasion for years to come. 1999 The organization Building With Books came to Siddhartha School and built two new classrooms. The construction begun in 1998 was completed, bringing to four the number of classrooms completed. A wall was built around the classroom blocks and trees were planted. Two additional computers were donated by Bill Kite—one for the school and one for Geshe-la’s personal use, creating a dependable communication link between Geshe-la, the school, and the growing network of volunteers in the United States and Germany. Three new teachers joined the faculty. 2000 The year 2000 was the best year yet. Not only were a classroom and a library built, but much work was done on the school grounds. The earth around the school was leveled and teachers planted fruit trees as well as willow cuttings donated by the students’ parents. The school acquired a van thanks to the generous donations of our friends in Germany. Siddhartha School also received a $3,600 grant from the Cottonwood Foundation to help with the construction of the new library. School bus tops
the list of (return to index) Why do we need a school bus? The answer is obvious—the children. Did you know that many of Siddhartha School’s children must walk long distances to get to school, and parents often cannot accompany them? Fortunately Stok is a very safe place where everyone looks out for
the children. But imagine a three or four-year-old child walking two
miles alone over rocky, mountainous terrain, often in inclement weather. We are so proud of the great effort our children make to get to school, but would much rather see that energy go into their studies. The extremes of temperature in winter and summer can be brutal in Ladakh. With few trees to provide shelter from dust and wind, or protection from hot summer sun, it is a hardship for the children to be exposed to the elements. Their studies often suffer because many students miss precious school days due to illnesses resulting from fatigue and exposure. Not only would a school bus make the children’s trip to school safe and easy, it would help improve their learning in other, less obvious ways. Without transportation for the children, teachers are reluctant to assign homework, knowing how far the children must walk carrying heavy book bags. Also, most of Siddhartha School’s teachers live in Leh and rely on public transportation to get to and from school. Because the last bus leaves Stok at 3 p.m., teachers cannot remain after school to prepare for special events or to tutor children who are having trouble in class. Supervised homework sessions after school would enable the children to get the specialized help they can’t get at home. The cost of a school bus is about 800,000 rupees. That’s approximately $17,750 at today’s exchange rate. Now that so much construction has been completed and the school’s donor base has grown, we’re hoping this important acquisition will be possible. Won’t you please help? You can help support the completion
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To support the long-term sustainability of SSP, Geshe Tsetan has requested that a film be made so that he will have an effective, long-lasting fund-raising tool to show potential donors interested in children’s issues and Himalayan cultures. Through the use of this film, he and SSP supporters will be able to present a far more personal and vivid case for financial support. To that end, I have volunteered to review existing SSP footage, shoot additional, and create a short documentary of this incredible project. The exciting news is that we will have a rough cut for Geshe-la to review this coming May. We are seeking post-production funds now to complete the film. Although time is being donated, material costs will accrue and we do not want lack of hinds to delay completion! Final editing costs, copying tapes, layout and production of jacket covers, etc. will add up in this last stage. (In kind contributions for professional quality copying of the tapes or layout and production of jacket covers also would be welcome.) Small donations by many add up so don’t hesitate to invest even a little, if that is what you (an do. You can request to be a credited sponsor in the credits or an anonymous one. Consider contributing to this tool as a long-term investment, helping to create an income-gererating mechanism, which will directly benefit the children by increasing the sustainability of the school. If you wish to contribute to this exciting short documentary, which outlines Geshe Tsetan’s tremendously important vision for the school and potential resulting from this outstanding form of education—and reflects faces of the children, teachers, classroom activities, and lifestyles of the people—please earmark "Film Fund” in your contribution and send to: Siddhartha School Film Fund Feel free to contact me with any questions. Thank You For Your Generosity (return to index) Your gift makes miles and miles of smiles Siddhartha School has grown stronger each year. Its facilities now include eight classrooms, a library, an office and a lunchroom. Dedicated volunteers are working hard to keep stateside expenses low so the money you contribute can be sent directly to Ladakh. But as the school has grown, unfortunately so have expenses. As you know, each year a new classroom must be built to accommodate the incoming class and, in recent years, construction costs in India have risen annually by approximately 35 percent. As the children progress to higher grades, they will need a science lab and art studio capable of accommodating age-appropriate projects. This year funds are needed for teachers’ salaries, desks and furniture, a new classroom and library, school supplies, and basic operating expenses like heat and electricity. Most important, a school bus is urgently needed. Please consider making a donation to help meet this special need. Many donors choose to sponsor a child for thirty dollars a month. This is a wonderful way to help an individual child while at the same time helping Siddhartha School meet expenses. If you already sponsor a child, or donate in other ways, thank you for your continued support into the year 2001. If not, please consider sharing Siddhartha School with a friend or loved one. A gift in the name of a friend or family member in celebration of the Tibetan New Year is a wonderful way to bring this holiday into someone’s life. From everyone at Siddhartha School, many thanks, and Losarla Tashi Delek (Happy New Year)! Online donation/subscription form Many Thanks (return to index) Foundation 's Generosity Makes New Classroom and Library a Reality This year the Cottonwood Foundation gave $3,657 toward the building of a school library. With an additional $2,000 raised from individual donations, a two-room block was built. One room will serve as a classroom and the other as a library. Geshe-la and the Siddhartha School parents and staff would like to give their heartfelt thanks to the Cottonwood Foundation for it’s generosity, and to individual donors, like you, for your help in making the new facilities possible. The library and classroom are much needed additions to the new facilities. Generous Donors Make Music At Siddhartha School This year on Parents’ Day, the audience got a special treat when students in the Upper Kindergarten Class played musical instruments to accompany their song. In addition to the 10 small xylophones, a ukulele, two triangles and two “tumbles’ (rhythm instruments resembling maracas) donated by Asha Jagerson, a French friend of the school, the children played a bass drum and cymbals bought with money donated by Mrs. Uschi Erny and Schulproject Ladakh E.V. Index || SSP Home || Newsletters The Siddhartha School Project |
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Tsewang
Dorjay was recently appointed principal of Siddhartha School. T Dorjay
has been with the school since its first year He was born about 12 kilometers
from Stok in the village of Chede. After completing intermediate college
(equivalent to grades 11 and 12 in the American system), he returned
to Stok to teach Siddhartha School first nursery class. While teaching
full-time at Siddhartha School, Tsewang Dorjay completed his university
degree. He obtained the highest ranking of any candidate in Ladakh on
the national exams.