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Acknowledging the important role of the children’s families and the sacrifices they make, the School Sponsorship Program collaborates with parents to support student success.
This year both schools continued to develop the many new initiatives begun last year. All of the programs focus on social-emotional-spiritual development, as well as on academic achievement. This has required moving away from traditional rote learning, something that the government of India has endorsed wholeheartedly.
Joyful Learning
Joyful Learning is in its second year. There are now two Joyful Learning classrooms at the elementary school: Kindergarten and Junior Kindergarten. Parents and students alike are very happy with this approach to learning as evidenced by the growing enrollment.
Activity-Based Learning (ABL)
Last year, the staff identified about 30 students in 3rd through 5th grades who were struggling academically, especially in Math and English. Two Activity-Based Learning classrooms were created (one at each school) to offer these students more hands-on learning opportunities. Students in the ABL classes performed very well on their final assessments in five subject areas in April 2024, confirming the effectiveness of activity-based learning methods. For this school year, 18 students from the SRM school and 16 students from the SSA school have been identified as candidates for ABL classes.
The Art of Learning
Most of the students at the Sri Ramana School are from rural backgrounds and often are the first in their families to receive a high quality education. To foster good learning habits, a supervised study program was started this year. Students in the 10th and 12th grades sit down to study in the Multi-Purpose Room at the Sri Ramana School for an hour each morning. Teachers are available to answer questions and coach students on how to work through difficulties.
Well Being
Teachers can take yoga lessons every Saturday morning for 45 minutes, followed by a bhajan session where they sing in unison. Every Saturday evening, teachers go to Appa’s Sannithi for meditation. Many teachers have shared the positive benefits they receive from this practice. Yoga, Meditation, Bhajan singing and Ethics lessons are an integral part of the curriculum at both schools. The children at both schools love Yoga and sing bhajans with great joy, fostering a positive atmosphere
The need for a school lunch program became clear after an assessment of height and weight determined that many students were underweight.
School Lunch
The school lunch program came about after an assessment of height and weight determined that many students were underweight. During the 2023-24 school year, 63,500 nutritious lunches were served, with meals consisting of rice, fresh vegetable, legumes and soy chunks. The lunches are made from scratch daily in a central kitchen. Soy chunks were recently added to the meals to boost the protein content without changing the flavor. The school lunch is free for all students who receive it (sponsor students and those from families with very low income).
The Aruna Partnership School Sponsorship Program has a strong record of success and takes a unique approach, committing to each sponsored student for 10 years. 100% graduate from high school and a high percentage go on to vocational skill training or college.
More than 40% of the students at each school are sponsored.
Weekend Computer Workshop
Youth unemployment is a major challenge in India, where a quarter of the population is under 27 years of age. The selection process for Shanthimalai’s Skill Development Program (SSDP) is based on criteria such as family need, motivation, individual interests, commitment, and academic performance.
Building close relationships with neighboring universities and companies is of utmost importance for the success of SSDP because there are no functioning employment agencies in this region. Dr. T. S. Sudha, manager of the program, recently visited more than 20 colleges in the district in an effort to understand educational requirements in the job market and to develop closer ties with neighboring colleges.
“In general, high school graduates still lack sufficient knowledge in the areas of application software, communication, personal development and teamwork. We are working on these in small groups over 80 hours throughout the year,” says Dr. Ganesh, the head of education at Shanthimalai.
Despite the challenges of traveling to remote locations, a team conducted home visits for all SSDP applicants to verify their living conditions and assess their economic status. These visits were completed on September 3rd.
SSDP recently organized a Career Guidance Workshop for outgoing students in grades 10 and 12 and their parents. Because most parents do not receive pensions, they are dependent on their children’s earnings. Frequently they have impossibly unrealistic hopes for the training program. To address this, presentations emphasized the importance of making informed career choices and outlined various opportunities that open up after grade 12. The SSDP team also provided advice about aptitude tests for career entry options in business and administration.
For the 2024-25 school year, 26 students are attending college through the Aruna Partnership SSDP Program.
Shanthi and Radikha became close friends working together at Premalaya Handicrafts.
The Mangalam Project for Widows is a program for previously destitute women of working age that addresses all aspects of their lives including work, home life, health, and education. The project also offers end-of-life care to elderly women who have been abandoned. The Widows Project rebuilds housing that has burned down or is uninhabitable, donates goats and cows that provide a livelihood for widows and their families, and helps with transportation needs so people can get to work.
Many women are offered work as artisans at Premalaya Handicrafts Trust where they become part of a warm and welcoming community of women who had previously been discriminated against in their villages simply because they are widows.
Funds were raised for a new computer center on the Om Shanthi grounds. The center will provide basic computer training for the widows’ children and will also be open to poor children in the immediate area.
This year Manglam helped approximately 210 young widows and 190 children who are studying at elementary and high school, college, and medical school.
The Home, supported by the Mangalam Widows Project, provides refuge for elderly abandoned widows in an assisted living, end-of-life community.
Mother and daughter, Rukmani (101 years) and Kalaiselvi (85 years), both reside in the Om Shanthi Home.
The routines of the aging women in the Om Shanthi Home are well-established now. Each day the women get up around 5 am, wash, offer puja, and have breakfast. They have lively conversations with one another, play games, and enjoy doing art projects. They do their own laundry.
The women are thriving and are almost always smiling and happy to see visitors! Various activities throughout the week include yoga, bhajans (singing), daily walks, and art and craft projects.
The Om Shanthi Home includes several buildings now: the original Om Shanthi Home, the Florence Home, the Kati Home and 4 apartments above the newer buildings (Florence Home and Kati Home). The apartments are rented throughout the year. This income goes toward improvements such as the recent kitchen expansion.
Seven female staff members, widows themselves, care for the residents full-time. They do the cleaning and cooking, working day and night shifts with Kodimalli as their capable and caring manager. The staff routinely updates Mr. Manorhan on the well-being of every resident when he visits each day. 25 elderly widows reside at Om Shanthi Home this year. The oldest is 102. Her 86 year old daughter lives with her in the Home.
Many visitors come to be with the widows and to participate in the activities which usually include afternoon tea and sometimes cookies and games. Some enjoy sitting on the floor to play Parcheesi, a form of the game “Pachisi” which originated in Medieval India around 1100-800 BC.
An Integrated Model
Shanthimalai’s Environmental Center explores innovative organic technologies through a number of integrated projects and hosts training workshops for students, local farmers, and interested government officials. All of the projects described below are part of Shanthimalai’s approach to working on issues of critical importance in learning to care more responsibly for our planet.
Girivalam Seva:
Workers from the Environmental Center clean the street and sidewalk, and empty and maintain the monkey-proof trash cans along a portion of the Girivalam road, which circumambulates the holy mountain of Arunachala. The cleanliness is amazing given the thousands of pilgrims coming each day from all over the world. A gazebo on the Environmental Center Land provides a pleasant place for the workers to rest and have lunch.
An ecological farm on 22 acres of previously abandoned land includes:
The Star Forest is a magical place for everyone to enjoy: The forest is planted in three concentric rings of trees. Trees in the innermost ring represent the 9 planets. Trees in the second ring signifiy each of the 12 zodiac signs. The 27 trees in the third ring correspond to the main constellations. These 48 trees (9+12+27) form a harmonious mandala with pathways and steps connecting the entire layout. At the centre of the circle is a Lingam known as Sarvesvara, which represents Lord Shiva, the Lord of all planets.
The Nataraja Eco-Friendly Model House provides income and reflects Shanthimalai’s commitment to sustainable living, serving as a model for building similar units:
The Green Earth Mission: 20,000 young plants are gradually being planted by school groups. After each tree is planted, it is watered, given an elaborate blessing, and fenced to prevent deer and monkey damage. Students then go the AppaAmma Educational Center for environmental studies.
Visiting school groups are are planting the 20,000 saplings that were grown on the farm. Each tree is watered, given an elaborate blessing, and fenced to prevent deer and monkey damage.
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