Ebenezer School Activity Report February 2020
There has been many great things taking place the past months. The kids were blessed to receive winter uniforms for the cold season, Christmas was celebrated with staff and friends of the school, and the Big Annual Sports Event took place in November.
The teaching staff are currently busy with the educational activities in the school. The Annual Examinations are coming up, and the Question Papers are being put together in the best possible way so also the weaker students will be able to show what they have learned in the previous period. This requires a lot of work both by the teachers themselves and the Examination Committee. Next to this the teachers are also doing a ‘Home Analysis’ meaning the teachers are working specifically with the students below the average level in their class to help them grow. This requires a lot of time and patience as dealing with parents or guardians of the kids aren’t always easy. This is also done outside of school hours giving the teachers very full days of work. But as a school we truly want to help the weaker kids to at least pass all their classes, and thus Home Analysis is of high importance to us.
Winter uniforms
Due to the climatic changes taking place in different parts of the globe, there has been a drastic change in climatic conditions here in India too. As the month of December began, we could feel the urgency to provide the school children with Winter Uniforms as the temperatures began to drop. The kids were given warm uniforms and shoes and the teachers are making sure the kids wear warm clothes every day so not to get sick. The parents too were very grateful and happy for the clothes provided from our supporters. Many parents visited the school and told the Headmaster to send their regards and thanks to the people in Norway.
Christmas lunch
By the end of the year Christmas can be seen and felt many places. But Karwi has a small population of christians, and thus not much of a Christmas celebration. Ebenezer School made a Christmas Lunch for Staff and friends as a way of bringing the good news of hope and salvation. People gathered in the afternoon of Christmas Eve. It started with the story of Jesus being born - God incarnated to save humans. Many of the people, specially the non-christians found it hard to understand that God incarnated had to die. Reading John 3:16 explaining that the reason for the cross was God’s love, brought a deep silence and wonder to the room. The Headmaster song the Hymn The Love Of God Is Greater Far Than Any Man Can Ever Tell before moving outside to eat. After the meal Santa Claus dropped by with loud cheers and presents for all. The Headmaster explained the relevance of Santa Claus and the fun behind him. Then the party and dancing lasted until late night.
Annual Sports Event
Ebenezer believes in physical activity next to good education. This is also an arena for kids possessing sports skills and being weaker in educational skills to excel in a particular field. Past years have shown that the weaker students are more vulnerable to dropping out. This made us bring sports into the school curriculum and having an annual Sports Event. In the beginning of the semester the 500 children and staff were divided into four groups. The group leaders are responsible for making teams for the different disciplines and preparing them for the Grand Finale. The kids are very excited and do their best to become part of a team. The disciplines vary from sprinting, jumping and sack race to Badminton and Cricket. There are so many of them we need to start some of the heats and finals needs to take place before the Final day. In order to also include the kids who are not strong in sports, we decided to add disciplines like Rangoli Decoration, Spelling and Geography. Rangoli Decoration is a form of Indian Art where powder colors are used for drawing on the floor.
This year the Grand Finale had to be postponed a week as the State Government announced a public holiday for the schools as a precautionary act due to announcing it's verdict on a very sensitive and prolonged issue; The Ram Temple and Muslim Mosque conflict which has caused bitter fights between the Hindu and the Muslim community. But eventually the campus was cleaned and decorated for the Grand Finale. The kids showed up earlier than usual, full of excitement. The Chief Guest of the year, Dr. Vishnu Dutt Budhwalia, released some colorful ballons in the air to announce to the whole city that the Annual Sports has started. The Winner from last year ran around the field with a lit torch to bind the participants in the Spirit og Unity and Integrity. After a long day the last event of the day was the Tug of war. The winning team decided to do a last round against the teaching staff. In the end the Staff decided to let the children win, sparking great joy and excitement from all of the kids. All the winners received a certificate and a prize, and the day ended with singing the Indian National Anthem and a prayer of thanks to the Almighty God.
