The month of June saw the end to a year of mourning for our beloved Lama
On May 23, during ས་ག་ཟླ་བ (Saga Dawa), the fourth month of the Tibetan calendar, which is the most auspicious and significant time of the year, our students from grades 8, 9, and 10 of SMD, along with school monks, nuns, teachers, seniors, and staff, traveled to Namo Buddha to commemorate the first anniversary of our kind Root Guru’s Parinirvana. We received blessings from Tulku Damcho Rinpoche and paid respects to the lifelike statue of our Tsawe Lama.
In the dining hall, everyone chanted prayers, including Marpa’s Guru Yoga, with a deep longing for the swift return of our Root Guru for the benefit of all beings.
L-R: Lama Karma Tsewang, Our Principal, Dr. Karma Sangb and our Monk Teachers
Lama Karma Tsewang visited us from Taipei and gave Dharma talks
On June 5th, Lama Karma Tsewang, Thrangu Rinpoche’s lama from the Taipei Vajra Vidya Buddhist Centre, taught the Dharma class.
Lama-la reminded everyone not to forget SMD and our Root Guru, Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche. He also advised everyone to study diligently while we have the opportunity, emphasizing the importance of education in today’s world.
Lama Karma Tsewang shared his own story. Born in Nubri, in the mountains of Nepal, he did not have the chance to le
arn three languages as the SMDers do. When he went to Taipei, he spoke only the Nubri dialect and classical Tibetan. Nowadays, he can speak a little Nepali. The students were moved by Lama Karma Tsewang’s teaching.
Our recent graduates of SEE participating in the workshop
We offered three days of inspiration for our Grades 11 and 12 students.
Speakers included Mr. Mahesh Dahal, the former ambassador to Australia. One of Mr. Dahal’s quotes that the students loved was, “The mind is like a parachute. It only works if it’s open.” His talk was energizing and encouraging for the SMDers.
Mr. Krishna Gautam, the Campus Chief, highlighted the various career options available in the streams offered in Grades 11 and 12: Science, Humanities, Buddhist Studies, Business, and Computer Science. He advised everyone to choose their educational stream with their future goals in mind.
Indy, the Director of EduLift, organized several activities focused on creating self-awareness. She noted that while self-reflection is not commonly practiced in Nepal, it is essential for future planning. She also emphasized the importance of keeping our goals and Rinpoche’s aims in mind, no matter where we are or what we are doing. The final activity involved identifying problems faced by our villages, brainstorming solutions, and presenting these ideas to the wider group.
Students and ECO Club members cleaning the school area during World Environment Day
World Environment Day: A Call to Action for a Sustainable Future
World Environment Day is celebrated annually on June 5 and encourages awareness and action for the protection of the environment. During the World Environment Day, Our Eco-club organized a cleaning program led by the two Hostel Heads, Lhakpa Tsewang and Nelha Sangmo.
Students were divided into two groups. One group went outside the campus to collect trash and sweep the road near the school. The other group cleaned inside the school compound, removing unwanted grass to prevent mosquitoes from gathering. They undertook the challenging and unpleasant task of digging out the compost. After completing the cleaning, they transported the compost from the heap near the main gate to the girls’ hostel area, where they spread it on the plants and in the garden near the gateway.
Congratulations to all the Students on their outstanding performance In SEE 2080 B.S (2023-24)
Our students have demonstrated unwavering dedication, hard work, and perseverance, making their excepti iti onal performance a true testament to their abilities. Our school deeply cherishes this remarkable achievement, and we are filled with immense pride and admiration for their accomplishments
Our SEE result Chart and nine of our students who achieved A+
We are proud to announce that all 33 of our students who appeared in the national Secondary Education Examination (SEE) at the end of Grade 10 passed with flying colors. Notably, nine of our SMD students achieved a GPA of 3.60 or higher, equivalent to an A+ on the Nepali grading scale. Additionally, 21 students achieved an A grade, two students received a B+ grade, and one student attained a B grade.
To put this achievement into perspective, a total of 444,785 candidates appeared for the SEE exams this year, and only 47.86% managed to pass.
Deputy Mayor, Sunita Dongol Cutting the Ribbon during the opening ceremony.
Opening the Science Lab: Deputy Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Sunita Dongol Cuts the Ribbon
As the chief guest, Deputy Mayor of Kathmandu, Ms. Sunita Dangol, made the event successful with her warm presence. Our school principal gave a brief tour of the school, followed by a slideshow documentary about the founder of our school and some of the educational activities and dharma practices happening inside the school.
On behalf of the school, Principal Acharya Karma Sangbo and Shirley Blair presented the chief guest with a token of love and a framed photo of Thrangu Rinpoche. We also want to thank Mr. Dharma Dangol, and Mr. Yagya Bahadur Gurung for their contribution in refurbishing our science lab. Other guests included Dr. Ajaya Kranti Shakya, former minister of Bagmati, former SP Rajendra Gurung.
Lucy M. Gowdie, Head of School at Inter-Community School Zurich and Greg Vlasek, Board of Chair visited us
We are delighted to welcome Lucy M. Gowdie, Head of School, and Gregory Vlaskek, Chair of the Board, from the Inter-Community School Zurich.
Their visit meant a lot to us, and we truly value their contributions to our school. Their presence has strengthened the bonds of friendship and collaboration between our school and ICSZ. Their dedication has made a real difference in the lives of Himalayan children, and we are deeply thankful for their ongoing support. We are very grateful for the continuous support from the ICSZ family.
Graphics by Tenzin Norbu Lama, and Karma Tenjing Tamang, recipients of ICS scholarships to complete Grades 11 and 12 at Ullens School in Kathmandu. Both are passionate about graphics.
Climbing the Mountain Together: Read about the formalization of the ‘SAATHI-PROJECT’, ICSZ’s commitment to our school. https://www.icsz.ch/community-life/saathi-project
In case you missed it…
If you are coming to Kathmandu and you want to bring something for us, We Need:
* We need 2nd hand powerful laptops running Windows (so we can run power hungry apps like Photoshop
* Mosquito repellant, antibiotic and fungus cream,
* Book tape, Sharpies, BluTac
Pick up Books at our monastery in Vancouver: One of our sponsors donated a whole slew of books, carefully curated for SMDers. If you are in Vancouver and coming here, please stop by to pick up a few. The government of Nepal taxes all books published outside Nepal at 10%. We can no longer afford to have books sent to us.
Nepal Post Office is currently unable to process outgoing mail to different countries: While we understand the inconvenience this may cause, we want to assure you that all incoming mail services remain unaffected. The Nepal Post Office will continue to handle and deliver incoming mail from around the world without interruption. However, outgoing mail services to destinations outside of Nepal will be temporarily unavailable until further notice.
Here is the list of the country where outgoing mail is fine: Austria, Italy, United Kingdom, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, France, Netherlands, Spain, Finland, Switzerland, Sweden, Germany, United States, Qatar, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, South Korea, Thailand, Maldives
Join The SMD Family: Help us widen our impact on Social Media: Instagram | Linkedin (Shirley) | Facebook