Thanks to Heartland Academy, Two Dozen SMD Students Completed High School
Heartland Academy (HA) in Kathmandu provided scholarships for our SEE graduates for over three years. All our students who attended have expressed their gratitude. Our school also appreciates their support in providing scholarships. Thank you to the entire team at Heartland Academy.
Our senior administrators team visited Heartland Academy to express their deepest gratitude to Mr. Goyala Singh (Principal) and Mr. Bhim Saud (Coordinator). We offered ‘khatas’ (Buddhist auspicious scarf) and gifts as a token of our appreciation and enjoyed a delicious lunch in the HA canteen, where HA students learn how to cook and become baristas.
Like SMD, Heartland is dedicated to service. Unlike most ‘plus twos,’ they are not profit-motivated. Heartland’s motto is “Creating Opportunities Through Education.” Education at HA is child-centered (all our students praised their teachers), and there is no discrimination based on gender, caste, language, or any other factor. This made our students feel at home.
Dawa Sangmo, one of our students who graduated from Heartland Academy shares her Thoughts
Dawa Sangmo Lama, graduated from Heartland Academy in 2023. She notes, “I feel so grateful that I got to complete my high school at Heartland Academy. Being a part of the Heartland family, I experienced so many things. Since I took the science faculty, I had the opportunity to learn every chapter both practically and theoretically. Performing experiments and playing with chemicals was my favorite part of high school. During those two years, I also made friends who became an essential part of my life. I greatly enjoyed learning, laughing, playing, going on picnics, educational tours, and much more. It was such a memorable chapter in the journey of my life.”
Dawa Sangmo (right) and Nyima Lhamo in group photo, 2nd from left
Another Licensed Health Assistant (Paramedic), Nyima Lhamo Lama
Nyima Lhamo Lama has just obtained her license to practice as a Health Assistant (HA), which means she can run a remote health post or, if she stays in the city, work in the Emergency Room supervising a crew of 8 to 10.
Nyima Lhamo and her friend Sangye Bhuti were in their village, Lhi, near the epicenter of the M7.8 earthquake in 2015. Both decided to pursue HA studies right after completing SEE (Grade 10). Nyima Lhamo is now taking 3 months to complete an equivalency course (Grade 11 + 12), which will leave the door open for higher education, should she decide to attend university.
Group Photos of Some of Our Junior Classes
Children’s Day at Shree Mangal Dvip Boarding School for Himalayan Children
We celebrated Children’s Day on September 14, as we are still within the second year since the passing of our beloved founder, Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche. We kept the National Children’s Day celebration light and brief. Overall, we focused on presenting programs and spent the day emphasizing how special and important children are, and the significance of their future.
Teachers Performing a short Drama during Children’s Day
One of the highlights of our celebration this year was a delightful play written and performed by our teachers—Short drama with a serious theme: the exodus of youth from Nepal, and the plight of those left behind, especially the elderly, particularly widows who are being abandoned and shuffled off to ashrams.
Inter-House Spelling Contest
This year’s Inter-House Spelling Competition: We conducted the inter-house spelling contest in three languages: Tibetan, Nepali, and English. We organize various competitions among the three houses to make the year more fun and memorable, while also helping students build important skills like teamwork, leadership, and problem-solving. These competitions sparks creativity, encouraged healthy rivalry, and gives students a chance to discover new talents outside of the classroom. Along the way, they learned how to work together, manage their time effectively, and think critically in different situations. Some of the competitions included on the yearly calendar are quiz, art, handwriting, debate, indoor games, and sports. For the junior classes, we conduct rhyme competitions and other academic competitions.
Thank You to the US SMD Alumni Association
The US SMD Alumni Association was founded to support SMD. Tsering Namgyal is the current head. After we put the word out that we needed a little help with a scholarship student’s air ticket, they swung into action, and hey presto! Tsering Dolkar’s ticket was taken care of. Tsering Namgyal requests all US-based SMDers to please join.
US SMD Alumni Association
E-mail: smdalumni1987@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smdalumnia
Special thanks to:
Tsewang Bhuti, Neelam Gurung, Sangita Rai, Phurbu Chodon, Tsering Namgyal, Lhundup Sherpa, Tashi Sherpa Bokchen, Maya Gurung, Kunlek Tenzin, Karma Wangyal Gurung, Tenzin Sangpo, Tsering Norbu, Dorjee Thinley, Dawa Dolma Sherpa, and Tenzin Sherpa.
COMING TO NEPAL FROM VANCOUVER?
Our friend Carol W. bought books for SMD. They are in the barn at our monastery waiting for people to collect 3 or 4 to bring when they come to Nepal. https://thrangumonastery.org Tel: +1 (778) 297-6010 (Closed Mondays).
Meet Phurbu Sangmo, one of our grade 11 Students
Phurbu Sangmo is one of our new Grade 11 day scholars. We have been inviting two students each day to have lunch in the Director’s Office to make friends, chat, tour the school, and learn why Thrangu Rinpoche opened this school—to help Himalayan children preserve their language, culture, and Buddhist way of life.
Phurbu Sangmo with her note about SMD
Sixteen Grade 11 students need sponsors. They are all day scholars. For more information, please contact Shirley (school director and fundraiser) at himalayanchildren@gmail.com.
THRANGU RINPOCHE’S DHARMA CENTRE IN THE NL HAS MOVED
Noorderhavenstraat 211, 7202 DD, Zutphen, The Netherlands
elephone: 0031 (0)611533487
Email: info@vajravidya.nl or nalanda@kpnmail.nl | Website: https://www.vajravidya.nl/
Connect with us on our LinkedIn page
Dear Friends and Alumni,
We are pleased to announce that our school is now on LinkedIn! This platform will allow us to share updates about our achievements, events, and opportunities within our community.
We invite you to connect with us and engage in our journey. Your support means a lot to us, and we look forward to building a strong network together. Once again, thank you for your continued support and help.
Thank you for being a part of our family!
The Dashain Break is Approaching – Dashain also known as Vijaya Dashami, is one of the most significant Hindu festivals and one of fall harvest festivals celebrated throughout Nepal. It is a Hindu festival when families gather, similar to how Christmas functions in the West (everything shuts down). Like Christmas, some cultural aspects permeate Nepali society during this time. A lot of sugar is needed for pastries like ‘sel roti’. Many of our staff celebrates Dashain, so we always have a fall break; this year, it will be from October 3rd to 16th. We want to wish all our friends and staff who celebrate Dashain a very happy Dashain! May it bring peace, love, and happiness to your families.
Gouging is a way of Life here – Domestic airlines have raised fares by 68% for Dashain. There is a fake shortage of sugar, and there will be a fake shortage of butter just before Losar (Tibetan New Year).