Sri Ram Ashram 2021

Posted: May 9, 2021 | No Comments |
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Corey Mensinger

On Friday we went up to school early to speak to some of the kids at Sri Ram Ashram. The kids were in groups of about 2-3, while we were all on our own devices. After  getting settled, we split up into breakout rooms to have some discussions with the kids. The group I was in spent a lot of time focusing on what we do everyday, and after all the kids in my group spoke, it became clear just how much work they have. They spend most of their time each week working and studying, and they get almost no free time, even on the weekends. That’s something we take for granted here.  I was super impressed with the stuff they do. They were also very curious about our lives and some of the activities we do, and they also quizzed us on our memory of their names. This was something we struggled with, but it definitely made us bond with them and now I will not forget their names at all. To Neha, Madhu, Parama, and Kiran: I hope you guys are staying healthy and safe, and I hope to meet you in person one day.

Kira Kaplan

You grow up hearing about the transcendent experience everyone has after seeing Sri Ram Ashram. It’s this wonderful place connected to Mount Madonna’s history; it’s shrouded in mystery and excitement. I’m here to say that it’s every bit as magical as everyone says, and the people are just as powerful.

I have to admit, I was a little unsure about how the process would go. Interviewing via Zoom is one thing, but socializing and forming connections was another thing entirely. I know for a lot of kids, “breakout rooms” is a terrifying phrase that brings about long, awkward silences and scratchy audio due to Wi-Fi issues, but I was excited for the opportunity to chat one on one. While I will confess that my experience may not have been void of Zoom lags and delays, I can say confidently that there was no silence in sight. 

Paired along with Corey, we joined 5 bright young ladies for an exciting conversation that ranged anywhere from the subjects we were taking, to the parties we attended, to the places we wanted to travel—tours of Santa Cruz were promised to all the girls! I couldn’t help but be totally infatuated with their bright energy and bubbling curiosity. They were kind, and sweet, and happy, and beautiful! They were people who, despite the limited interaction we had together, seemed like close friends. 

Our time together went by too fast, and in all honesty I could’ve stayed and talked with them all day about anything and everything. While my experience of the Sri Ram Ashram was different in almost every way from the stories I grew up hearing, the interactions stayed true, filled with wonderful people from a wonderful place.

Savannah Cambell

Over the years growing up at Mount Madonna School, I have heard so much about Sri Ram Ashram. Even though I have never been there myself, I have grown up hearing stories of the ashram. It is like the children at the ashram are siblings as we both share a founding father, Babaji. I have sat through many assemblies listening to high school seniors share their adventures at the ashram and how that experience made them think about life differently. Knowing that I would have the opportunity to visit it as part of my senior high school year was one that I looked forward to and couldn’t wait until that day came.  However, COVID decided to interfere with plans for a trip to India, and my long-held dream to visit the ashram and meet the children there was swept away. But, as with any negative twist in life, it is what you make out of it, and our school stepped up to this challenge and found a way for us to still connect with our distant siblings at the ashram, without leaving our campus. 

Early Friday morning, we had the incredible opportunity to meet and speak with some of the kids from the Sri Ram Ashram. Each senior went in pairs to an assigned breakout room with some of the children from the Ashram. I was paired with my fellow senior Sarah Vince and a group of beautiful girls from the ashram. Most of these girls were the same age as Sarah and me, so it was easy to relate to them and find things to talk about. 

We jumped right in and started asking and talking away. Within minutes, it felt like we had known each other for years and this was just another catch-up session. It was so easy and comfortable to talk to these young women. Not only were they well-spoken, but their energy radiated through the computer and I felt like I could talk for hours.

One particular moment that really touched me was when we started talking about favorite artists/songs and their faces lit up. They knew all of the same songs that I love to sing along with and we started talking about our favorites. The next thing I knew, the girls started singing their favorite songs, and then all of us were singing on zoom. Keep in mind, I have never liked singing much but because of their joy and the fact that every time I would sing they would cheer me on, I just kept singing and loved every minute of it.  The girls had beautiful singing voices and were not afraid to sing loud and shine. They also started singing in Hindi and shared the songs they sing at the ashram. It was like I was experiencing the ashram and their culture at that very moment.

Singing then turned to dance as they started showing us new dances they learned at school or dances from music videos that they taught themself. They insisted on teaching Sarah and me their dances. For the rest of the breakout room, we were up out of our seats and being instructed on our dance moves. I was not expecting this zoom call to literally transport me into their culture. Seeing them dance and hearing them sing brought so much joy and love to my heart. It was the best morning I have experienced in a long, long time. It was the perfect way to end our virtual India journey. It wasn’t the trip to the ashram I had dreamed about for years, but it was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had. In the end, meeting these kids and talking to everyone we interviewed over the course of the week made me realize just how much I do want to travel to India one day, and will.

Pardada Pardadi School 2021

Posted: May 6, 2021 | No Comments |
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Savannah Cambell

We had the amazing opportunity to meet with some of the girls from Pardada Pardadi. Pardada Pardadi is an all-girls school in Uttar Pradesh, India. The mission of the school is to increase the attendance of girls in school and to help them complete school and college. This school has spent many years figuring out the best way to make school more accessible for families so as to increase the attendance and retention of female students. Part of their success is because they have created a system where the girls receive money that is deposited into an account every time they attend school. The girls then receive the money once they graduate.

On Thursday evening we were able to meet these young women within the comfort of our homes. We were split up into groups and started having some great conversations.  I met with three girls that shared their very high expectations and goals for themselves. They want to go far in school and know what they want to do with their life. They were so confident and driven, it was inspiring. They shared how they study constantly for school.  They wake up early to study and it is the last thing they do before going to bed. The girls in my group were bright, passionate, and dedicated to their education and future. When we went around asking what they like to do in their free time, they either said school or helping others. They were very genuine and kind. They always had a big smile and were eager to ask me about my life. You could tell they knew that school was an opportunity for a better life, and they were going to use it to the fullest.

Oliver Mensinger

On Thursday night, we had the opportunity to meet with students from Pardada Pardadi girls school. It wasn’t as nice as being able to fly to India and meet them in person, but it was nice to see them and hear from them. A lot of them shared interesting hobbies with us, like playing sports and traveling. The girls were eager to talk to us and we were just as eager to talk to them. I liked talking to them and if I get a chance to go see them in person (if and when this pandemic is over), I would gladly take that chance.

The girls that I talked with spoke about how they really wanted to help people. As someone who is looking into philanthropy, I really liked hearing that. We need people that want to help others, especially right now. Some of them wanted to participate in athletics and that is really cool to me. Some girls said that they want to go into engineering, a profession I also want to get into. The students I spoke with work very hard so that they can pursue their dreams in the future. That is very inspiring to me.

Sara Bautista

Our time speaking with the girls from Pardada Pardadi was an exciting change of pace from the more serious, and somewhat intense conversations we’d been having earlier that week. Instead of doing a lot of research into a person, we just asked questions to get to know them, and have a look into their lives.

I was in a group with Kira, Octavio, Minakshi, and Nahin. Although there were some technical issues, we prevailed! What struck me most was how dedicated Minakshi was to playing basketball. She said she spends around four hours a day. There were actually three national basketball champions on our zoom, her being one. When we talked about what a day in our lives looked like, I was surprised at just how much they study. I’ll admit to cramming for finals and procrastinating on some big projects, so I’ve spent a few days like that, but I can’t imagine that being the norm. Speaking with them encouraged me to examine the way I think about studying (and procrastinating). I enjoyed the small groups, and even though I was worried it might be awkward, it was a highlight of the “trip.” I spoke with a classmate, and we hoped for even more time in small groups for the next day’s Sri Ram Ashram zoom. 

After we got back in the main group I got to hear some other girls speak. I was surprised to hear that so many wanted to be engineers! Near the end of our time together, I asked them what made them happy or brought a smile to their face. Many of them said going to school. Because they aren’t going anymore, several noted that they missed the social and extracurricular (basketball) aspects of school. This year I’ve become more grateful for the ability to go to school. Seeing my friends and interacting with teachers feels like a treat compared to online learning. Because of the changes Covid has brought, I felt what they said much more deeply than I would have had this been a normal year.

Learnable Moments

Posted: April 29, 2020 | No Comments |
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By SN Ward Mailliard

Ward Mailliard

For three decades, the juniors and seniors of Mount Madonna School have traveled to Washington, D.C. every other year to interview government and non-government leaders. This rite of passage introduces our students directly to those who lead in the larger world. Now, for the first time since 1989, we will not be able to take this transformational journey. We all know the reasons. Every day since the necessary “shelter-in-place” changed the natural rhythms of our lives, most of us have experienced loss and limits on a personal level.

If we focus too much on the loss, which is quite real, it can lead to a sense of hopelessness and inertia. It is also unrealistic to think that we can magically recreate the same experience for the students in a stay-at-home world. These are historic times that, for better or worse, provide many unbidden “learnable moments” as we try to answer the question, “What will we do in our response to these inescapable moments of loss?”

As teachers, Shannon Kelly and I felt the only option was to try to find a way to move our interview program forward anyway, and redeem something from a disheartening turn of events by setting up virtual interviews. Would it work? Would people say ‘yes’? Would the students buy in? We can only know the answers by trying.

Some good things have happened on the way to our upcoming virtual journey to Washington, D.C.. The first was a conversation with our friend in South Africa, Thulani Zwane. Thulani was the choir master that led us in an incredible performance experience with his students in the township of Tembisa near Johannesburg last summer. As a musician also in lockdown, Thulani had created a short song promoting COVID-19 awareness and posted it. I loved it, forwarded it to the students and contacted him to set up a Zoom conversation with the seniors. They loved seeing and talking to this vibrant personality, and at the end of it we noticed we all felt better.

Remembering how powerful our journey to South Africa in summer of 2019 was, we thought why not contact the Cloete family who founded Botshabelo Children’s Aids Village where we also visited? We set up a Zoom conversation for the seniors who were excited to talk to them. We had the joy of speaking to these dedicated souls. They told us what is happening on the ground there and about the approaching wave of the virus for which they have few resources and little protection. The students dedicated their allowable percentage of fundraising from our Summit for the Planet “Keep Moving” event to Botshabelo, and we sent funds right away to help with food and mask making. We all felt a lot better.

These conversations with our friends in South Africa inspired a theme for our 2020 Washington, D.C. interviews, “Gaining a global human perspective on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.” We will learn by talking to people who have deep commitments to equity and justice around the world and here at home. We can gain a much broader understanding from their reflections and experiences.

Almost everyone we asked for an interview said “yes.” Former Secretary of State, George Shultz, Congressman Jimmy Panetta, President of Vital Voices, Alyse Nelson, President of Running Start, Susannah Welford, Vice President of Refugees International, Hardin Lang, Vice President of the U.S. Institute of Peace, David Yang and The Secretary General for Council of Women World Leaders, Laura Liswood so far.

Hopefully the learning moments will also invoke important learnings based on direct experience that:

·If you can’t do a big thing you can do a small thing – you can do something
·Concern for the needs of others is a great way to reduce your own suffering
·Giving brings joy
·Commitment invigorates
·In the midst of hard times people can be incredibly generous
·Being part of a community is a huge benefit in times of crisis

Please join us on the blog and learn with us.

-SN Ward Mailliard, Shannon Kelly, and the 11th and 12th grade students

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