by kfi | Aug 22, 2018 | Archives |
Dear Members of the DeJong Family,
I would like to thank you for your generous award, which I received last week and am grateful to have been one of the recipients of the award this year. Not only will this greatly impact my future financial investments, but will also be used as a stepping-stone towards my aspirations in music. In regards to my experience in music, I did several ABRSM exams throughout my time here at KIS. I passed the Grade 5 theory exam in 2011 and also passed the Grade 8 piano exam in 2015. As a student here, I was privileged to be given various opportunities that have strengthened my musicianship and passion for music. I was part of several choir groups for the past 6 years, one of which I served as the Choir Vice President, as well as a student section leader and conductor. I also had the honour of being part of a prestigious choir festival in Muscat this semester. Along with these involvements, I’ve also performed at school assemblies, Rock Concerts, in the Chapel praise and worship group, house concerts, springs concerts and winter concerts. During my senior year, I received a distinction in Grade 5 Voice and passed the Trinity Diploma Exam in Piano Performance, which was another solidifying block in the development of my musicianship.
I hope to carry on with my ambitions in music at Moody Bible Institute, where I will be doing a B.A in Music and focusing on piano performance, performing in choirs and writing arrangements. I will use this scholarship as a foundation for my investments for my education abroad and also as a way to help me move forward with my future in music. This award will also significantly benefit certain financial aspects of my college education, which will contribute to my overall expenses for my education abroad.
Once again, I would like to thank you for this award and knowing that this award will greatly help me in my future endeavours in music; it continues to give me hope that my aspirations in music will be achieved. As a recipient of the DeJong award, I will remember to uphold the honours of this award and acknowledge it as a reminder of how far I have come in music and how much more I will learn and grow in the future.
With warm regards,
Jane Jaikumar
by kfi | Aug 22, 2018 | Projects - completed |
KIS began recycling in 2014 and now has two active Recycle Centers, better overall waste management, and a separate account for Recycling and related activities. The outreach to the town is a natural and much-needed extension of this to the Kodai community. Dr Rajamanikam has provided expertise first for KIS, and as a member of the Social and Environment Experience Department (SEED, formerly SOEX), has spoken in all the SEED classes, but spends most of his time in outreach, usually accompanied by Mr William in Maintenance, Iti Maloney, Dr. Clarence Maloney, or others interested. Some KIS students have also participated, and some students from other schools have visited our Recycling Centers.
Among the 23 schools in and around Kodaikanal, 18 have been visited repeatedly with presentations and demonstrations, and have adopted campus solid waste management system by installing labeled bins and segregating at source. This includes government and private high schools, elementary schools, those having Tamil or English language medium, and some in nearby villages as Vilpatti, Perumalmalai, Pallangi, and Poombari. Four more schools are interested, have received consultation from us, and are taking the next required steps to start the process.
In all these schools there have been extended public sessions for all students on sustainable waste management and recyclables sorting, with support of the Administrations. Then they have also experienced hands-on training on source segregation, recycling, and composting. The schools have been informed about the rate they will get for selling recyclables (flat paper Rs. 10 a kilo, iron Rs. 16 a kilo, etc), and encouraged to set a goal ultimately of “Zero Waste Campus”.
Building allocated by Municipality for KIS outreach for storing/sorting recyclables from hotels, schools, institutions on main road just below lake (needs roof!)
Collection of recyclables is not just by students, Along with the students, teachers and staff are asked to bring recyclables from their houses, as well as teaching family and neighbors; so the schools can be the focus of local community action for this.
Overall in 22 schools, we have repeatedly reached around 5000 students and 300 teachers. All of them are oriented to and have experienced demonstrations of sustainable solid waste management. Some schools could buy the bins, for which we have helped make and attach big labels, and for poorer schools, we persuaded Rotary Club and some local resorts to donate costs.
As for pick-up of recyclables, we have found a responsible agent, a scrap dealer, who is making his business from collecting what the schools and hotels set out for him. He also makes special trips when requested. However, the school students in poor communities have little that is recyclable so the cost of pick-up is not covered. The agent is depending more on pick-up from hotels, and expects his business to gradually increase.
As for the Municipality, it has no budget, personnel, vehicles, or provision of bins for dealing with recyclables. Many of us have been taking our recyclables for sale to private junk dealers in Munjikal, but there is only trash collection by the Municipality, and all goes to the huge dump below Prakasapuram. Some NGOs have proposed working with us by organizing groups in each of the 25 electoral Wards in town, though so far this is inactive. However, the Central and State Governments now require towns to do it (their planned categories are “wet waste” later sorted for compostables, and “dry waste” then sorted for recyclables!). However, the town Commissioner has been supportive, and has allotted a run-down building (without much roof) in a convenient location where our agent keeps and sorts the recyclables which he then sells to factories on the plains.
Higher education institutions
We have been working with 3 higher education institutes: 1) Mother Theresa University, 2) Kodaikanal Christian College, and 3) Mother Theresa Women’s College. Administrations of all three have arranged for our presentations and practical demonstration, and have procured bins, and started solid waste management on their campuses. Thereafter, they have become willing participants, and students and staff have taken up recycling and better overall waste management.
C Maloney and Rajamanikam demonstrating sorting recyclables for maintenance staff at Holiday Home Resorts
Hotels
Recently because of this Project, five hotels in town have taken up segregation of recyclables, and three of them are doing it very well, and surprisingly, have achieved some 70% recycling of solid waste. They realize that they can get some income from selling it to the agent working with us, and also can advertise that they are environment-conscious and “green” hotels.
In Kodaikanal, about 60% solid waste that goes to the huge town dump is said to be generated by the hospitality industry. There are 120 hotels registered and members of the local Hotels Association, but there are some 4000 hotels and “guest houses” in and around this touristy town. As we cannot approach so many directly, or provide orientation or training of staff, we started to work with a few influential hotels which can be a model for others.
Women’s Club at Convent School starting composting
Local NGOs, offices, and groups
We have been collaborating with five local NGOs/community organizations, including a youth group wanting to stop tourists throwing plastic, and a women’s group doing composting. We have had many discussions and contacts with the Municipality, though there are internal “problems” and it will take time for reforms. But they have given us the place for storing and sorting, which we will have to repair. A revised Town Plan is expected. There has been no Chairman or Council for a year, but when the TN Gov’t gets finally re-organized (after the death of “Amma”), and holds elections, we hope to help extend recycling and maybe composting to all two Wards in town.
The Forest Department is also keenly interested in waste management and how to deal with tourists about this, and has initiated some meetings with us.
Visit to Auroville
Using some of the KFI fund, a group of five involved in KIS recycling and this outreach (including William in Maintenance, and Iti Maloney) spent 3 days in Auroville, an international innovative community near Pondicherry. They saw the work of several innovative persons and organizations regarding recycling, processing of recyclables, composting, novel construction materials, etc, and are giving a Presentation to KIS Maintenance. Also, one of the KIS Maintenance officers participated in a 5-day training program about waste and recycling, held by the Centre for Science an Environment (puts out the excellent environment magazine Down to Earth) in New Delhi.
To read interesting descriptions and see photos of the trip submitted by Iti Maloney and William Gynanaraj, click here: Auroville Trip Report.
This Spring Semester
We will continue all this during the Spring Semester, 2018. On February 19th Rajamanikam is organizing a one-day workshop for the Kodai hospitality industry. We expect at least 50 hotels to participate. This workshop is aimed at empowering the hospitality and food industry to implement their own sustainable waste management programs, through interactive lectures, hands-on training, and demonstrations to help move towards “Zero Waste Hotels” in India.
Report submitted by Dr. Rajamanikam, edited by Clarence Maloney, 28 January, 2018
KIS Outreach for Recycling and Waste Management is supported through KFI’s Social and Environmental Learning Fund.
by kfi | Aug 22, 2018 | Archives |
To the DeJong family,
This is to express my heartfelt appreciation and gratitude to you for the money that you have granted me. I understand that this is no insignificant sum of money and this fund will be indispensable in my pursuit of a musical education. During my time at KIS, I wasn’t able to take IB Music as a course but have been very involved in the school’s music program through my involvement in events such as Winter Concert, Spring Concert, Kodai Unplugged and Rock Concert.
I intend to use this money to help finance my education at Berklee College of Music in Boston where I have been accepted for their undergraduate program.
Yet again, I want to express my sincere gratitude for this incredibly generous and helpful grant.
Sincerely,
Inesh Krishnamurthy, KIS Class of 2018
by kfi | Aug 20, 2018 | Archives |
Dates: August 30 to September 4, 2018
Details: Join the gathering of KIS alumni and friends at Camp Kirchenwald in Colebrook, PA over Labor Day weekend.
It’s that time of year again when you can leave all your troubles behind and escape to Camp Kirchenwald to hang out with all of your old and new friends from the KIS community and beyond. Come join us for the full five days, for one day, for a meal or two, whatever your schedule allows. Camp Kirchenwald is a beautiful wooded camp just east of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, that will supply something for everyone, from lots of picnic tables to just sit around and catch up with old friends and make new ones, often while chopping veggies, to dekshis of curry over open flames that need stirring, to hearing updates on KIS from Principal and alum Corey Stixrud, to beautiful trails for walking, running, hiking or biking, to ziplining and wall-climbing, hanging out at the pool, playing or cheering on at the volleyball court, dancing at canteen, singing around the campfire – always surrounded by constant sounds of chatting and laughter.
For those staying overnight, you can choose from large cabins with bunk buds to large cabins with single beds to small cabins with single beds to Adirondacks to your own tents. In other words, there is plenty of room for you! Unfortunately, Schreiber Haus is sold out. For those wishing more of a hotel setting, contact Mary Coleman Lowry, mlowry36@aol.com about Wittel Farm or Mt. Gretna Inn (both offsite) to make a reservation. The rest of the lodging is available on a first come, first served basis.
Lodging (rates are per person, per night) are as follows:
– Cabin/Myers Sun-Thurs $27.00
– Cabin Myers Fri-Sat $30.00
– Chalet (Bear’s Den) $37.00
– Adirondack $21.00
– Tent/RV $11.00
– Schrieber Haus (sold out)
– Day only $8.00
Insurance – flat rate (not per day) – $3.00
Food Costs:Breakfast: Kids (6-12) $3.00
Adults(13+) $6.00
Lunch/Dinner Kids (6-12) $5.00
Adults (13+) $12.00
If you fly into Harrisburg airport or take the train to the Elizabethtown station, let Rani Maloney know and she can arrange rides for you. If you are flying in and renting a car or driving your own car, and would like to give someone a ride, let her know that also – 609-731-6699 or on Facebook. If you have any questions whatsoever, don’t hesitate to contact her. If you have not already joined the KIS Labor Day Reunion group on Facebook, please do so. She will be posting more info there, and you can always ask questions or read others’ questions, even find out ahead of time who else will be there.
I can guarantee it will be a wonderful and memorable experience, and a reminder of just how unique and special our experiences and the friendships made at Kodai School are. Please do join us!
