Independence Day

 On August 15th, 1947 India declared their Independence as a soveregn nation.  This August 15th the Rising Star students celebrated with flag raising, marching presentation and we ended with speeches, dancing and skits.

Before the presentations started the kids mingled with the guests and took pictures with their friends and family.  

Everyone was pinned with an Indian flag in celebration.

When the outdoor activities finished we moved into the dining hall for the speeches, dances and skits.

At the end of all the presentations everyone was given a departing treat.

Happy Independence Day!

Sing My Angels of Music

One of the after school activities at Rising Star is choir.  The kids auditioned and have their practices every Tuesday and Thursday at 5 PM with their Choir Director Berlyn Prince.

Performances are about every three weeks when they perform with Life Dance for the departing volunteers. With these frequent performances, those of us that are here for longer are able to see the improvements that they are making and the confidance they get everytime they stand beforetheir peers and friends and share their talents.

Below are some pictures of a typical choir practice.

Ragu, Akash, Balakumar, P. Vijay, and Basha are pictured above.

After weeks of practicing and learning a new song they were able to perform at the Volunteer Performance  this past Thursday which was Berlyn's performance before leaving for home.  The song was So Long, Farewell  from the musical Sound of Music and included solos from some choir members.  Their performance brought cheers from everyone and there might have been a few tears as well!  We are so proud of our choir!