The Serendib Sentinel: Notes from the field....

Brochure for the Santa Monica Kameras for Kids show

2005-12-13T09:28:00.000-05:00

The folks in Santa Monica came up with a fabulous Brochure for the recent show of the Kameras for Kids photographs. Thanks for all your good work, Laura! Here is a picture of the Brochure.

The Two Tuckers

2005-12-13T08:59:00.000-05:00

Tucker (our fearless leader) is briefly home at Enoree in Columbia and he is immersed in the joy of his new nephew, also named Tucker (aka "Sweet T").

2005-12-13T08:58:00.000-05:00

Tucker and Sweet T

Our new Video

2005-11-22T23:31:00.000-05:00

The Columbia Serendib staff has made a great video about Serendib.
It is on the web - just click below:

THE NEW VIDEO

Take a look!

Kameras for Kids Exhibit

2005-10-31T08:26:00.000-05:00

Santa Monica College in California hosted a fabulous show of about 50 images made by children in the Kameras for Kids programs in Africa and Sri Lanka.
The Opening Night was October 29th and attendance and interest in the photos was high.
The folowing pix were made at the gallery on the opening night.
A video made for the exhibit can be seen at the web at
The World of Serendib
Please click on "Link". You will need RealPlayer on your computer to see the video.

2005-10-31T08:21:00.002-05:00

Kameras for Kids Exhibit at Santa Monica College.

2005-10-31T08:21:00.001-05:00

Kameras for Kids Exhibit at Santa Monica College.

2005-10-31T08:21:00.000-05:00

Kameras for Kids Exhibit at Santa Monica College.

2005-10-31T08:20:00.003-05:00

Kameras for Kids Exhibit at Santa Monica College.

2005-10-31T08:20:00.002-05:00

Kameras for Kids Exhibit at Santa Monica College.

2005-10-31T08:20:00.001-05:00

Kameras for Kids Exhibit at Santa Monica College.

2005-10-31T08:20:00.000-05:00

Kameras for Kids Exhibit at Santa Monica College.

2005-10-31T08:19:00.001-05:00

Kameras for Kids Exhibit at Santa Monica College.

2005-10-31T08:19:00.000-05:00

Kameras for Kids Exhibit at Santa Monica College.

Kameras for Kids Site

2005-10-05T00:49:00.000-04:00

I commend the Serendib Kameras for Kids site. It has a number of photos taken by kids at English Camps in Sri Lanka & also in Africa using simple digital cameras.
Here is the link:
http://serendibsite.photosite.com

Summer 05 in Sri Lanka: News about Serendib work

2005-07-26T07:05:00.000-04:00

Monday, July 18, 2005

After a busy month of planning the Serendib Interview Team will finally embark on a grueling trek around Sri Lanka to conduct teacher interviews for the upcoming Peace Education Camp.
Over the past month, much work has been done both in Ratnapura and Colombo in an effort to get Serendib’s first nation-wide Peace Camp underway. With Nong, Kathleen and Aliaa and the Serendib Sri Lanka team holding down the fort in Ratnapura, Tucker and Sonali have spent much time in the nation’s capital securing funding. The two spent long hard days running from meeting to meeting, talking with INGOs, various Sri Lankan Corporations and meeting with government officials. After waiting for what seemed like hours to speak with the Secretary of Education, Tucker remembered the wonders of the H-Bomb and with a quick flash of his Harvard Business card, was promptly received. In their off-time, Tucker and Sonali explored the obscure corners of their host’s pantry, discovering a novel fruit, "It was some dark green bumpy thing," Sonali explained, "kind of unsavory."
Back in Ratnapura, the Serendib Sri Lanka team along with Nong, Kathleen and Aliaa crammed themselves around the dining table at the Gem Merchant’s house (also known as ‘The Landing Pad’) where they spent upwards of twelve hours addressing 5,000 letters. These letters, containing information about the interview schedule and process for teachers, were sent to government schools all around the Island. Save for minor confusion about the proper manner in which to write a Sri Lankan address, everything went according to plan and two days later the both the office phone and Tucker’s mobile began ringing off the hook with questions from interested teachers. In addition to answering the phone and logging Teacher Applications, Kathleen and Aliaa spent the days searching for additional corporate sponsors.
During the week, the Landing Pad acquired three new residents. Darshana, a highly valued member of the Serendib Sri Lanka team, moved into the house in order to share Tucker’s Pest Control duties and also to play ‘Man of the House’ when Tucker is out of town. Tammy Bewitz, originally of Racine, WI, joined Aliaa in Mani’s old room at the beginning of the week. Nine years ago, Tammy helped conduct Serendib’s first English camp during her time in Sri Lanka as a Peace Corps Volunteer. She has spent the majority of this past week in Matale, visiting her Peace Corps Host family. She will meet up with the Serendib team in Anaradhapura tonight. At midnight, Friday night, the Asia Foundation boys were dispatched to Colombo to pick up the final female member of the Serendib USA team, Saima Govani. Saima now lives in the room fondly labeled ‘the Shrine Room’ and will be putting her recently acquired Harvard Masters in Education to use, through her work formalizing the Peace Camp curriculum.
Now that the house is filled with people, communal dinners have finally been organized with Ummah Nong playing ‘head chef.’ Her amazing Thai and Sri Lankan dinners have added extra spice to fun-filled nights at the Landing Pad. Led by the singing sensation Jesu and the (out of tune) piano in the living room, Serendib Sri Lanka and USA have all joined vocal chords, singing carols, hymms, Disney songs and of course songs from the Sound of Music. The dining table has also turned into a casual classroom with the Asia Foundation boys teaching the Serendib USA team the basics of Sinhala. These lessons will undoubtedly reconvene frequently.
In just a few short hours, the Serendib Interview Team will pile into a bus and begin the seven hour drive up to Anaradhapura. After a day of conducting interviews tomorrow, they will get back into the bus and drive down to Kandy for another day of the same. The final stop will be Matara, on the Southern coast, before returning to Ratnapura on the 21st.

2005-07-26T07:01:00.000-04:00

Volunteers at work

Summer 05 in Sri Lanka: News about Serendib work

2005-07-05T13:32:00.000-04:00

Tucker just took some pix of the new office in Sri Lanka, about which he is very proud. Here following are those photos and also several of Tucker. The images are small & of low resolution.

2005-07-05T13:29:00.001-04:00

Tucker in the new Serendib office in Sri Lanka

2005-07-05T13:29:00.000-04:00

Tucker in the new Serendib office in Sri Lanka

2005-07-05T13:28:00.003-04:00

View of the new Serendib office in Sri Lanka

2005-07-05T13:28:00.002-04:00

View of the new Serendib office in Sri Lanka

2005-07-05T13:28:00.001-04:00

View of the new Serendib office in Sri Lanka

2005-07-05T13:28:00.000-04:00

View of the new Serendib office in Sri Lanka

2005-07-05T13:27:00.001-04:00

View of the new office in Sri Lanka

2005-07-05T13:27:00.000-04:00

Tucker in the new office

Summer 2005 Volunteers and Contact Info

2005-07-04T12:49:00.001-04:00

NOTE: Please excuse the formatting. This was a Excel file from Tucker

Kathleen Dupaya Kathleen.Dupaya@students.olin.edu

Aliaa Remtilla remtilla@gmail.com

Nilmani Seneviratne nilmani_in_sc@yahoo.com
Campbell Ainsworth campbellainswo@hotmail.com

Sonali Seneviratne ssene@yahoo.com

Tammy Bewitz Tammy_J._Bewitz@fc.mcps.k12.md.us

Tucker McCravy President, Serendib Columbia, SC 803-237-4411 stucker@serendib.us

Tucker McCravy, Jr. Photographer, Attorney-at-Law Columbia, SC 803-318-8822 tumac@scbar.org

Saima Gowani saima_gowani@gse.harvard.edu

Summer 05 in Sri Lanka: News about Serendib work

2005-07-04T11:46:00.000-04:00

On June 24th, the volunteers visited a montessori school with students about 3-4 years of age. Their teacher, Ms. Devika, showed the volunteers a video of the dance/singing/drama performance that the children put on every year. In interacting with the children, who eagerly showed off their drawings and their workbooks, the volunteers could get a good comparison between government and private school methods in Sri Lanka.

NOTE: The pictures that follow relate to this Report

2005-07-04T11:45:00.000-04:00

Serendib Volunteers visited a montessori school with students about 3-4 years of age.

2005-07-04T11:44:00.002-04:00

Serendib Volunteers visited a montessori school with students about 3-4 years of age.

2005-07-04T11:44:00.001-04:00

Serendib Volunteers visited a montessori school with students about 3-4 years of age.

2005-07-04T11:44:00.000-04:00

Serendib Volunteers visited a montessori school with students about 3-4 years of age.

2005-07-04T11:43:00.001-04:00

Serendib Volunteers visited a montessori school with students about 3-4 years of age.

2005-07-04T11:43:00.000-04:00

Serendib Volunteers visited a montessori school with students about 3-4 years of age.

Summer 2005 in Sri Lanka: News about Serendib work

2005-07-04T10:35:00.000-04:00

The house that Serendib has rented for the summer is in the center of Ratnapura. It belongs to one of Ratnapura's Gem merchants and is equipped with 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 2 offices, a kitchen, a living room and a dining room. By living here, the volunteers will be able to exerience the more affluent side of Sri Lanka.

2005-07-04T10:34:00.001-04:00

House that Serendib has rented for Volunteers for Summer 05.

2005-07-04T10:34:00.000-04:00

House that Serendib has rented for Volunteers for Summer 05.

2005-07-04T10:33:00.001-04:00

House that Serendib has rented for Volunteers for Summer 05.

2005-07-04T10:33:00.000-04:00

House that Serendib has rented for Volunteers for Summer 05.

2005-07-04T10:32:00.000-04:00

House that Serendib has rented for Volunteers in Sri Lanka for Summer 2005.

Summer 2005 in Sri Lanka: News about Serendib work

2005-07-04T10:25:00.000-04:00

Note: Here is a report from Serendib activities in Sri Lanka. The pictures that follow (refering to the St. Joachim rural school) are relevant to this Report:

On Wednesday, June 16, U.S. volunteers made their first visit to a Sri Lankan school called St. Joachim TV. St. Joachim is a rural school near a tea estate outside of Ratnapura. Though the school is understaffed, the children are excited to learn and the teachers are dedicated and cheerful. The president of the school, Mr. Jesuppillai, is a member of the Serendib SL team and has helped coordinate the Peace Education camps and conduct Serendib's activities in Sri Lanka. The volunteers interacted with 6th - 9th graders. The students were very enthusiastic. They immediately started crowding around the volunteers and practicing their English communication skills. Topics of conversation included family, favorite subjects, favorite colors, future professions, etc. They made welcome cards and masks for the volunteers as well. The friendly atmosphere lent itself to a huge exchange of names and addresses between the volunteers and students. The excitement escalated further once the volunteers brought out their cameras and the children gathered around both to be in pictures with their new friends and to take pictures as well. The visit ended with the children requesting a return visit from the volunteers. The volunteers plan to return to the school to teach a couple of English medium lessons.

2005-07-04T10:23:00.000-04:00

Serendib Volunteers visit a Sri Lankan school called St. Joachim TV, a rural school near a tea estate outside of Ratnapura.

2005-07-04T10:22:00.002-04:00

Serendib Volunteers visit a Sri Lankan school called St. Joachim TV, a rural school near a tea estate outside of Ratnapura.

2005-07-04T10:22:00.001-04:00

Serendib Volunteers visit a Sri Lankan school called St. Joachim TV, a rural school near a tea estate outside of Ratnapura.

2005-07-04T10:22:00.000-04:00

Serendib Volunteers visit a Sri Lankan school called St. Joachim TV, a rural school near a tea estate outside of Ratnapura.

2005-07-04T10:21:00.002-04:00

Serendib Volunteers visit a Sri Lankan school called St. Joachim TV, a rural school near a tea estate outside of Ratnapura.

2005-07-04T10:21:00.001-04:00

Serendib Volunteers visit a Sri Lankan school called St. Joachim TV, a rural school near a tea estate outside of Ratnapura.

2005-07-04T10:21:00.000-04:00

Serendib Volunteers visit a Sri Lankan school called St. Joachim TV, a rural school near a tea estate outside of Ratnapura.

2005-07-04T10:19:00.000-04:00

Serendib Volunteers first visit a Sri Lankan school called St. Joachim TV, a rural school near a tea estate outside of Ratnapura.

Summer 05 in Sri Lanka: News about Serendib work

2005-07-04T01:29:00.000-04:00

Tucker and a corp of Volunteers from Harvard & elsewhere are now in Sri Lanka, working on various projects. Your humble scribe (aka Tucker McCravy / father) will join the group August 5th for a month - armed with photo gear.

Following is the first report from the scene. The photos after the Report which refer to the Devipahalah government school are relevant:

On June 23rd, the volunteers visited Devipahalah, another government school near Ratnapura. The volunteers spent the morning teaching the younger children (about 5-11 years old) new songs and dances such as the "Hokey Pokey" and "6 Little Ducks that I once knew." They even played tag with with them during their recess time. In the afternoon they visited the older students (12-16 years old) who sat intrigued as the volunteers introduced themselves and explained the Serendib project. Afterwards the students performed a couple of dances for their guests and the dance teacher even gave the volunteers a quick Sri Lankan dance lesson.

2005-07-04T01:16:00.002-04:00