Our next open house admissions tour date this year is:
Saturday, February 11th, 10 am
Sant Bani offers an outstanding independent school education, made affordable to every family through our unique scholarship program. Financial aid is available to all admitted students and is determined based on each family’s need.
While many Sant Bani classes are full at this time, there are always shifts in enrollment so openings occur unexpectedly. Currently there are spaces in the high school and individual tours can be arranged. Please call or email if interested.
Contact Becky Beane for information about admissions and tours.
If you’d like a preview, our 20-minute movie can be viewed here.
Dear Interested Parent or Student,
Sant Bani School provides quality education within the context of a caring community. A rural location and diverse program that stresses the development of the whole student are assets that have contributed to the rapid growth of the school — from six students in 1973 to now over 170 students in kindergarten through grade twelve.
Applications for admission are accepted throughout the school year; most decisions are made in the early spring.
If you are interested in Sant Bani, please contact Becky Beane (603-934-4240 x101) in the Admissions office to schedule a tour.
Sincerely, Susan Dyment
Director of Admissions
603-934-4240 x107
Admissions in First Grade and Kindergarten
The goal for the admissions process in First Grade and Kindergarten is to assure that the child is developmentally ready for school. The staff has found that children who are not six before entering First Grade, or five before entering Kindergarten, benefit by waiting a year. In order to be eligible to apply, a candidate for Kindergarten must have reached his or her 5th birthday by September 15; a candidate for First Grade must have reached his or her 6th birthday by September 15. Each student is given a Gesell assessment in order to help judge readiness. In addition, First Grade candidates visit the Kindergarten class. A recommendation to the parents as to the year of entry and proper placement is made based on developmental readiness assessment, teacher recommendations and the school visit. A visiting day is set up during May for children who have been accepted for the next year’s First Grade and Kindergarten to allow them to meet their teacher and classmates and make the anticipation of entry less anxious.
Important Admissions Dates
February 15: Parents of prospective students should request admissions materials before this date in order to be best served by the financial aid process. Call the school for more information on financial aid for admissions outside of the regular schedule.
March 1: Applicants for financial aid are encouraged to complete and mail the School Scholarship Service forms by this date.
March 5 and 6, 2012: Gesell tests administered to potential incoming kindergarten and first graders (continuing as needed)
Mid-April: Admissions committee begins meeting to consider applications for the following school year.
First week of June: all incoming kindergarten through sixth graders come for “Move Up Day,” to spend time in their classrooms for the next year and meet their teachers and classmates.
Wednesday, January 18 from 7:00-8:30 PM in the Studio
(following the Parent Committee meeting from 6:00-7:00)
An opportunity to meet other parents, hear from Principal Kent Bicknell, and enjoy presentations from
five of our International Students representing Denmark, Germany, Korea, Switzerland and Taiwan.
Dark of the Moon begins on the peak of a ridge somewhere deep in the Smoky Mountains on a windy, moonless night, and ends a year later as the moon comes up on the same lonely spot.
Barbara and John meet.
John, a “witch boy” (played by senior Caleb Jaster), has fallen in love with a beautiful and carefree human girl (freshman Sophia Gilberto) named Barbara Allen, “jes’ like the ballad.” With the help of old Conjur Man and Woman (staff members Jonathan Powell and Mary Randall), he gets his wish to become human, too, but only on condition that they marry and that Barbara remain faithful to him for one year.
Barbara tells John “it don’t differ” what the townspeople think. But suspicions grow about the mysterious stranger who marries her until there is no doubt in anyone’s mind but hers and all the well-meaning folk of Buck’s Creek, led by Preacher Haggler (senior Andres Orr). In the end even her own loving family sets out to convince Barbara to leave her marriage, with tragic results.
The play is about how difficult it can be to leave our past behind. “Hit ain’t easy being human,” John is warned; “Thar’s something can’t be changed. Hit lies sleepin’ thar inside ‘em….And thar’s just one thing that wake him…the Lord Gawd Jesus.” But for reasons he keeps to himself, John refuses to go to church, and this act of defiance only deepens the community’s suspicions. Perhaps he is reluctant to take a last, irrevocable step away from his past.
The outside pressures against him changing are just as strong: his former witch friends from the mountain (freshmen Stefanie Schechter and Teresa Dancewicz-Helmers and junior Patricia Boegli) are always lurking nearby to taunt and tempt him on one side, and on the other the townspeople begin to turn against him from the start, when he forgets himself and uses his old ways to win a fight against Marvin Hudgens (junior Obie Dancewicz-Helmers), until now the strongest young man in town and the most likely prospect to marry Barbara.
The beauty of this play is in its authentic dialect and rich, distinctive language; in the music, full of singing and picking of old bluegrass and gospel tunes; and in the vividness of its many characters (a large cast of 24). And though it is a serious drama, there is no shortage of humor, especially in the role of idle old Uncle Smelicue (director Craig Jaster in his debut acting in a Sant Bani production), who keeps everyone entertained down at the general store playing his mandolin and telling stories. There is beauty in the play’s sadness as well; like in Romeo and Juliet, our hearts go out to the two young people loving each other against all the odds.
This production is not recommended for younger children. Parents, please use your discretion but be advised that some of the content and themes are mature.
Dark of the Moon, a drama by Howard Richardson and William Berney, directed by Craig Jaster. Performances are December 15, 16 and 17 (Thursday through Saturday) at 7:00 p.m. in the Sant Bani School Studio Theater. Admission is $5/$2.50 students and senior citizens. For reservations or more information, call the school at 934-4240.
Used ski and skate sale this Saturday, December 3, from 8:00-noon at Red Oak Montessori School (241 Sanborn St, Franklin).
Equipment Donations Needed! Family or friends wishing to donate used equipment can call Bethany Lamprey 393-0193 or Tammie Huckins 286-2974. Items can also be dropped off at Red Oak Tuesday-Thursday from 9:00-11:30am or Friday, December 2, from 3:00-5:00pm.
This event is for SBS families as well as the local community.
Sant Bani School is hosting an information session at Pease Library in Plymouth on Monday, December 5, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. Students, teachers and parents will share their experiences and key features of what the School has been offering families in the Lakes Region for almost forty years. Current students will present a short slideshow, which will be followed by time for questions and answers. Admission is free and there will be cookies for all.
Principal Kent Bicknell notes, “I am excited to be reaching out to families north of Sanbornton. When people hear the term ‘private school’ they often think that it is not financially possible. Our generous scholarship program makes what we have to offer accessible to every family, and so I look forward to more and more people discovering SBS.” Please help spread the word to families who might like to learn more about the School.
Visit Amit Peled’s website
for more information about the artist.
Amit Peled, cello
with
Stefan Petrov, piano
Concert Two:
Couperin: Five Dances for cello and piano
Schumann: Five Pieces in Folk Style for cello and piano
Kopytmann: Kaddish for cello and piano
Chopin: Sonata for cello and piano in g-minor op. 65 Friday, November 11, 2011
Reception 6 pm, Concert 7 pm
at Sant Bani School, Sanbornton, NH
Tickets may be reserved by calling the school at 934-4240 or may be purchased at the door. Ticket prices:
Senior, Marc Gonzalez, plays the crazy Captain Ahab
April 21, 22, 23, 2011
7:00 pm in The Studio
Tickets: $6 adults; $3 students/seniors Tickets may be reserved in advance.
Every other year the Sant Bani School Theatre Department girds its loins, as it were, and puts on a musical comedy. This year, Mary Randall Vaiden (whose past SBS directing credits include Guys and Dolls, Bye Bye Birdie and Brutebeast) takes on Moby Dick! The Musical, the cult-hit in England, a wacky, campy and decidedly lo-fi version of Melville’s classic tale.
But isn’t Moby Dick a story with men only? No longer: Welcome to St. Godley’s School for Girls, which is about to close its doors due to lack of funds. Fortunately, one of the girls (played by sophomore Isabel Bogacz) has just finished writing a surefire hit musical that might save the day. The headmistress (in a gender-bending guy-plays-woman-playing-guy performance by senior Marc Gonzalez) nabs the role of Ahab for herself, and then leads her wayward girls, along with a couple of boys the girls have sneaked in (juniors Caleb Jaster and Adison Lintner), the somewhat deranged janitor (senior Dylan Dinger) and a security guard (faculty member Jonathan Powell) in a hastily put-together production as a last-ditch effort to save the school.
Plausible? Not in the least! Faithful adaptation? Hardly! However, the cast did get a serious introduction to the novel Moby Dick on March 12, when it took a field trip to Portsmouth to see The Whale, a remarkable one-man adaptation of the book written and performed by NYC actor/dancer/designer Carlo Adinolfi. Carlo has designed several sets for SBS productions over the years, including the beautiful set for the school’s 1990s production of The Good Person of Szechwan. He also built the set of little red wooden benches we have used in countless productions. In a talkback after the show, Carlo shared with the SBS cast why the novel inspired him to take what became a ten-year journey developing the piece.
In addition to the high school and junior high students and one staff member on the cast of Moby Dick! The Musical, we are delighted to have a great lineup on the production team, including new parent Irina Kirilenko (accompanist and vocal coach) as well as Libby Danahy, parent of an alum, wife of longtime staff member, and current SBS piano teacher. She will serve as vocal coach and rehearsal accompanist. Department head Craig Jaster is technical director and will play bass and lead the pit band. Rose Marie Marinace, parent and teacher, provides fodder for the dance sequences. Students in both art blocks and clubs are working on set and props under art teacher Tina Busch, whose recent design for the K-2 production of The Lorax wowed us all.
Again this year, the Gilmanton Road Race is proud to be part of the C.A.R.S. race Series of seven road races. Sign up for all seven races, and start the season with the Gilmanton 5k. You have the option to register and pay for all seven on the day of the Gilmanton 5k, or sign up for the C.A.R.S. series here
All are most welcome. Cash winners’ awards three deep. Post race prizes for random entrants.
Runners winter hats to the first 200 registered entrants.
Support the Sant Bani School running program and other local charities with this community spring run or walk.
The high school theater department presented “The Butterfingers Angel,” 7 p.m., December 16, 17 & 18, directed by Craig Jaster. The full title, “The Butterfingers Angel, Mary & Joseph, Herod The Nut, & The Slaughter of 12 Hit Carols In A Pear Tree,” gives a better sense of the theme and style.
The play, by William Gibson (who also wrote “The Miracle Worker”) is a touching, funny, highly imaginative retelling of the Christmas story. It features a talking sheep, cow and donkey, and a very worldly talking tree, in addition to beguiling young Mary (sophomore Isabel Bogacz) who had decided men, marriage and motherhood were not for her, a cautious and increasingly jealous Joseph (junior Andrés Orr), and a flustered boy-angel (junior Adison Lintner) who attempts to direct the action from a promptbook and manages to get only the most strangled, bleating sounds from his trumpet.
Though filled with familiar Christmas carols and presented in a style that pays homage to impromptu childrens Christmas pageants, the play is poignant and mature. The unpleasant appearances of the “The Man In Grey” a.k.a. Herod (senior Dylan Dinger) bring a sense of deadly urgency to the action along with the very lively, real-life humor.
Dee Dee Aleksandrova, a Sant Bani School senior from Bulgaria, on behalf of the Class of 2011, writes about the upcoming evening of Senior Project Presentations. All presentations are organized about the word “Home.” They range from homesickness to homelessness, homeland security to home cooking and letters from home. The Senior Class welcomes family, friends and the public. Their invitation is reprinted here.
What do you know about home? Home – a place where one lives; a residence. Or is it?
On December 7th at 6 PM the Sant Bani School class of 2011 will share with the world their perception on the meaning of the word “home.” As a part of the Sant Bani senior project, each year the senior class is given a month to create an interesting and innovative presentation and get creative with the given topic. Every time there are surprises, which guarantees your entertainment.
The seniors would like to invite parents, students, alumni and everyone else, who would like to enjoy a delightful evening featuring eleven creative presentations and a reception. The event will take place on December 7th (Tuesday) at 6pm at the Sant Bani School, 19 Ashram Road, Sanbornton, NH.
Daniel del Pino, piano with the Iberia String Quartet
November 19, 2010
Daniel del Pino has established himself as one of the leading Spanish concert pianists on the international scene, having performed on all five continents.
As it is the 200th anniversary of Chopin’s birth, del Pino will perform the chamber music versions of the Chopin’s piano concertos that are originally for piano and orchestra. These “salon” settings were very common in Chopin’s time and he enjoyed very much this more intimate setting, rather than the large hall with large orchestra. Joining del Pino is an exciting young Spanish string quartet, the Iberia String Quartet.
Reception : 6 p.m. Concert: 7 p.m.
Sant Bani School 19 Ashram Road, Sanbornton, NH 03269
Adults $15, children free
Tickets available by calling 934-4240 or e-mail Tickets
The photos are in! The judges are warming up! We will post the winners shortly.
This is an exciting opportunity for all the students and staff at Sant Bani to take part in a photo contest. All you need is a digital camera and a computer to email your images to the school. If you do not have a digital camera, perhaps you could work with a family member or a friend. You may use the school computers to mail in your pictures if you do not have a computer at home.
You may enter your photos under the following five categories:
CATEGORIES
1. Portraits: These can be of anyone…or anything…like your pets…or a beautiful (or ugly) flower…
2. Landscapes: These may only be in black and white. You can easily alter your colored photos using a free program like Photoshop or Picasa.
3. View: from above or below
4. Things with circles: What happens when you look through a bicycle wheel or a long tube?
5. Manipulated images: using computer software
RULES
You may email three images to Sunny Bunny Photo They can be from any of the categories above. You can email more than one photo from a category, so really there is only the limitation of three photographs. Though the Landscape category requires black and white, any photo can be black and white. Unless photos are entered into the “manipulated” photo category, no changes can be made to the photos except to change them from color to black and white.
When you email the photos, you should be sure they are labeled as to which category they are for. Make sure your name is in the email but not your age or grade because the pictures will only be judged on their visual merit.
We will have two people from outside of the Sant Bani community and one from the school to judge the photographs. The top three pictures from each category will be printed, framed and hung in the gallery.
You will have only a short time to complete this project, so get started right away!
Think about composition.
Think about dark and light.
Think about interesting or unusual subjects.
Ask your parents or siblings (sisters and/or brothers) for help.
Follow the directions carefully for each category.
Sant Bani School’s Earth Day celebration took the entire school out into the 200 acre woods, the property of the School and Ashram, to perform our first data collection or “BioBlitz.”
Our Earth Day Special Guest naturalist Rick Van de Poll spoke to the entire body of staff and students to prepare for the event. He worked outdoors with three science classes in preliminary study of pond and vernal pool life by a careful “capture, identify, and release” method. Two days later Sant Bani staff and students supplied with species guides, cameras, plastic containers, and note books fanned out in twenty groups and logged all the emerging flora and fauna spring species on the Ashram and school property.
The purpose of the BioBlitz is to establish a benchmark for future surveys to determine the health and diversity of local plant and animal species. Thousands of photos were taken during the Bioblitz. Science Department Head Robert Schongalla led groups to collate the data for further study. Return to see some of the more beautiful photos will be posted on this site.
Enjoy a short slide show of the events!
Beautiful polyphemous moth on fruit tree. Wingspan is about 4-4.5 inches.
The June Night Time Moth Survey
Rick Van de Poll, PhD, head of Ecosystem Consultants from Center Sandwich, led a small group of Sant Bani School teachers and students recently who made a survey of moths on the school property. Robert Schongalla, science teacher, reported that more than 100 species of moths were seen from darkness to sunrise.
“I had no idea that we had so many very different, interesting, and beautiful moths in our area,” said Schongalla.
The moths were photographed to create a database for future reference and study.
The moth survey was part of a BioBlitz, which the school conducted during its Earth Day celebration in April. For the BioBlitz, students fanned out across 200 acres of land and were able to identify more than 200 species of plants, animals, birds, amphibians, birds, insects, aquatic invertebrates, and fungi. The purpose of the BioBlitz was to heighten everyone’s awareness of the richness of biodiversity in our local environment.
Fellow science teacher, Barry Draper summed it up this way, “Through experiencing the diversity and interconnectedness of nature’s organisms, we hope to better understand our need to protect the environment and local ecosystems that sustain us all.”
Greenstock is the brain-child of the Sant Bani Senior Class. This is their Senior Class Service Project, using funds from the Judith Perkins Memorial Fund for Service.
What is Greenstock?
Greenstock is an open-mic and concert event with the aim of bringing the community of central New Hampshire together around the idea of working collectively to create a sustainable and healthy environment. We hope to educate those in our area about the environmental issues that we currently face with the aspiration that we can better the future for younger generations. By connecting through music, we hope to generate a creative outlet for the youth of our community to come together over a common cause.
To enter to play or to get more information about the venue go to Greenstock for information
Where: Sant Bani School Library and Gallery When: May 3, 2010 5-7pm Who: All are welcome! Refreshments: Light Refreshments provided by Sant Bani School Art Students
SANBORNTON: Sant Bani School is hosting a “Meet the Artist” reception for art department chair Ann Saunderson on May 3 from 5 – 7 p.m. The public is invited to view an exhibit of her recent work, some of which is available for purchase. Saunderson holds a BFA in Painting from Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, R.I. In her exhibit statement she writes about being excited about making art in most every media. “Because my art-making time is so limited the work often ends up being about the media rather than the subject.” She continues, “For me, developing a ‘body’ of work takes time. The process is slow, so slow. When it happens it comes out of nowhere, and hard work. It often isn’t till I’m well into a series of pieces that I begin to see that they connect—that they’re about something; that one idea leads to the next. I do a bit of this and some of that. I love painting outside in the summer. I love the smell of oil paint. I love drawing the figure. I love marks on the page. I love the slow layering of printmaking.”
Wentworth Institute of Technology student of architecture Mitchell Littlefield [SBS’06’]shows former teacher Ann Saunderson samples of his work.
Saunderson has taught at Sant Bani for over twenty years. More than half of the current high school students have chosen to enroll in an art course with Ann this year. This is an opportunity for past students, as well as the wider community, to see her work. Founded in 1973, Sant Bani is a private kindergarten through twelfth grade day school of 165 students. It has a long and continuing history of supporting the arts, both for its students and for the local community.
Three one-act comedies by Anton Chekhov will be performed by the Sant Bani School on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday: April 22, 23, and 24, 2010 at 7 p.m. in the school’s Studio Theater.
Admission is $5 ($2 for students and elders). Reservations may be made in advance by calling the school, 934-4240 or contacting the front desk.
The High School play production will be three one-act comedies by Anton Chekhov. Though best known for sensitive and subtle dramas like The Three Sisters and The Seagull, Chekhov’s early short stories and one-act plays are pure comedy, with boldly drawn, hilariously flawed characters.
Things are getting serious on stage at Sant Bani in The Bear.
In Two Fools Who Gain A Measure of Wisdom, a pair of newlyweds (Caleb Jaster & Emily Monfet) visit a rich aunt, (Jen Hammel), whose flagrant disregard for convention brings shame and embarrassment but in the end also brings the couple closer together.
In The Festivities (which director Craig Jaster likens to the hit TV series The Office), a bank branch manager (Andrés Orr) is driven to distraction on the day of the bank’s 15th anniversary by his volatile employee (Adison Lintner), gabby trophy wife (Deanna MacNaughton) and a not-too-bright but incredibly persistent woman (Lydia Walker).
The Bear is an absolute classic; a battle of the sexes in which a retired army officer (Marc Gonzales) meets his match – to put it mildly – in a petite widow (Justine Borceux).
One of these beautiful bowls can be yours along with a hearty, home-cooked meal.
Note: Both seatings for the Empty Bowls dinner tomorrow night are full. Thanks all who signed up!
On October 9th Sant bani School will host an Empty Bowls Dinner, “a grassroots movement to prevent hunger.” Guests at the simple soup and bread meal will donate $10 for a dinner and get to keep their handmade ceramic bowl after the dinner. They will be reminded of how full their belly is and of how empty their bowl is. Funds raised by Empty Bowls events are kept in the community and given to an organization working to prevent hunger.
The Empty Bowls project at Sant Bani started last year in the Art and Service Departments with help from Teresa Taylor of Salty Dog Pottery and New beginnings in Laconia, an organization that provides shelter, food, education and support to women and families in the Belknap County area. The $10 contribution will go to New Beginnings.
Students in Kindergarten through twelfth grade, teachers and alumni made bowls from clay and decorated them with glazes, colored strips, textures and designs scratched into leather-hard clay. Teresa assisted with materials, templates for bowls, demonstrations and hands-on help.
There will be two seatings for dinner, one at 5:00 pm and one at 7:30. At 6:15, Barry and Gretchen Draper will present a fabulous slide show,“Nourishment Around the World.”
Prepaid reservations are required for the dinner since space is limited to 75 people per seating.
To reserve seats send and e-mail to Maya Hardcastle or call 934-4240. Please specify if you will be eating before or after the slide presentation.
If you are wondering how to help now donations to PIH are urgently needed TODAY. PIH doctors and health care workers are on the ground already and they know what is needed. Their extensive network in Haiti already includes thousands of community health workers, doctors, nurses, drivers, etc. they are already running a field hospital.
Your money will flow more quickly and directly to where it’s most needed: 94 cents out of every dollar goes to work to help the community, no middlemen or bureaucracy or politics. During the 2008 hurricanes they got supplies and personnel in place immediately, even with all the bridges out. faster than most of the larger relief agencies because they live there and are already organized!
Looking at the long road ahead, PIH has asked the Walk Committee to stick to the original pre-earthquake focus of raising money for schools/education. This is even more vital now, as much of the Port-Au-Prince population is homeless and beginning to migrate away from the city.
More updates coming soon
Mesi anpil!
Jen
Join us in Cambridge, Mass this upcoming March 27, 2010
Sant Bani Staff, Students, and Alumni will continue our long-time support of Haiti at the Urban Walk For Haiti.
PIH has been instrumental in providing quality medical care to the poorest areas of the world, as well as in the fight against HIV/Aids, and providing infrastructure to ensure people’s health.
This year’s donations will go to support building homes for families displaced by the September 2008 hurricanes in Haiti.
“… Hundreds of people gathered last weekend in Cambridge, MA, to celebrate the tiny nation of Haiti, to learn about Haitian culture and to raise awareness about, and money for a successful organization that works together with local communities to transform the lives of thousands of rural Haitians. Partners In Health (PIH) has been working in Haiti for over 25 years, and has pioneered a model for comprehensive healthcare that is currently being replicated in more than nine countries worldwide, including the U.S. The theme of this year’s walk was the Haitian proverb “Tout moun se moun,” every person is a person.
On Saturday April 4, a group of more than fifty people from the Sant Bani School community rallied to affirm “Tout moun se moun,” by participating in the sixth annual Urban Walk for Haiti in Cambridge, MA. More than thirty students, along with staff, alumni, parents, relatives and friends joined forces to raise over $4000 for Partners In Health. This year marks the fourth year that Sant Bani has been involved with this event. This year’s Walk raised nearly $40,000, to be used for rebuilding homes in rural Haiti, destroyed by last September’s hurricanes. This total is the second largest in the history of the event.
Since 2004 Sant Bani students and teachers have unofficially donated $12,000 to PIH through their work with the Mooseman Triathlon and the “Walk For Haiti.” That might not sound like a lot of money, but considering that the size of the Sant Bani high school is 47 students it’s proportionally impressive. Last fall, when PIH medical director Joia Mukherjee spoke at Sant Bani’s “Conversations in a Changing World” conference, she wove the concept of “Tout moun se moun” into the rich tapestry of “ubuntu”
which shares a root with the Creole word “moun.” “Ubuntu” is a Bantu word common to at least fifty African languages, and it means essentially that a person is a person through other people. We are human precisely because we love and serve one another.
Through their commitments to cultivate the best in themselves and ultimately to put their knowledge and talents to use in serving others, Sant Bani students demonstrated “ubuntu” in action at the Walk for Haiti, just as they do whenever they undertake a project in our local communities. Mesi anpil (many thanks) to everyone who participated, whether you walked, raised money, bought soup or donated crafts, money or positive energy. You have made a real difference in many lives. …"
If you have any questions about workshops or the roadside clean-up please contact:
Robert Schongalla Jen Schongalla
Hillary Pincoske Dave Coulter
Todd Schongalla Hillary Martin
Sam Conkling Travis Filter
Roadside Clean-Up
The students in Grades 1-12 will be participating in an all school roadside clean up after their workshops and lunch on Thurs, April 22nd. The Kindergarten students will be staying on campus to clean up the playgrounds. Students and teachers have been combined into mixed age groups and each has been assigned a local route. The groups will be dropped off at specific destinations and picked up by school transportation. Your child will need appropriate clothing for the weather and good walking shoes – sun block, bug spray, water bottle and gloves, if desired.
“Rediscovering Afghanistan: Lessons from the Home” will be the subject of an illustrated talk by linguist, feltmaker, scholar and photographer Rachel Lehr at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 14 at the Sant Bani School Library, 19 Ashram Road, Sanbornton, NH. Sant Bani School’s International United States History class will be hosting this evening event. Soraya (Samira) Afzali, a tenth grade student from Afghanistan, will prepare an assortment of traditional vegetarian foods with the help of her fellow International classmates. Some students will also dress in traditional clothing from their countries.
Co-founder of Rubia, the Afghan Women’s Handwork project, Lehr spends several months each year in Afghanistan, working and living with village women and children. Through compelling stories, brought to life by beautiful and informative visual images and a fascinating collection of domestic artifacts, Lehr takes us into the homes of ordinary Afghans. Her photographs and personal anecdotes illuminate the rich cultural heritage of Afghanistan in a rapidly changing world.
Rubia is a non-profit organization, which works to translate the heritage and skills of Afghan women into sustainable livelihoods. Lehr’s presentation includes a traveling Afghan Culture Trunk of domestic artifacts, which she has collected during her frequent stays in the villages of Afghanistan.
International Students, Samira Afzali, from
Afghanistan, and Hannah Schmitt, of Germany,
model traditional clothing.
Lehr’s academic training (in linguistics and Persian, at Barnard College and University of Chicago) took her traveling across Central Asia during the 1970s-80s. While studying and living in Iran, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan, Rachel developed a deep interest in the culture and arts of the region, and in the lives of its women and children.
In 2000 Rachel reestablished contact with a community of Afghans then living as refugees in Pakistan. Following her first trip to Pakistan, Rachel helped found Rubia, a nonprofit organization, as a response to the critical need for economic opportunities among Afghan refugee women living in Pakistan. Through education, skills training and the promotion of their hand-embroidered textiles, Rubia, now headquartered in Afghanistan, works to translate the heritage and skills of Afghan women into sustainable livelihoods. Rubia’s embroidery project is actively involved in helping rebuild Afghanistan.
For the past six years Rachel has been principal artist/scholar for the Arts Alliance of Northern New Hampshire’s “Heart of the Silk Road” Project, bringing arts and humanities workshops, seminars, teacher institutes and presentations to communities and schools throughout the state.
Pam Hunt’s class: United States History for International Students, will host.
The presentation is funded by the New Hampshire Humanities Council. For additional information, contact Sant Bani School at (603) 934-4240.
