St. Thomas Orthodox Church, Oklahoma Sunday School
Annual Report: 2005-2006
The Sunday School year started on Aug. 7th , 2005. We strictly follow the Area II syllabus, class and test schedule, under the guidance of the Southern Regional Area II Inspector, Abraham Thomas and Coordinator, Alex Alexander. We have classes from pre-k to grade 12, with 12 teachers and 8 substitute teachers, under the leadership of the Headmaster, Thomas Kalayilparampil, and Assistant Headmaster, Tom Zachariah. Most of our teachers are college graduates and youth leaders. Our students are very active in the Dallas area district activities and competitions. Most of the time, our teachers and students attend or participate in the Area II Sunday School and MGOCSM events in Dallas and Houston.
I am proud to report that during last year’s district competitions, a significant number of our students won top prizes with distinction. During the academic year, 2005-2006, our Church celebrated it’s Silver Jubilee and we proudly welcomed our Catholicose and Diocesan Bishops to our church in July 2006. It was a memorable and historic event for all of us. We conducted the mid-term test, and the finals as per the Area II guidelines and time table. Every year, we celebrate Christmas on the Eve and our teachers distribute gifts and prizes to their students at the Christmas Program. We conducted OVBS this year, during Aug. 11th-13th, 2006, and it ended with a spectacular rally. This year’s OVBS was coordinated by Deepa Yohannan, Betsy Thomas, Julia Samuel and Shirley Kunnel. We appreciate their remarkable planning and coordinated efforts to make it a big success. We also attended the Southern Regional Family/Youth Conference (SRC), at St. Gregoriose Church in Dallas in July 2006.
Last academic year was quite remarkable in all aspects and we appreciate all our teachers, students, and parents for their teamwork and hardwork. We give awards and trophies for perfect attendance and academic achievements, and a best student is selected each year by the students and teachers, for an ever-rolling trophy. We also plan to conduct an annual meeting soon to distribute the academic awards, and prizes.
I take this opportunity to thank our Vicar, Rev. Fr. Cherian Kunnel, for his valuable guidance and support to the Sunday School. We thank our Managing Committee and the members of our Church for their support and cooperation. Our special thanks goes to the Diocesan Bishops and the Area II Sunday School officials for their guidance and support. I want to thank the Almighty God for his immense grace and abundant mercy during this academic year.
Thomas Kalayilparampil, Headmaster
Tom Zachariah, Assistant Headmaster
September 10th, 2006
