St.Thomas Club Christmas Newsletter - Dec 2020

D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 0 | I S S U E 2








W H E R E L E A D E R S A R E M A D E





T H E O F F I C I A L N E W S L E T T E R O F S T . T H O M A S T O A S T M A S T E R S C L U B



























A J O Y F U L A N D

B L E S S E D S E A S O N


C e l e b r a t i n g a f r u i t f u l y e a r A R T I C L E S

Welcome to the Winter edition of “St.
S P E E C H H I G H L I G H T S
Thomas Toastmasters Club” Newsletter. This
issue is dedicated to all our members who
have started their journey in their 'project C O N T E S T S

speech' and to the prospective members who
will be joining in the days ahead.


C O N Q U E R Y O U R
Special thanks to our vicar Fr. Antony
F E A R
Pullukattu, Fr. Ligory Philips and entire
parish for your support.



R E C O G N I T I O N S


P E A C E A N D H A P P I N E S S

G L I M P S E O F M E E T I N G S
C L U B U P D A T E S
C H R I S T M A S M E M O R I E S
C H R I S T M A S T R E E

CONTENTS













1 FR. ANTONY PULLUKATTU - WELCOME



2 FR. LIGORY PHILIPS - FAREWELL


3 PRESIDENT'S GREETINGS



5 COMMITTEE LEADS


6 PR MESSAGE - WINTER EDITION



7 VPE - TOASTMASTER'S JOURNEY


8 CLUB RECOGNITION


8 MEIN KAMPF - MY STRUGGLES



9 CLUB FALL CONTEST


11 AREA FALL CONTEST



11 HIDDEN FIGURES


12 MEMBER RECOGNITIONS


13 WHAT IS CHRISTMAS



15 LEADERSHIP












8 1 3









1 5
1 1
Mein Kampf (Priya) Hidden Figures (Josemon) Christmas (Aniamma) Leadership (Mini Roy)

CONTENTS
1 6








Aim At The Stars & Christmas (Roopa)

16 AIM AT THE STARS



18 GLORY TO GOD


19 CONQUER YOUR FEAR


1 8
20 PHILOSOPY OF WATER
Glory To God (Marykutty)

22 A CHRISTMAS MESSAGE


23 THE LAZY MANIFESTO
1 9


25 PEACE OF MIND AND HAPPINESS

Conquer Your Fear (Jojan)
27 LIKE FATHER...LIKE SON...


29 THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING
2 0


30 MY CHRISTMAS - EXCITING TIME


32 GLIMPSE OF MEETINGS



35 CLUB UPDATES
Philosohy Of Water (Annie)


2 2 38 CHRISTMAS TREE

39 WORD OF THE DAY



40 THANKS



Christmas (Josemon)



2 7



2 9




2 3
Gavelier Special
Gavelier Special
Gavelier Special
Lazy Manifesto (Joey) Choices..More choices (Noel ) Positive Thinking (Lisha)

1















F R . A N T O N Y P U L L U K K A T T U
(VICAR)

St. Thomas Syro Malabar Church,

Somerset, NJ







I am happy to learn that our St. Thomas Toastmasters Club is

beautifully bringing us together virtually during this pandemic.
The Toastmasters Club is a wonderful platform that helps the

club members to burnish their presentation and oratory talents.
The commitment of the club to train its members and help them

to excel at different levels is gratefully appreciated.



I join you all to wish the very best to our Toastmasters and happy
to see the second edition of its News Letter. Wishing you all a

Merry Christmas season and a Blessed New Year 2021.



God bless us all.

2






F R . L I G O R Y J . P H I L I P S



F A R E W E L L W I S H E S




Thank you Fr. Ligory Philips for being our spiritual leader and guiding us. May God continue
to always watch over your ministry and bless you abundantly with his graces. Thank you for all

your spiritual support, prayers, and guidance. You have been a blessing to our Club, family and our
parish community.



May God grant you His grace to continue with your astounding service. We wish you a blessed
beginning at your new home. Merry Christmas and a happy and blessed year ahead...!!!

3








R O Y P . J O B
PRESIDENT

St. Thomas Toastmasters Club, Somerset





December 1st, 2020



As we are stepping towards a new year, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a
prosperous New Year. I am delighted to be the president of St. Thomas Toastmasters
Club, Somerset - one of the most vibrant and active toastmasters clubs in our division.


I am proud of the various achievements that we had over the course. We have become

the “Distinguished toastmasters club”. We have added many new members to our count.
Our team members - Priya Kurian and Manoj Yohannan, participated in the district level
humorous and impromptu speaking contest after winning the area level contests.



I am happy to announce the initial discussions for
launching our new Kids Toastmasters club program open
to children from 4th Grade to 8th Grade. We are also
revamping the Gavel Club activities for the high-school

students.


Our club members are one of the best and highly
accomplished set of people with vast knowledge on

various fields viz., Finance, Information Technology,
Health care sector etc. They have proved their forte in
their respective professional fields. They are ever ready
and encouraging individuals who are keen in continuous

development and always extend their support to the fellow members.



I am very satisfied that, in a testing time that we are going through currently, with an
unpredictable situation caused due to the pandemic, we still were able to keep up our
momentum and pace and march towards successful club activities. We have arranged

for weekly online meets and all the members are actively participating in it. This is a
huge success and a major achievement despite the negativity of a pandemic which
has clouded the entire world.

4















I am thankful to Fr. Ligory Philips whose blessings and support boosted our morale.
On behalf of St.Thomas Toastmasters Club, I give my sincere thanks and best wishes
for his endeavors in the new parish.


We, the St.Thomas Toastmasters Family, welcome our new parish priest Fr. Antony

Xavier and seek his support, prayers and encouragement.


I invite all of you, who are interested in personal and professional development, to join

our club and leverage this splendid opportunity.


“Every day is a chance to begin again”.






































E V E R Y D A Y I S A C H A N C E
T O B E G I N A G A I N .

5


C O M M I T T E E L E A D S







PRESIDENT



R O Y P J O B
























M A N O J Y O H A N N A N S A J I P A U L G I N N Y P U L I K K A N
VICE PRESIDENT VICE PRESIDENT VICE PRESIDENT
EDUCATION MEMBERSHIP PUBLIC RELATIONS























J O S E M O N J O S E P H V A R G H E S E A N N I E P R I Y A K U R I A N
SERGEANT AT ARMS SECRETARY TREASURER



















J O J A N K M A T H E W
WEB MASTER

6

THE WINTER EDITION
THE WINTER EDITION
GINNY PULIKKAN

(VP OF PUBLIC RELATIONS)



Welcome to the Winter edition of “St. Thomas Toastmasters Club” Newsletter. In the current
edition of our newsletter, we have shared the events and changes happened in the club over the
past little while, and what we can expect over the coming days. Our club has been doing a great
job inviting guests, doing a variety of table topics, and having themed sessions, even amidst this
pandemic. So happy that our club has won the first place in the Area Contest in both Humorous
Speech and Table Topics, and got an opportunity to participate in the Division Contest. I wish the
very best to all our members, as they progress in their TM journey to scale new heights.


We have included some inspirational and educational columns within these pages. Have shared
some laughs, pictures, ideas, successes, and most of all experiences. Added sprinkles of lovely
Christmas memories and messages from our Toastmasters this time too. We have also created a
member Christmas tree. If you’d like to submit an entry for inclusion in the newsletter, please
submit entries to: [email protected]


Our weekly meetings are fun with perfecting techniques and interesting timed speeches, always
resulting in positive experiences and friendship with supportive members. The best part here is

encouraging yourself and others to be awesome. To our surprise, this time, we are lucky to have
an article by our little Gavelier - Noel John Manoj. Noel is a 4th grader.



Please share this newsletter with your friends and family. By sharing this, we hope to introduce
Toastmasters club to potential new members.


Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and an Awesome New Year...!!

7




M Y J O U R N E Y A S A T O A S T M A S T E R


M A N O J Y O H A N N A N
(VP OF EDUCATION)




The main duty of the VPE is to educate, Our club is very young and growing. This
encourage and retain club members. provides us with immense opportunities to mold,

shape and strengthen the foundation as it gets
The office of Vice President Education is a established alongside many other famous TM
critical office in a Toastmasters club. The clubs. We also have a great opportunity to
Toastmasters educational program is the heart of create our club's unique identity. Its been a

our organization and it’s through the work of the pleasure for me to serve our club as its VPE
Vice President Education that the mission of the and to have worked with a very able and willing
club is accomplished. VPE is responsible for executive team. Over the last several months
providing and maintaining the positive we have kicked off several programs/initiatives:

environment and programs through which
members can develop their communication skills. - Club member mentorship/ guide program
- Club level TM Speech contests
Some of the specific duties of the VPE are: - Pathways engagement program

- Club success roadmap
creating the meeting schedule for speakers,
evaluators and other roles Our previous Club leadership did a
support members to work on advanced wonderful job of initiating and then laying the

manuals and projects initial blocks of the foundation. Jointly we were
running a mentor program: assign and able to take our club to a "Presidents Select
supervise Distinguished" status, which is perhaps the
conducting training for membership highest honor for a club to have received. It's

act as right hand to club president when our job now to build on it and grow into a mature
setting up and implementing a club success and sustainable community.
plan
keep track of the club's Distinguished Club As a TM member at our club, I am enrolled

Program status to two pathways and currently at Level 4. My
sign off on members award applications and personal TM journey so far was quite exciting
speeches strung together with a variety of speeches such
as:



- "Hello Girls".. linking the discovery of
telephone with the women's suffrage movement
- "Motivation".. tried to bring humor into the

motivation speaking industry
- "Second fiddle".. touching on the fear of taking
that next step

8

C L U B R E C O G N I T I O N


As you all know, St. Thomas Toastmasters club has achieved the highest honor of Toastmasters
forum - President's Distinguished Club as per the standards of Toastmasters International. In the Area
level, "Fall Celebration - Leading with Hope", our club was recognized in Membership and training categories.


















It is a great opportunity for our parish members to improve their self-confidence, communication, and leadership
skills. We encourage everyone to utilize this opportunity. We have our virtual meetings every Sunday at 5.45 pm.
For details, please contact the Toastmasters leads.

4TH BEST PERFORMING OUT OF 154 CLUBS IN THE DISTRICT

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLUB LEADS AND MEMBERS FOR THE OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS..!!



U P L I F T I N G H U M O R O U S S P E E C H H I G H L I G H T


PRIYA KURIAN

(TREASURER)

Mein Kampf: My Struggle
Did anyone read Adolf Hitler's book, "Mein Kampf"? Does anyone know the meaning
of Mein Kampf? It means "My struggle". In my humorous speech contest, I
mentioned a few struggles that I had to face in my life and how I overcame them,

including my current struggles with homeschooling due to the pandemic.

I hope that one day we can overcome this pandemic too. Even though everyone has their own
struggles, we all are grateful to God for the precious life we have. Appreciate the struggles as
opportunities to wake up and continue our Journey.

9









CLUB FALL SPEECH CONTEST - SEPT 2020





H U M O R O U S S P E E C H W I N N E R S















F I R S T P L A C E

P R I Y A K U R I A N







2 3









S E C O N D P L A C E T H I R D P L A C E

M A N O J Y O H A N N A N S A J I P A U L






C E R T I F I C A T E O F P A R T I C I P A T I O N A W A R D S















M A R Y K U T T Y

K U R I A N

10









CLUB FALL SPEECH CONTEST - SEPT 2020





T A B L E T O P I C S S P E E C H W I N N E R S
















F I R S T P L A C E
M A N O J Y O H A N N A N








2 3








S E C O N D P L A C E T H I R D P L A C E

P R I N C E T H O M A S G E O R G E V A R K E Y






C E R I F I C A T E O F P A R T I C I P A T I O N A W A R D S
















J A M E S A N I A M M A B O B B Y
G E O R G E T H O M A S V A R G H E S E

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C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S . . . ! !


A R E A C L U B S - F A L L C O N T E S T W I N N E R S


HUMOROUS SPEECH TABLE TOPICS SPEECH
















P R I Y A K U R I A N M A N O J Y O H A N N A N
F I R S T P L A C E
F I R S T P L A C E








JOSEMON JOSEPH

(SERGEANT AT ARMS)


Hidden Figures
Creola Katherine Johnson (August 26, 1918 – February 24, 2020) was an
American mathematician whose calculations of orbital mechanics as a NASA
employee were critical to the success of the first and subsequent U.S. crewed
spaceflights.
Katherine's powerful story is depicted in a movie called Hidden Figures. The paradoxical nature
of Katherine's life is that, on one hand she was working on the world's most advanced missions
and on the other hand she had to fight for the very basic freedom and equality in the workplace.
The freedom and opportunities we enjoy today are results of a number of small steps taken by
several hidden figures like Katherine who went before us.

12


M E M B E R R E C O G N I T I O N S



PATHWAYS



LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT INNOVATIVE PLANNING

MOTIVATIONAL STRATEGIES





LEVEL 1 AWARDS




















S M I T A A N N I E B O B B Y
J O S E M O N
M A L I E K A L V A R G H E S E
J O S E P H











CERTIFICATE OF APPRECIATION



In recognition of outstanding support of Toastmaster's International's

communication and leadership programs - Presented by Area Director
Pamela Johnson


















G I N N Y
P U L I K K A N

13




W H A T I S C H R I S T M A S T O M E ?


A N I A M M A V E N G A T H A D A M





On December 25th we celebrate the G L O R Y T O G O D I N T H E
birth of Jesus. But, was Jesus born on H I G H E S T A N D O N E A R T H
December 25th? Why is this special day P E A C E T O T H O S E O N
called Christmas? What does Christmas W H O M H I S F A V O R R E S T S .

mean to me?
"Glory to God in the highest and on earth
peace to those on whom his favor rests.” (LK

2:14)
Jesus. One of which is that Pope Leo I, bishop
of Rome started the celebration of the birth of
Christmas is one of the most important
Jesus (440-461), to coincide with the Festival of
days of the Church year, second only to
the Saturnalia when Romans worshipped
Easter itself. It is the feast of the incarnation,
Saturn, the sun god. (Catholic Encyclopedia).
the feast of God becoming flesh -the Divine
The reality is that there is no mention of the
choosing to become one of us. Thus God is
exact date of Jesus' birth anywhere in the Bible.
not only Transcendent but also wholly
Even though Jesus had a date of birth and it is
Immanent, Emmanuel (God-with-us). While
nowhere to be found makes one realize that as
remaining Transcendent (meaning we must
Son of God who is Alpha and Omega does not
rise above our present condition to reach
want to have a date as to start His life on earth?
Him), He is at the same time Immanent

(meaning He is with us as we rise toward
Him).





The name 'Christmas' comes from the
'Christ Mass'- a Mass service which is
sometimes called Communion, Eucharist or
the Holy Qurbana is where Christians

remember that Jesus died for us and then
came back to life. On that Mass of Christ,
Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus.


What does Christmas mean to me?
How did the celebration start?

In my childhood, I did not understand the
Among the early Christians, there was no
meaning of Christmas. Mostly we children were
celebration of Jesus' birthday. There are
following the traditions and rituals of the
many arbitrations regarding the birth date of
Catholic Church. As a child the most exciting

14

the thing about Christmas was going for
the midnight mass. The church would be
overcrowded with people. So we would go early T H E T H O U G H T S T H A T
enough to get a spot inside the church. The A R E B E I N G F O C U S E D I S ,

mass used to be long with new songs and long W H A T I C A N D O T H A T I S
sermon by the parish priest. P L E A S I N G T O J E S U S ,

H O W I C A N S T A Y
Walking from home to and from the church C O N N E C T E D W I T H T H E
at night was another excitement as we did not C O M M U N I T Y D U R I N G
have electricity in our village. So we prepare C H R I S T M A S T I M E A N D
coconut leaves bunches and lighted fire. When W H A T A N D H O W I C A N
back home, there were special food items G I V E B A C K T O T H E

waiting for us, prepared by our beloved mother, C O M M U N I T Y .
as part of the Christmas celebration at home.
Making a nativity crib was another exciting part

of Christmas and we got a lot more playtime as
we always had holidays during Christmas.
In the Gospel of Matthew, The men —

Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar — presented
Jesus with three symbolic gifts. Those gifts —

gold, frankincense, and myrrh — are steeped
in symbolism. The gold represents Jesus’

standing as “King of the Jews,” while
frankincense manifests the divine nature of

His existence. Myrrh often used to embalm
corpses in ancient times, is a symbol of
As an adult with little children at home, the Jesus’ mortality, a prelude to his death on

excitement was in buying gifts for them,
Good Friday.
wrapping them when they are asleep, and,
putting them under the Christmas tree. The real
In the moral sense, how are we to live?
joy was in seeing them opening their gifts and
Pope St. Gregory the Great says in his
watching them enjoying the variety of food that
I prepared for them. Homilies on the Gospels that the three items
represent gifts that we are to present to God
Now, as the wisdom sinks in, the priorities in our daily lives: gold is Christ’s wisdom,

changed in life. The thoughts are focused on which is to shine in our lives; frankincense is
what I can do that's pleasing to Jesus, who
the prayer and adoration we are to give him
incarnated to save the humans from their sins,
(see Rev. 8:3-4), and myrrh is our daily self-
and is still alive and being crucified daily in the
sacrifices to the Lord (see Matt. 10:39; Rom.
Mass by being connected with the community
12:1). Reference: Catholic.com.
during Christmas and what and how I can give
back to the community.

15


L E A D E R S H I P B E G I N S W I T H T H E

R I G H T A T T I T U D E



M I N I R O Y





Leadership is an attitude towards your responsibility that you have to fulfill. There are many
types of leadership styles, but one should ask themselves which style represents them. We all can

have many styles embedded in us, but each will have a dominant style. There are a few leadership
rules one can follow to get the best outcomes such as trade minds with the people you want to
influence and seeing things through their eyes.



Be human is another rule to become an effective leader. We all wanted to be treated with
dignity, no matter how small or big our positions or titles. A good leader has the attitude of serving
the team at all times, often at the expense of his own morale or personal needs. A good leader truly
cares about the morale of the team, pushes and motivates the team with respect, a relentlessly

positive attitude, and a genuine heart.


Be considerate with one another. Take time out to confer with yourself, be in solitude to think,

and create the best in you as a leader. And finally, always ask, am I worth duplicating?
Incorporating some of these rules will make you a millionaire not only in the form of money but also
friends, contentment, and satisfaction.

16



A I M A T T H E S T A R S


ROOPA GEMINIS






Aim At the stars, if we fail, we'll land on the moon, if we fail, we'll land on a Skyscraper and

if we fail further, we'll be landing on the Roof-top of our House. If we fail to land on the roof, we will
definitely hit the ground. Then get up and start cooking or start all over again. I would like to invite
you all for a ride in my time machine. Do not expect a roller coaster ride, it will be a small Safari.



Let's move to Phase 1:


"Come out now, our guests are about to leave. Why are you behind the doors?." If you
happened to visit my Family home when I was young, you wouldn't see me. I will be surreptitiously

hiding behind the Doors. Any of you had a favorite hiding place?

I was born into a nuclear family
as an overprotected child, needless

to say, the youngest.


My father was a college

professor, and my mother was a
district development officer.


I have a brother and a sister.

Growing up, both my elder siblings
were extreme extroverts, and in order
to balance, I turned out to be an

extreme introvert. I always wanted to embrace my comfort zone. I had my mother's sari to cling on
to, my father to protect me, my brother and sister to share my secrets with, and my servant to cook

for me.



Phase 2:


I did well in school and college, maybe due to the fact that I spent 3 years in nursery school.

My motivation was my father's happy face and an additional bonus was my mother's song. Do you
want to hear her song? Her appreciation song was like this “pust pust pust”. Can you please sing
it with me? I was never ambitious. I was comfortable in my cocoon.

17













Phase 3:


After finishing my masters, I got married and followed my husband to America. Still embracing
my cocoon. I still had no aim, not willing to take responsibilities.



My mentality took a 360 turn on Sept 11th, 2001.We were staying in a hotel near ground zero.
We returned home covered in dust. We walked home escaping the debris of the world trade Centre.

This event shook me. I started thinking about the uncertainties of life. Started wondering how close
is our expiry date.


I don't want to turn to dust without achieving anything
or without doing something.



My brain's dopamine levels started kicking in. I started
putting effort in. I had different goals at different times. I
started my MBA. I started my first job in GM as a developer.

I started working in universities and consulting firms as
training manager and Training Director. I tried to reach the
stars many times but never achieved, except the fact that
my office is on the top of a skyscraper.



Currently I am helping to prevent the surreptitious entry
of any terrorist into NYC. I am still trying to reach the stars.
If you ever see me posting a special dish in our Marian

Mothers Cooking group, you can assume that, I failed again,
and started cooking.

18




G L O R Y T O G O D I N T H E H I G H E S T


M A R Y K U T T Y K U R I A N





Christmas time reminds me of a

vacation. It reminds me of the observation of
lent as per tradition and Carol singing. It W E M A Y K N O W O U R
reminds me of a star, a crib, and a Christmas I D E N T I T Y A S T H E

tree. It reminds me of midnight mass with A D O P T E D S O N S A N D
songs expressive of the joy of Christmas. D A U G H T E R S O F G O D .
Christmas is celebrated with joy and G O D D E S I R E S A
happiness. It is a season of greeting friends W H O L E H E A R T E D ‘ Y E S ’ T O
and relatives and exchanging gifts. It is done I T W I T H O U R L I V E S . .

throughout the world with slight variations.
Now let us see what is behind these Joyful
Celebrations.

Individual, family, and communal prayers
On 25th December we celebrate Christmas
are all encouraged. Participation in the
as the Birthday of Jesus. God’s own only
Eucharist and the sacrament of Penance are
begotten son was born to be with us. The
encouraged for sanctification. Jesus was a
incarnation is a mystery and revelation to us
person of Prayer. Early morning and in the
by God. Jesus’ coming was foretold and he
night, he prayed and remained in communion
came to save us from the captivity of sin and
with God the Father. He Prayed before every
death. To pave the way for Jesus’ arrival and
important decisions and events. His disciples
to give witness to him, St John the Baptist
also prayed according to a schedule. This is
came before him. The involuntary silence
clear from the Acts of Apostles.
imposed on Zacharia, the father of St John, for
repentance ended with a song of gratitude. 25 The birth of Jesus in a humble stable, the
days lent is observed for prayer and song of the angels, the visit of the shepherds

repentance to prepare for Christmas. and Magi with gifts to infant Jesus of the holy
family, everything gets engraved in the hearts
of all the faithful. Glory to God in the highest

and peace to his people on earth. Each
Christmas day gives us this message. The
external celebrations are all the reflections of
the internal state of grace. We may know our
identity as the adopted sons and daughters of

God. God desires a wholehearted ‘Yes’ to it
with our lives. Be like the Holy Family who
with all the Challenges performed their

complementary roles in the family.

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C O N Q U E R Y O U R F E A R


J O J A N K . M A T H E W
WEB MASTER






W h a t i s f e a r a n d d i f f e r e n t s t r a t e g i e s t o o v e r c o m e f e a r ?

1. Acknowledge the fear: Whether its imagined or real, the first step in overcoming fear is to
admit that it exists. We all have fears, it’s human nature. Denying or ignoring them doesn’t
make them go away.



2. Analyze it – Where does it come from? Is it real or imagined? Can it be put in a different
context? For instance, if you think it through to its logical conclusion, what’s the worst that can
happen to you? Once you’ve determined what that might be, ask yourself if you can deal with,

or overcome it. More often than not, once you go through the process of analyzing it, the fear
isn’t as scary as you originally imagined.


3. Face it: Allow yourself to feel it, and then do it anyway. Act in spite of your fear and treat it

as a challenge for personal growth and an opportunity to become stronger.
































4. Be Persistent – Do the thing you fear over and over again. By doing it repeatedly it loses its
power over you and you become less vulnerable to it.


5. Develop courage – Sometimes the answer may not be to conquer a particular fear, It may be
to develop courage. If you focus too much on any one fear instead of trying to build courage,

you may in fact intensify it. By developing courage, you build self-confidence and resilience.
You also build a healthy approach towards facing all fear.

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P H I L O S O P H Y O F W A T E R


A N N I E V A R G H E S E
(SECRETARY)

W A T E R S H O W E D M E T H E
C A P A C I T Y T O R E M A I N
Many of us as working professionals G R O U N D E D , T O B E
might know this feeling, our day begins and P R E S E N T A N D T O L E A R N
we find ourselves inundated with many F R O M A N D B E

unread emails in our mailbox, our calendar is T R A N S F O R M E D B Y T H E
packed with meetings, you feel engaged, you S T O R I E S O F P E O P L E
feel busy, in fact, you feel productive, but at A R O U N D U S .

the end of it all, something still feels missing.
You try to figure out what it is, but before you
do, the next day starts all over again.
Water’s humility taught me a few
important things, it taught me that it is perfectly

That was how I felt a few months ago. I okay to say that I do not know all the answers,
felt a little bit anxious, the world around me I want to learn more and I need your help. It
was moving very quickly. I did not know what also taught me that it is more fulfilling to

to do and I started wondering to myself about promote the success of others and help
how do I keep up with all of this, and how do someone overcome their challenges. With a
we find fulfillment in a world that is literally humble mindset, I was able to make richer and
changing as fast as we can think and maybe deeper connections. Water showed me the
even faster. I started looking for answers and capacity to remain grounded, to be present,

that’s when I stumbled upon the Philosophy and to learn from and be transformed by the
of water and these are the three lessons stories of people around us.
that I learned so far, and I am trying to apply

these concepts to my daily life. I would like
to share these with you today.


The first lesson is about humility. If we
think about water flowing in a river it is

always staying low, it helps the other plants
grow and it keeps all the animals alive. It
does not actually draw any attention to itself

nor does it earn any reward or recognition. It
is humble, but without water’s humble
contribution, life as we know it may not exist.

21








The second lesson I learned is about
harmony. If we think about the water flowing H U M I L I T Y , H A R M O N Y
towards rocks, it would just flow around it, it A N D O P E N N E S S , T H O S E

doesn’t get upset or angry. In fact, it doesn’t A R E T H E T H R E E L E S S O N S
feel much at all. When faced with an T H A T I H A V E L E A R N T
obstacle, somehow water finds a solution, F R O M T H E P H I L O S O P H Y
without force and without conflict. So shifting O F W A T E R A N D T H E Y

my focus on harmony with my environment, N I C E L Y A B B R E V I A T E T O
reduced the stress I was feeling and also H 2 O .

started focusing only on things that I can
change, and not on things that I cannot.

Something that struck me in this philosophy
We can no longer expect to work according
is that nature does not hurry, yet everything
to a static Job description or follow a single
is accomplished.
career path. We are now expected to
constantly reinvent and learn new skills. So the
ones who succeed are the ones who are open
to learn and open to un-learn. So we can stay

behind closed doors and continue to be
paralyzed and have self-limiting beliefs, such
as I will never be able to talk about the
philosophy of water at a toastmaster’s meeting

or open up and enjoy the ride.


So, humility, harmony, and openness, are
the three lessons that I have learned from the

philosophy of water and they nicely abbreviate
to H2O.





The third lesson I learned is about its
Openness. Water is open to change.

Depending on the temperature, it can be a
liquid, solid, or gas. Depending on the
medium it is in, it can be a teapot or a flower

vase. The water’s ability to adapt and change
and remain flexible made it so enduring
despite all of the changes in the environment.

22



A C H R I S T M A S M E S S A G E


J O S E M O N J O S E P H
(SERGEANT AT ARMS)



This year, my son wanted to do a
a lot of Christmas decorations. Usually,
Christmas decorations are done after

Thanksgiving. However, my son was not patient
enough to wait until Thanksgiving. He made me
buy some additional lights and re-used all

existing lights and completed all decorations in
the first week of November itself. Our front yard
is now filled with multi-colored sparkling lights
and it looks beautiful!





This reminded me of my own childhood
Christmas, growing up in Kerala. We did not

even have electricity to light up Christmas
lights during those times. Still, our Christmas
was equally bright. We found a way to make

Christmas stars out of bamboo sticks and color
The message of Christmas is universal.
papers and lit them with kerosene lamps! We
The son of God, being born in a cattle shed,
used to hoist them on top of long poles or large
to bring eternal salvation and joy to mankind.
trees! They shined and sparkled in the dark
The message of Christmas is simplicity, love,
night sky and they looked beautiful!
joy, and hope. It is the message of a bright

star leading the way in the darkness of the
world to the hope and joy of tomorrow. This
message was true 2000 years ago, it is true
today and it will always be true. I wish you all

a merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

T H E M E S S A G E O F
C H R I S T M A S I S
S I M P L I C I T Y , L O V E , J O Y
A N D H O P E . I T I S T H E
M E S S A G E O F A B R I G H T
S T A R L E A D I N G T H E W A Y
I N T H E D A R K N E S S O F T H E
W O R L D T O T H E H O P E
A N D J O Y O F T O M O R R O W .

23

T H E L A Z Y M A N I F E S T O : D O L E S S



J O E Y T H O M A S




Lazy is often seen as a bad thing, but I disagree. Lazy is an amazing thing.



Here’s just a few reasons why:


Lazy means that your body and mind are tired and want to rest. That’s a sign that you should
actually rest. When you ignore these signs, that leads to burnout. So rest, and feel good about it!



Lazy means you don’t want to work too hard, which often leads to figuring out how to do
less work. Just about all of the advances in technology come from laziness: we drive cars
instead of walking because we’re too lazy to walk, we use washing machines because we’re too

lazy to do it by hand, we use computers because writing things out by hand is hard. Of course,
reliance on machines isn’t a good thing, but using laziness to figure out better ways to do things
is a good thing.


Lazy people don’t start wars. Who wants to go through all the trouble to fight a war? Peace and

friendliness is much easier.

Do Less is the best way to be productive. But do it smartly: Do

Less, but make every action count. Send fewer emails, but
make them important. Write fewer words, but make each word
essential. Really consider the impact of every action you take,

and see if you can eliminate some actions. See if you can
achieve a great impact by doing less. This doesn’t mean “less
is more”. It means “less is better”.

Do Less: Of Everything



Here’s how the two-words “Do Less” can change everything:


1. Do Less buying: If you spend less, shop less, acquire less, then you will own less, need less,
get into less debt, be in better financial shape, have less clutter, and have more time for things
that are truly important.



2. Do Less busy-work: Instead of running around doing lots of little things, slow down. Do Less.
Live a calmer, more peaceful life. Be content to sit, to do nothing. Relax a little. Smile and be

happy.


3. Do Less managing: If you are in a position of authority over others, whether it’s as a manager,
executive, or parent … the less you do, the better. Many people over-manage, or over-parent.

24






This gives their employees, or children, very little freedom, room for creativity, room to learn on
their own, to succeed and fail. The less you do, the more others will figure out how to do things. Do
little things to guide and teach, but for the most part, back off and let them be.



4. Do Less communicating: Less talking, less yelling,

less arguing, less emails and IM, less phone calling. While
I think communication is extremely important, and should
be one of the keys to any relationship, I also think we do it

too much. Especially as most of it becomes nothing but
jabbering at each other, with very little actual listening. It
is noise. Let silence into your life. Let stillness pervade our
minds. When you do communicate, make it count, make it
sincere, and more than you talk, listen. Make every email

count. Only IM when it’s necessary. Spend less time on
the phone, and more time with humans, more time with
yourself, more time in the present.



5. Do Less complaining and criticizing: I won’t rant
about how these two things can drag down you and those
around you … but instead will say that if you did less of

these two things, your life would be better. And we all do
them! I do, and I try to do less of it. Instead, do more
kindness, compassion, understanding, accepting, loving.


6. Do Less planning and worrying and future thinking: Spend more time in the moment. We
worry too much, and it does us no good. We think about things that haven’t happened, instead of

what’s happening now (and yes, I know that’s the name of an old sitcom). And while some planning
is necessary, too much of it is a waste of time — there’s no way to predict the future, and trying to
control every little thing that’s going to happen is futile. Learn to go with the flow, look for
opportunities, find the natural path of things, and do what is needed in the moment. You can’t

control outcomes, but if you learn to work more fluidly (instead of rigidly following plans), you can
get to outcomes that are good.


7. Do Less judging and expecting: Acceptance is something I’m trying to learn to do more. And

that means I need to be less judgmental, and stop having expectations from everything and
everybody. If you have no expectations and don’t judge things, you can accept them. And
acceptance leads to peace, leads to happiness. So when you find yourself judging, think “Do Less
Judging”. When you find yourself expecting someone to be a certain way, think “Do Less

Expectations”. People won’t disappoint you that way, because you’ll learn to accept them as they
are, and learn that they are already perfect, as they are.

25





P E A C E O F M I N D A N D H A P P I N E S S


P R I N C E T H O M A S




Every Person deserves happiness in this world...!! But are we all happy??

Everyone wish for peacefulness.. where can we find it?


Are our thoughts, peace and happiness are all interrelated?
Today I am going to write about some questions in my mind, I think everyone’s minds.



A few years back I saw a video of Nick Vujicic. Those who don't know Nick, He is a
motivational speaker. He was born without arms and legs, but that did not stop him. He is the
author of "Life Without Limits: Inspiration for a Ridiculously Good Life". There are more

books in the list, but now mentioning just one. Showing that anything is possible he has gone
skydiving, surfing, and he can even swim. After becoming an incredible and inspirational
speaker, he has traveled the globe speaking to diverse audiences.



I wondered… how a person with no hands and legs can live so happily. How did he overcome
his challenges in life? Even with all these imperfections he is expressing his gratitude to God!
How can he be so thankful? Are these all connected??




Yes! Positive Thoughts,
Gratitude, peace of mind and

happiness are all interrelated.


Mahatma Gandhi once said “A man

is a product of his own thoughts;
what he thinks, he becomes”


There are two words; Problem and
Challenge.



They may look similar, but the attitude your mind shows towards these, are completely different!



A Problem – It has no solution – Your mind looks at a problem saying you are a failure. But
when you take it as a Challenge - It has an answer- When the mind faces a challenge, it is a
warrior, ready to fight for victory.

26








In this world, everybody is looking for a change. Everyone is constantly searching for something
better than what they have.. better job, better pay, better business, better… better… better…you
name it!! But if the change needs to be sustainable then the change needs to happen in a very
important place called mind.







The richest person in this world is
somebody who owns their own mind!


The mind is a powerful force. It can

enslave us or empower us!


It can plunge us into the depths of

misery or take us to the heights of
ecstasy. Learn to use that power wisely!


Positivity is a very simple word.. It
means 'make yourself happy'.






Consider your mind as an individual who is with you always, for your lifetime!.. Just like your
body needs food and care, your mind too needs care like meditation and some pampering.



You are the captain of your mind.. Remember you have the capacity to choose. The treasure
house of peace and happiness lies within you.



Choose life!


Choose health!


Choose happiness and abundance!

27


L I K E F A T H E R . . . L I K E S O N . . .


Introducing our first Gavelier who was courageous to
join and enlighten us with his speech



N O E L J O H N M A N O J - 4 T H G R A D E
(SON OF RUBY & MANOJ YOHANNAN)







C H O I C E S , M O R E C H O I C E S , E V E N M O R E C H O I C E S



Choices, More Choices, Even More Choices...This is way too many choices. Have you ever
gone to the bread aisle in Walmart? There are, like, a hundred different brands with a hundred
different varieties of bread. What do I do, man? Turn on a TV and go on Netflix, and you get hit
with a million movies and TV shows! This, my friends, is the Paradox of Choice.



Choices...They’re great! But too many of them? We’re confused. So what do we do about
it? Do you know? Well, don't worry...I can help you with a few tips. Here is my secret
technique:...it's called... RCR. It stands for Researching, Classification, Recommendation.



Researching is when you, instead of going into the store and doing all the thinking there,
you research about the product at home, so that when you go to the store, you can just go
straight to the section of that product without having to do all the deciding in the store. For
example, let’s say you want to buy a gaming console. Now, as you may know, there are quite a

few gaming consoles out there! Which one would you go for? Instead of spending your whole
day at the store trying out Xbox to a Nintendo to a PlayStation, you can follow my super easy 5-
step process:



Write the criteria down
Watch online reviews
Check off your criteria
Compare lists

Buy console




Easy, isn't it? Let me touch on that again...

Now let’s move on to the next letter of my acronym, C, which is Classification.
Classification is when you try to classify, in your mind, different categories of products. Let’s

28










go back to that bread in the Walmart example again. Breads can be classified into oatmeal, potato,

whole grain, etc. This cuts your choices down to a reasonable amount. Pick the one which suits
your taste and WALLA!...That’s classification.


So far we covered R & C of my RCR

technique; Now on to the last letter of my
acronym, R, which stands for recommendation.
Let's say you are looking for a good way to spend
your weekend or go for a vacation. Instead of
wasting your time going through a ton of material

and opinions, you just ask a friend or family
member for their recommendation.



For example, Let’s say you want to go to a
nature trail. Ask your friend who is out and about
often. If his or her recommendation fits your
criteria, then you should definitely give it a shot.
Seeking for a recommendation makes navigating

through choices so easy!



So, my friends, choices, and more choices, might not be so bad after all...especially when you
know how to navigate them. Remember: When you are faced with many choices, RCR is the way to

go. Thank you.

29





T H E P O W E R O F P O S I T I V E T H I N K I N G

I N T H E M I D S T O F C H A L L E N G E S



L I S H A J O B I N
“You are braver than you believe; stronger than you seem; and smarter than you think” - a

famous quote by Alan Alexander Milne. Even if we accept it or not, the challenges of our life
enable us to develop deeper roots like trees, which are exposed to constant winds. The way
we think, can make us or break us. We need to reinforce the following thoughts into our
minds, which are recommended by Norman Vincent Peale in his famous book “The power of

positive thinking”.


1. There is a solution to each problem. We need to figure it out.


2. Start your day with inspiring Bible verses/quotes from famous people.


3. We are not inferior to anyone around us.


4. Always keep a picture of you succeeding/ overcoming an issue.


5. Move forward, rather than regret your past failures.

6. Deliberately think something positive, when a negative thought comes to your mind.


7. Believe that the almighty God is with you, constantly guiding you.



































Let’s all grow into strong individuals through the power of positive thinking.

30





M Y C H R I S T M A S - E X C I T I N G T I M E T O

B E A C H I L D



R O O P A G E M I N I S



My earliest memories of Christmas are - my father bringing home a few huge paper stars and

firecrackers. One of the best things about growing up in multicultural India was, all the holidays
were celebrated with lots of joy and gusto. As children, we always looked forward to the Christmas
break.


My brother and I spent hours planning our own Christmas cribs/nativity scenes, an important

part of our Christmas traditions.


We planned our cribs early in the month, as there was friendly competition for the most

elaborate crib among our cousins.


We grew paddy plants in small trays, and collected bricks and mud to create beautiful,
detailed cribs, resplendent with lights, fields, bridges, and waterfalls. We had a Pine tree in our
home garden that was our permanent outdoor Christmas tree.



Since Snow is not in supply, we used draping cotton wool all over the trees. Decorations and
ornaments were handmade, except the twinkling fairy lights, paper streamers. We would pull out all

our nativity statues.



On Christmas eve we get multiple visits
from different caroling groups with multiple
Santa clauses. We used to play a guessing

game to see who is behind the mask. On
24th December, we visit Churches to enjoy
decorations and stunning light shows that
look spectacular at night. Before leaving,
we would reverently place the baby Jesus

statue in the scene and place baby Jesus in
the "pulkudil". I always halfway slept
through the midnight mass.

31













I remember opening my eyes to a hot, breakfast
palappam and spicy mutton stew. Mom with her help
might have started cooking early. There will be a

lavish spread of all the sweets and snacks.


I love all the cultural influences that go into these
sweets. British influenced plum cakes/ Fruitcakes,

Rose cookies of the Dutch occupation, and the result
of Portuguese and French cuisines, cardamom and
cashew macaroons. Our Christmas is, therefore, a true
melting pot of all the cultures that were part of India

during colonial times.


The Joy of Giving, all my neighbors used to get
some goodies, no matter if they were Hindu, Christian,

or Muslim. My dad's staff will get a party at home.
After breakfast, we usually went to visit family or
friends and shared a piece of rich fruitcake and a
small bottle of wine.



It was an exciting time to be a child, as our
cousins visit us, and we were also allowed to stay up
late and burn firecrackers with our cousins. My

Christmas away from my home in India is
materialistically rich, and while we celebrate it with
presents, Santa Claus, and baking, my old Christmas

traditions in India will always have a special place in
my heart. I wish I could go back in Time.

Glimpse of Meetings 32

33
Glimpse of Meetings

34

Glimpse of Meetings
















































































SANTA

4
35



C L U B U P D A T E S - 2 0 2 0





V i r t u a l m e e t i n g s e v e r y S u n d a y s 5 . 4 5 p m .



C l u b l e v e l - " F A L L S P E E C H " h u m o r o u s a n d t a b l e t o p i c s c o n t e s t w a s h e l d o n
S e p t e m b e r 2 7 t h u n d e r t h e l e a d e r s h i p o f R o y J o b a n d J o s e m o n J o s e p h . T h e
d i v i s i o n D i r e c t o r , H e m a n t V o r a a t t e n d e d o u r v i b r a n t a n d e n e r g e t i c c o n t e s t .

C o n g r a t s t o a l l o u r p a r t i c i p a n t s . T h e w i n n e r s w e r e s e l e c t e d f o r t h e D i v i s i o n
c o n t e s t .



F e w o f o u r l e a d s a t t e n d e d D i s t r i c t 8 3 " F a l l C e l e b r a t i o n - L e a d i n g w i t h H o p e " o n
N o v 1 4 t h . T h i s v i r t u a l c e l e b r a t i o n a l s o a p p l a u d e d t h e a c h i e v e m e n t s o f o u r c l u b
f o r a w a r d s e a r n e d b e t w e e n 7 / 1 / 2 0 2 0 - 1 0 / 1 / 2 0 2 0 . A n d t h e r e w e r e 2 f a n t a s t i c

K e y n o t e s p e a k e r s : R i c h a r d R . S h a p i r o a n d D a v e C h a p m a n , b o t h T o a s t m a s t e r s a t
t h i s e v e n t !



A r e a c o n t e s t w a s h e l d o n O c t 2 3 r d .


A d d e d N e w T a b i n s i t e - T i m e r V i d e o s . H a s i n s t r u c t i o n s t o o o n h o w t o u s e i t .



T o a s t m a s t e r s I n t e r n a t i o n a l h a s a s p e c i a l o f f e r f o r a n y T o a s t m a s t e r w h o r e n e w s
t h e i r m e m b e r s h i p f o r t h e 2 0 2 1 y e a r b y D e c e m b e r 3 1 s t . T h e y w i l l r e c e i v e a f r e e

P a t h w a y s p a t h ! T o c l a i m y o u r F R E E p a t h w a y o n t h e t o a s t m a s t e r s . o r g w e b s i t e .



G o t o P a t h w a y s — > c h o o s e a n e w p a t h ( c l i c k o n i t e v e n t h o u g h i t s a y s 2 0 U S D ) —
> s e l e c t t h e p a t h o f y o u r c h o i c e . T h e n e w p a t h w i l l b e a d d e d t o y o u r b a s e c a m p .


E x e c u t i v e t e a m m e e t i n g s a r e h e l d e v e r y a l t e r n a t e S a t u r d a y . D i s c u s s i o n s w e r e

h e l d o n



G u i d e / M e n t o r i m p r o v e m e n t s
C l u b a c t i v i t i e s , t h e a d d i t i o n o f G a v e l a n d Y o u t h C l u b
S p e e c h c o n t e s t s , M e m b e r s h i p r e n e w a l s

A n n o u n c e m e n t s , N e w s l e t t e r s , e t c .
T r a c k i n g t h e p r o g r e s s o f m e m b e r s
F r . L i g o r y P h i l i p ' s f a r e w e l l

4
36

C L U B U P D A T E S - 2 0 2 0









C l u b ' s n e w s l e t t e r a r t i c l e i n v i t e s s e n t t o t h e g r o u p i n O c t o b e r .



T h e c u r r e n t e x e c u t i v e t e a m a t t e n d e d D i s t r i c t 8 3 O f f i c e r t r a i n i n g i n A u g u s t .



T h e e x e c u t i v e t e a m h a d t h e " M e e t a n d g r e e t " w i t h o u r n e w A r e a D i r e c t o r M s .
P a m e l a J o h n s o n i n A u g u s t .



S t . T h o m a s t o a s t m a s t e r s c l u b i s s t a r t i n g t h e G a v e l c l u b f o r H i g h S c h o o l s t u d e n t s .
T h e G a v e l c l u b w i l l r u n a s a n i n d e p e n d e n t c l u b u n d e r t h e a d u l t ' s t o a s t m a s t e r s
c l u b , f o l l o w i n g t h e s a m e o p e r a t i n g m o d e l . W e a r e r e q u e s t i n g h i g h s c h o o l e r s (

G r a d e 9 t h r u 1 2 ) t o c o n s i d e r j o i n i n g t h e G a v e l c l u b . T h i s w i l l b e a g r e a t
o p p o r t u n i t y f o r h i g h s c h o o l e r s t o b u i l d o n t h e i r c o m m u n i c a t i o n , l e a d e r s h i p ,
o r g a n i z a t i o n s k i l l s , a n d a l s o t o i m p r o v e t h e i r s e l f - c o n f i d e n c e . L e t u s p r e p a r e t h e m

t o m e e t t h e c o r p o r a t e w o r l d . I f y o u a r e i n t e r e s t e d , p l e a s e r e a c h o u t t o J o s e m o n
J o s e p h ( 7 3 2 - 7 5 4 - 4 9 8 7 ) o r R o y J o b ( 2 0 3 - 5 5 1 - 0 7 8 8 ) .



S t . T h o m a s t o a s t m a s t e r s c l u b i s a l s o p l a n n i n g t o s t a r t a " J u n i o r G a v e l i e r s " c l u b f o r
b o y s a n d g i r l s b e t w e e n t h e G r a d e s 4 t h a n d 8 t h . T h e g o a l o f t h i s c l u b i s t o c r e a t e
t h e f o u n d a t i o n f o r s t r u c t u r e d t h o u g h t p r o c e s s , c l a r i t y i n c o m m u n i c a t i o n , a n d

c o n f i d e n c e i n t h e i r d e l i v e r y . T h i s c l u b w i l l a l s o r u n a s a n i n d e p e n d e n t c l u b u n d e r
t h e a d u l t ' s t o a s t m a s t e r s c l u b c h a r t e r , f o l l o w i n g a s i m i l a r b u t c u s t o m i z e d

o p e r a t i n g m o d e l . W e a r e s e e k i n g j u n i o r c h a m p i o n s w h o a r e w i l l i n g t o s t e p u p ,
g i v e t h e m s e l v e s a c h a n c e , a n d b e c o n f i d e n t s p e a k e r s .


O u r " J u n i o r G a v e l i e r s " w i l l n e e d a l o t o f c a r e , a t t e n t i o n , a n d o n e o n o n e t i m e f o r

u s t o t r u l y m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e . T h i s w i l l n o t b e p o s s i b l e w i t h o u t t h e s u p p o r t f r o m
s e v e r a l p a r e n t v o l u n t e e r s w h o a r e w i l l i n g t o i n v e s t t h e i r t i m e a n d e f f o r t a l o n g s i d e

t h e c l u b m e n t o r s / o f f i c e b e a r e r s t o w a r d s t h i s c a u s e .


I f y o u a r e i n t e r e s t e d t o e n r o l l y o u r c h i l d r e n i n t o t h i s c l u b a n d / o r a r e w i l l i n g t o
i n v e s t y o u r t i m e a s p a r e n t v o l u n t e e r s , p l e a s e r e a c h o u t t o M a n o j Y o h a n n a n ( 9 1 7 -

7 5 3 - 3 3 9 7 ) o r R o y J o b ( 2 0 3 - 5 5 1 - 0 7 8 8 ) .

4
37

C L U B U P D A T E S - 2 0 2 0








2 0 2 1 E T S Y o u t h L e a d e r s h i p P r o g r a m i s r i g h t a r o u n d t h e c o r n e r ! W e a r e a l l e x c i t e d
a b o u t b e i n g p a r t o f t h e 1 4 t h a n n u a l E T S Y o u t h L e a d e r s h i p P r o g r a m ( Y L P ) a n d

h a v e a l r e a d y b e g u n p r e p a r i n g . W e a r e i n n e e d o f M e n t o r s w h o a r e c u r r e n t o r p a s t
T o a s t m a s t e r s m e m b e r s . W e l o o k f o r w a r d t o y o u j o i n i n g u s t h i s y e a r a s w e
c o n t i n u e t h i s v e r y p r o u d t r a d i t i o n a s o n e o f t h e w o r l d ’ s b i g g e s t a n d b e s t Y o u t h

L e a d e r s h i p P r o g r a m s ! G i v e n t h e c u r r e n t e n v i r o n m e n t w e w i l l b e a d j u s t i n g o u r
p r o g r a m t o a v i r t u a l d e l i v e r y a s f o l l o w s :


S e s s i o n s w i l l b e v i r t u a l v i a Z o o m f o r 1 h o u r ( t r a i n i n g w i l l b e p r o v i d e d ) .

P r o g r a m s w i l l b e o f f e r e d f o r s t u d e n t s i n g r a d e s 4 t h r o u g h 8 .


E a c h s e s s i o n w i l l b e 1 h o u r l o n g . C l a s s s i z e s w i l l b e c a p p e d a t b e t w e e n 1 0 – 1 5

s t u d e n t s .


T h i s m o v e w i l l r e q u i r e t h e e x p e r t i s e o f m e n t o r s t o e n s u r e a g r e a t e x p e r i e n c e f o r

o u r e n r o l l e d s t u d e n t s . J u s t a b r i e f s u m m a r y o f t h e c o u n t l e s s b e n e f i t s t o
v o l u n t e e r i n g a s a n E T S Y L P m e n t o r :



E n r o l l u p t o t w o k i d s ( G r a d e s 4 - 8 ) f r o m e a c h m e n t o r ’ s f a m i l y ( c h i l d r e n ,
g r a n d c h i l d r e n , a n d n i e c e s / n e p h e w s )
E a r n c r e d i t t o w a r d y o u r T o a s t m a s t e r s P a t h w a y s D T M

B u i l d e x p e r i e n c e h o s t i n g v i r t u a l m e e t i n g s v i a Z o o m
L e a r n f r o m a n d n e t w o r k w i t h y o u r f e l l o w m e n t o r c o l l e a g u e s !

I n a d d i t i o n , y o u w i l l l e a r n s o m u c h f r o m o u r a m a z i n g l y t a l e n t e d r e t u r n i n g a n d
n e w s t u d e n t s
T a k e g r e a t p r i d e i n k n o w i n g t h a t y o u r v e r y v a l u a b l e v o l u n t e e r h o u r s w i l l b e

s p e n t d i r e c t l y e n g a g i n g w i t h a n d h e l p i n g t o s h a p e t h e n e x t g e n e r a t i o n o f
g l o b a l l e a d e r s a n d c o m m u n i c a t o r s .

4
38
O U R A C T I V E M E M B E R S T R E E



W E L C O M E T O O U R N E W M E M B E R S - S A J I N G E O R G E K A L L A R A C K A L , R O O P A

G E M I N I S , D E E P A G E O R G E , R O B I N G E O R G E .

WORD OF THE DAY 39







PREVARICATE
SPEAK OR ACT IN AN EVASIVE WAY.

HE SEEMED TO PREVARICATE WHEN JOURNALISTS ASKED POINTED QUESTIONS.


INGENUITY
SOMEONE'S ABILITY TO THINK OF SMART NEW WAYS OF DOING SOMETHING

SHE SHOWED AMAZING INGENUITY IN FINDING WAYS TO CUT COSTS.


PETRIFY
MAKE (SOMEONE) SO FRIGHTENED THAT THEY ARE UNABLE TO MOVE

I WAS PETRIFIED WITH FEAR.


SURREPTITIOUS
KEPT SECRET, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE IT WOULD NOT BE APPROVED OF.

HE MADE A SURREPTITIOUS ENTRANCE TO THE CLUB THROUGH THE LITTLE DOOR IN THE
BRICK WALL.

STRAGGLER

A PERSON IN A GROUP WHO BECOMES SEPARATED FROM THE OTHERS, TYPICALLY
BECAUSE OF MOVING MORE SLOWLY.
WE WATCHED THE LAST OF THE STRAGGLERS COME IN, THREE HOURS AFTER THE FIRST
RUNNER.



MALLEABLE
EASILY INFLUENCED; PLIABLE.
ANNA WAS SHAKEN ENOUGH TO BE MALLEABLE.



SPORADIC
OCCURRING AT IRREGULAR INTERVALS OR ONLY IN A FEW PLACES; SCATTERED OR
ISOLATED

THE EXPLOSIONS WERE ONLY SPORADIC NOW.


PREJUDICE
PRECONCEIVED OPINION THAT IS NOT BASED ON REASON OR ACTUAL EXPERIENCE

THE STATEMENT MIGHT PREJUDICE THE JURY.


VACILLATE

TO WAVER IN MIND OR OPINION; BE INDECISIVE OR IRRESOLUTE
HIS TENDENCY TO VACILLATE MAKES HIM A POOR LEADER.

THANK YOU




G I N N Y P U L I K K A N