Global Celebration Day 2013

Today was our annual Global Celebration Day at Ursuline - and what a joyful and busy day it was! Because today is also the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, we began the day with Mass, including mariachi music and Matachines (traditional dancers from Mexico). It was a very festive start to a very festive day!

All students attended Mass, a presentation of the film "Girl Rising" and a fantastic performance by our friends from Spirit of Uganda.

 

Students also attended 2 sessions of choice and sessions included a wide variety of topics from African drumming to Ukrainian Easter Eggs to Skyping with Ursuline alum, Jules McGee, who is in the Peace Corps in Mozambique.





Of course, another highlight was our first-ever Christmas global market where each vendor gives a percentage of profits toward important causes like education for girls in the developing world.

There was so much going on all day and it was all joyful! A million thanks to all who came from near and far to participate in this happy day with us at Ursuline!

 

 

 

Welcome friends from Uganda!!

The Spirit of Uganda has arrived in the USA! The girls have taken up residence at our academy and the boys are enjoying their stay at "an undisclosed location." We at UA are thrilled to be hosting these special guests. They are already blending into life at UA, rehearsing in the UCPA and joining our students for meals in Haggar. It's going to be a fantastic December !!

WELCOME!!!!

Here at last (with LOTS of luggage) !!

Old friends together again

Getting equipped for Winter!

Love being reunited with Ms. Snyder!

Making new friends!

Girl Talk is universal!

Countdown to the Spirit of Uganda!

Oh, the millions of details that are involved in bringing the Spirit of Uganda Tour to the USA! Our friends in Uganda just sent us these photos from their final travel preparations - packing, making skirts from straw and checking other performance supplies.

Back at UA Dallas, we have prepared their rooms (for the girls - the boys are staying at an undisclosed location, haha), organized a mountain of donated snacks, fruit & water, swept the auditorium stage, made room for lots of drums, painted welcome signs, and, of course, ordered the welcome dinner of beans, rice & Texas fajitas (plus cup cakes, an Ursuline must!).

At this moment, The Spirit of Uganda performers are currently on their second flight, somewhere between the USA and London. We at UA are eagerly and enthusiastically awaiting their arrival this afternoon!

Here comes The Spirit of Uganda!!

As we wrap up the Thanksgiving holiday and look toward the festivities of December, we are filled with joyful anticipation of the arrival of our friends from Uganda. The Spirit of Uganda is a group of extremely talented young people from Uganda who go on tour every two years in order to raise funds and awareness about youth in Africa. They are part of the organization, Empower African Children, one of UA's most important educational partners. We are especially excited because the young women of SOU will be residing at UA during December as the group rehearses and prepares to kick-off their 2014 tour. We just received these photos from Uganda with a message that the SOU students are working hard with last-minute rehearsals and costume fittings - we can't wait to welcome them to the USA on Tuesday!!!