Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church Diocese of South-West …€¦ · Rev. 001 Page | 1 Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church Diocese of South-West America Sunday School Association – Houston

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Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church

Diocese of South-West America

Sunday School Association – Houston Region

Regional Competition – TBA

1. Date: TBA

2. Venue: TBA

3. Core Competition Committee:

Mr. Nithin Ninan : Houston Region Coordinator

Mr. Stephen James : Principal, St. Mary’s Church, Houston

Mrs. Shiny George : Principal, St. Thomas Cathedral, Houston

Mr. Binoy Thomas : Principal, St. Gregorios Church, Houston

Mr. Anish Abraham : Principal, St. Stephens Church, Houston

Mrs. Betsy Anna : Principal, St. George Church, San Antonio

Mrs. Nisha Robson : Principal, St. Mary’s Church, San Antonio

Mr. Kiran Vetteth : Principal, St. Gregorios Church, Austin

Mrs. Beena George : Principal, St. Gregorios Church, McAllen

Mr. Koshy Alexander : Principal, St. Thomas Church, Lufkin

Mrs. Minnu George : Principal, St. Peters and St. Pauls, Houston

4. Duties of the Committee:

The regional Competition committee is in charge of conducting and

overseeing the competitions in a professional manner.

Principals/ assigned representatives will supervise each venue.

The participant along with their parents will bring up any complaints or

disputes arising from the competition to the respective principals who will then

bring it to the attention of the Regional Coordinator or one of the committee

members.

The issue will be referred to the regional competition committee for

final decision.

Committee’s decision will be final and binding to all participants.

5. Program Schedule:

Regional Coordinator will organize the event with the assistance of the

regional competition committee and any sub-committee or members from the

hosting parish.

All the Judges must be present at the Church for briefing at 8:30 AM on the

day of the event for judges briefing and information.

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All Area Principals and the Regional Committee members are also required to

participate in the briefing along with the Judges. All Priests from the region are

most welcome to be a part of this briefing.

Program will start at 9.00 AM with Prayer by the Priests at the venue.

The regional committee will provide breakfast, lunch, and snacks to all the

participants and the audience.

6. Registration Deadline:

List of the Parish Competition winners shall be mailed electronically to the

Regional Coordinator by the Principals on or before (Three week prior to the

competition).

Names received after the dead line will NOT be included in the final list of the

regional competition participants.

No addition, subtraction, or substitution of participant names will be allowed

after the Principals submit their finalized lists.

Names of candidates with special needs must be attached with the final list.

7. Venue Coordination:

Each venue will be supervised by one Principal and one (1) representative

from each church.

The Competition Committee will assign a Venue Coordinator for each venue

of the competition.

The Venue Coordinators will work with the MC, judging/timekeeping

volunteer, audio volunteer and doorkeeper to ensure smooth flow of the

competition for that venue.

Venue Coordinator’s responsibilities include:

i. Maintaining the files for each individual event for the venue. These will

be provided at the beginning of each session by the Area Committee.

ii. With the help of the judging volunteer:

1. Provide the judges with appropriate/respective judging sheets

for each event.

2. Collect the judging sheets after each event (group) and deliver

these judging sheets to the tabulation room as soon as possible.

3. Ensure at the time of collection of judging sheets that all

necessary information has been entered, including any

deductions.

iii. With the help of the timekeeper:

1. Time each event (timed events) and maintain log of time for

each participant.

2. Be responsible for letting the participant and judges know of the

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times through appropriate colored cards (black - under minimum

time; yellow – warning; red – over maximum time).

iv. Coordinate audio volunteer to stay at the front during the competition

and manage audio systems.

v. Have master list for cross verification in tabulation for no shows,

dressing violations, over/under the time limit violations, and exact

individual times for timed items.

vi. Maintain decorum at each venue so that the participants and judges

have minimum distractions. Make sure no one walks around by the

performer during the performance.

vii. Be responsible for smooth transitions between events.

viii. Post sign on the venue doors to control traffic – prevent door opening

during performance

8. Judges for Competition:

Singing events: Include group song English, group song Malayalam, solo song

English, solo song Malayalam, and prayer/recitation.

In order to keep the fairness in the competitions, every parish will provide 12

qualified judges for singing and elocution events (7 judges for singing events

and 5 judges for elocution; One judge per group)

The judges will be allotted based on the list provided sequentially in the

alphabetical order of the churches while making sure every church is allotted

equally, unless there is no possible choice for allotting from that particular

church for that particular event. It will be the responsibility of the parish to

provide the judges. The judges not selected will be considered substitutes for

that particular group. It is the responsibility of the judges to be at the venue. If

a particular judge is not present during the event, the substitute will be selected

to judge in the same alphabetical order of the churches. If no judges are

available for replacement, the event will be judged with less number of judges.

Each event per group will be judged by five judges.

The judging schedule will be sent out at least two weeks prior to the

competition.

For the purposes of assigning judges appropriately, prayer and recitation shall

be considered as singing events.

Names of the judges from each parish should reach the Regional Coordinator

by March 3, 2019 with the preference of their criteria in judging and any

conflicts they have with judging specific participants. E-mails and phone

numbers for all judges shall also be given to the Regional Coordinator.

Willingness to judge and dedication to fair and accurate judging shall be

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primary criteria to select judges.

As much as possible, Seminarians, deacons, and priests shall be assigned as

judges for speaking events.

As much as possible, judges who know Malayalam shall be assigned for

Malayalam song events.

Judges will not do any tabulation in the grading sheet.

The tabulation Committee will do the tabulations after each event.

By (one week prior), judges will be provided with judging guidelines and

judging criteria for each item.

As much as possible, by (two days prior), a conference call shall be conducted

with all judges to ensure familiarity with judging guidelines and expectations

9. Competition Items for Each Group:

a) Group 1 (Grades Pre-K and KG)

i. Group Song Malayalam: Karthave nin raktha...

ii. Group Song English: Lord make good mem'ry

iii. Recitation/Prayer: Prayer for the Food

b) Group 2 (Grades 1 & 2)

i. Group Song Malayalam: Karuna niranjavane...(tone 1)

ii. Group Song English: Renew Your Creatures ... (Tone1)

iii. Recitation/Prayer: O Lord Jesus Christ, do not close...

c) Group 3 (Grades 3 & 4)

i. Group Song Malayalam: Parisudhanmaarkkaaykkaakka...(Tone 1)

ii. Group Song English: I am afraid of my sins... (must be in Tone 1)

iii. Recitation/Prayer: O Merciful Lord, renew...

iv. Elocution: In the Orthodox Church, why do we have

intercession/communion with the Saints?

d) Group 4 (Grades 5 & 6)

i. Group Song Malayalam: Karthaav aruli (Tone 5)

ii. Group Song English: Our Lord said...(must be in Tone 5)

iii. Recitation/Prayer: Morning Praise - It is good to give thanks to the Lord...

iv. Elocution: Why does the Orthodox Church baptize infants?

e) Group 5 (Grades 7 & 8)

i. Group Song Malayalam: Akhila njan...

ii. Group Song English: All things I have considered...

iii. Recitation/Prayer: Psalm 63

iv. Elocution: In the Orthodox Church, why do we confess with a priest?

(Ref: John 20)

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f) Group 6 (Grades 9 & 10)

i. Group Song Malayalam: Yajamaanan... (Tone 2)...

ii. Group Song English: Blessed are the good servants...(must be in Tone

2)

iii. Recitation/Prayer: Psalm 142, 119:105-112, 117

iv. Elocution: In the Orthodox Church, how do we understand receiving

Qurbana? (i.e. Is the Qurbana the actual body and blood of Christ or

just a representation? Why is there closed communion in the Orthodox

Church? What preparation should one do before taking Qurbana )

g) Group 7 (Grades 11 & 12)

i. Group Song Malayalam: Onaam naalaam (2nd stanza and connect to

1st stanza of b'outo)...(Tone 4)

ii. Group Song English: Qyomtho 3rd hour (2nd stanza and connect to 1st

stanza of b'outo) - must be in Tone 4

iii. Recitation/Prayer: Hymn of the Angels

iv. Elocution: Why do Orthodox Christians pray for the departed?

10. Judging Guidelines:

a) Time limit for certain events

i. Solo Song - Maximum 5 Minutes.

ii. Recitation - Maximum 5 Minutes.

iii. Elocution - Minimum 2 Minutes and Maximum 5 Minutes.

iv. Time limit is NOT applicable to Group Song

b) Solo Songs – Rules for English and Malayalam Solo Songs

i. The Song must be Non- Liturgical, which means Christian Devotional

songs.

ii. The Maximum time limit for the solo song is five (5) minutes. A Yellow

Card sign will be shown after four (4) minutes and a Red card sign after

five (5) minutes. Overall, five (5) points must be deducted by each judge

if the song is more than five (5) minutes (continuation of song after Red

card).

iii. Five copies of the solo song must be brought by the participant for the

judging purpose. If any judge does not get a copy of the song, the judge

will not grade the participant.

iv. For Malayalam solo song, five copies of the song must be in Malayalam

and five copies of the song in Manglish.

v. Books or notes are NOT allowed to be used by the participants. If the

participant uses books or notes, then the participant will not be graded for

that event.

vi. Evaluation will be done based on:

1. Diction & Dynamics;

2. Pitch;

3. Phrasing; and,

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4. Presentation.

vii. Definitions of the evaluation criteria will be on the Grading sheet.

viii. Each evaluation criteria is worth a maximum of 25 points each. The total

score is out of 100 points.

ix. All the participants must be in appropriate church attire (No T-shirts,

jeans, or shorts). If the participants are not in church attire, five (5) points

must be deducted by each Judge for that participant.

x. Wearing scarves is at the discretion of the participant and will not affect

judging in any manner.

c) Group Songs – Rules for English and Malayalam Group songs

i. There is no time limit for the assigned English and Malayalam group

songs.

ii. Books or notes are NOT allowed to use in the competition. If books or

notes are used by anyone in the group, then the group will not be graded

for that event.

iii. Evaluation will be done based on:

1. Diction & Dynamics;

2. Pitch;

3. Phrase; and,

4. Presentation.

iv. Definitions of the evaluation criteria will be on the Grading sheet.

v. Each evaluation criteria is worth a maximum of 25 points each. The total


vi. The candidate must sing only the liturgical song assigned for each group

and must sing exactly the same version of the group songs provided from

the Regional committee for the competition. No other songs or versions

will be graded.

vii. A participating group must have a minimum of two (2) participants and a

maximum number of seven (7) participants in a group. If any participant

from the official registration list is absent, the remaining group will be

allowed to sing, provided there is a minimum of two (2) participants

present.

viii. No substitution/ addition of participants will be allowed. Only participants

whose names are in the official list given by each parish will be allowed to

participate.

ix. The MC shall verify the identity of participants prior to each event.

x. All the participants must be in appropriate church attire (no T-shirt, jeans,

shorts etc.). If the participant is not in church attire, five (5) points will be

deducted by each judge. Wearing scarves is at the discretion of the

participant and will not affect judging in any manner

d) Explanations of terms used for evaluation of Songs – 100 points

i. Diction and Dynamics: Language and words should be precise and clearly

sung. The tune and manner of singing are also evaluated (25 Points).

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ii. Pitch: Notes should sound melodious according to the tune of the song (25

Points).

iii. Phrasing: Phrasing the lines of the song and use of breath is evaluated (25

Points).

iv. Presentation: Overall enthusiasm and performance of the participant. (25

Points).

e) Elocution

i. Presentation of the elocution must be in the English language only, with

exception of direct quotations and songs.

ii. Participants must present the topic assigned for each group. No other

presentations will be graded.

iii. Participants should speak about the given subject for a minimum of two

minutes in order to be graded for the item.

iv. The Maximum time limit for the elocution is five (5) minutes. A Yellow



if the elocution is more than five (5) minutes (continuation of elocution

after Red card).

v. Books or notes are NOT allowed to use by the participants. If the


that item.

vi. All the participants must be in appropriate church attire (no T-shirt, jeans,


deducted by each judge. Wearing scarves is at the discretion of the

participant and will not affect judging in any manner.

vii. Evaluation will be done based on:

1. Introduction;

2. Knowledge of the Subject;

3. Presentation; and,

4. Conclusion.

viii. Definitions of the evaluation criteria will be on the Grading sheet.

ix. Each evaluation criteria is assigned maximum points per explanations

below. The total score is out of 100 points.

f) Explanations of terms used for evaluation of Elocution – 100 points

i. Introduction: An introduction should provide the background knowledge

and courtesy towards the audience to introduce them to the topic (15

Points).

ii. Knowledge: The knowledge on the topic should well inform all the

audience in a clear and appropriate manner (35 Points).

iii. Presentation: The speaker should talk very clearly and keep the audience

interested with voice, body language, enthusiasm, and appropriate attire

(35 Points)

iv. Conclusion: The speaker should sum up with points and end the speech

making sure that the topic was fully presented to the audience (15 Points).

g) Prayer – Rules for Group 1 & 2

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i. Participants should fully recite the assigned prayer for their group.

ii. Any statements or introductions done prior to reciting the assigned prayer

are not allowed and will not be considered in the evaluation.

iii. Books or notes are NOT allowed to use by the participants. If the


that item.

iv. The Maximum time limit for the prayer is five (5) minutes. A Yellow



if the prayer is more than five (5) minutes (continuation of song after Red

card).

v. Presentation must be in English language.

vi. Prayer must be recited in a solemn manner strictly reflecting the traditions

and customs of the Malankara Orthodox Church.

vii. Chanting or saying the prayer is at the discretion of the participant and

will not affect judging in any manner.

viii. All the participants must be in appropriate church attire (no T-shirt, jeans,


deducted by each judge.

ix. Wearing scarves is at the discretion of the participant and will not affect


x. Evaluation will be done based on:

1. Accuracy & Diction;

2. Phrasing; and,

3. Presentation

xi. Definitions of the evaluation criteria will be on the Grading sheet.

xii. Each evaluation criteria is worth a maximum of 25 points each. The total


h) Recitation – Rules for Group 3 – 7

i. Participants should fully recite the assigned portion for their group.

ii. Any statements or introductions done prior to reciting the assigned subject

are not allowed and will not be considered in the evaluation.

iii. Books or notes are NOT allowed to use by the participants. If the


that item.

iv. The Maximum time limit for the recitation is five (5) minutes. A Yellow



if the recitation is more than five (5) minutes (continuation of song after

Red card).

v. Presentation must be in English language.

vi. Recitation must be recited in a solemn manner strictly reflecting the

traditions and customs of the Malankara Orthodox Church.

vii. Chanting or saying the prayer is at the discretion of the participant and

will not affect judging in any manner.

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viii. All the participants must be in appropriate church attire (no T-shirt, jeans,


deducted by each judge.

ix. Wearing scarves is at the discretion of the participant and will not affect


x. Evaluation will be done based on:

1. Accuracy & Diction;

2. Phrasing; and,

3. Presentation

xi. Definitions of the evaluation criteria will be on the Grading sheet.

xii. Each evaluation criteria is worth a maximum of 25 points each. The total


i) Explanations of term used for evaluation of Prayer and Recitation – 75 Points

i. Accuracy & Diction: Language and words should be precise and accurate,

assigned topic should be clearly and fully recited (25 Points).

ii. Phrasing: Phrasing the lines of prayer/bible reading and use of breaths is

evaluated (25 Points).

iii. Presentation: The voice, body language, enthusiasm, fluidity and proper

use of the sign of the cross at appropriate times will be evaluated (25

Points).

11. Master of Ceremony:

a) Each Area will provide two MCs to the regional committee for announcing

names and instructions of each item prior to the competition.

b) MC’s attire must be appropriate per the established expectation for

participants.

c) Prior to each event, the MC shall announce the names of all the participants for

that event.

d) Participant’s name will be called out 3 times before the performance.

e) If the participant is not available to perform after the announcement and if

there has been no prior communication of any personal emergency by the

respective Principal, then it will be considered as a no show.

f) The MC shall read the names of each participant (for solo and group events)

and verify the identity of the participant prior to participation.

g) The master list of participant verification shall be turned in to the venue

coordinator at the end of each event.

h) Regional Committee will take the appropriate steps to assign an MC in case of

the MC’s absence.

i) The MC will call out only the names of the participants and will not make any

other remarks before or after the event.

12. Tabulation:

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a) Each church will provide one representative to the tabulation committee.

Please give the names of the tabulation representative by March 02, 2019.

b) The eight (8) representatives will oversee the tabulation process using

calculators to double-check the results and assist the tabulation coordinator as

needed.

c) A software program will be used for tabulation of all results.

d) The software program shall be tested prior to the Regional Competition.

e) The Tabulation Committee shall have a briefing on the day of the competition,

prior to tabulation starting.

f) Professionalism and confidentiality shall be stressed at this briefing.

g) Out of the seven evaluations by the judges, the highest and lowest scores

awarded to the participants will be eliminated before the final grading.

h) Remaining four scores will be used for final grading. The tabulation program

will automatically calculate total scores for each candidate for each event.

i) Additional deduction column will be added for all events for “improper attire”.

j) Additional deduction columns will be added for Elocution tabulation sheet for

“less than 2 minutes” and “greater than 5 minutes”.

k) Additional deduction columns will be added for Song event tabulation sheet

for “greater than 5 minutes”.

l) In case of any scoring or tabulation irregularities, the regional committee

should be notified immediately.

m) An electronic file of winners will be maintained by the Tabulation Committee

and this list will be printed and given to the Regional Coordinator at the end of

tabulation.

n) The participants for each event shall be setup in the same order in both the

judging sheets as well as the tabulation tables.

o) As much as possible the same participant shall not start or end consecutive

events

13. Winners and Awards:

a) At the end of the competitions, awards will be distributed at the venue to the

1st and 2nd place winners at the Venue for all Vocal Competition events and

to 1st, 2nd, 3rd place winners for written events.

b) Medals (Gold and Silver) will be awarded to all winners of the vocal

competition events and certificates to winners of the written competition

events.

c) No tiebreakers are required for any first and second place winners.

d) The award shall have the diocesan emblem.

14. Ever-Rolling Trophy Award:

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a) An ever-rolling trophy sponsored by Yeldho Peter and family in the memory

of the Late Rev. Fr. T. M. Peter will be presented to the church that scores the

highest points in the competition.

b) Second place trophy sponsored by Mr. Koshy John will be presented to the

church that scores the second highest points in the competition.

c) Stephanie Memorial Award: This award, in memory of Stephanie Philip, will

be awarded to the individual contestant who has scored the most winning

percentage in the vocal competitions.

d) Written competition ever – rolling trophy: An ever-rolling trophy sponsored by

Bindhu Mary Cherian & Binoy Cherian Thomas in the memory of Bindhu's

father, Jacob C Mathew of Changaramangalam family will be presented to the

church that scores the highest points in the written competitions.

e) The point system for the items will be as follows:

i. 1st place winners get 5 points; and,

ii. 2nd place winners get 3 points.

iii. 3rd place winners (applies only to the written competition) gets 1 point.

f) Points will be awarded as defined above, to winning teams for Group Songs.

g) In the event of a tie, then the winners will keep the trophy for 6 months in each

church according to the alphabetical order of the church name.

h) The Regional coordinator will make necessary transportation arrangements

after the first 6 months period from one church to another.

i) It is the responsibility of the Vicar and the principal of the winning parish to

bring back the trophy to the venue of the next year’s competition prior to the

starting of the event.

j) No further ever-rolling trophies will be accepted or setup for the Regional

Competitions.

15. Candidates with Special Needs:

a) Any participants, who have physical, mental, or intellectual challenges, can

provide a letter from their School authorities/councilor stating their challenges.

b) The Regional Competition Committee will take appropriate steps to

accommodate those candidates as per their needs.

c) The request must be submitted to the Principals along with the winners list

before the dead line of (Two weeks prior).

d) Principals will forward this request to the Regional coordinator to make the

necessary arrangements at the venue of the competition

16. Finance and Contribution from each Parishes:

a) Funds will be raised from Regional parishes, Individuals and Businesses.

b) Any unused amount will be returned to the churches.

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c) The amount due from each parish will be determined on (Four weeks prior)

when the names are submitted.

d) Any parish that does not make full payment of their agreed-upon amount

within the deadline of (Two weeks prior) shall not be allowed to send any

participants to the Regional Competition.

e) All expenses for this event will be from the common fund collected from the

parishes of the region and from sponsors.

f) Any remaining balance will be returned to each church.

g) In the event of any deficits, then it will be collected from the regional parishes

per the original payment ratio.

h) Checks can be made payable to the hosting church (TBD)

i) Those who would like to be a sponsor can make a charitable donation to the

cause of Sunday School Competitions

17. Additional Guidelines: a) If any of the Judges, Coordinators, Volunteers or MC is absent or late for the

event, the Regional Competition Committee will take the appropriate steps

towards filling that position and continue the competition without any

interruption.

b) The Regional Competition committee has the full responsibility to delegate

any tasks to any suitable candidates with the approval of the regional

coordinator for the smooth functioning of the event.

c) All participants, Principals, Coordinators, Volunteers, MCs and Judges must

be in appropriate church attire for the entire duration of the competition (no T-

shirt, jeans, shorts etc.) per the established expectation for participants.

d) Competition schedules for each event will be posted at all venues.

e) The Service Book of the Holy Qurbono (2017, ISBN 10: 0-9972544-4-0, ISBN

13: 978-0-9972544-4-0) will be source of all assigned subject and material for

the Competition.

Yours in His service,

Nithin Ninan

Houston Region Coordinator

Documents

Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church Diocese of South-West …€¦ · Rev. 001 Page | 1 Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church Diocese of South-West America Sunday School Association – Houston