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School of India for Languages and Culture (SILC)

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SILC Hindi class

Hindi class at the School of India for Languages and Culture (SILC), 2002.

The School of India for Languages and Culture (SILC) was established in 1979 as a weekend school by Indian American parents to help their children learn and become familiar with their heritage. It is a non-profit, secular organization run by volunteers.

SILC was created when five former teachers of a St. Paul school called Bharat School decided to reorganize that institution as a non-profit organization. As immigrants from India, they shared the goal of immersing their children in Indian languages and culture in a secular, all-inclusive environment.

SILC is one of the oldest such institutions in North America and uniquely inclusive. Unlike many other ethnic schools in Minnesota and around the country, it is not associated with any religious, regional, or ethnic groups. The school, held September through June, originally met on Sundays at the Commonwealth Terrace on the St. Paul Campus of the University of Minnesota, and for a short time in the St. Anthony Elementary school. It changed to Saturdays after it moved to Como High School in 1992.

Although language classes, electives, and other offerings have changed over the years, depending on student needs and volunteer availability, the school’s schedule has remained the same. The day starts at 10 a.m. with an invocation followed by language classes, a break for milk and cookies, and social studies (originally called General Knowledge), a class that teaches students about such topics as Indian festivals, geography, and history. The last session is an elective that allows students to choose from offerings such as dance, music, yoga, and cooking. After an assembly where students sing the national anthem of India, the school ends at 12:30 p.m.

SILC’s curriculum has evolved, too, with many activities added to enrich and supplement the language and culture classes. While yoga and dance have been mainstays, other classes such as the SILC Achievement Project (SAP) have helped students produce the books Indian Cooking and India-on-a-Page (a facts book on India) and discuss issues critical to growing up in dual cultures. Similarly, classes such as cooking, music, art, and even coding have been offered.

Extra-curricular activities such as field trips, visits from accomplished performers, speakers and special guests supplement the learning. SILC Mela, a social gathering as well as a fund-raiser, and Graduation Day (in June) are regular events that showcase the learning students have acquired over the year. Other celebrations, such as Indian festivals, are organized annually. In 1998, a pre-school was started to introduce children between the ages of three and five to their Indian heritage. Held once a month, it was a way to get younger students, particularly siblings, to attend SILC and become regular students.

Each year, a special committee publishes a yearbook that has become a repository of SILC’s thirty-nine years of history. As the internet and social media became mainstays in the 2000s, SILC established a website and used social media and blogs to publicize and connect with potential students. Over the years, its collection of books and memorabilia has grown into an extensive SILC library. A laptop computer purchased for the school has helped digitize many of the materials and is used by students to make presentations. SILC has also started publishing books on India in limited quantities through the participation and investment of a few SILC members.

Since its inception, SILC has participated in activities outside the regular school program, often with other organizations. It has regularly participated in the Festival of Nations, performing in the children’s program and organizing the cultural exhibits. It also participates in India Association of Minnesota (IAM’s) events, originally at the Independence Day Picnic and later in the IndiaFest (also called India Day).

SILC students have participated in events like the Asian Heritage Dragon Parade and the Flint Hills Children’s Festival, and with the Minnesota History Center and the Parents of Indian Children (PIC workshop). In 2003, SILC helped start and organize Camp Masala, a two-day residential program for children adopted from India. Often, SILC students are called on to participate in international festivals, at schools, and at events such as the Burnsville International Festival May Day Parade.

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School handbook. Library of the School of India for Languages and Culture, St. Paul.

School of India for Languages and Cultures.
www.silcmn.com

School of India for Languages and Culture yearbooks (1985–89; 1992–93; 1997–2010; and 2015–16). Library of the School of India for Languages and Culture, St. Paul.

OH 88
School of India for Languages and Culture (SILC) Oral History Project
Oral History Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul
Description: Twenty-four hours of cassette recordings and 588 pages of transcriptions of interviews with thirteen Indian Minnesotans with connections to the School of India for Languages and Culture (SILC).
http://collections.mnhs.org/cms/display?irn=10469053

Tenth, Twentieth, and Thirtieth Anniversary Commemorative publications (1989, 1999, and 2004). Library of the School of India for Languages and Culture, St. Paul.

Related Images

SILC Hindi class
SILC Hindi class
A class at the School of India for Languages and Culture (SILC), ca. 1980s
A class at the School of India for Languages and Culture (SILC), ca. 1980s
SILC dance performance
SILC dance performance
SILC booth
SILC booth
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SILC students
SILC Punjabi class
SILC Punjabi class
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SILC social studies class
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SILC graduation event
SILC booth at India Day
SILC booth at India Day
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SILC student performance
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SILC students celebrating Holi
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India booth at the 2008 Festival of Nations
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SILC students celebrating Holi
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SILC preschool students
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SILC students during Diwali
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SILC cooking class
Social Studies Day performance at SILC
Social Studies Day performance at SILC
SILC students celebrating Diwali
SILC students celebrating Diwali
SILC Thirtieth Anniversary Celebration
SILC Thirtieth Anniversary Celebration
Saree-wrapping demonstration
Saree-wrapping demonstration

Turning Point

SILC outlasts a decline in enrollment in the early 2000s and continues to be an active Indian American organization in the 2010s.

Chronology

1979

The School of India for Languages and Culture (SILC) is founded. SILC participates in the Festival of Nations for the first time.

1982

The first SILC newsletter is published.

1990

SILC moves to St Anthony Park Elementary School.

1992

SILC moves to Como High School.

1997

SILC is awarded the Community Service Award from the State Council on Asian-Pacific Minnesota.

1998

Preschool classes are offered at SILC for the first time.

1999

SILC celebrates its twentieth anniversary at Como High School and launches a web site.

2000

SILC collaborates on an oral history project with the Minnesota Historical Society.

2002

SILC participates in interfaith prayers and the presentation of 9/11 funds at the state capitol rotunda, an event organized by the Indian Association of Minnesota (IAM).

2003

The first SILC mela (fair) is held.

2008

SILC celebrates its thirtieth anniversary at Como High School and receives the IAM Achievement Award for promoting the interests of the Indian American community in the Twin Cities.