It was an evening to remember as 54 pre-school children took to the stage in their end of year festive concert to celebrate the end of another successful year and to bid farewell to the 20 children who completed their pre-school education at the Seenigama Lahiru Pre-school at the MCC Centre of Excellence for the year 2007, supported by the Stafford International school.

The concert was held at the AVIVA Community Centre in Seenigama which was filled with parents and families of the young children who were eagerly waiting for the events to unfold. Chief Guest was Ms Chris Knight the wife of the former CEO of MCC Mr Roger Knight, who stayed at the village for a while, assisting with various programmes as a volunteer. Another guest was Miss Sarala Kariyawasam, a popular actress from Galle, who was recently crowned as the best child actress in the world and is a talk show host for children in one of the popular TV channels in Sri Lanka. She performed with distinction to keep the audience spell bound

The programme started at 1.30pm with performances by two class groups which consisted of Sinhalese and English songs, dance routines along with solo performances which were done so confidently by these young aspiring talented children.

It was an event enjoyed by all, including the teachers from the Pre-school who had greatly assisted the children in preparing for this exciting event. The welcome speech was given by Ms Pavithra Poornima and the closing by Ms Jayamini Seneviratne.

Refreshments were of course included, as the Seenigama people have proven to showcase such a kind gesture whenever an important and exciting event is conducted in the village.

The excitement ended around 6.30pm with a presentation for the 20 children completing the school year. They were provided with a package of school items consisting of books, pencils, pens, socks, shoes, school bag and uniforms, supplied by the Foundation of Goodness through kind donors. The rest of the children will look forward to another successful year at Lahiru Pre-school, thanks to the generous funding by Stafford International School whilst there would be another intake of 20 children for the year 2008. This pre school is a model and one that is focused to build a sound platform in teaching English from an early age. The annual concert is an event that is hugely welcomed by villagers and parents alike.