Summary
Eventful seminars and performances enrich the overall experience of students
Apeejay schools
Apeejay schools ushered in the festive season by stepping up their social responsibility.
The Park Street branch reached out to poor children from slums and orphanages and some senior residents of old-age homes.
Students of all classes donated new clothes and toiletries to Our Association of Remedy, an NGO that works with children in the Sunderbans and other adjoining areas. Charity also went towards Arunima Hospice, a shelter for HIV-infected children in the state.
"Everybody is happy during the festive season. However, it becomes manifold when one can bring happiness and cheer to the less privileged. The students came forward whole-heartedly to share new clothes and hygiene products with marginalised children of two organisations. There can never be a better way of bringing up the future citizens of the world than teaching them kindness and inclusivity," said Paromita Guha Ray, principal of Apeejay School, Park Street.
The students and teachers of the Social Service Club of Apeejay School, Salt Lake, visited a slum area to donate clothes to poor children on the occasion of Durga Puja. It was a proud moment to see the happiness on the faces of both the givers and receivers.
"Happiness is to bring smile on the face of the less-fortunate children by sharing with them some goods during this festive season," said Anindita Banerjee, principal of Apeejay School, Salt Lake.
M.P. Birla Foundation Higher Secondary School
Students of UKG and KG dance to Rupang Dehi and Shree Ganesha Deva
M.P. Birla Foundation Higher Secondary School celebrated Durga Puja for its Primary students. Children from Lower Kindergarten to Class I took part in performances with enthusiasm on October 18.
The event started at 8.15am in the school auditorium decorated for the purpose. Five children were dressed up as Durga and her children (Ganesh, Kartik, Lakshmi and Saraswati) who, according to the legend, accompany Durga to her maternal home. The little gods and goddesses made a pretty picture as they took their place on stage.
Students of LKG performed Ganesh Vandana and Apsara Ali followed by another group dancing to Ogo Amar Agomoni. The students of UKG and KG expressed their devotion through performances to Rupang Dehi Jayang Dehi, Disho Jayee and Deva Shree Ganesha.
Astha Das of Class I performed a solo dance to Durge Durge Durgotinashini. Nandineeta Sarah Shyamal of LKG also danced solo to Dhak Baja Kashor Baja. Aniket Ghosh of Class I recited the Durga Stotra.
Some of the other students from UKG, KG and Class I performed group dances to various songs of the season.
Children of Class I sang a welcome song composed by music teacher Anindita Chatterjee. The kids' performance was encored on demand from their parents in the audience.
"On the day we closed for Durga Puja, the Pre-primary and Primary section children put up a lovely celebration. They dressed up as Durga and her entourage, while another group performed for these 'divine guests'. It was an absolute delight to watch. It took a month of preparations to stage this performance. Kudos to our excellent team of Pre-primary teachers, who patiently prepared the children," said principal Purnima Chattopadhyay.
Pratt Memorial School
Participants of an inter-house debate at Pratt Memorial School
War of words, exchange of ideas and witty rebuttals — students of Pratt Memorial School were at their argumentative best at The Telegraph Inter-House Debate 2023 held in the school auditorium on October 16.
The debate was held in two rounds. Group I was for Classes IX and X and Group II for XI and XII. Locking horns in both the groups were two selected candidates from the four houses — Teresa (yellow), Joan of Ark (blue), Nightingale (red) and Cavell (green).
The topic for Group I was “Exams round the year are better than tests twice a year”. Teenagers presented their opinions on a range of issues from the relevance of exams and studying habits to the real essence of education.
Cavell House represented by Rachita Ghosh of Class X and Sanaya Shaw of Class IX clinched the debate. Rachita Ghosh was announced the best speaker.
Girls of Group II argued on whether “Single-sex schools are better than the co-educational ones”.
Nightingale and Joan of Arc houses shared the winner’s trophy in this category. Faiza Urooz of Class XII and Saranya Banerjee of Class XI represented Joan of Arc house, while Sorousrota Adhikari of Class XI and Teresa Pongen of Class XII represented the Nightingale house. Eshal Imran of Class XI of Teresa House was the best speaker.
"It was an honour to host the Telegraph Inter-House Debate. A good debate is not merely an argument but the resolution of the issue. The students thoroughly enjoyed themselves," said principal Carolyn Lionel.
Bidya Bharati Girls' High School
Participants of Glory house at the Bidya Bharati Girls' High School no-flame cooking contest. Each team had to make two dishes using their creativity
Caps and ladle in hand, students of Bidya Bharati Girls' High School took part in an inter-house no-flame cooking contest recently. The participants were Class IX students of Virtue, Pioneer, Flame and Glory houses.
No-flame cooking eliminates the use of traditional gas stoves or open flames and is gaining popularity worldwide.
This event helped the students prioritise safety in the kitchen. They were educated about responsible cooking habits. The students were judged on their creativity, hygiene and presentation. The event also encouraged the students to come up with new recipes. Each of the four houses presented a minimum of two dishes consisting of a bread item and a chaat item. The houses presented various dishes such as phuchka, chips chaat, chocolate bread cake and bread sushi.
Pioneer house came first with their Oreo biscuit cake and Bombay-style sandwich. The runners-up was Flame house which presented Bread Cham Cham and Lays chaat.
"I was overjoyed to see my students engaging in various activities other than their curriculum and getting to learn new life skills while also satisfying their cravings for street food in a healthier environment," said headmistress Sharmistha Banerjee.
Shri Shikshayatan School
Isro scientist interacts with students at Shri Shikshayatan
An Isro scientist came calling at Shri Shikshayatan School to talk about space technology and the launch of Chandrayaan-3.
The discussions took place on the sidelines of a mid-year parent-teacher meeting (PTM) held for kids from Lower Kindergarten to Senior Kindergarten on October 17.
Scientist Barun Biswas, also the father of LKG student Aishani Biswas, attended the PTM and later shared his experience and knowledge regarding the successful launch of Chandrayaan-3 in an impromptu interaction with the students of Class V.
Questions from students poured in as Biswas educated the children on the different stages of the Moon mission.
"The interaction with Barun Biswas, an Isro scientist and parent of one of our students, talked about his experiences as part of the launch of Chandrayaan-3. It was a Sharadiya gift for all of us at Sri Shikshayatan School. He came to our school to collect his daughter's report card and visited us. We arranged for a short session with students and teachers and the experience was simply enriching and highly motivating," said headmistress Poushali Mukherjee.
Last updated on 16 Nov 2023
