Worlds of potential unlocked in young hearts

Brainiac Heritage School

Queso-Tarta, Mango Mastani, Dashing Donut were laid out by the students of Brainiac Heritage School after two hours of hard work.

Queso-Tarta was a healthy snack, Mango Mastani a drink and Dashing Donut a dessert. There were many more as students took part in the No Fire Cooking Annual Competition held on the school groundson July 24.

The inter-house competition between Ventus (yellow), Ignis (red), Terra (green) and Aqua (blue) houses saw students of all age groups showcasing their culinary skills.

The students were required to whip up healthy snacks, drinks and munchies with creative names in the stipulated time.

The participants were from Classes I onwards. The school grounds saw a burst of creativity and excitement as savouries of different sizes and colours took shape for the judges to inspect.

The judges were Sumit Das, a chef and faculty of Neotia University, food writer-anchor Sudipa Guha and paediatrician Dr Md Yeasin.

The participants interacted with the judges and confidently answered queries on the dish prepared and the ingredients used.

The teams were told not to make any junk food that was unhealthy.

The idea was to share some healthy recipes that the children would like to munch for tiffin and snacks and make students self-sufficient.

The house masters and mistresses guided the children from the sideline. Some participants also spoke about the ingredients used and their importance. After much debate, Ignius House emerged as the winner.

"I wait for this inter-house competition. The creativity of the children came out in the names of the dishes, garnishing, colour coordination and overall presentation. This is the result of many days of brain-storming," said school president Imran Mallick.

"The event is an eye-opener for me. The students' replies to the judges, on the items prepared, won my heart. It was an exercise of the head, heart and of course the tongue," said principal Soma Banerjee.

P.B. Academic School

P.B. Academic School organised an investiture ceremony for its students from Classes VI to XII at the school auditorium on July 19.

Around 50 prefects, class monitors, house captains and vice-captains got their badges. Members of the new student council took their oath and promised to look after the discipline of the school. They also promised to honestly perform their duties in school and on the sports grounds.

The guest of honour at the event was naval officer Nasir Ahmed Aziz. Parents also attended the programme, proudly clapping for their wards, as the power was transferred to the new leaders.

Principal Madhuparna Andrews administered the oath-taking ceremony. Srimonti Roy was selected as the school captain and Astha Singh her deputy. The selection was based on their leadership qualities, dedication and commitment to the school’s ethos. Captains and prefects of the four houses — Subhash, Gandhi, Tagore and Teresa — also got their badges.

The chief guest emphasised the importance of leadership, integrity and service. He inspired the new leaders to lead by example and contribute positively to theschool community.

"The school organised an investiture ceremony where young leaders were administered an oath on integrity. The students were made to understand the value of the badge and the prefectorial body. The parents were proud to see their wards wearing the badge of honour. The school expects the new leaders to perform their respective responsibilities with great zeal," said the principal.

Central Modern School, Baranagar

Central Modern School, Baranagar, hosted back-to-back creative events from July 15 to 19. Debaters from various schools locked horns at the Frank Anthony Memorial All-India Inter-School Debate Competition 2024, (Category-1, Stage-1), on July 15.

The motion was: "Search for new world spells doom for the world we live in". The event gave students from many schools a platform to voice their opinions and think critically. Loreto Day School won followed by The Future Foundation School.

The next day, the school hosted the ASISC (eastern region) Fr George Hess Memorial Regional Creative Writing Competition 2024 for the winners of the zonal rounds. The event was held for all three categories — sub-junior, junior and senior.

A series of in-house literary competitions were held on July 18 and 19 to mark the school's Founders' Day. The students from the Pre-primary section to Class XII paid tribute to founders Chittajit De and Nabarun De by taking part in various creative contests that highlighted individual talents and teamwork.

The events included recitations (including nursery rhymes for kids), extempore speeches, storytelling, declamation and debates. The students also took part in creative and poetry writing, painting and quiz.

The inter-house contests between Cuckoo, Sterling, Roller and Weaver houses generated a lot of excitement.

"Literary competitions play a vital role in nurturing students' communication skills, creativity and critical thinking. Participating in them boosts confidence and hones writing and speaking abilities, that is vital. Children need to realise their true potential and the week saw some amazing talents and creativity on stage," said principal Namrata De.

Shri Shikshayatan School

The junior section of Shri Shikshayatan School celebrated International Tiger Day on their school grounds on July 29. The tots staged a series of performances to raise awareness about the importance of conservation of tigers.

Students of Class II presented a special assembly to educate their peers about big cats, their habits and how they must be protected in theirnatural habitat.

The students also staged a skit that focused on the pivotal role of tigers in maintaining ecological balance. The students highlighted how human activities have robbed tigers of their natural habitats. They also emphasised cohabitation and collective action to preserve them.

The students, dressed in colourful costumes, drew parallels between tiger conservation and the planet's health.

The highlight of the event was a dance performance to the Tiger Day Anthem, Tana na ta na na. The performance spread the message of hope and commitment towards wildlife protection.

In the end, the young conservationists pledged to protect tigers and other species of wildlife and contribute towards a more sustainable and greener future.

"The little ones need to know why we must save tigers. Even though it is not a domestic animal, children must be sensitised about its worth. The students performed well and through roleplay highlighted the importance of a forest ecosystem and how it helps us survive," said headmistress Poushali Mukherjee.

Bidya Bharati Group of Schools

Bidya Bharati Group of Schools hosted its annual concert, Rhapsody 2024, to a full house at the Science City Auditorium recently.

Students from the three branches — New Alipore, Mominpore and Behala — presented a series of performances and also paid tribute to Indian-American astronaut Kalpana Chawla on the occasion. The chief guest was educator Ajay Kumar Ray, director of the JIS Institute of Advanced Studies and Research. The guests of honour were Soumitra Sengupta, chair professor at the School of Physical Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science; Sharmila Bhattacharya, senior programme scientist at Nasa (she joined virtually); and Soumya Chakravarti, professor emeritus of physics at California State University.

The concert began with the school song and an inaugural dance. It was followed by a music recital and a dance to Saraswati Vandana.

Junior class students staged a dance performance, Shakti Symphony, celebrating women's empowerment.

The board toppers were felicitated before the stage opened to a musical, Reach for the Stars, on Chawla's life. The students, teachers and even non-teaching staff members of the New Alipore branch had researched and rehearsed for three months before staging the production.

Directed by musician-filmmaker Dishari Chakraborty, the play featured four students — Avideepta Das of Class VIII, Ankita Ghosh of Class X, Srija Basak of Class X and Anushka Kundu of Class XII — portraying Kalpana from childhood to her final days. The play focused on Chawla's stint at Nasa, her family home and her academic tenure in India. The play began and ended with the crash of space shuttle Columbia STS-107.

"Rhapsody 2024 has been an excellent presentation of the best talents of our school. The students of all three units of Bidya Bharati Group of Schools showcased their talents through various artistic expressions. Our students paid tribute to the journey of Indian-American astronaut Kalpana Chawla from Karnal to space. We hope this programme encourages our students to pursue their dreams and be good human beings," said principal Sharmistha Banerjee of the New Alipore branch.

Sri Sri Academy

Sri Sri Academy organised a Career Fair for its senior students on July 20. The event offered an opportunity for them to explore diverse, and often unknown, career options. The school also scheduled the parent-teacher meeting on the same day to give guardians a chance to interact with the career experts.

Forty-three educational institutions from across India interacted with the students and their family members. Representatives from Techno India University, Calcutta, Ashoka University in Haryana, Ahmedabad University, Amity University (Jaipur and Calcutta) and Sri Sri University, Bhubaneswar, among others, had signed up for the mega event.

Some private institutions such as Blue Sky Education, IDP, Perfect Career and Global Reach — which help students realise their foreign dreams — were also there to explain the application processes, scholarships and the standardised tests and other things.

The school’s basement was dotted with several booths occupied by representatives from different universities. Students and parents rounded off the stalls before meeting the class and subject teachers for a review.

Experts gave the students an insight into the potential career prospects and various subject combinations up for grabs. The parents also cleared their doubts.

The interactions gave students the confidence to understand what programme is best suited for them. Every kiosk offered handouts about the campus, courses offered and prospects.

The fair bridged the gap between students and institutions, making the admission process for undergraduate courses more transparent.

“We clubbed the career fair with the parent-teacher meeting because on that day, the students came with their guardians. So they can make informed decisions related to their career. The university delegates were told them that the future remains in their hands,” said principal Gargi Banerjee.