Birla High School, Mukundapur
Pictograms, abacus, decoding and magic square — the students of Birla High School Mukundapur recently celebrated National Mathematics Day with such fun activities. The day marked the birth anniversary of mathematician Ramanujan Srinivasan. The students took part in many number games that aimed to develop critical thinking skills and create greater understanding of the subject.
The little ones of the Nursery recited number rhymes in their English class. They also made an abacus using an old shoebox. The Kindergarten kids added some festive flavour to maths by making banana penguins, sweet treats in the shape of reindeers and snowmen in their EVS class. Multiplication lessons were brought alive by the students of Class I as they learnt the concept by using grids and solved a quiz. The students of Class II showcased a PowerPoint presentation on Mathematicians of India. The creative ones of Class III used cardboards, pencils and bangles to make their own version of a calculator. The students of Class IV were introduced to Magic Square, a brainchild of Ramanujan. The Class V team applied the magic zero using decimal division and decoded the name of the Indian mathematician. They also created posters and discussed the contribution of Ramanujan to the world of mathematics.
The students of classes VI to VIII solved pictogram puzzles by decoding the value of each symbol and solved questions on logical reasoning. Many of them designed puzzles of their own. “Mathematics aids our understanding of the world and is a good tool for developing mental discipline. On National Mathematics Day, it was a pleasure to teach the students how Ramanujan discovered the magic number of 1729,” said principal Hira Prasad.
Sushila Birla Girls’ School
Students from India and Malaysia exchanged ideas and shared cultural notes during an exchange programme between Sushila Birla Girls’ School and SK Tiara Permai School, Kuala Lumpur, recently. The aim was to create awareness and develop self-confidence and leadership qualities in the students. Eight students of Class IV from Calcutta got to interact with six Class VI students from Kuala Lumpur. The children were told to research the festivals celebrated in both the nations and make PowerPoint presentations on them.
The project culminated in an interactive session, where children spoke about festivals such as rath yatra, Id and Durga Puja celebrated in India and Thaipusam, Hari Raya Aidil Fitri and the Chinese New Year celebrated in Malaysia. There were videos and storytelling to spice up the event. The students learnt various traditions and realised the importance of tolerance and the need to respect other cultures. Many friendships were also formed across the border. “Such events allow our students to experience different cultures and meet new people. Overall, it was an enriching experience for them,” said headmistress Vidisha Panja.
Tribeni Tissues Vidyapith
Tribeni Tissues Vidyapith organised a vaccination drive, in association with the local health department, for its students on January 11. Over 200 students aged between 15 and 18 years queued up in the school auditorium for their jab. They received the first dose of Covaxin free of cost, following all protocols. Parents appreciated the initiative. Students visited the school at different time slots to take their shot, co-operating with their teachers and staff members. The principal expressed gratitude to block medical officer of health, Mogra, and SI office for arranging for the vaccines.
“This is a ray of hope for the students as they now have a security blanket against Covid-19. Ensuring student health is the utmost need of the hour, and we are happy to hold this camp for them. In due course, we hope to organise more such camps for other age groups too,” said principal Sanghamitra Chatterjee. The school had also hosted a similar drive in June and September last year when 2,500 people, along with the staff members of Tribeni Tissues Vidyapith, received their shots.
Sri Sri Academy
Students and teachers of the heritage club of Sri Sri Academy recently celebrated World Heritage Week by taking part in a virtual walk around the ghats of the older parts of the city. Titled The Dying Ghats of Calcutta, the event in collaboration with Intach and The Ganges Walk (Rediscovering Calcutta) was aimed to educate them on the cultural and religious significance of the river ghats along the city. They were also taught how to preserve such heritage places. The children were taken through eight areas — James Prinsep Ghat, Chotelal ki Ghat, Mullick Ghat, Prasanna Kumar Tagore Ghat, Zenana Ghat, Jagannath Ghat, Mutty Lal Seal Ghat and Nimtala Ghat. Pictures of their past glory and present condition were shared, as also anecdotes related to them. There was a PowerPoint presentation on each ghat that made the session interactive and enjoyable. The heritage and quiz clubs of the school also conducted an inter-house virtual quiz. The event saw students from classes VI to IX locking horns. Five audiovisual rounds later, Bhakti House clinched the top spot followed by Shanti House. The week-long celebrations ended with a programme on Satyajit Ray, Re-view Ray, that paid tribute to the writer-filmmaker on his birth centenary. Film-maker Ashoke Viswanathan told the students about the different movie-making techniques used by Ray. He used clips from classics such as Jalsaghar, Monihara and Shatranj Ke Khiladi to enumerate his point. Students from classes VI to XI were asked to see Ray’s short film Two and make a poster, write a review or a poem on its theme.
“Every year we celebrate World Heritage Week to spread awareness about our monuments and their cultural heritage. The theme this year was Complex Pasts: Diverse Futures. Our school believes in investing deeply in our past to give our students a sense of pride and a solid foundation,” said principal Suvina Shunglu.
Aditya Academy
Two students of the school put up an impressive show in the 6th West Bengal Open Air Weapon Shooting Championship 2022, held recently at Howrah Rifle Club. Class XII student Akashleena Majumdar of Aditya Academy Senior Secondary, Dum Dum, won five gold medals, while Class IX student Udita Chakraborty of Aditya Academy Secondary, Barasat, bagged two silver medals. Akashleena was also awarded with a special cash prize for registering the highest individual score of 345 in Open Sight. Both the students represented Joydeep Karmakar Shooting Academy in the championship as the institute has a tie up with the school and trains its students. “It’s been an incredible feat! We are proud of Akashleena’s hard earned success and wish her all the very best for her ambitious dreams. This is only possible with your dedication, determination and confidence. Way to go!” said Aditya Academy Senior Secondary principal Sonali Sarkar. Aditya Academy Secondary principal James Ringrow said: “In these trying times, Udita was focused on her goal and proved that when things get tough, the tough gets going. Congratulations to her from all of us at Aditya Academy. God bless!”