Lions Calcutta (Greater) Vidya Mandir
Lions Calcutta (Greater) Vidya Mandir celebrated its founder’s day on November 13. A cultural programme, Pratibimb - Reflection of Our Rich Cultural Heritage, was staged at Jai Hind auditorium on the occasion. Students performed and were also felicitated for their academic and co-curricular achievements.
The event began with the chanting of Sanskrit slokas. Lion A.P. Singh, international third vice-president, was the chief guest.
“Lions Calcutta (Greater) Vidya Mandir goes beyond the call of duty to bring out the potential of a child in every possible way,” he said.
The guest of honour was Lion Sangeeta Jatia, past international director. “I am running short of words to express what I feel for the school and the students. I am sure that the students of Lions Vidyamandir will prove to be extremely successful citizens of the country in all spheres,” she said.
Lions Club of Calcutta Greater president Sharda Ginodia said: “This school is working hard to shape every student so well that society can be a better one in future,” she said.
School managing committee president Lion Pramod Chandak said: “In this school, we aim at the holistic development of every child so that the children can make their alma mater proud and carry the name and culture of the school forward wherever they go and in whatever they do.”
The cultural programme started with the school song, penned by Chandak. Principal Kakoli Ghosh presented the school report for the academic year 2021-22.
The students staged three dance recitals — Save Soil, Save Earth, Dharohar and Aladdin.
Lion Prahlad Jalan and Lion Ramanand Rastogi were honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award. The second edition of the school magazine, Resurgence, was also unveiled.
“This has been a year of achievement with students winning laurels in inter-school, regional and national events. We will continue to provide quality education at nominal cost,” said the principal.
Bhavan’s Gangabux Kanoria Vidyamandir
Children of Class I at Bhavan’s Gangabux Kanoria Vidyamandir turned up in their graduation hats and robes for a graduation ceremony at Science City auditorium on November 17.
The opening songs, Prano bhoriye and Jagatjalapalam, were performed by Class IV students.
A welcome address by principal Arun Kr Dasgupta followed. “These children will change the world for the better in the coming years. When that happens, we will consider that all our efforts have been successful,” he said.
Five graduates from Class I — Prithwijit Mantra, Aaheli Bhattacharya, Aitijhyo Kundu, Adhrit Roychowdhury and Abhigyan Ray — spoke about their lives during the pandemic and thanked the teachers and parents for their countless efforts.
Students of Prep II danced to songs such as Its a Beautiful Day, Celebrate a Great School year, This Year’s Gone by a Little Faster, Goodbye Everybody and the Goodbye Song.
A speech by director G.V. Subramanian followed.
Over 225 students were finally presented with graduation scrolls.
“Our school has a tradition of celebrating graduation day. We honour the transition of Pre-primary pupils into the Primary school setting. It was lovely to watch the Prep II kids perform on stage,” said headmistress Suparna Chatterjee.
Sri Sri Academy
The student council of Sri Sri Academy organised the first edition of Spardha, an inter-house fest, on November 11, 12 and 14.
The event began with creative writing and meme-making competitions on November 11. An inter-house sports was held the next day. Shanti House emerged on top after winning the Basketball (Boys) and Badminton (Boys) finals followed by Bhakti House which won the Badminton (Girls) and Basketball (Girls) finals.
Events such as cooking, speed-cubing, dance and fashion show were there on the last day. The audience was delighted to see their friends perform on stage. Students dressed up as different Hollywood and Bollywood characters for a fashion show.
The Champion House trophy was shared by Shanti and Bhakti.
“Spardha was conceived as a platform to harness the creative energy of our young adolescents. Organised for the first time by the student council, it was led ably by the head boy and the head girl. It saw an outpouring of talent, commitment, organising skill,” said principal Suvina Shunglu.
Friends of Tribals Society
Ekal Ki Udaan, a state-level sports competition for rural children was organised by NGO Friends of Tribals Society, Calcutta chapter, at Sports Authority of India complex in Salt Lake on November 10 to 12.
The society runs one-teacher schools, Ekal Vidyalaya, in remote villages all over the country. The sports provided a platform for these students, many of whomaspire to become athletes in future. The participants were all students from various Ekal Vidyalayas in the state.
The competition included run (50m, 100m, 200m, 400m and 600m), high jump, long jump, wrestling and kabbadi. The age group of the participants was six to 14 years. Around 288 boys and 118 girls took part in the event, many coming to Calcutta for the first time.
“I am happy to see that more than 400 children signing up for the event. The winners will be taken to Lucknow for the national-level meet,” said society president Kishan Kumar Kejriwal.
Delhi Public School, Newtown
Students of Classes V to VIII of Delhi Public School, Newtown, began their Children’s Day celebrations with classroom activities. While some classes were shown the film, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, others played games in their classrooms.
A book truck — Books on Wheels — carrying hundreds of books made rounds of the school and attracted quite a crowd.
The school invited 25 marginalised children from AIWC Buniadi Bidyapith Girls’ High School to take part in the celebrations. The visiting students were gifted colouring books.
The teachers performed for students of Nursery to Class V a range of song and dance numbers.
For Classes V to VIII, they staged a comic skit on the life of a student.
“We wanted to let the students know that our love will be there with them, always. Once children know they are loved, they cannot go offtrack,” said principal Sonali Sen.
Shri Shikshayatan School
Shri Shikshayatan School recently organised its annual swimming competition to give young swimmers a chance to test their skills.
Secretary-general and CEO of the Shikshayatan Foundation Bratati Bhattacharyya, school principal Sangeeta Tandon and other teachers attended the event, held on September 20.
The students took part in 24 events. There were trophies for the winning house, with Arundhati House clinching it followed by Vishakha House. Around 108 medals and six trophies were given away.
“It was like old times and students took part enthusiastically. Next is our sports meet in December,” said the principal.
“Thanks to the tireless dedication of the coaches and the participants, the meet was a grand success. We have plans for an inter-school swimming competition,” said Bhattacharyya.