Students of Chowringhee KG & High School accept the ICC Trophy for Outstanding Achievement on behalf of the school at the Better Calcutta Contest held at Science City on Saturday. Picture by Aranya Sen

Mission impossible — creating a better Calcutta — seems a few steps closer to becoming mission possible, thanks to the efforts of not-so-covert agents — 50,000 students from 35 schools — who have taken the challenge head-on.

Awarding “social responsiveness” amongst school students, the Better Calcutta Contest is organised annually by the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Calcutta Foundation, supported by The Telegraph. Through the years, student involvement has grown and some of the social initiatives undertaken as part of the project have blossomed from sincere efforts to constructive developmental plans, as was clear at the ceremony held at Science City on Saturday, where snapshots of the year-round work were on view.

For its “365-day dedication” to improve health around its humble Sudder Street address and far beyond, the ICC Trophy for Outstanding Achievement was handed over to Chowringhee KG & High School. The tiny school has been a consistent award winner at the event, and this year, bagged top honours for enhancing its projects, which include malaria, cardiac and eye camps for all, and medical check-ups and sponsored treatment for the underprivileged. They constructed and maintain a public urinal near Indian Museum. Recently, they have adopted a village in South 24-Parganas, Ghoshpur.

Another regular chart-topper — Loreto Day School, Sealdah — carried away The Telegraph Trophy for Social Excellence. “Maximum use of real estate” is how host Barry O’Brien summed up the spirit of the school, where every inch is put to use not only for academics, but also to care for the needy. Coming second in the category of social projects was Apeejay School. Sharing third place were Bhowanipore Gujarati Education Society School and G.D. Birla Centre for Education.

Honouring health-based initiatives, the ICC Trophy for Healthy Living went to Aditya Academy Secondary School, which has added a new project to its varied portfolio — AIDS awareness. Future Hope School stood second, with three schools sharing the third berth — All Bengal Women’s Union Primary School, Sir Syed Group of Schools and St Joseph & Mary School.

Upholding sustained efforts with long-term impact was the focus of this year’s selection. “It is nice to give in charity… But that is only a temporary solution,” explained jury member Lee Alison Sibley, who also sang at the event. Which is why those schools that “teach people to help themselves” were “specially awarded”, she added.