Students take charge with confidence & creativity

Fantasy world

Close to 2,500 students of The Newtown School were thrilled to spend quality time with their family and friends at the institute's first-ever carnival, Disneyverse, held in association with Young Metro, The Telegraph on January 25. The day-long affair was open to Classes I to IX and XI and their families.

The carnival was spread over the sprawling grounds of the school, including its football field, basketball court, auditorium and other recreation areas. It was divided into four segments — Frozen Fantasy, Ocean Odyssey, Jungle Journey and Timeless Treasures — each catering to a range of thematic games, activities and food stalls. Besides, there were thematic selfie corners, jukeboxes (mostly playing soundtracks from Disney films) and craft and tattoo stalls. Over 17 games stalls, a range of food stalls — serving chaats to strawberries dipped in chocolates — kept the visitors busy.

The students wore broad smiles as they entered the decorated Disney gate, in coloured clothes, and walked down a balloon-laden path to the ticket counter. Here they were given wristbands that had QR codes with a map of the carnival.

Frantz Sidi Ami, linguistic attaché from the French Institute in India (eastern zone), and the school’s founder-director Sunil Agarwal inaugurated the carnival at 11am. A cultural programme kicked off the gala at the auditorium.

It began with students of Classes Vi to IX singing How far I’ll go from the Disney film Moana. Next, students of Class VI, VII and VIII performed a Flamenco dance. Finally they presented a skit on fairytale characters with contemporary problems, to add humour to the fun fare. All the proceeds of the carnival will go towards charity. The best craftwork of the students were also on sale. Over 100 student volunteers managed the crowd.

"The event was meant to bring all together. I wanted our students to learn through experiences. Managing the carnival trained the volunteers," said Agarwal.

Spirit of unity

Sri Ram Narayan Singh Memorial High School organised their annual sports meet, Aarambh, at Gitanjali Stadium on December 14.

Principal Puja Mehra welcomed the chief guest, basketball player Anam Ali. The guests of honour were swimmer Rashmi Sharma and throwball player Kishan Chand Dikpati.

The event began with the students performing a medley of songs followed by a folk (Jhumur) dance.

“Sports is not just about winning, it is about discovering who you are and pushing yourself to become even better," said the principal and asked the students to take part in various competitions with a feeling of trust, determination and unity.

The school flag was hoisted and students took part in a parade led by their captains, vice-captains and prefects of the four houses — Neeram (blue), Prithvi (green), Surya (yellow) and Agni (red) houses. The chief guest declared the meet open, marking the beginning of a day filled with energy, excitement and hearty competition.

The highlight was a torch relay, carried by the White House members and finally lit by the chief guest.

The students put up yoga, zumba, karate and lezim drill displays that were met with loud cheers. A series of track and field events followed including Hurdle, Obstacle and Shuttle races for both Primary and senior students.

The tug-of-war competition between the house members was a huge draw. Students also competed in the shot put, discus and javelin throws, demonstrating their athletic skills and fitness.

The teachers participated in Three-Legged and Pot Balance races, while the non-teaching staff members and enthusiastic parents took part in flat race and musical chair, respectively.

The chief guest, along with school director Usha Singh and the principal, distributed medals, trophies and certificates to the winners.

Surya House was declared the overall champion.

Wisdom and nostalgia

Grandparents sang, cooked and took part in craft activities as part of a Grandparents' Day celebration, Abhinandan 2024, organised by Birla High School on December 7. The event highlighted the role of grandparents in a child's life.

The junior school organised the event in which tots joined hands with their grans to create new things or rack their brains together.

The school corridors were decorated with handmade wall hangings of family portraits. Photo exhibitions were also held in classrooms, showcasing family memories.

Headmistress Farida Singh welcomed the special guests and spoke about the school’s commitment to fostering inter-generational learning.

Lower Kindergarten kids and their grans set to work to create dreamcatchers together. Using vibrant threads, beads and feathers, they created the wall hangings of different sizes, all the while sharing stories, jokes and giggles.

Class II students and grandparents took part in a thali (large plate) decoration competition, where they adorned their props with flowers and embellishments.

Grandparents also took part in an antakshari competition and poetry recitals that made the audience go back in time. Every performer was cheered loudly.

Class IV teamed up with their grans for a non-flame cooking event. There were also storytelling sessions where grandparents shared tales from their lives, weaving wisdom with nostalgia.

"Birla High School celebrated Grandparents’ Day with joy and enthusiasm, hosting activities such as antakshari, games and flameless cooking. The event honoured the love and wisdom of grandparents, creating cherished memories for all," said the headmistress.

Financial literacy

The state and Northeast chapter of Association of Schools for Indian School Certificate (ASISC) held its first-ever workshop on financial literacy for educatorsat M.P. Birla FoundationHigher Secondary School onDecember 14.

The event — hosted by Ahanaa Bhattacharjee, regional coordinator of ASISC (Bengal and Northeast states) — was part of the association’s Teach Forward initiative, aimed to equip educators with financial knowledge to prepare students for real-world challenges.

The speakers were financial experts Sudipta Ghosh and Chinmay Palit. Ghosh explained how personal finance management can combat inflation and Palit discussed SIPs, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the ethical aspects of earning. Both sessions highlighted the need to integrate financial literacy into the curriculum.

The workshop was attended by 68 educators who discussed the need to set up school-based business clubs to foster practical financial awareness. The programme concluded with a vote of thanks from principal Purnima Chattopadhyay.

"ASISC (WB & NE States) organised a workshop, first-of-its-kind, for our educators in our school. It is important that our teachers are financially literate enough to guide the young children. The session turned out to be quite useful for the attendees. Now, they will be able to approach the subject with much more depth & expertise," she said.

Festival of creativity

Vivekananda Mission School, Joka, hosted a two-day annual fest, Krishti, on December 6 and 9.

Day I was intra-school, where students from all classes of the host school locked horns in various competitions. Day II saw 20 participating schools competing in many events such as street plays, photography, installation art and non-fire cooking. The names of the participating schools were not disclosed to maintain fairness. They were given code numbers instead.

The installation art display was a highlight on Day II. Students of Classes IX to XI were tasked to use waste materials and create art on the theme, Flow of Time. Students also whipped up delicacies such as shakes, light snacks and desserts for the non-fire cooking activity. There were also band performances and a fashion show that kept the audience cheering. Food and game stalls were a major attraction during the fest. Delicacies such as chaat, puchka, pizzas and burgers kept the hunger pangs of visitors at bay. Game stalls, including a treasure hunt, were a big hit.

The street play contest addressed pressing social issues, offering students a platform to advocate change. The host school emerged as the overall champion of the fest.

"The fest was a success. I'm thrilled to see our students shine alongside their peers from other schools. This event embodies the values of unity, creativity and healthy competition that we strive to instil in our students," said principal Ananya Dutta.

East meets West

An orchestra, a musical and a play made up the annual day at Delhi Public School, Barasat. The second edition of the event, Milestones, was held at the Science City auditorium on January 17.

The chief guest was Techno India Group co-chairman Manoshi Roychowdhury.

Altogether 650 students — from Nursery to Class IX — took part in the event. The annual school magazine, Literati Bytes, was also released.

The school orchestra treated the audience with a 16-minute musical performance, Melody Manthan. Sixty students performed a fusion of eastern and western tunes on the tabla, violin, cajón, keyboard and darbuka. Principal Joyeetaa Majumdar presented the annual report.

Next, students from LKG to Class II showcased the traditions of various states through their musical, Unity in Diversity. The performance began with Bengal and a rendition of the evergreen song, Aha Ki Anondo Akashe Batashe, before the audience was taken through the cultures of Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Kerala and other states. The celebration continued with a dance-drama, Punjab — The Cradle of Courage and Culture, by students of Classes III to IX.

"The annual day is special for our school community. Events like these play an essential role in building students' confidence and preparing them for future challenges," said the principal.