The Andhra Dramatic Literary Society (ADLS) Sunshine School began its journey 30 years ago in the summer of 1975 under the ADLS management.

The initial few years were difficult, to say the least, for the school authorities, due to the problem of non-affiliation from the ICSE board. Till 1995, the students had to appear through the Bihar Secondary Examination Board.

The first batch of 17 students appeared for the ICSE examination in 1996 from Rajendra Vidyalaya and each one passed out with flying colours.

Though initially a Hindi-medium school, today ADLS Sunshine is one of the well known English-medium schools in the steel city.

It began its Plus Two section in 2001. The school believes in quality education, both in science and commerce streams.

lThe school believes in shaping personalities that are productive and responsible. What defines an ADLS student? The emphasis is on turning each student into a well-adjusted individual, who is both a local and global citizen.

The mission of the school is to give its students an education that is on par with any other school in India. ?Our aim is to inculcate a desire to be responsible,? says Shubha Madan, principal of the school.

l The school has classes starting from nursery to Class XII, for which the medium of instruction is English.

However, Hindi, too, is taught at all levels except in nursery. Sanskrit is included according to the ICSE guidelines in middle school.

The school?s curriculum includes all subjects but there are certain subjects that are additional, such as social service, environmental application, value education and behavioural studies (VEBS).

There are daylong study tours to various cities from time to time to give children an idea of the world around them.

ADLS has a well-equipped library, which has more than 10,000 books and four well-equipped laboratories for physics, chemistry, biology and computers. It is divided into four houses ? Harshavardhana Chandragupta, Chanakya and Ashoka. From the names itself it is evident that here bravery and pro-active ideas are much-applauded virtues.

The school conducts various inter-house activities, which gives the students a platform to display their extra-curricular strengths.

It is also instrumental in bringing out the best in students and instill a sense of healthy competition and the determination to excel in all their endeavours.

?The urge to become an active member of the society and trying to succeed is what the school aims to do through these activities,? says a teacher.

l The school has various clubs meant for different subjects such as science, mathematics, history and geography.

Along with these, the authorities have also taken the initiative to uncover the talent latent in the children, for which the school frequently organises several programmes including dramatics, debates and elocutions.

For those with a penchant for current affairs, the school organises news reading sessions every morning by the students. But what makes the cocurricular activities more special at this school are the various surveys done by the students to create awareness on a topic of current relevance.

?The students and the various clubs are actively involved in carrying out at least one people-oriented survey every month, which forms a significant part of their programmes,? says principal Subha Madan.

The students had conducted a survey on the necessity of wearing helmets in 2004 and in the same year, they took up the onus to do a survey on road safety among parents and drivers. This project received immense support and was even presented to the Jusco.

According to the school authorities, the students have also tied up with Roshni, another city NGO working towards the promotion of eye donation, and so far the students have managed to get about 200 pledges. It would be followed by the audio cassettes meant exclusively for the students of the blind school.

Next they would visit the students? homes and also convince their parents and family members to pledge to help the blind children, said the principal.

?Being a pretty new and small school, these small tasks not only help the students to learn new things but also helps them to boost their confidence. They will understand that, however young they may be, even students have a role to play in the society?s welfare,? added Shubha Madan.

what is it: An English medium Plus Two school affiliated to ICSE

who?s the boss: Subha Madan

admission:Every year the school conducts an entrance test for both nursery and Class XI. Though preference is given more to financially weak students, the selection of the students is purely on merit

fees:Nursery to Class X ? Rs 840; For plus-two: Pure Science ? Rs 1,190, Bio Science ? Rs 1,200, Commerce ? Rs 1,100

address: ADLS Sunshine School, Sakchi, Jamshedpur

contact number: 2432904