Students of Bachpan Play School, Rourkela, dress up like leaders of freedom movement at a fancy dress competition during the Independence week celebrations. Picture by Uttam Kumar Pal

Sunday fun

Last Sunday was special for around 200 kids of various orphanages as they boarded Chennai Express – the action-comedy entertainer starring Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone — in Bhubaneswar. The outing had been organised by the volunteers of a youth group called We4You Charitable Trust, who had reserved all noon show seats of Keshari cinema for the purpose. The kids thoroughly enjoyed the movie and were then treated to a sumptuous lunch.

Actor and Rajya Sabha MP Siddhant Mohapatra made a guest appearance at the kids’ picnic and obliged his little fans by posing for photographs with them.

Principal honoured

The principal of Mother’s Public School, Bhubaneswar, Poly Pattanaik, was awarded the Rajiv Gandhi Rashtriya Ekta Samman, on August 19, a day prior to the 70th birth anniversary of the late Prime Minister. Pattanaik received the award in New Delhi for outstanding contribution and services in the field of art, education and community/public life. Every year, the award is given to a handful of multi-dimensional personalities working to promote national unity and brotherhood.

Hobby classes

Eager kids hopping to Ruchika pre-school, Bhubaneswar, without their satchels on Saturdays has become a common sight. This is because the school has started hobby classes for them, which include activities in spoken English, art and crafts, music, dance and cookery.

The classrooms transform into fun workshops and children are encouraged to work independently. In spoken English, words are enacted, what is seen in a picture is described in complete sentences and songs sung with corresponding actions.

The music teacher plays the keyboard while the dance teacher starts with warm-up exercises and aerobics till everyone is ready to dance to some catchy music. The hobby classes have found encouraging response and will be held till December for the current academic session.

Volunteers of an international NGO enact a street play to raise dengue awareness. Telegraph picture

Model UN summit

KIIT International School, Bhubaneswar, hosted a Model United Nations summit recently with over 350 delegates turning up to debate critical international issues and work out solutions. Supported by the Odisha Debating Society and United Nations Information Centre for India and Bhutan, the summit was attended by students from nearly 35 schools in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur, Calcutta and Vizag.

The event had six councils, consisting of the Harry Potter-inspired ministry of magic with its goblet of fire, a futuristic council on population, UN office of drug and crime with special emphasis on South America, the East Asia Summit for 25 Southeast Asian countries and African union for empowerment of women.

The executive board was a mix of youngsters from Delhi, Hyderabad, Calcutta and Odisha, who facilitated the deliberations.

Dengue campaign

Humara Bachpan, a national campaign by Netherlands-based NGO Bernard van Leer Foundation, initiated an innovative drive against dengue in several slums of the capital with focus on children.

The campaign team, along with Sanjog, a local street theatre group, enacted a 45-minute play from the point of view of a mosquito. The character of Aedes Mosquito explained the causes and symptoms of the water-borne disease and precautions.

Child members of Humara Bachpan are spreading the message of dengue prevention in their neighbourhoods and schools. The campaign will also take place in Cuttack and Berhampur, said a campaign official.