Graduation Day 2014 by Deblina Chakraborty, College Advisor

Pathways School Noida proudly celebrates another new beginning - the High School Graduation Ceremony of the Class of 2014!

There is no greater recognition of a student’s achievements than the

High School Graduation Ceremony which was held in our school on April 11, 2014. The Chief Guest, Reverend Dr. Walson Thampu, Directors of the Pathways Schools, the Senior School Faculty, Family and Friends of the graduating class congregated to witness the commencement. The students, led by the Faculty of the IB Dipoma Program walked up the aisle in stately procession and took their positions among the dignitaries. As the graduates shone in formal attire complete with graduation gowns and caps, the Pathways family reveled in this moment of joy and pride that marks the transition from one stage in a student’s life to another.

The lighting of the ceremonial lamp was followed by Dr. Advani’s message to the students. Her extraordinary ability to celebrate the uniqueness in each individual coupled with a plethora of knowledge  has made her the guiding light to each student who stands tall at the end of this journey. The Computer Studies Department screened a short film dedicated to the Class of 2014. The movie captured some moments of hard work, stress, performance and relaxation during the DP. The Class was seen on screen living lighter moments and enjoying the warmth and camaraderie of friends on campus.

The Chief Guest for the occasion, Rev. Walson Thampu addressed the Class of 2014 with his words of wisdom which the students will surely recall as they step out into the world. The DP Coordinator Ms. Geeta Verma and the Senior School Principal Mr. Alexander Abraham, who have shepherded the students throughout the journey addressed the Class amidst high emotion and joy of leading the students to a new threshold.  The student speakers selected for this ceremony were the outgoing Student Council President, Sonal Chawla and the Valedictorian of 2014, Sagnik Aich.

After the heartfelt messages to the graduates, the Award Ceremony began. The students were invited on stage to receive their diplomas and special awards. They walked up amidst loud cheers from the audience as their university placements for undergraduate study was announced by the Guidance Counselor Ms. Deblina Chakraborty.

The Diploma was conferred on each student and the sequence of acceptance, handshakes and a ceremonial picture with the dignitaries on stage followed. The students then flipped their tassels and Mr. Abraham formally presented the Graduates of 2014!

Personal Project Presentation, An Experience !

Personal project is where you discover what you might be capable of.

We chose a topic which we worked with for 8 months and also got the choice to decide what we want to work on. We discovered the importance of AOI (Area of Interaction), deadlines and most of all - how work could be so much fun. It felt like we were professionals

working towards this aim and deciding all that has to go in. We maintained Process Journals which we used to put our ideas in so we can refer to them. For 8 months, after working so hard, we started with the finalizing stage where we had to write our Written Report. It had everything in it, all the goals and what all we did to

achieve them. It also contained our reflections, our learning and skills developed through the process. Other than this, we also had to finish our product after which came the “judgment day”. 

Everyone was tense, but with this fear there was also a sense of achievement and pride and just as the parents started to come in, all of us greeted them, explained to them about our project, our goals, aims and many other things. Just as soon as it ended, though we were happy that all the hard work had really been fruitful, but on the other hand, we were already missing this amazing experience we had. I had chosen to work on the topic of lesser known animals and had a conversation with a few zoologists, which for me was a wonderful experience. This makes me wonder what all my friends did for their personal projects. It is now indeed an unforgettable memory.

-Shubhi Raghav

Form 8

  

It all started back in September and for the next eight months each day was spent with a splash of creativity and innovation. In the beginning, the personal project felt like an extended activity as though the work load wasn’t enough already but now when I look back I realize it was anything but that. Apart from the skills I gained during these eight months such as time management and problem solving, I learnt to give time to things I love.  Along with this entire process we were to fill a process journal everyday, noting down every obstacle we faced, every epiphany that hit us during the project and record our path.  The one thing that did strike me was that since it was our project, there wasn’t any right or wrong and we could end up with something completely different than what we pictured and still be proud of it. Another thing I loved most about the idea of a personal project is that it allows one to choose anything out of everything that the world offers which offered every one of us, the power of creativity.

- Mehak Diwan

Form 8

Trip to study River Tons at Guchupani, Dehradun by Shreya Gupta 11A

From the 3rd to 5th of April, 14 geography students from grade 9 and 11 visited  Guchupani,a place near Dehradun to conduct a river study on the river Tons which is a tributary of the river Ganga. The aim of the trip was to collect readings from various parts of the river- upstream and downstream and compare them to the Bradshaw model of how a river changes with regard to

distance downstream. The students worked together at 6 different sites, wading in to the water, taking measurements of various parameters such as depth, wetted perimeter, velocity, pebble size and roundness etc. The students showed a lot of initiative and worked collaboratively in the process of data collection and collation. But it wasn’t all work and no play. On the last day, the students visited famous sweet shops and bakeries in Dehradun, helping themselves to golgappas, rusks and parval ki mithai.

All in all, it was a wonderful trip, that gave the students a very hands on experience of the concepts that they learn in the classroom and also gave them an opportunity to work together and collaborate with one another in a fun yet educational manner.

Visit to Humayun's Tomb by Sameera Khurana Grade 11

One would think that we were unwise enough to visit Humayun’s

Tomb in the scorching Delhi heat, but our short trip to this five hundred years old monument was worth every second! The most perfectly proportioned and captivating of Delhi's mausoleums, Humayun’s Tomb seems to float above the gardens that surround it. Our travel guide Ms. Nupur Khanna, a conservation architect, gave us a deep insight into this monument and its significance.

 This trip wasn’t to educate us about when the monument was built or how long it took to get built. Instead, we discussed the nitty-gritties such as why is the monument on a raised platform, or how does the dome become circular when the floor is octagonal. We discussed in great depth the conservation project taken by the ASI and the Aga Khan Foundation, and why monuments need to be preserved and conserved.

 Only a few years ago, its gardens were worn; it’s masonry cracked,

and the stonework broken or incomplete. The ruinous appearance was resulting in fewer visitors to the site. And hence, the monument underwent years of conservation as it is of particular cultural significance as it was the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent. It inspired several major architectural innovations, culminating in the construction of the Taj Mahal.

Overall, this trip made me marvel at the architectural elements of the monument and also made me question a lot of things about how we interact with the monuments around us and how we can learn so much from them as they’re ‘living history’. It made me question, how we as people in this time are supposed to engage with these monuments and focus on certain aspects. It made me appreciate the importance of historic conservation but also how complex and tedious the whole process can be: the question of what to leave as it is and what to conserve.

Epiphanies, Teaching at Sai Bal Sanskar School by Sameera Khurana, Gr 11

Mahatma Gandhi famously said: The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. I truly understood the meaning of these words when I got the opportunity to teach students at Sai Bal Sansar, a school in the Agahpur District of Noida.

Who would have ever thought that just five kilometers away from our school, was a completely different model of learning. As we made our way through the not-so developed rural setting, we started counting our blessings and privileges. The school building wasn’t very spacious or developed either – but we all realized the constraints we were working with. But then again, you don’t need huge technology-equipped classrooms to educate or to be educated. All you need is a thirst for knowledge, which our students possessed immensely.

We were divided into four different groups, who worked with students of different age groups. Our main goal was to give them a break from their monotonous school routine and have an interactive and educative session, and making learning fun! Each of us chose different grammar topics such as verbs, prepositions, and adjectives etc. We meticulously prepared lesson plans with icebreakers, worksheets, games and videos. To our surprise, the students were way beyond the intellectual level we had predicted and our lesson plans required a little bit of tweaking on the final day.

I think it was a transformative experience for the students as well as for us, for we saw what lies beyond our sphere of learning and were able to impart knowledge to children who truly appreciated the value of it. It was a heart-warming experience to watch the students sing along with our videos, respond to our activities and timidly try out the things we had planned for them. Towards the end, there was a glitter in their eyes when one of our classmates brought a box full of chocolates and sweets for them!

Teaching in a rural setting was way different from teaching students in our own school. I felt that the students were more comfortable in their environment, as opposed to in our school, where we are the ones inside our comfort zones. These two hours at Sai Bal Sansar has opened our eyes for so many future prospects for these students: be it workshops or more educative sessions like these.

Experience of the International Youth Conference By Khanak Mehta, Gr 11

On the 21st and 22nd of April, 2014, me and my partner Shreya, along with Miss Mala Singh Ma’am attended the International Youth Conference on “Changing Weather Patterns” at Doon School, Dehradun. After a 7-hour train ride, we arrived at Dehradun, where we were immediately greeted by its small-town charm. We spent a few hours just exploring around the market place and buying some souvenirs We were both excited and nervous in anticipation of the conference. The next day, we arrived at Doon School, anticipating presentations after presentations, all talking about the same old, boring things. To our surprise, we had the privilege of watching some interesting presentations by the others schools, some of which even changed our stance towards the topic.

The main idea of our presentation was questioning whether climate patterns were changing NOW, or was it a natural process that the Earth went through routinely? Whether there really was a correlation between human activities and these changes or was it part of natural ongoing processes? And what part of it were human activities responsible for? We also showcased the initiatives we have taken in our school to spread awareness about the need to make environmentally friendly choices. There were three distinguished guest speakers, who them enlightened us about this issue and presented some interesting facts and perspectives to enrich our experience of learning.

We also interacted with the students of various other schools. There were students from all over the world, including South Africa! We talked with them not just about the conference, but about their life, their culture, and we found that they are not all that different from us. Not to forget, the gala dinner and the following jam session was an absolute blast.

We definitely took away a lot from this trip-we gained various perspectives on the growing issue, we got to know so much more about the way people are making a difference, at the school level, up to a global level, and we definitely made lots of new friends.

Early Years Rhyme Time Day Vandana Majumdar Form Tutor – KG B

What do you need to make a show a stupendous success? 

An enthralling script, a star ensemble or a dedicated team? We had it all for our ‘Early Learners Rhyme Time Day’ on the 9th of April.

It began with an idea to give our audience an experience, “Under the Sea”. A script based on the story of ‘The Rainbow Fish’ by Leo Lionni was decided upon

and Grade I cast for the play. Our Kindergarteners interspersed the play with their vibrant song and dance routines. The little ones in Nursery tweeted out melodies to match the theme. Finally our toddlers from Early years and Pre-Nursery sprinkled their charm with a beach wear ramp walk.

While the show was shaping up beautifully with invigorated practice schedules, the Art Department worked fervently to create an ambience to match the magic of the show.  Colourful and prismatic costumes transformed our little ones into the beauties of the sea.

The detailed planning, hours of practices and fore-runs, the sweat and grime all came together on the day of the show. The cheers, hoots, applaud and appreciation from our audience made it all worthwhile. The praises haven’t stopped coming in, but the Early Learners are already looking at another year…..another show.

Eye Camp at Sadar Sarai Village, Shreya Gupta Form 11

On the 25th of April, the Interact Club organized a free eye check up camp in Sadar Sarai Village, close to our school.

We collaborated with I-Care Hospital in Sec 26 Noida, an organization that runs a charitable wing and frequently holds such camps for the needy. Once everything was finalized; we contacted Meena Didi who is from the village mentioned above, who is also a part of the support staff in our school. We

shared the details with her and requested her to help us in our endeavour. Right from helping us set up the venue, to spreading the word in the village, to other help needed during the eye camp, she helped us through the entire process. Without her, the camp would not have been possible. The Interact Club had set aside a fund of Rs. 25000, in order to sponsor 15 cataract surgeries and other additional cost of visual aid and medication and also drinks and snacks for all the patients.

The camp was a raging success. In the very first hour, we got over 80 registrations. There was a total of 121 registrations by the end of the camp. There have already been 4 patients who have been admitted in the hospital for surgery, from a total of 10-12 patients registered for the surgery. The entire team worked extremely hard for those 4 hours, in the blistering heat, no even resting for a single minute. It was commendable to see the efforts put in by the students. But it wasn’t just the students who worked hard, the doctors who worked tirelessly, not taking a break for even 5 minutes, to the teachers who helped us get everything in order and ensured the smooth functioning of the camp, to the admin staff who readily helped us in an unexpected situation of a power cut, to the parents who came to support our endeavour and contributed a sum Rs. 46000 for surgeries and medical and visual aid, to Indira ma’am and all her tireless efforts and enthusiasm and encouragement,  to Mr. Jain and Dr. Advani, who came to encourage and support us at the camp. We are extremely thankful to each and every one of these people, who helped us make this camp a success.

Best out of waste by Sana Noor Primary ICT Teacher

Right after the spring break came a very important day which is celebrated worldwide every year on 22nd April – International Earth Day. To mark this day, we at primary school thought of a creative inter-house activity – “Best out of Waste”.

The biggest challenge was the collection of waste, which was to be used as raw material for the competition. But, all thanks to the whole school community, we managed to collect a huge amount of waste in all possible materials.

All students across Grades 2-5 were divided into teams of four or five members, each headed by a Form Five student. They were given a span of about an hour to use a variety of waste materials to create something new and useful. It was noteworthy to see how students of different age groups interacted with each other and worked as a team. Everyone came up with extremely innovative products ranging from musical robots to wind chimes.

The whole event centred around sensitizing the students towards the fact that we generate and dispose off huge amounts of waste every single day, little realizing that it can be put to some good use.

It was very satisfying to see so many students talking about how they helped their parents at home in segregating and collecting the waste for this competition.

Eventually, it turned out to be a successful and wholesome event, with collective effort from our students, teachers and parents.

A CAS initiative – Cash gift handed over to Sai Kripa Orphanage in mate on occasion of her marriage, Shreya Gupta Gr 11

We students at Pathways school Noida, have been associated with Sai Bal Sansar school,

a school for underprivileged students as a part of the CAS programme. It was a very happy moment when the wedding of one of the inmates of the parent organization, Sai Kripa Orphanage, was solemnized on the 13th of April’ 2014.

To congratulate and convey good wishes from the Pathways family to Ms. Kavita, the bride to be, one of the resident girls who has lived, grown up and and has been nurtured at the orphanage, two students Shreya Gupta and Bhavna Gupta of form 11, along with Ms. Indira went to Sai Kripa, on the 11th of April. It was heart warming to be a part of this occasion.  On behalf of Pathways family , we handed over a cash gift and a box of chocolates to her and conveyed our good wishes for a happy wedded life.