The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

EDUCATION

SCHOOL BUZZ
Manav Sthali tourney blossoms into a major event
Smriti Kak

Manav Sthali organised the 30th Smt. Chandravati Bhatnagar Memorial Table Tennis Tournament from the 19th to the 24th of this month. Lt-Governor of Delhi, Mr Vijai Kapoor was the chief guest and gave away the prizes.

In the newly created category, ‘Blossoms’ for children below five, Rashikha Dogra of Manav Sthali, South Extension, won the first prize, Sanjari Mehta came second and Radhika Rishi of Convent of Rani Jhansi, R K Puram came third .

In the Midgets category, Nikhli Jain of Bhatnagar International Summit, came first, Shreyas Bhatia of Manav Sthali came second and Divyani Dhingra of Nav Manav came third.

In the senior batch, Aditya Puri of the host school was the winner in the boy’s category, whereas in the Girl’s category, Esha Bhambri of Delhi Public School, Mathura Road was the winner.

Speaking at the prize distribution, the L-G, Mr Kapoor said that the attention the school gave to extra-curricular activities and games was praiseworthy.

The school has introduced baseball from this year, opening up new vistas for the students.

President’s messages

Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam urged the students of Bal Bhavan Public School to aim big. In a meeting with the students, he said, “Dreams transform into thoughts and thoughts into actions”. Vociferously passing on an inspiring message to the students, he spoke at length about the need for working hard to attain success.

The President had a meeting with the Chairman of BBPS, G .C. Lagan, Principal, B.B. Gupta and others.

The students gave the President a warm welcome. He then answered the questions put forth by the students and told them that he attributed his success to his teachers and his parents were a source of inspiration.

A student of Class XII, Shailesh Sharma, presented the President a poem, which he had dedicated to him.

Greetings for Kalam

The new President of India, Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has struck the right chords with schoolchildren. From across the country, schoolchildren have voiced their admiration for the super brain and expressed delight at his taking over as the First citizen of the country.

The President too on his part has expressed his fondness for the ‘future of the country’. He claims to have already met more than 50,000 schoolchildren in the past year. Dr Kalam motivates them and encourages them to dream big and to serve the nation.

Students of Vidya Niketan School, No 2, Faridabad, have also joined their counterparts from across the country in sending their best wishes to the new President. These students have written letters congratulating him on his new position.

While some put their artistic skills to best use and whisked beautifully crafted cards, others put to paper their profoundest feelings. The school is also observing ‘Dr. Kalam’s Life and Works’ a theme of the week. The week will see talks and discussions being made on the President apart from other activities like caricature drawing, article writing and creating a wall magazine based on his life.

The school’s Principal, pointed out that Dr Kalam who is an avid reader of both the Bhagwad Gita and the Holy Kuran, is an excellent blend of logic, faith and extraordinary will power and therefore remains a source of inspiration to the students.

Inter-school Festival

St. Xavier’s Sr. Sec. School is going to organise an inter-school Festival on the 29th of this month. The school’s Principal, Father Xavier J. Ignatius, informed that almost 250 students from various schools in the Capital would participate in the festival titled - Interface 2002.

The following events will be held in the Interface 2002, a programming in C++, quiz, debate, Homepage presentation, Gaming, Flash Animation and Digital Imaging.

A running shield will be awarded to the winning school. Medals and certificates will be awarded to the winners and runner-ups of the individual events.

Extempore competition

Amity International, Saket, represented by Teevrat Garg of Class XI, won the second prize in the extempore competition organised by the Tata Energy Research Institute (TERI). The competition was held to commemorate the occasion of the Earth Day by the Chief Minister, Ms. Shiela Dikshit.

Questioning skills

Prof D. V. Sharma, Secretary, Council of Boards of Education, held a highly educative and interactive workshop on ‘Enhancing Skill of Questioning’ at Amity, Saket.

The workshop was attended by the middle and senior schoolteachers from various schools in Delhi. Prof Sharma said questions should facilitate students to reason and evaluate in order to make teaching and learning a fruitful two way process.

He asked the teachers to frame three questions each and discussed their merits and demerits. This provided the teachers with immediate gains and feedback. The workshop was an enriching experience, it began by focussing on the teacher as a facilitator, who provides varied exposure to the students by way of sharing experience, discussing the direct experiences of a child and recapitulating on what has already been taught.

He added questioning a child plays an important role since intelligent questioning on the part of the teacher helps a child to provide an opinion, discuss important elements and draw inferences.

Workshop held

Preet Vihar-based cultural organisation, ILA, recently organised a workshop for the schoolchildren. In the 15-day long workshop 40 students participated and learnt the basic skills of different types of gift-wrapping, flower-making, doll-making and dancing.

The founder Director of the organisation, Ms Raina Gupta, informed that the ILA does things keeping in mind the Indian traditions and customs. The art of gift-wrapping and making artifacts is kept alive by teaching it to the younger generation.

PRINCIPALSPEAK
No one can make you feel inferior without your permission

Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who is the fairest of them all?”

The queen asked her mirror and was filled with bitter jealousy, when it told her that while she was fair, Snow White was fairer (Snow White and Seven Dwarfs). The fact that she was beautiful, should have made her happy, but she sought to compare herself with others and in return was filled with negative feelings at being overshadowed by the other’s perfection.

These are important lessons we learn right from our childhood. If you want genuine pleasure and happiness in life, compare yourself not with others, but with yourself. You are your own competitor.

Today, in a competitive world, this advice seems a little misplaced, but most of our stresses are born out of unnecessary comparisons. We all know that a healthy competition with others brings out the best in us and works as an incentive. It also brings a sense of fulfillment, if we clinch victory. But remember this race is endless. Thus, it is important to meet the standard that you set for yourself rather than win the race.

If you compare yourself with yourself only, then you are in complete control over yourself.

You can do it every hour, everyday, every week, every month. Each of us has a set of paradigms for different spheres of life – as a student, as a professional, as an athlete, as a friend, a brother/sister and so on. If we start comparing with others in the different walks of life, we will become wrecks – for we all know that we cannot be a winner everywhere.

Comparisons often are odious and discouraging. Parents are constantly comparing the performances of their children with those of others. This is often regressive. It is in your hands to acknowledge a child’s achievement or brush it aside by comparing it with the results obtained by others. Even small successes should be paid heed to, because these are the stars that serve as a beacon of our potential and light up our life. So cherish them.

I read a moving story of a dyslexic child. The parents forced her into a school for normal children, where she constantly compared herself with others and found herself lacking. She felt traumatised and finally she became a wreck. It’s important to accept one’s limitations and try to overcome them.

Also, one should identify one’s strengths and build on them, importantly at your own pace.

It is crucial to be driven internally and not externally. If a friend phones up and calls you the greatest person, you feel delighted.

The next day he does the same and you feel delighted. But the third day he phones up and calls you a fool, you feel miserable. Who is controlling your life? Obviously he is. Why are you permitting him to lower your esteem?

“No one can make you feel inferior without Your permission” (Eleaner Roosewelt).

Teach yourself to respect yourself, have faith in your own ideas, listen to others, but more importantly, and listen to your inner voice, which knows your calibre.

Do not let other people’s assessments and their performance levels trouble you. Be honest to yourself, put in your best efforts, set goals as per your potential and strive to reach them. No one can take your gold medals away.

The little cottage, done up to your taste, will provide all the joys, warmth and comforts you seek which the king’s palace will not.

So, develop self-confidence, gain maturity and aim for the stars. “ You may not quite get them, but you won’t get mud either”.

Madhu Chandra, Principal, Birla Vidya Niketan