Our
journey began on 29th September at 7am. We gathered at the airport,
all set and ready to go to Chennai.
After having checked in, brimming with excitement we departed from
Hyderabad. We landed in Chennai at 9:55am, where we met Mr. Jason from Habitat
for Humanity. He then took us to our buses for our 3 and half hour journey to
Pondicherry. The bus ride was filled with music, snacks and sleeping. We
stopped at a coffee shop on the way and had some of the best filter coffee.
There were a lot of refreshments and snacks provided on the bus as well.
At
around 1pm, we finally reached Athithi Hotel where we were welcomed by the
staff in their traditional ways along with towels and drinks. After having
decided the rooms, we went upstairs to freshen up and get ready for lunch. The
rooms were big and beautiful and met our requirements. We met downstairs where
we were served with a vast buffet of exquisite food that we enjoyed thoroughly.
Stuffed
with food, we all headed back to one of our friends’ rooms and talked, played
and laughed till we were called for an orientation by Mr. Jason at around 5pm.
We assembled at the lobby and Mr. Jason told us about all the beautiful
facilities that hotel offered. He also briefed us about the village that we
were going to and do’s and don’ts we must abide by as habitat volunteers. He
also told us about the culture and the various sightseeing spots as Pondicherry
is known for its tourism.
After the orientation, we decided to go for a walk nearby. We had a glimpse of
the culture through the cities markets and we also visited one of the historic
prisons. The prison was built under the French rule almost 300 years ago. Although it had been converted into a parking
lot, you could still see the bars and cells.
After a little sightseeing, we headed back to the hotel; ate dinner and went to
bed excited and eager to start our volunteering work the next morning.
For the
first time in a long time, Jammu and Kashmir had one of the most devastating
floods it has ever seen. During the first week of September, these regions had
experienced the heaviest rainfall in the past 60 years. This torrential
rainfall began on the 2nd of September and continued for multiple days after
that, leaving thousands suffering in the wreckage and ruin the weather had
caused. By the 7th of September, over 1000 villages were hit, 300 were
completely submerged, and over 400 people were dead. A majority of the
surviving citizens were stranded either inside their homes or on top of their
roofs; without any access to food or other basic necessitie.
We
decided to take matters into our own hands, and thought of ways in which we
could contribute to the relief of these victims. We were determined to help
those suffering the best we could and used this determination to start a flood
drive in our school. We contacted organisations that were transporting items to
the affected areas and spread awareness at school. Being students of the XI
grade, we felt we would have a greater influence on those of the lower grades
and that we could encourage them to donate to a cause as worthy as this. We
passed out flyers, gave students a list of prioritized requirements and placed
boxes around the school’s campus for students to place their donations in.
But
during the first few days of planning the drive, we slowly grew concerned and
pessimistic about the idea, in fear of not getting the reaction and response
we’d hoped this notion would receive. However, our apprehension was met with a
wonderful surprise– the boxes were filled to the rim with donations from all
grades. In the end, we had 550 soaps, 104 juice boxes, 50 ready to eat MTR
packets, 100 savlon bottles, 5 packs of toothpastes, 10 toothbrushes, 100+ dry
milk powder packets, 10 coconut water bottles, juice bottles and 40 packs of
sanitary napkins. We were so proud and ecstatic to find that our initiative had
received such enthusiasm and cooperation and even through the tiring hours of
packing this huge number of supplies, this pride kept us going. We’re so
grateful to all of those that took the time to donate and so profoundly happy
that we could help the flood victims in their time of need.
–Nidhi
Reddy and Chahat Rana, IB XI, Oakridge International School Newton Campus
The students of nursery were a bundle
of energy. They were a learning in action. From knowing all about me to GOOD
HABITS, the students came with new eagerness to learn. Knowing about body parts
to the importance of hygiene, students are now more aware about their personal
care and safety. Some of the activities done by the students are table
etiquettes, praying, greeting others, brushing teeth, outdoor playing, washing
hands, cleaning nose of teddy bear and, watering the plants. They also learnt
to use three magical words i.e. thank you sorry and please.
The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), informally called Mangalyaan,
is a Mars orbiter launched into Earth orbit on 5th November
2013 by the Indian Space
Research Organization (ISRO). It entered orbit around Mars on
24th September 2014. The G.P. Birla Astronomical
Observatory and Research Centre, in this connection, organized a day long Mars
Camp on September 24, 2014 focusing on Mars for 6th to 10th class
school children and teachers from 10.30 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. to
create awareness about the ongoing research on planet Mars. A total of 110
students from Oakridge registered for the program. The program started with a
seminar by Dr. S.M Ahmed, former ISRO scientist and now a professor in HCU. Dr.
Ahmed spoke about the planet Mars and how proud we are as India is the only
country to have this successful achievement in the very first attempt.
India is the 4th country to have this achievement and the 1st Asian country to have the same. MOM will also study
the atmosphere of Mars, using a methane gas sniffer, in a bid to unearth presence
of Martian microbes if any. The seminar ended with an interesting interactive
session between the speaker and the students. Please find attached a collage of
pics from the trip.
India is the only country to have
this.
The students of IX, J
visited MMPS Govt school on 22 Sept, 2014 as part of their CAS program. The
school has classes from nursery to grade 5. Our students had a great experience
teaching them Maths, English and Arts. The primary students were excited to see
the older students teaching them. I was very impressed with the way the
students had maintained their class soft boards. With whatever resources they
had, they had really done a great job. Also, the way they wished all of us when
we entered their classroom was heart warming. The scene when we were coming
back was equally touching as they were after the students to stay for some more
time. Please find below some pictures from the trip.
On
24th Sept Junior school had the spell bee program. The day started
off with a colourful morning with kids wearing black and yellow dresses like
bees.
Grade
5 was also part of this program. Every student participated in the first round
of spell bee. The top two scorers were selected from each section who went on
for a second round which was a quiz. The kids enjoyed the program as much as
the teachers did.
VG
Children collaborated to create a four-season display that
illustrates the life cycle of an
apple tree.
Winter: Children did thumb paint branches with a watered-down mixture of water and white glue to create a frosty, wintry look.
Spring: Children dipped the flower mould and made prints on the tree to make blossoms. .
Summer: Children pasted cut out of small red apples to the tree.
Autumn: Children pasted cut out of yellow leaves to represent changing autumn leaves.
The
morning’s atmosphere on Saturday, 20-September-2014 was filled with
anticipation as the science students of Grade 12 CBSE Senior Secondary Segment,
Newton Campus gathered outside the school building, ready for an exciting day. We
boarded the school buses and reached the NMDC an hour later.
We
assembled at the front room of the research unit where the head of research
welcomed us and gave us a briefing about the different divisions of the
establishment. The NMDC is a research facility to which industrialists send
samples of mined minerals. The NMDC’s role is to check whether the mineral can
be profitably extracted in a large scale by emulating the process in the
laboratory scale. Consequently, they chart out a metallurgical plan to
economically extract the metal. This in turn acts as advice to the
industrialists as to whether or not they should invest in the project.
We began our tour around the facility, at the
Analytical research lab, where we were shown the different methods of
analytical testing for purity of the samples. Next, we went to the pilot plant
where the separation techniques and the metallurgical extraction and refinement
processes take place in the intermediate scale. One interesting apparatus that
we saw was a ‘spiral ladder’ which separated impurities from the metal on the
basis of differences in specific gravities. Later, we met Mr. Bhagwan Singh who
took us to an Iron furnace. He explained to us that on a large scale, carbon is
used as the reducing agent in the furnace, which consequently emits carbon
dioxide as a by-product. He told us that at NMDC’s pilot plant, they use
hydrogen, which releases water as a by-product, in an effort to be
environmentally friendly. We went to the nanotechnology division, where we
learnt how the NMDC converts the by-products from metal extraction, to useful
materials.
Throughout
the trip, the students were thoroughly engaged. We were especially excited
because our theoretical knowledge was being put to use practically. This field
trip brought life to the words in our textbook lessons. Many of the students
even decided that they want to pursue a career in the metallurgical field! All
the students of Grade 12 –Science would like to thank Ms. Shaila, our Chemistry
teacher, for giving us this wonderful opportunity. In addition, we thank Ms.
Rukmani for accompanying us and making this fieldtrip an enlightening
adventure!
Supriya Subramanian
Grade 12 C
CBSE Senior Secondary Segment
The class had completed reading, The of
Adventures of Robin Hood… So as part of Contract Activity the class was divided
into five groups. The groups took turns to pose questions and answer them as
well. The question-answer session was loved by all… They learnt what they
didn’t know and polished their learning at the same time... It was loved by all!!
On 24 th September Pre-primary newton campus planned
a CAS programme on HEALTH AND HYGIENE, awareness about importance of hygiene
like washing hands through 6 steps.Each one of them participated with lots of enthusiasm, discussed the different
occasions where they need to wash their hands, such as after using the toilet,
before eating, after handling pets, after playtime.They
also exchanged views on how to take care themselves during cough and cold.
Gave demos while using tissues without
wasting them .Eating fruits is very healthy but cleaning them before eating is very
important.
Children had one-on-one interaction session
where each child was paired with their peer who talked to them and informed
them about the general ways to improve their hygiene, and to maintain health.
·
Today we the students of 7H conducted our class assembly based on the
theme: Bravery.
·
Bravery, as you see, is one thing a person requires in doing even the
simplest of things in daily life. It isn’t just fighting, or standing up to
people, it’s also standing up for yourself and knowing your own value!
·
The day started with a blessing: ‘God, make me brave for life: oh, braver than this.
·
Let me straighten after pain, as
a tree straightens after the rain, Shining and lovely again.
·
God, make me brave for life;
much braver than this. As the blown grass lifts, let me rise. From sorrow
with quiet eyes, knowing Thy way is wise.
·
God, make me brave, life brings such blinding things.
Help me to keep my sight; Help me to see a right that out of dark comes light’.
·
A thought was given to refresh
the minds: ‘You can, you should, and if you’re brave enough to start you will’.
·
Some interesting events that
took place on the 24th of September years behind:
o
1948- The Honda Motor Company is
founded
o 1979- CompuServe launches the first consumer internet service, which
features the first public electronic mail service
o 1990- Periodic Great White spot is observed on Saturn
o 1957- Camp Nou, largest football stadium in Europe, is opened in
Barcelona.
o 1906- U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt proclaims Devils Tower in Wyoming
as nation’s first National Monument.
o 1991- Death of Dr. Seuss, American author, poet and illustrator.
o We learnt at the end of this that one emotion we can control, feel and be
proud of is BRAVERY.
Habitat for humanity CAS trip in news.A
team of 15 students and 2 staff members ( Mr.Rajan and Ms.Shalini Samuel) are
all set to go to Pondicherry .from 29 Sept to 2 Oct to
build homes for the homeless.They have collaborated with an NGO called Habitat
for humanity.
