Journeying Together October 2017 Vol. 16

In this Issue:

Celebrations & Festivities Beyond the Classroom Guest Lectures

Awards and Accolades Global Citizenship Special Assemblies

Teachers’ Corner Students’ Corner Staying Safe

Celebrations and Festivities

On the occasion of Ayudha Pooja, students and staff offered prayers in the premises of the school

invoking the blessings of the Almighty for a fruitful and successful year ahead.

Celebrating Ayudha Pooja

Festival of Lights

We all love the luminous festival of Diwali! However, over a period of time, the celebration of Diwali

has been causing a lot of concern with regard to noise and air pollution. So, we decided to highlight

the importance of celebrating „Green Diwali‟. The reception area and class rooms were decorated

with a beautiful rangoli and diyas. The students also created awareness by conveying the message that

Diwali is a festival of „lights‟ and not of „noise‟. We also took an oath to celebrate a Green Diwali

with a signature campaign. Inter house events were also held based on the theme of Green Diwali.

- Shreeya Subramanian, Grade VIII

Deliberating the Concept of Green Diwali

The debate conducted by the Department of Tamil had the boys and girls deliberate on Green Diwali.

While the boys team was for a Green Diwali, the girls seemed to think otherwise. The spirited debate

was an eye opener to the current state of our earth and the need to protect our environment by

reducing the amount of pollution, while staying connected with our tradition and our roots.

Special Assemblies

The special assembly by the fourth graders on Green Diwali showcased a dance performance and a

video presentation on how the smoke from the crackers harms man and his environment. The

students also put up a play to bring out the theme. - Advaith S J, Grade V

Young Responsible Citizens

The only way we young Indians seem to connect to Mahatma Gandhi is through our history books,

which, although filled with details of his life and achievements, seem so impersonal and distant.

What if something were to make this experience real and more vivid? Imagine having some one who

lived through those times, or better yet, having Mahatma Gandhi‟s close aide sharing his experiences

directly with us!!!! Wouldn't that be truly awesome? Our wishes came true when Shri V. Kalyanam, a

personal assistant of Gandhiji visited our school and shared some of the memorable moments that he

had spent with the Father of the Nation. Mr. Kalyanam was a government clerk, earning a salary of

sixty rupees a month, apparently a high salary in the early part of the 20th century. He abandoned his

career and joined Mahatma Gandhi. His association with Gandhiji instilled a lot of discipline. He

cultivated the habit of rising every day at 4 am and undertake at least 9 hours of manual labour. He

described his daily routine, his job of typing out letters, many encounters with Gandhiji and also shared

his insight into Gandhi's family. The deep sense of respect that the British administration had for

Gandhiji, despite being his adversaries was quite amazing to note. He mentioned an interesting fact that

more than 200 statues of Gandhi have been installed in many countries across the world, indicating how

universally regarded Gandhiji is.

Mr. Kalyanam is ninety six years old but had a recollection of events as if they happened just yesterday.

The students of CHSV were thoroughly engrossed in conversation with Mr. Kalayanam who gave us a

ring side view of our own history in a way that no text book ever can. It was truly an unforgettable

experience and we consider ourselves very lucky to have had the opportunity to meet him.

- Anya Rajyalakshmi Rajha, Grade IX

A Brief Encounter With History

Beyond the Classroom

The True Colours of Life

This year‟s outbound trip for grade XI was to Munnar and Thekkady. In Munnar (Suryanelli) we

lodged at a campsite called Kalypso. We participated in various activities like minefield, keypunch,

bullring and many more. Some of our personal favourites were raft building and the one and half

hour trek through the cardamom plantation nearby. The trek was arduous but the view at the end was

worth all the effort. Two days later, we were off to Thekkady. We witnessed an awe-inspiring

Kathakali performance, where we got a glimpse of the different mudras and key movements involved

in this art form. The stunning Kalaripayattu demonstration also gave us an opportunity to interact

with the performers at the end of the show. We enjoyed the boat safari at the Periyar Tiger Reserve,

all the while waiting to see some animals.

- Shruti Shivakumar Jayaraman, Grade XI

Remembering the Greats

The students of the Primary remembered the

contribution of Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur

Shastri during our freedom struggle. They presented

speeches, power points and also took a pledge on the

occasion.

Recreation - Reading Under the Tree

The visit to the Anna Centenary Library was filled with fun, excitement and joy. The huge library

building which greeted us kindled our curiosity to know more about the library. Our first stop was at the

Braille section where the librarian explained the facts about the Braille language. We got an

opportunity to touch the Braille boards for the first time. Next we went to the children‟s section. Toy

birds, parrots, cute monkeys and a white sloth bear on a huge realistic tree was the centre of

attraction. We were told about the various facilities available at the library like the old wooden

manuscripts written in various languages. We were also given books to read and we enjoyed reading it

under the tree.

-Advika and Kavya, Grade V

Going Beyond

The CHSV MUN TEAM has taken their MUN experience to the next level. The student organising

committee had an opportunity to give guidance to Chettinad Vidya Mandir on how to conduct MUN

and both sides shared their ideas with each other.

Staying Safe

The students of the senior campus

underwent a fire drill session as part of the

safety procedures in the campus.

On a bright Friday morning, the students of VII Manickam and VI Suryagandhi got together in

groups and started making neem seed balls in red soil. After a while it became really easy. It was a

fun filled morning, at the end of which our group alone had made over 400 balls. We have now left

them to dry and soon we will be planting the seeds. We hope that this small act of ours will influence

many more people to join this movement as seed balls are more effective than regular seeds.. It is a

cheaper and more effective way of planting saplings.

- Krishna Karthikeyan, Grade VII

Global Citizenship

Seeding for Tomorrow

The interactive session for the students of VII Maragadam

with Ms.Fathima on designing a brochure, demonstrated

how both pictures and text convey a powerful message. The

group activity enabled us to design the basic outline for our

brochure on „The Art of Composting‟. The session also

enlightened us on the need to keep in mind the target

audience and the effective way to approach them.

- Ananya Vijay Ganesh, Grade VII

Art of Brochure Making

The students of IX Marutham are involved in a

fund raising program to support a good cause.

Mr. Dharanidharan was invited as part of this

initiative to help us weave eco-friendly mats. He

instructed us on how to make mats from old cotton

sarees cutting them into strips and using them as

the base to make mats. We realized that this is an

effective way to recycle old sarees.

- B Nikkitha, Grade IX

Mr. Ramanan from ITC WOW spoke to the students

of VIII Pavazham. His visit was an eye-opener on

how India is one of the major contributors to

wasting paper. The informative videos and ppts on

recycling paper showed how the garbage load in

India can be reduced by nearly 25%.

- Mahendra Kurup, Grade VIII

Dr Issa Fathima Jasmine addressed the students of IX

Neidhal and VI Roja on food wastage and the

consequences of wasting food which includes poverty and

shortage of food for the future generations. She gave us

precise statistics and data on where and how much food

gets wasted every day. She told us about the

community fridge which has been placed in Besant

Nagar which works on the principle of anonymous

donation of food , clothes, toys etc. This gives an

opportunity for the needy to use the things available

there without hurting their dignity.

- Akhilan Chella Ravichandran and

Dheekshanya A, Grade IX

Paper Conservation

Ayyamittu Unn – Give before you Eat

Journey - Old Saree to a New Mat

Awards and Accolades

Ananya V Ganesh of grade VII was awarded the

„Young Achiever‟ award by Downtown Icon

Awards, an initiative to recognise talent in

communities around Chennai, for her book

„ 9 Chocolatey Bites‟.

Vidyut Suresh of grade VIII won the 3rd

place in the 50 m archery competition at

the 2nd Puducherry Annual State

Archery Meet conducted by the

Puduchery Archery Sports Association.

Road Safety Patrol

The students of IX Kurinji along with the Chennai Traffic Police manned the traffic outside

the school. It was a fun experience for the students when for once they had a free hand in

correcting the adults breaking the rules. It was an opportunity for them to appreciate the

hard work that goes into keeping Chennai a driver's haven.

Bang On Target

Recognizing the Story Teller

Afshan Irshad of grade VI won the first place

in the Humorous Speech Contest at the

Gavelution conference and the third place in

the Evaluation Contest in the junior category.

The Sociology, Psychology and History students of grade XI and XII attended a guest lecture by

Dr. Vijo Varghese Vincent, Research Associate at the International Justice Mission, on Social

Research Methodology. He told the students about research design, validity of research, sampling

methodology and the need for ethics and morality while conducting research. The students also

sought guidance on doing their projects.

"The workshop was very helpful as I learnt the different types of research, data analysis, sampling

and also how projects are formulated. I am definitely sure that this will be a lesson I won't forget. The

person teaching this was very informative"

- Varsha Babu Vatul, Grade XI

"... it greatly helped me with several concepts that I was having trouble with. Through the lecture I

found out how to properly and professionally research on a topic and the different methods and

processes used to do so. This guest lecture helped me understand how to do my projects in the

future."

- Samyukt Vasu, Grade XI

"...We learnt various new methods that were previously unknown to us and also we learnt about the

norms and ethics of research. Overall it was an enriching experience"

- Sidhant Navin Nichani, GradeXI

Guest Lectures

Speak Your Way to the Top

The Story telling workshop by Mr.Craig Jenkins, a

renowned story teller from UK, was on how to

explore the use of hand gestures, facial

expressions, characterization and voice modulation

to present stories in a fun, exciting and

educational way. His session started with a few

games which could be implemented in class to

increase the focus and concentration of children.

The students of grade IX had the opportunity to

interact with Ms. Jayalakshmi, Ms. Tamilselvi and

Ms. Mangalam from the Department of Tamil

during the History period. The teachers shared

information on the significance of Tirukkural and

how Tirukkural is applicable in our daily

lives. The session also had an overview of Sangam

Literature and the literary works like

Silapadikaaram and Manimekalai.

Nervous Control and Co ordination for

grade XI by Dr. Shiv Bhushan Sharma

from Chettinad Health City

Story Telling

Biology

History

Ms.Radha Varadarajan spoke to the students of

grade VII on „Soil Erosion and Weathering‟. She

gave us an insight into the difference between

weathering and erosion and the different ways to

conserve the soil. The lecture was supported by

practical demonstration of soil cookies with and

without roots, which made us understand the

importance of roots in preventing soil erosion.

- Advaith Menon, Grade VII

The students of grade XI and XII attended a

Career Guidance session by Ms.Sujatha

Balakrishnan, Head of the Department of

Commerce from Ethiraj College on „Career

Guidance and Career Options in Commerce.‟

“The career guidance session was very helpful as we got an insight into career options for the future.”

- Gururaj and Valli Nayagam Chokkalingam, Grade XII

“The session was really interesting as she explained how the choice of institution is really

important for higher education. It also gave us an insight on how to prepare for college.”

- Ashwin Rajesh and Shreya Sandipta Khuntia, Grade XII

Students’ Corner

Harming Cattle

When I went to my grandparent‟s house in a Salem village, I saw many cattle walking freely on the

roads. I was very happy to see them having freedom. It was raining heavily the day before, so there

were many puddles. The cows slowly went near the puddles and settled down there. The owner‟s sons

(I guess) were trying to make them move. I was watching them with curiosity to know what they were

up to. They tried pulling it hard but they failed, so after some time the boys got a rope and started

hitting it with force. I was watching the scene with displeasure and sadness.

Commerce

Geography

Tribute to the Father of the Nation

October 2nd might be significant to each country for various historic incidents, but in our country it is

celebrated as Gandhi Jayanthi and it is celebrated as International Day of Non- Violence throughout

the world.

October 2nd is one of the only four national holidays of our country. Some might wonder why only

Gandhi‟s birthday has been declared a national holiday and why not other freedom fighters‟ who have

contributed equally to our freedom struggle. What is so special about Gandhi that he gets his birthday

celebrated as a national holiday, gets his picture printed on our currency notes and is hailed as

Mahatma and Father of the Nation? What sets Gandhiji apart from the rest and how did he make our

freedom movement special?

While the Radicals acted like any other colonies‟ freedom fighters, adopting aggressive methods and

while the Moderates were much less active and did not connect with people, Gandhi was what I would

call a moderately radical freedom fighter. He did not shy away from direct action nor did he use

violent and aggressive methods to achieve his goals. He used non-violence to such an extent that I

don‟t feel like addressing him as a freedom „fighter‟ at all. The radicals could have probably acquired

freedom for our country at some point, but if we looked back at our freedom struggle we could have

only seen bloodshed. Now, because of Gandhi, when we look back at our freedom struggle we feel

nothing but pride. To drive away the mighty British with arms and ammunitions might have been a

great accomplishment, but to do the same with absolute non-violence and peace is something

Indescribable.

That is why Gandhi is celebrated all over the world and that is how he stood out from the rest of the

freedom fighters of the world. Let us use our unique and wonderful freedom wisely as a thank you to

the man whose birthday we celebrate on the second of October.

- S. Solaisantosh, Grade XI

The cows ran in pain. The boys started laughing and started hitting it again and again. Similarly,

some cattle were feeding on a fresh green patch of grass near my house. The owner came with a

whip and hit it very badly. This further filled me with sadness to see people harming helpless

animals. Hope we humans understand that we should be kind and compassionate to these harmless

animals. If you see anyone harming them, tell them to stop!

- Haritha B, Grade IV

A Different Diwali

Everyone loves crackers, even I do sometimes. But we should also keep the disadvantages of crackers

in mind. We should also remember we have holidays! So try to go meet some friends.

So why is Green Diwali important? I mean even cars contribute to air pollution but I am stressing on

Diwali probably because people also get hurt during Diwali. That‟s why my family and I celebrate

Green Diwali. Two years ago, my sister, a girl who hates crackers, was forced to come to the area

where we burst crackers and a „chakra‟ fell on her foot. She has a mark over there ever since.

Sure you may think bursting crackers is fun but think of all the art you can do by painting diyas all day

and make homemade paper lanterns. For all those singers and dancers, why not hold a show for all

your close cousins and neighbours. Having a Green Diwali is probably one of the most wonderful

things for you and mother earth.

There is one festival everyone waits for every year. The one time you get a lot of sweets and amma

can‟t say no! One of most awaited festivals of the year DIWALI! The only festival where we children

burst all sorts of crackers but do we actually know what it does to the environment?

These days everything is eco-friendly. It is like a trend to be eco-friendly. We have eco-friendly bags,

eco-friendly pencils and much more. I am writing about Diwali so let‟s get to it. First of all what is

Diwali all about - LIGHT! But light does not always have to be with crackers like sparklers flowerpots,

rockets etc.

Most of these crackers bring loads of consequences with them. They cause a lot of air pollution which

causes a lot of lung diseases in innocent souls. Some types of crackers can also let out toxic fumes

which are obviously not good.

I am sure almost everyone loves puppies and dogs. They are probably one of the cutest and most loyal

animals ever known to man. What would you do when you find that these poor animals are getting

hurt?

On top of all of that we should also try to save some energy during Diwali. The festival is not all about

being anti-pollution. Since Diwali is all about light we could light up some diyas and candles to

welcome the Lord.

Diwali is fun when we decorate our house with all kinds of lamps and other decorations. My family

also has a tradition to give sweets to every house in our apartment. Diwali is a time to enjoy, but this

time try to minimize the cracker bursting.

- Adithi Sharan, Grade VII

When fireworks and crackers

Light up the sky

When delighted children

Jump with joy

You know that it‟s

That time of the year

When our favourite holiday,

Diwali is near.

Yummy food and

New clothes to wear

But nobody ever

Seems to care

That millions suffer

Asthmatic attacks

Number of people

Injured in lakhs

Animals and birds

Ever so scared

Mother Earth‟s health

Never so bad

So why burn your money

On fire crackers

When you can see why it‟s wrong

Because of so many factors

Instead use beautiful diya lamps

Like guiding lights

That remind us all

That good is right

So please just take a look

Into the matter

Or at least only burn

Eco friendly crackers

If you really want to keep

Our earth healthy and clean

This Diwali decide

To go green!

- Shriya Rama Rajiv, Grade VI

Green Diwali

Teachers’ Corner

- Mangalam Ramesh

My Visit to Rotary Blood Bank

We all think that we can donate organs from our body only when we are brain dead or under very rare

circumstances. But we all forget that we can donate something very easily from our body. What is it?

Blood. Donating blood is a way of helping others and at the same time it does not cause any damage to

our body.

Let me share my experience at the Rotary Blood Bank in Nanganallur, near Guindy. We drove to the

Blood Bank where we were met by a nurse who took us to a room with lots of medical equipments. My

father had to fill a questionnaire after which he was made to lie down on a bed. She injected him with a

medicine which would help draw blood into a bag. It was also quite an experience seeing my father

donate blood.

I wish I could also donate blood but I have to grow up to do that. Let‟s grow up, let‟s donate.

-Tamizhinian S, Grade V

Teacher Editors - Dr. Sarayu Ganesan, Ms. Yoshida Menon and Ms. Anuradha Babu

Student Editors - Ms. Samyuktha Sreekanth and Mr. Rithvik Senthil

Design and Technical Support - Ms. Preethi E

Photography - Mr. Ganesan and Mr. Sugumar

…. Outbound Trips

In November…

November 14 - Children’s Day

November 23- National Science Olympiad

Grade X Outbound Trip to Munnar

Grade IX Outbound Trip to Lonavala

CA/SA– Please refer to our website for dates of examinations.