The first year of Global School Partnership has been one of immense success and illumination. Being awarded the grant for the Global Curriculum Project – Year 1 by the British Council is testimony to the same. The list of activities we undertook, as a part of this program is diverse, fun filled and a result of active contribution by the students.
We began with a survey on Habit Forming Substances among the teens of today in an effort to bring about greater awareness. This also served to find out the causes of such habits and the willingness among the teens to withdraw from the same. About fifty students from classes IX to XII volunteered to conduct the survey in the neighborhood. The results of the survey were analysed by Varun and Harish of the Ninth grade and were uploaded (www.Psbb-Rhs.org).
Sustainable development is a key aspect of any organization in the contemporary world. Keeping in line with that thought which is a burning global issue, our students made a variety of Greeting Cards based on the theme of Sustainable Development. The issue of Global warming was also highlighted. The ability of students to poignantly represent complex global issues with a few simple yet forceful pictures amazed one and all.
A class project was conducted to study the need for Conflict Resolutions. With fundamentalism, terrorism and other areas of conflict becoming almost a daily occurrence in our lives this enabled the students to understand and appreciate the need for Global Peace. Reports and pictures were given to the guests from Reepham to enable their students to reflect on the issue. Mrs. Hemlatha Seshadri, Mrs, Mahalakshmi Ramjee, Mrs. Girija Seshadri and Mrs.Vijayalakshmi Ramaswamy were behind the success of this program.
A short video on the life of a teenager in India is under production by Balaji ( a student of tenth grade) which will be uploaded soon.
A number of students also contributed articles and poems to be uploaded which serves as a fine way to discover and share the creative potential of students of both schools. A play scripted by class 9 people was uploaded for Reepham students to enact. Yet, another play with more scope for acting on cultural lines is being written to be uploaded by July.
A debate on ‘The Influence of Market on the Teenage Culture is a Sign of Development’ was held on the 2nd March 2009. Mrs. Syamala Shekar, Mrs. Hemalatha Seshadri and Mrs. Vijayalkshmi Raman judged the best speakers and the winning team who were awarded prizes.
Another debate on sustained development will be held in the ensuing academic year in June on Sustained Development.
Mr. T.M. Reeve (International Co-ordinator) and Mr. H. Borgnis visited our school. Mr. Reeve and Mrs. Ramjee taught as a team that resulted in fun filled sessions for a few classes of the Ninth grade.
Mr. Borgnis also met a few students from class nine and interacted with them.
The visitors also visited the British Council (regional) Office and met Mrs. Samyuktha Balakrishnan. Visits to various places of interest in and around Chennai were also organized.
The days of monotonous lectures have become a thing of the past with visual aided interactive learning. It is rapidly being adopted and integrated into the learning system of today. The students designed Websites using the inputs from Reepham too.
Powerpoint Presentations (slide shows) on Remote Sensing, posters on the theme of Save the Earth and various alternative sources of energy were prepared with great enthusiasm by the students and displayed in the classrooms. Scanned photographs will be sent to Reepham for them to view.
Music performed by the school band from Reepham uploaded on the website was greatly appreciated by our students.
The United Kingdom, at the time of return of Reepham teachers, suffered its worst snowfall in the last century as a result of which they were nearly two days late! This inspired the Vakaria and Taparia families used the snow to develop a statue of Ganesha, which was utilized by Mrs. Mahalakshmi Ramjee in her lessons.
Copies of completed worksheets have been uploaded on the website.
Ms. Elizabeth Burr, a teacher who visited us earlier was so inspired to teach Indian students that she took a sabbatical and handled four weeks of teaching in Shruthi Vidyalaya at Sivakasi. On her way back she stopped at Chennai and visited us. She took three classes and also met Dr. (Mrs.) Y.G.P, Our Dean and Director and Mrs. Valli Aruncahalam, the Principal of our School. Her interview with Mrs. Y.G.P and the students has been recorded for publication in the GSP Newsletter to be released by June 2009.
The most striking aspect of the entire program is the amount and the ease of communication. Rapid technological advancements, despite being a challenge to some of us is worthy of mention as it enable us to freely communicate with people thousands of miles away. When institutions in different countries are bound by common aims of providing education beyond the present there is scope only for progress and International Development.
All success comes from daring to begin. This yearlong association has been enormously fruitful and full of life. We also understand there is long way to go. While intellectuals continue to argue the true meaning of the word ‘Globalisation’ may be this is what it is in a positive sense, beyond markets and prices. People from distant lands coming together bound by a common thread of welfare motive and an unceasing belief in progress, national boundaries are dissolved and reduced to mere demarcations on two-dimensional maps. May be that is what Globalisation is all about.
The two schools get along very well and the creation of a common website with notable contribution of H. Borgnis is a witness to that wholesome partnership. The wheels are in motion as we head to a globally integrated educational system. These are, perhaps, the beginnings of a new Era…
