Journeying Together October 2019 Vol. 36

In this Issue:

Celebrations and Festivities Beyond the Classroom Global Citizenship

Special Assemblies Guest Lectures Empowering the Educator

Awards and Accolades Junior Campus Events Student Corner

Akka Anna Day & Pot Luck

The potluck happened in the comfortable environment of our own classrooms, having invited those we

are thankful to - our annas and akkas - to come and eat with us. It was definitely a humbling

experience as we served them food we had brought from our homes, ate with them and laughed with

them. It has become one of the many meaningful traditions at Hari Shree..

- Aditi Sutar, grade X

Celebrations and Festivities

Hari Shree’s Golu

This year, the primary school children celebrated Navaratri by having a 3 step Golu in the reception

area. The students contributed these dolls from their favourite collections. Every morning, different

grade levels took turns to recite shlokas and sing bhajans. The efforts of the students and teachers

brought in a serene atmosphere in the school.

It was a time to celebrate and come together as a class before we went for our term break. The whole

school ushered in Dussehra, dressed in colourful, traditional attire, dancing to the rhythm of dandia

music. Students of classes VI - VIII and IX to XII had dandiya sessions in separate venues. The day

was even more special as our teachers also danced with us.

- G M Lavanya, grade XII

Navarathri Celebration

On the occasion of Ayudha Pooja, our work place, the school, was revered in a traditional pooja. Our

Director, Principal, Vice Principal, Coordinators and staff prayed for a fruitful and

successful year.

Saraswathi Pooja

The highly anticipated Inter-House Matka Breaking event saw students from the four houses of

grades 9-12 vying to break the pot first. With just a few days of practice, they were able to build

pyramids and break the matkas deftly, all in a matter of seconds. Individual events were also

conducted and students participated with equal enthusiasm. All the corridors were lively as the

whole school gathered to cheer for their houses during this adrenaline-pumping event.

- Amrutha Nathan, grade XI

Uriyadi

Perseverance, endurance and conviction are probably among the three most important

characteristics of a leader. Characteristics which we got to understand through so many varied

lenses and perspectives during our stay at the National Adventure and Leadership School’s camp

at Manjakombai, near Coonoor.

The modest little camp, nestled among tea estates of Coonoor, the rich scenery and the

enthusiastic staff at NALS lifted our spirits. During the course of our stay, various games and

activities tested different aspects of skill, strategy and leadership, encouraging us to work as a

team, think, strategize and innovate. An eight kilometer trek encouraged us to raise our levels of

endurance, and also offered us a splendid views of the hills. The rope climbing and rappelling

were a great deal of fun and nervous excitement. Another interesting experience was the night trek

in complete silence, sans flashlights, with only the moon and stars to illuminate our path through

the forest.

While having fun, we also learnt several important lessons at NALS, particularly from

Mr. Seshadri. Their strict rules of not wasting even a morsel of food, and washing one’s own

dishes and spoons seamlessly made us understand the importance of these aspects, as did the

constant emphasis placed on the importance of nature. On the whole, our experience at NALS

was one of enjoyment, bonding and learning.

- Tejas Nageshwaran, grade X

Beyond the Classroom

Class X Outbound to Coonoor

The grade 11 GC team went to Raja Muthiah school and Lady Rani Meyammai school to interview

the students and gather inputs on quality education, higher education and general awareness in

health & sanitation and digital literacy. The interaction with the students from various backgrounds

of the schools was an interesting learning experience. The students of grade 11 are working on the

SDG Quality Education.

Global Citizenship

Solve Ninjas in Action

Reap Benefit hosted the Solve Boot camp for selected Solve Ninjas to take their ideas one step

further and be the agents of change for the problems they have identified in their communities.

Solve Boot camps accelerated the solve ninjas' skills in identifying and solving problems with local

DIY solutions, backed by data. The Boot camp this year included a series of hands-on workshops,

experiences, and activities spread over 10 days. Solve Ninjas worked on prototyping and mapping

friction points on the identified problem statements in the community. The culmination of the boot

camp was held in the Hari Shree campus where the students exhibited their work. Students from

other schools were also part of this program. All the participants were awarded certificates.

PLOG RUN

To commemorate Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary, United Way organized India Plog Run , the

biggest campaign against plastic pollution to create awareness about the right disposal of

plastic. Students and teachers from our school participated in this event to Detox Thiruvanmiyur

Beach. "Plogging" is a combination of picking up litter while jogging.

I addressed the garbage issues in my neighbourhood. I investigated

the problem through observation of garbage bins in the

neighbourhood and interviewing the corporation workers. I decided

to upload the problem in the Solve Ninja app and it was addressed in

24 hours. Presently I am working on a prototype to conserve the

energy of ACs.

- Abhinav , Grade IX

GC- I Care

The problem I discovered was people not following the

stop line at traffic signals. I decided to investigate the

problem to know what people think about following the

traffic rules. I collected data through google forms. I

also observed the traffic signals in Adyar. Presently I am

experimenting on a sensor to be fixed on the road which

automatically alerts people not to cross the stop line.

I believe if people become self-regulated in following the

traffic rules we can avoid accidents.

- Aaditya, grade IX

I discovered the problem of wastage of water while mopping

the floors. I got the idea of solving the issue by attaching a

water bottle (with a capacity of one litre) to the mop stick.

There is a 6 volt battery and a button switch at the top. To

complete the circuit, wires are attached from the battery to

the pump and the button switch. By pressing a button

attached to the bottle the water will squirt out of the bottle

for mopping. This has reduced the usage of water from

nearly 20 liters (bucket) to 4 litres as I need to refill the

bottle only 4 times. Let’s save water!

- Swayamprabha Narayanan, grade IX

I addressed the garbage issues near the Marina beach. With

the guidance from rapid prototyping session during the solve

boot camp I came with an idea to invent a sensor in the

garbage bins which alerts if the bins are overflowing. I am

also collecting information and creating awareness on waste

segregation, proper disposal of waste and reuse of waste,

through google forms.

- Sheetal N, grade VII

Our team wanted to address the problem of water scarcity.

After our investigation through observations and talking to

people, we built a water harvester to collect water from wash

basins and reuse it in toilet cleaning.

The solve boot camp was informative and interesting because

we were able to address problems in our neighborhoods and

surroundings. We decided to start experimenting at home with

our new device.

We want to spread the message that ‘Every Drop Counts’ .

- T Saicharan, Sandeep Vijay and K Siddharth

Kandhan, grade IX

A Day with the Doctor

As part of the Annual Medical Check up, doctors and nurses from Chettinad Health City conducted

medical check-ups for students from Grades PP1 to XII. Students were reminded of dental hygiene,

healthy eating habits and other useful tips. A note of thanks to the medical team from Chettinad

Health City.

Start young they say! It gives us great pleasure to share another one of Hari Shree’s new initiatives

this year - to encourage and give the students of Grades 4 and 5, a little nudge in the direction of

public speaking. The Program will span across the whole year and cover a range of speaking

activities that will give every child an opportunity to explore and enhance their speaking skills. We

launched the Program with 2 events, ‘Tell-A-Tall Tale for Grade 4’ and ‘We are the Weavers’ for

Grade 5. It was heart-warming to see students take the stage and deliver a good story, all with very

little preparation.

Talk-a-thon 2019-20

Special Assemblies

The students of grade V Malligai did an assembly on Zero Food Wastage. They showed us the

insides of zero food wastage through a song, dance and drama.

- Laya Sudarsan, grade V

The primary grades were set to the tune of a Waldorf hands on experience through eurhythmy and

healing stories along with songs and dance by the team of teachers who attended the workshop on

100 yrs of Waldorf Education.

A Glimpse of Navaratri Celebrations

We the students of Grade 5 presented a power-point on the significance of Navarathri and how it is

celebrated all over India. We spoke about the traditions of keeping Golu in south India, Durga

pooja in West Bengal and Ram Leela in North India.

- Sucharita Bharadwaj, grade V

Waldorf Assembly by Teachers

Class V Malligai Zero Food Wastage

Gurus of Ramayana and Mahabharatha

Guest Lecture

The students of Grade 12 attended a session by Professor Surya Banerjee, who teaches

mathematics at the University of Waterloo in Canada. The session was aimed at inspiring a love

for mathematics among students and showing them the fascinating nature of the subject.

Professor Banerjee delved into the intriguing field of game theory and explained how to use the

strategy of backward induction. He also broke down interesting math concepts such as the

Prisoner’s Dilemma and Nash’s Equilibrium and also demonstrated how math is used in

auctions. He gave examples that showed how math exists in nearly every walk of life, including

fields such as economics and the decoding of human behavior. The students understood the

expansive nature of mathematics and how it is present everywhere.

The students of Grade VI Sembaruthi presented their assembly on the four eminent gurus,

Dronacharya, Vishwamitra, Shukracharya and Parashurama. They conveyed different morals

as a take away from the story of each guru.

- Rakshah Manikandan, grade VI

Empowering the Educator

Seminar on Teaching History and Heritage

Teachers from the Social Studies department attended a seminar on Teaching History and Heritage.

This was held at Dakshin Chitra Heritage Museum and co-conducted by TREE Learning and

Dakshin Chitra. The seminar mainly focused on hands-on activities and panel discussion on what we

can learn from historical houses and monuments, need to learn History and how to make it relevant.

The seminar also included a lecture by renowned historian Dr. Chitra Madhavan on the use of

objects and artifacts to teach History.

Waldorf Recall Workshop

The primary teachers had a recall session of the workshop on 100 yrs of Waldorf Education during

the Purnam festival held in Bengaluru from 27th September to 29th September.

The recall session opened with a presentation on evolution of Waldorf Education, its beliefs and

functioning of Waldorf schools. It was followed by Eurhythmy and understanding math the Waldorf

way. The primary teachers had a hands on experience with healing stories. They also tried their

hands at creating a story for a given situation. The 3 hour session came to an end with music and

dance opening the Will, Mind and Soul of the participants, the core belief and essence of Rudolf

Steiner.

As part of the ‘make your school greener’ competition, conducted by the Indian Green Building

Council, ten ideas were presented to make our school more eco friendly, focusing on the main

objectives of renewable energy, water efficiency, waste management, better environment quality and

green education. From among the presentations of over eight hundred participating schools, ours

was chosen as one of the top three by the jury. The second round of the competition was held in

Hyderabad. It was a three day conference. We had the opportunity to showcase our presentation to

the jury. After our presentation, we were quizzed by the judges to eventually convince them of

implementation of our ideas. Prize money of four lakhs was given to the three winning schools.

IGBC will conduct regular audits before rating the schools a “Green Building” under the silver,

gold or platinum category. Hari Shree was given the award for ideas most beneficial to both

school and society.

.

- Tejas, Sricharan Komateswar, Pranav Arcot,

G Hamsini, Mekala Bala Gopal and Vidyuth T

Awards and Accolades

Indian Green Building Council (IGBC)

A six student team from Hari Shree travelled to Hyderabad to participate in the ASISC National

literary events. Mahi Bajaj and Vinaayak Dasika of grade VIII bagged the first place in the Sub Junior

Quiz and they received their award from the Honourable Governor of Telangana, Miss. Tamilisai

Soundararajan. Smriti Krishnan from Grade VIII came second in the Sub Junior Declamation.

Shashank S of grade VIII and the team of Saranesh Kanna and Shrikha from grade XII received a

participation certificate in Sub Junior Painting and Senior Quiz category respectively.

ASISC National Literary Events

Junior Campus Events

Navaratri sets the mood for the festive season with the clap of dandiya sticks and golu padis. The

little ones jumped right into the festivities as they set up the golu bommais, invited guests and sang

beautifully.

Navarathri

Learning to be independent with hands-on experiences, not just for education but preparing for life.

Field trips and class activities

Diwali

Decorating diyas and lighting them, children see a reflection of their own experiences and also

provide a window for new ones.

Medical camp

We are all fit and fine says the doc! Medical camp at the Junior campus.

Student Corner

Make Diwali special for Everyone

When we hear the word Diwali, the first thought that comes to our mind is sweets. However,

there are children out there who don’t even know if they’ll get their next meal. Our school had

taken up the initiative of collecting sweets from the students and distributing the same to the

lesser privileged children. My mother and I collaboratively prepared milk peda for the donation.

I helped my mother in shaping the peda and packing it. I had also placed a label on my box

which gave details of the ingredients used to make the peda and the best before date for

consumption. It was a great opportunity that the school had given us to help the children in need.

I was more than satisfied this Diwali by doing my bit to bring a smile to someone’s face.

- Dhiya G, grade VI

As we walk forward and sit by the ocean at dusk

The wind blows the cold air and hits us with a rush

We look up to the sky to admire the gradient of colors,

Our eyes jump from one cloud to the other

Is this what it feels like?

To disconnect from everything only to find yourself at this time?

As the sun slowly sets, we’re now shining in the darkness

I know, you have bad days and I know its hard

To hold yourself together when you feel like falling apart

I know you hide, behind a smile sometimes

I know you cry, when you’re alone at night

When your sky’s grey, you’re not feeling okay

When the acid rain falls, and you have no umbrella to cover your head

I’ll be with you until the very end

Now please don’t cry, you have me by your side

As we sit by the shore, laughing away the good times

Merging with the stars at night as we take in this priceless sight

As we let go of ourselves under the moonlight

Wipe your tears, because I’m right here

Let out all of your fears, your mind will be clear

Don’t worry because I’m here for you any day, anytime

Don’t worry because we’re sitting under the precious moonlight

- Srinidhi Arun Pennathur, grade X

Teacher Editors - Ms. Hemamalini Sivakumar, Ms. Deepali and Ms. Meenakshi

Student Editors - Ms. Nivedita Naveen and Ms. Ananya Vijay Ganesh

Design and Technical Support - Ms. Preethi E

Photography - Mr. Ganesan and Mr. Sugumar

In November...

Children’s Day Celebration - 14th November

Sports Heats - 30th November

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

Coming up next Sports Heats ...