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PATHWAYS WORLD SCHOOL ARAVALI
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YOUNGER ROUND SQUARE REGIONAL CONFERENCE
bodies of the 300 people sitting in the Pathways Amphitheatre, but enough to
line, and the bait, the
warm their young hearts. This was the lighting of the lamp, which signified the start
PWS Younger Round
of the three day conference. Mr. Pushparaj Deshpandey was the Keynote Speaker
Square, attracted a med-
for the Round Square Conference and a strong one at that, who managed to, dur-
ley of unique schools
ing his address, remain conscious that he was conversing
from across India. Bright
with a younger audience. To speak about great political and
-eyed and open-minded,
environmental issues with children by bringing himself to
they came to gain
their height, is not something just anyone can do. The Barraza sessions made
“knowledge about the
one realize that this event taking place is something much, much bigger and
environment”, in the
might, even if it is small, cause a change. Discussion underway in the ten Barra-
words of one young girl from Rajmata School, Jodhpur.
Soon after, the Briefing Session began. The speaker is from SPACE, an educational outreach program that tries to provide students with experiential
make your
learning. While this might contain a lot of large words, it basically means
heartbeat
time.
match the
that they’re the people who’ll make you delegates have a great, great
Right after the Briefing Session, the delegates launched themselves (in a
matter of speaking) into the Model Rocket Making session, where they
beat of the
made contraptions of bottles, paper and clay, held together by sticky tape.
universe to
Using motor-hydro-power the rockets flew, flew, flew high up, some even
match your
nature with
Nature “ -
YOUNGER ROUND SQUARE REGIONAL CONFERENCE
In the sunny but cold morning, a single flame was lit. Not enough to warm the
The fisherman cast his
of life is to
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Day 2 Getting to know each other
Day 1-Getting to know the school
“The goal
PATHWAYS WORLD SCHOOL ARAVALI
Then, they left for the Han field for the most exciting part – The launch.
going over a three-story building, and a good distance of 500m.
Split into groups again, the young learners
went to see a presentation about comets.
They were taught what a comet was and
how it worked and further taught about
Joseph Camp-
why they were taught about this. They
bell
then took dry ice, and tried to make one,
za groups scattered over the school showed the surprisingly mature thoughts
that children can come up with, but the yet soft innocence of our youth, an interesting juxtaposition. The delegates left in the early evening to go to Camp
Tikkling, an adventure camp located not too far from the school grounds. They
did a few activities followed by a long, arduous, two hour hike, for which they were rewarded with a
Day 3- Getting to Know Each Other Better
The morning of the third day began early at 6:30, with Zorbing and Ziplining for all the delegates. After breakfast though, they
had to return to the closed quarters of Pathways. Here, they got a chance to freshen up and change, before they left for snacks.
They also found time in the evening to practice for the upcoming Cultural Night, though details about this cannot be revealed.
Spoilers!
They had dinner outside Pathways that night, at the Chancellor’s Club, where they got a feel of the surrounding serene environment and also managed to make a bond with each other at a different locale.
Then, they took a bus back, and proved their ability to chatter uncontrollably, all the way to their Residences and their awaiting
warm beds.
ended up with a steaming lump of rock,
which was what a comet was supposed to
look like. And shortly after, the stargazing session began in the basketball
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PATHWAYS WORLD SCHOOL ARAVALI
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YOUNGER ROUND SQUARE REGIONAL CONFERENCE
Day 4- Fun and Work and Valentines
Yoga was how the delegates began the day - with Surya Namaskar, which praises the divine and asks the sun, which keeps
all life alive. (Despite the rain…)Inhaling at the beginning allows one’s self to absorb all the wonderful positivity in the environment, while exhaling purges the body of waste.
After this and breakfast, they divided into three groups to be addressed separately. While Mrs. Bhagirathy Jhingran’s group
talked about small, simple everyday things we can do to help the environment, Mr. Sumit Dargan’s group explored matters
of deep environmental importance, such as Acid Rain. He is the Principal of Middle School and his counterpart in Senior
School, Mr. Arvind Chalasani, held an interactive session, punctuated with questions and anecdotes, about the first Round
Square Conference ever.
In the next session, Keynote Speaker for the day, Mr. Lusanda Nobanda made a speech about focusing on the power within
and having a dream, to be motivated and to have a vision for change. And then, not stopping there, but moving ahead and
being that change. “Fly with the eagles,” he said, “and don’t walk with the chickens.” After him, Mr. Sumit M. Dargan made
PATHWAYS WORLD SCHOOL ARAVALI
YOUNGER ROUND SQUARE REGIONAL
RSC SpecIN THE ENVIRONMENT, FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
a short speech about love– in context with the environment and its implications, in light of it being Valentine’s Day. After
Breaking Ground
him, Ms. Meenakshi Singal, Principal Primary School, asked the delegates to share some of their experiences and wished
“Don’t find fault, find a remedy” – Henry Ford.
that they enjoy what remained of the Conference. And they did, right afterward, in the second Barazza session. During this,
many groups decided to elaborate on previous discussions and broaden their perspectives even farther. They then broke
for Lunch.
In the evening, the Cultural Performances were held, and many glorious showcases were presented. Dance was prominent,
what with SKV’s Gujarati Dance and PPS’s Bhangra, bringing flavors of various cultures within India. VDJS’s mime about Pollution was fascinating, as was MGD’s play about the Chipko Movement. Daly’s moving performance displayed an alternate
view for the Aravalis, from the Aravalis’ viewpoint. MNSS Rai recited poetry accompanied by a short act about the environment, similar to Genesis’ performance with both yet being completely different. The students of YPS also danced, like Pathways and RKK.
Day 5- Sad Goodbyes
The last day was a bittersweet affair that most wanted to be over. Happy because they got to go home, sad because, well,
who wants to leave? The end began with the presentation of a memento of thanks to Mr. B.S. Bhatnagar, an Honorary
member of Round Square , and eminent educationist and advisor to various educational institutions. He was also accompanied by Grp Capt (Retd) Anwar—who retired as the Head of Indian International School, Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Mr.
Bhatnagar shared his experience and wisdom through acronyms for all of us to reflect on. This was succeeded by a pleasant
song, “Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo” by Amog and a music performance by Mr. Brown of the Music Facility.
Dr. Naidu’s address was rife with the depth of all his previous ones, and led us right to the most important part – What Did
We Learn? The Barazza Leaders then took to the stage and narrated all that they had done and learnt with their groups.
They summed up the Barazza discussions, so that everyone knew of the ideas and policies many wished to implement FOR
the sake of the environment, IN the environment.
Shaili Shukla– the Round Square Student Representative then shared the Conference Statement with the assembled delegates, after which Mr. Dargan had a word with them about the importance of stepping out of their comfort zones. Without
making this crucial move, they couldn’t and will not be able to truly change the environment. He expressed the urgency to
begin now, over anything else, and hoped that this Conference would catalyze that reaction.
After the Ceremony, the delegates were free to do as they pleased, and many went around collecting all the items they had
made and said goodbye to all their new friends. Then lunch, and then it was all over, and we were gone, but the flame lit
dur-
For more articles and photos, visit yrscpws2014.weeby.com
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Over the course of many decades, society has developed to the point where the norms are to
go to university, to become successful, to work hard and to strive to make a difference, all in
all something that has become inherently a part of our lives. Yet, it is often overlooked how
much we, as the human race, take our surroundings, our environment, which we have inherited from our predecessors, for granted in our daily lives.
Bearing this in mind, the Younger Round Square Regional Conference 2014, hosted by Pathways World School, Aravali, aimed to discuss and deliberate over exactly this, with the theme
“IN the environment- FOR the environment”. Over the course of five days (11th-15th February),
young students from all parts of India congregated to share their thoughts and come up with a
solution or two for our ever-degrading environment.
With activities and events ranging from interactive discussions with 19-year old Lusanda
Nobanda who flew in from South Africa to give a talk, to an escapade off to Camp Tikkling, the
(almost) week was full to the brim with opportunities to interact, and establish new relationships.
What is important to note is that the resolve of the delegates only grew stronger as they grew
all the more inspired after effectively communicating with peers, members of faculty and esteemed guests to the school, and were able to consolidate their thoughts collectively in a
manner in which all thoughts of all involved individuals were mentioned – the Conference
Statement.
Overall, as an outsider to the experience that is a ‘Round Square,’ organizing such an event
was a joy above any other. This 5 day period served to not only be a platform to connect and
work with others around us but also to understand the inner working mechanisms of our
younger counterparts, who will soon if not immediately be in our positions, before we know it.
They alone have found faults, and collectively will be the remedy to them.
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