| NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE |
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| 15th April 2004 |
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| SCHOOL WATCH These past few weeks have been busy with inter-house mathematics quiz in classes from 6 to 10. Red House reigned supreme in class 6, but was overthrown by Blue House in class 7. Red house won again in class 8 and the first place was tied by Red and Green house in class 9. Class 10 saw the victory of yellow house. 25th, Thursday, March was the day of the showing of the Hindi play "Andher Nagari Chaupat Raja" in front of around 500 proud parents. Adventure Camps for all classes started on 26th, Friday. On the 31st of March, class 8th went to visit the National Science Centre. With the coming of April, came the Bishop Cottons School Band "Sphinx" who gave us a truly enjoyable rock concert on Monday, the 5th of April. Inter house soccer matches were held from 11th – 16th of March 2004. The Blue house won in the boys and the girls did for the Yellow house. Class III went to Sidiqnagar, Ambala for their adventure camps Class IV’s went a bit further on to Jim Corbett while class V’s got a taste of rafting at Beasi.
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Class 9 Adventure Camp: Mukteshwar
It was a new experience all together, to be at Camp Purple. It was absolutely freezing when we arrived on a chilly morning and we were looking forward to an afternoon of sun bathing and other lazy likes. What we got actually was a quick lunch and a brisk 4 km trek. I think that in fact was the whole spirit of Camp Purple, to keep us on our feet, expect the unexpected, that and not a minute of rest literally. Long treks, rappelling and the usual rock climbing on some seriously steep rock faces. These were a few of the activities that worked us towards the tough goal of keeping us in action throughout the time we spent there. There were a few surprise treasure hunts too, which were not what you would exactly call easy because of the vast extent of the campsite. But all in all it was an exciting camp, and none of the activities I did I would look back with regret… well, except maybe the never ending trek... but those too helped by exposing us to some beautiful landscapes and I think all of us enjoyed ourselves thoroughly on this trip. Amba Kak 
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An Account of Camp Pinnacles
The camp for class 10 was an interesting experience, despite being a tiresome journey on the whole. Our adventure started at 7:30 in the evening, when hordes of excited campers and concerned parents arrived at school. It was at around 10:15 PM that we boarded our train. Hardly any of us were able to sleep on the 9-hour journey, most of us managed to clock 1-hour tops. Although it was not entirely as bad as we had expected, and we did have a fun time playing cards and listening to music, in the end one could not help feeling exhausted at the end of it. The "activity" on the 1st day was how to pitch a tent. The whole afternoon was dedicated to that and also to eating and re-hydrating. We were bored and tired out of our skulls, and all we did that was remotely exciting was play card games. The 2nd day was probably more exciting for most of us, as we went rappelling and played card games. The actual rappelling was pretty fun, but we spent hours waiting for our turns. Then, we played a camp game of blind-fold, in which the "leader" of the team had to guide the rest of us between a pair of chairs by barking out orders in animal language. The 3rd day was seriously back breaking as we went for an unending trek into a forest. We took a break next to a stream in a clear area of the forest. Then, we reached the river and mountain crossing area. The mountain crossing lasted for a good 4 seconds, as compared to the waiting line that was 40 minutes long. And the stream crossing clocked a good 30 seconds, which amounted to a good 34 seconds in all of fun. Then, the terrifying death-defying trek back to camp started. Our perplexed old mountain guide took us on possibly the most dangerous trek, that was roughly 10 km in all. At certain points it was "1 wrong step and you are dead".Finally we returned home to Delhi and it felt good to be back in the urban scenario again. Camp Pinnacle was indeed a pinnacle… of misery mostly. By Samad Ali - 10-B 
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| CAMP BEASI 11:00 pm at night. Camp Beasi!! Well, we couldn’t really see anything because it was so-o-o dark. BUT! But we could hear the Ganga gurgling as if welcoming us & the cool sand on our feet. Well, we could not feel anything either because we were wearing shoes. Next morning. Oooh lala! We opened the tent flap and saw the beauty of Camp Beasi. Birds were singing, sand was sparkling, the river was rushing and our mouths were stinking. Need to go and brush! After brushing we ate break fast…YAWN! Then ACTIVITIES! Rafting and hiking were the 2 activities that we really enjoyed other than being buried alive in the sand and not being able to get out. Two days of bliss and then BOO-HOO! Next day home!! The journey on the bus was so good that we felt sick all along. But we really enjoyed our camp. Then back home to mummies and daddies. Had a good time, huh?!Abhilasha Sinha and Suvira Chadha 5-B MAKE - BELIEVE What would you say if I really try Sometimes I feel I can touch The real and imagination I want to belong to both But it’s only my own creation For the world of make-believe Is dearer to me by far The humdrum world of every day Can never be with it at par In my world of oh! So near God is a constant friend Only He knows what life may bring Around each corner and bend Jayashree Bahl (Rukhmini Bahl's mother)
A Journey Through Time
In the wilderness between twigs and trees, Intricate calligraphy, adorn the dome, A small flame illuminates him, Nikhil Pandhi 6-B |
Artist's Corner
 Raghbeer - 4B KAUN BANEGA BOOK MILLIONAIRE As we know, the whole of Vasant Valley School is dominated by "jocks" who believe in the supremacy of sports (not to mention the television and computer!) and look down upon literature (or to be less extreme, even a good book). On the 10th of March a special assembly took place in which Mr. Kapur informed the student body of a new programme called "Kaun Banega Book Millionaire". The idea is simple- to get the whole Vasant Valley family together to read a million books! To inspire those of you who are not inclined to reading books, the school has come up with many awards for facing this challenge. The aim of the programme is for the school to complete reading a million books. There are boxes stationed in-front of the library and the senior-junior school offices labelled KBBM for all the students to put in their entries. All you have to do is write down the title of the book you read, the author of the book, your name and the class you’re in. There are various milestones to be surpassed and on crossing each one, there shall be a celebration. So start READING already!! -Jaagriti Seth & Saranya Misra Under The Canopy Of A Million Candles Asleep on the terrace One warm summer night Under the canopy of a million candles That envelops the earth In an enchanted blanket Gifted by the heavens. In that milky celestial reverie I saw the stars shift in strange formations Bathed in an eerie light Slow thoughts crept into my mind And I heard a whisper in my ear Are we alone? Vikram Kaleka VI C Guests from Gujarat Ganesh Ji and Teju Ben- our guests from Ahmedabad on the river Sabarmati in Gujarat came to our school and brought to us a part of their culture and art. Ganesh Ji is focussed on the finer art work, while Teju Ben focusses on boldness. Both husband and wife started off holding an ‘ektara’ and have progressed to using the paint brush. They started as singers who sang in the street in the morning to wake the city folk. They started art when a famous artist asked them to draw. Ganesh Ji and Teju Ben improved with each drawing and are now known as artists. Their singing as well as art has touched our hearts. Ganesh Ji and Teju Ben’s or rather Gujarat’s art will be used in our Drama Festival this year and we hope our guests will enjoy them as much as we did. Ramya Ahuja 5-B |
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Class
12 Camp Rafting on the Alaknanda
Being our last camp with school, there seemed to be a sense of anticipation for the events waiting ahead and also some sort of intrinsic acceptance regarding our circumstances. Personally, I had not reconciled to the fact that this was in fact my last camp with school. However, I was determined not to let that get in the way of any and all enjoyment headed my way.It was going to be my first time rafting and so there was a lot on enthusiasm on my front regarding the adventures ahead. The first night, I was too exhausted by the time we reached the campsite and just plunked myself down (in any odd position) and went off to sleep. The next morning, thankfully, I was up before the jarring banging of plates outside every tent. It was to be our first day of rafting and there was an underlying environment of excitement and some unspoken energy. I was part of a raft made up of eclectic individuals.On the first day, Mrs. Talwar was on our raft. Chaitanya Murti’s socks were off soon enough and periodically, they scratched up against everyone’s calves. I have to say that this was the lowest point of camp for me. I think it is essential to mention here that that same pair of socks remained in our raft day and night throughout camp.I enjoyed the rapids thoroughly. "Making Money" and "The Three Blind Mice" were especially enjoyable. I particularly remember a rapid where I was clung onto to prevent me from falling into the water. The guide of our raft (Setu) was a chap who took things easy and loved to lounge around at the back of the raft and take in the scenery. Body surfing was an incredible experience. I took a special liking to cliff jumping which I ended up doing thrice. Luckily for me, I didn’t land on any "tender parts".A little mention about the teacher’s raft… Not only did they involve themselves in water fights everyday, but they also succeeded in getting practically every other raft and its members wet. Mr. Pankaj Seth and Mr. Sandhu were particularly dexterous in this field and took all efforts to get the required job done…and done well.All in all, camp was an incredible experience as usual. For me, it was my first time rafting and for all of us. It was our last school camp. Bitter-sweet, like everything else. Aditi Malik XII-A  |
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Cricket Fever A bat, a ball and a wicket By Ananya Jain II-B Vasant Valley Poll Is bullying a serious issue in our school today? Yes 69% |
BULLYING
Count the number of times you have seen anyone in school being bullied
before you and you have stood still? How many times have you seen someone
being verbally or physically abused, mocked or publicly humiliated?
Sometimes bullied to such a great extent that the person has to leave
school for his own peace of mind? Anonymous. |
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Hanging out with Sphinx
The Sphinx are the Bishop Cotton Boy’s school band consisting of Harsh, Rahul, Manik, Rohan, Aruj, Varun, Nuno, Zom, and Zurin, they gave us a smashing performance a while back in school, following is a Q & A session. Q1.How was this band formed? A1.The good thing about our school is that there are no music teachers….whatever we have learnt , has been taught to us by our seniors, and we will pass on this knowledge to our juniors and so on … Q2.According to you’ll, what keeps your band together? A2.The underlying thing is that we are a bunch of friends. So friendship comes before the band. We have a lot of fun together, and a cooperative attitude definitely helps. Q3.Do you’ll have any further plans? A3.A few of us might get together in the future, but as of now, this was the last performance for the current line-up. Its been great working together and all of us are going to miss these performances together. We’d like to say that we had a wonderful time performing at your school. As told to Aditi Chengappa 12-A SOCIAL SCIENCE SYMPOSIUM On 5th April, Tuesday, a Social Science Symposium was held in the
Return to School Room from 10am to 3 pm. Mrinalini Ranjan EDITORIAL BOARD Svati Goyal, Rishab Sareen, Sports Desk Rohan Arora Editor |
Busted "The girls were wearing naked clothes." "Her last name is Amanat Dugal." "Can I go for change?" "My mental memory is gone!" "This is a double sex deo"-asmita bakshi meaning unisex. "They’ve been doing this for the rest of their lives"-Ishan Sehgal on the camp rappeling instructors, trying to convince every1 not 2 be scared. "Haven’t u guyz SEEN radio mirchi"-Himmat Singh "India will win or lose, yes or no?"-Ishan Maini on the India-Pakistan cricket match. TEN THINGS WE’D LIKE TO HEAR DADS SAY 1) Could you turn your music up LOUDER so I can enjoy
it too? By Saira Dayal 9-B INDO-PAK CRICKET QUIZ 1. Who was Pakistan’s first Test captain? Abdul Hafeez Kardar captained Pakistan for their first 23 Tests from 1952-53, after previously playing 3 Test for India. (1st test was v/s India!) 2. Who was the first bowler to take 200 wickets in ODIs? 3. Sunil Gavaskar has 1 wicket in one dayers and one in Test matches, and incidentally it is the same batsman. Name him? It is none other than Pakistan’s big scoring Zaheer Abbas. 4. India has won one Test match on Pakistani soil, although they have contested 22 matches here; spread over five different series from 1954-55 to 1989-90. They lost five matches and drew the remaining 15. Which is the only other nation where India is yet to emerge victorious in a Test match? South Africa Compiled by Abhik Ghosh |
