Editor’s Note

                

This month, primary, middle, and senior school alike all concentrated their time and energies towards preparations for what is perhaps the most important occasion in the history of Pathways Noida: Founder’s Day. This year, the theme for our program is “Internationalism” and we hope to put the internationalism in our hearts on display by performing a variety of dance, drama, and music pieces from all across the world. Off the stage as well, there shall be exhibits that aim at further educating our visitors about the various performances on stage, and the diverse cultures they are linked to. In this blog update, we have articles not only on the work we put in for Founder’s Day and the learning experience that it was, but also on certain other recent events that took place both in the school and outside of it. These range from The Robotics Fest in Pathways Baliawas (Gurgaon), to Arvind Kerjriwal forming a party. Also, we have a variety of articles on other subjects that include “groovy” gadgets, book reviews, and more. Enjoy!

Malak Khan - 8B

Exhibition For Founders

For Founder’s Day, Grade 7 had to research on the Russian dance called the Kalinka for our English project. We had to research on different sub-topics. For example, when the dance originated, why is it performed, where did it originate from, the theory, and the history behind it. We did our work on A3 sheets and presented it on lanterns. All the work we did was handwritten and are precious pieces of work!. Grade 7 showed a lot of their creativity and worked hard on their projects.

We also had to do a History research project. We were divided into three groups for three different topics. The topics were:

1. Egyptian Music
2. Arabic Costumes

3. Hieroglyphics

For the History project, we presented our work on display boards. For the hieroglyphics  we used burnt paper, prepared carefully by the students. For Arabic costumes we used cloth to give the board a 3D effect. We wrote about the instruments used in the Egyptian music.

Anoushka Nalwa 7B

Experience of a Lifetime

What event holds more importance in Pathway’s history than its very own Founder’s Day? Truth be told, in all the schools that I have ever been to, no event has held such importance and has required such determination and perseverance. When I look back at the past few weeks of preparation towards Founder’s, all I can recall is the amount of hard work that everyone has put in, just to make this dream a reality.

In the Drama department, we are doing a play set in New Zealand which has two main characters, Maui and Tangaroa. Abhimanyu Bhalla from Grade 11 plays Maui, Dhruv Sahni from Grade 6 plays Tangaroa and Tanmay Diwan from Grade 9 plays the Sun. The support cast consists of the Village Men, Village Women and World Citizens. The play is described and voiced by two groups of people called the Narrators and the Chorus.

A handful of the Village Men were selected to perform a special piece. This ‘special piece’ is none other than an excerpt of skills from the mother of all martial arts, Kalari Payattu. The village men were trained by a professional in the art of Kalari and one of the only Kalari teachers in all of the NCR. This piece consists of moves that represent many different animal forms. The villagers also perform a Maori war dance called Hakka.

All in all, this training has been spectacular. The diverse ways in which we have learned to focus and hone our skills have been truly magnificent. I would like to conclude this article with a vote of thanks to our guru, Mrs. Kriti Sharma. She pushed herself to the furthest extremes with preparation for Founder’s. It is no easy task trying to tame 58 Middle and Senior School students. I truly admire and respect her focus and her amazing dramatic skills.

By Karan Pandanda Grade 8A

Practising for Founders - An Enriching Experience

On the 20^th of October, 2012, Pathways School Noida will be celebrating Founder’s Day. The theme for this year is Internationalism. This topic is an ongoing theme at our school. A phrase that was coined throughout the rehearsals, ‘multi-cultured’, seems to fit us quite well. In the past few weeks we have also had external sources come in and help us learn about different cultures.

I myself am in the music department. It is a tiring task as music is an integral part of almost every culture and some of the songs are in different languages. My favourite song would have to be the Flamenco song. With the rolling ‘r’s and strange and unknown words, the song is rather intriguing. It took us about 5 classes to master the lyrics and another week to get the timing. The work seemed worthwhile when we paired it with the dance. I think we have managed to set the feel for Flamenco. I can’t wait to perform it on Founders Day!

The other items for music include Tarana, Through Heaven’s Eyes and a separate Inauguration song. Tarana is a piece of classical Indian Music while Through Heaven’s Eyes is a fusion of music from around the world. The Inauguration piece is sung by only some students and is in Sanskrit.

The final song is “We Are the World”, a very famous piece of music by Michael Jackson.  The lead singers start off the song with everyone who is part of Founders joining them on stage. I hope we manage to carry the song off well! In short, I cannot wait for Founders Day!

Ayona Sengupta

8B

Current Affairs

Arvind Kejriwal, famed anti- corruption activist, recently separated from Team Anna and formed a political party of his own. He has not declared the name as yet, and is expected to do so on November 16^th, the day the Constitution was originally adopted in India. Kejriwal’s political party has thrown allegations at various important politicians as well as their families. These charges include blaming Robert Vadra, INC chief Sonia Gandhi’s son- in- law, for corrupt land deals, blaming the Delhi CM Sheila Dixit for a power- related scandal, blaming Law minister Salman Khurshid of illegal handling of donations meant for his NGO, and many others. He also plans to reveal proof of corruption in other sectors of Indian politics within the next few months.

I do support his decision of forming a party as I believe that if Kejriwal, or anyone else, wants to really make a difference in the country, then they all have the right to form a party or compete in an election so that they can make positive changes in the nation. However, making so many allegations that people have indulged in corruption is not something I support, for I find it hard to believe that the people of the nation would always choose corrupt people to lead them.

I feel that if Kejriwal really wants to improve India, then instead of simply trying to weed out corrupt politicians, he should also look at the other problems that the nation is facing today such as poverty, discrimination, etc. Also, I don’t approve of certain actions he has taken that go against my notions of democracy and an egalitarian society by making it seem as if he is a VIP and is above the law. I feel that instead of publicly insulting the politicians and taking illegal steps against them he should simply file an FIR and take the accused to court, like any normal citizen would have.

-Malak Khan 8B

Book Review

 “The Secret Garden"

My favourite book is “Secret Garden”. It is very interesting, and I could read it again and again without getting bored. The book tells the story of a very stubborn little girl. I was quite unfamiliar with it, because it was my first novel. Sometimes it was irritating, because the details were overwhelming. What kept me going was the suspense; I wanted to know the end. The thing which had really bothered  me was Mary, the main character. It was kind of disturbing, the way she was so stubborn. It was comical too at times. Most of the time, when we don't understand a word, we look it up in the dictionary. It is funny that although I didn’t like a number of things in the beginning, for the sake of the plot, I read the whole thing. Now I have a totally different outlook on these things. I loved the parts which were explained well and which were filled with twists. I know that not everyone loves books, but still all of us have that one favourite book, that we want to read over, and over again. J

By SHUBHI RAGHAV – 7B

Book Review

“The Gatecrasher” tells the story of Fleur Daxeny, who attends the funerals of London women, hoping to trap a grieving husband. The men find Fleur charming, witty, and beautiful. They offer her money, a home, and a glamorous lifestyle that she embraces. When she becomes bored, she begins to read the newspapers again in search of a new man. At one funeral , she finds Richard Favour . Being with him made her feel happy and respected, unlike the other men she met. Once she gets to know his family, she starts finding it difficult to leave . Will her past come back to haunt her, or will she finally find what she wanted all along?

Anya Lauria- 7A

Our Robotics Experience

We went o the 2^nd Robongiers held in Pathways School Gurgaon. We were going as two teams not one as there were many of us.  There were many schools participating. On the first day we had an opening ceremony with many dance and music pieces and a presentation on Tod Fod God. Later that day, we were shown a presentation on sensors. We also had a session of soldering: it is a process in which you heat up the solder to join wires to make a circuit. We made a stick man using the soldering technique and then made a complicated circuit of a lighthouse. It had a LED on top of it which lit when there was no light.

 The second day we were introduced to our main challenge. We had to make a robot: either a humanoid or a vehicle that could walk or move across sand and broken pieces of tile. We were told that there would be a surprise element which would be introduced later on in the challenge. The surprise element was that there were walls we had to dodge by turning. The major problem was turning the robot. No school could do it. As a result we were given some extra time. Pathways Noida team 2 managed to complete the whole task and only a few other schools could. Then suddenly the task was changed to only moving on sand and tiles. There weren’t any walls to dodge. Pathways Noida team 1 got the second prize. We were disappointed because we wanted to win as we were the defending champions.

Aryan Srivastava – 8A

Groovy Gadget of the Month

Playable Guitar T-Shirt

This ingenious gadget is truly one of a kind. When you look at it, it's just a normal t-shirt with a guitar on it. Guess what? Looks are deceiving; very deceiving. Who would have thought that a graphic guitar on a t-shirt would be PLAYABLE? The answer: Nobody. This shirt is as realistic as watching a live performance. It can play all the 12 major chords, and can be tuned as well. It comes with a magnetic pick to play with. There is a knob on this shirt, just like an amplifier, that lets you control the volume. Furthermore, there is also a 3.5 mm output jack available. The best part yet, all the electrical parts are removable, and the shirt can be washed just like any other piece of clothing.

You can buy this at-

http://www.groovygadgets.com.au/Product-Categories/Gifts-Gadgets/ElectricRockGuitarTShirt.aspx

Divya Vijay Kumar - 8A