Neelbagh Rural Residential School

Dear Friends and Supporters of Ashraya,

This quarter has been a time to celebrate, it gives me immense pleasure to share that, Ashraya Neelbagh School, a Kannada medium rural school secured 100% results consecutively for the 6th time and this year with 100% first class, out of 280 schools in Kolar District.

While all 26 students, who appeared for the examination, were successful and secured first class marks, 8 students – Bhargavi. G, Bhavya, Bheemananda, Eshamma, Mallikarjuna Reddy, Manjula, Sundar and Venkatesh have bagged Distinction- out of the 26 students 17 have secured marks in the 80’s, 5 secured in the 70’s and 4 secured in the 60’s.

Most of our students are first generation learners who belong to the most vulnerable groups – migrant construction workers, domestic helpers, daily wagers, single parent, auto drivers, poor farmers and belonging to marginalized communities.

As a result of the excellent results majority of the students from Neelbagh have won various scholarships from the State Government, Individuals, NGO’s and other institutions, to pursue their college studies. All 26 students’ i.e 11 girls and 15 boys are continuing their higher education.

The school hostel reopened for old boarders on 11th May 2014 and the School reopened after the summer break on 12th May 2014.

On June 4th, the new admissions list was finalized - thirty four young ones were admitted to the LKG and 2 new students for senior classes. The school did not discriminate on the basis of caste, religion or ethnic group.

Currently, with the new admissions, the School has 376 students (183 Girls and 193 Boys) from below poverty line families as against 174 (74 Girls and 100 Boys) students in 2003, showing a 147% increase in the number of girl children, over the past few years. Neelbagh school is reaching out to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of achieving universal primary education and promote gender equality. There are 100 students in Hostel (50 girls and 50 boys).

During LKG admissions, as always, priority was given to children from below poverty line families and the School continues to give impetus to ‘girl child’ education in the rural area. Improved access to education for girl children from most vulnerable groups ensures that children are not exposed to trafficking, sexual abuse or forced into early marriage or child labor.

On June 21st a Drawing competition was organized for all 376 students and on June 23^rd cultural programs were performed by 10th grade students, during the morning assembly. The drama ‘Health is Wealth’, folk songs, group dance and Kolata were appreciated by one and all.

This academic year the State Govt has revised the syllabus for Class 10 Secondary School Leaving Certification (SSLC) students; textbooks have been revised based on the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE) syllabus. This change has created ripples in the student and teacher communities. We at Neelbagh are focusing more on training the teachers especially for Maths, Science and English. Curiosity, a Bangalore based organization working with the aim of promoting creativity in science amongst children, will train Maths and Science Teachers. This training will be instrumental in guiding teachers –instructing and appraising the teachers on how to teach in a more comprehensive and efficient manner.

Communities continue to connect with the program both through outreach activities and through the school management.

On behalf of the entire staff and Board Members of Ashraya I thank you for your support. Your support and positive comments are the fuel that keeps us moving forward to make Ashraya Neelbagh School a sustainable Project.

Thanks and Regards,

Evalin Christabel

Project Head – Ashraya Neelbagh School

Academics:

The New Year was warmly welcomed by students of Neelbagh with enthusiasm and gaiety; a lovely campfire and a variety entertainment program was accompanied by a delicious meal. Everyone enjoyed the day, a rare occasion for all to say thank you for all that has been and a fiat for all that will be.

The first preparatory examinations, for the 10th batch of SSLC students were held during the month of January from 3rd to 9th. The second preparatory examination were held from 3rd Feb – 8th Feb 2014. The State preparatory examinations were held from 3rd - 8th March 2014. All the students have shown considerable progress in their studies as they are gearing up for the public board examination, which is scheduled to commence from 28th March and will conclude on the 10th of April 2014. The monthly tests for class 1 -9 are conducted regularly.

Sports Competitions:

18th January 2014: The monthly sports competition was organized. In the Volley ball competition held for boys Yellow house stood first and in the Throw ball held for girls Greenhouse stood first.

21st February 2014: The monthly sports competition was organized. In the basketball competition Yellow house stood first and in the Kho-Kho held for girls Greenhouse stood first.

22nd February 2014: Quiz competition was organized for Juniors and Seniors. In the junior section Blue house won 1^st  place, Red house won second place and in senior group Blue house came 1^st and Green 2^nd place.

Cultural events:

31st December 2013: On New Year’s Eve the school had special cultural programs and students performed splendidly.

24th January 2014: The folk songs competition was organized and in the junior section Blue won 1^st place, Green 2^nd place and in senior section Red won 1^st place and Green 2^nd place.

Other Events:

26th January 2014: Republic day was celebrated. The Headmaster hoisted and saluted the National flag. Students were briefed about the significance of Republic Day.

11th March 2013:The Farewell function for students of class 10th was organized and Mr. Amara Narayana (Gram Panchayat, President) was the Chief Guest. He motivated the students to do well in their future as they were fortunate to receive their education in Neelbagh with all the facilities provided by Ashraya. Conduct Certificates were handed out to all 10^th class students. Ms. Shanthi Chacko, Mrs. Nomita Chandy, Mrs. Evalin Christabel and Mr. Manjunath, the Head Master counseled the parents and the 10^th grade students on choosing the right career path and encouraged the parents of all the girl children to support their daughters through their college education.

Workshops:

1. Career guidance Workshop

Career guidance plays a very important role in the lives of all individuals, as it helps in setting future goals and enables choice of careers. Career guidance is a much needed service for those children who do not plan for their future at an early stage; more should be done to assist the younger generations in personal career development. When high school students have a clear understanding of the best career choices for them, the end result is better planning, more college enrollments, and a more productive society for the future. To facilitate this on 16th and 17th of January Mrs. Mamata Mutt (Corporate Trainer) conducted a career guidance workshop for 10th and 9th Grade (around 60) students along with their parents / Guardians at Ashraya Neelbagh School. The aim was to help every individual student understand the importance of one’s academic potential, attributes, personality, talents, interest, expectation, resource, strength and weakness while choosing a course of study for a suitable career at the right time for a bright future.

In this workshop students were made to understand different career opportunities, process and procedure to prepare for those careers, different competitive exams, and the importance of setting goals and showing passion and hard work to achieve the desired goal.

• Introduction activity: In this game we involved the students to make them aware about the importance of networking. Students were actively involved in this activity and they understood the basic theme of the activity. This activity helped facilitators to build a rapport with the participants and also get active attention from them.
• Career Interest Test: As we explore career options, we should know what skills, talents and personality traits one brings to the table. This assessment helped students to understand and discover what they like and what they dislike, what they’re good at, and how well their interests and ability match up to different careers.
• Printed Materials: After the session the printed reading material was provided to all participating students. It contained detailed information about of a variety of careers and different competitive exams.
• Individual Career Guidance Interactive Session: This was the core part of the workshop, this session was mainly handled by Mrs. Mamata Mutt and she was accompanied by Mrs. Dechamma Bannerjee , Consultant - Ashraya, Mrs. Evalin Christabel , Project Coordinator - Ashraya, Headmaster and the 10th grade Class Teacher. The session was very interactive; students and their parents / guardians were very attentive and asked questions and clarified their doubts. In this session resource persons covered courses available for each stream in Arts, Science and Commerce. Many career options were also discussed.

Overall the workshop was constructive for the students. Activities and presentations were effective, students / parents interacted and gained much knowledge by clarifying their doubts with the resource persons.

2. Sex Education Workshop

Adolescence is a period in life when relationships are defined by physical and emotional interactions; but the age does not ensure maturity and understanding of the risks involved eg. HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. Girls are more susceptible as they face the risk of unwanted pregnancies and danger to physical safety. In such a scenario, sex education is an important component to ensure that all adolescents have a greater awareness of their own bodies and sexuality. These workshops are mandatory at Neelbagh. Hence on 29th of January 2014, a Sex Education Workshop was organized for Grade 9th and 10 students Dr. Uttara Vidyasagar was the resource person. She is a qualified Counselor and Trainer and is the Founder Trustee and Director of 'VIVEKA', Centre for Emotional Support, a not-for profit counseling organization.

Sex education gave an insight to adolescent students about their own bodies. The basic components of the module were anatomy and physiology of the genital organs, conception and contraception, menstruation, masturbation and teenage related problems. 

During the orientation Dr. Vidyasagar explained that the process of adolescence is a period of preparation for adulthood during which time several key physiological developments occur. Besides physical and sexual maturation, these experiences include movement toward social and economic independence and development of an identity, the acquisition of skills needed to carry out adult relationships and roles and develop the capacity for mature reasoning. While adolescence is a time of tremendous growth and potential, it is also a time of considerable risk during which social contexts exert powerful influences. She also emphasized that for girls, adolescents is a unique phase, different both from childhood and adulthood. Specifically, that they are not mature enough to understand complex concepts eg. the relationship between behavior and consequences, or the degree of control they have or can have over decision making including that related to sexual behavior. This inability may make them particularly vulnerable to sexual exploitation and high-risk behaviors. Hence they need to know how to protect themselves and understand their emotions and vulnerabilities.

The orientation was practical and necessary for the students. The pictorial and interactive presentation was beneficial for the students and staff. Dr. Uttara Vidyasagar was accompanied by Mrs. Dechamma Bannerjee who also facilitated the group discussions.

3. Science Workshop – Phase II / A STAR FILLED NIGHT with CURIOUSCITY:

Curiouscity is a Bangalore based organization working with the aim of promoting creativity in science amongst children. For the last couple of years Dr. Shonali Chinniah has been involved in creating science modules to teach children science with a “practical” rather than a “theoretical” approach to learning and has been conducting science workshops for children at Ashraya Neelbagh School.

Most of the rural children are not exposed to one of the oldest of all sciences, the science of Astronomy. While one cannot get away from a syllabus which has also its own place in learning, what we can do is to supplement the learning by helping to fill the gaps left by structured learning and offering the kids an opportunity to explore and experiment on their own.

The Neelbagh Star Gazing event was an incredible experience and well organized on 1st and 2nd of February 2014. The interactive presentation on introduction to astronomy and star gazing was very interesting and enabled all students to participate in the learning experience. The students got involved and asked some very interesting and thoughtful questions during the presentation. Dr. Utpal Chattopadhyay enthusiastically answered all queries and made the presentation an exciting one. The late evening and early morning star gazing sessions were just amazing. We were very fortunate that the sky/weather conditions were perfect for this experience, aided by Dr Utpal's and Dr Shonali's explanations and pinpointing the stars and constellations.

Best Moment - early morning roof top star gazing experience with Hot Chocolate from Dr Shonali and viewing the Big Dipper and Cassiopeia with explanations from Dr Utpal!

Some of the exciting topics covered were:

·       How to spot the major stars and constellations in the night sky

·       Get a sense of our own galaxy, the Milky Way, and our location in the universe.

·       Spot the largest planet in our solar system and see its moons.

·       Watch a nebula where stars are still being born.

·       Understand how stars are born and how they die. Watch red giants, something our

       own sun will be in about a billion years.

·       Look at the pole star, and ask the question: will it always be there?

Overall, it was a great experience for all participants from 9th and 10th Grade and by the end of the workshop they were all more knowledgeable about stars, planets and galaxies. The whole sky exploration activities helped the children to create their own little moments of scientific discovery, their own little moments of WOW.

4. Dance and Theatre workshop

Students from 6th to 10th grade were encouraged to participate in the workshop. Mr. Balu and Mr. Tousip Basha are professional dance teachers who conducted the workshop on 20th of Feb 2014. They taught senior students who were well accustomed to classical and folk dance, the Classical Indian musical theatre, which is like mime – mukabhinaya, in which the performer had to present a narrative via stylized gestures, an array of hand positions, and mime illusions, to play different characters and actions. Like in Yakshagana, stories from Indian epics are told with facial expressions, hand signals and body motions. Performances are accompanied by songs narrating the story while the actors act out the scene, followed by the actor detailing the story, without any background support or narrative song.

For juniors’ traditional folk dance, small skits and pyramid dance forms were taught. It was a source of fun and entertainment for the students. Both girls and boys were equally enthusiastic and actively participated and thoroughly enjoyed the workshop.

5. Science Field Trip:

Field trips can be considered as one of the three avenues through which science can be taught – apart from formal classroom teaching and practical work.  A field trip for the students of grade 8th and 9th was organized on the 22nd of Feb 2014. The students visited Sir. Vishveshwarya Museum, The Planetarium and Cubbon Park located in Bangalore

Dedicated to Sir M. Vishweshwaraya, the science museum is a wonderful museum for learning and having some educational fun too. It has working models of scientific applications in real life. These models cover quite a variety of topics on electronics, mechanics, magnetism, energy, properties of materials, physics, optics, biology, biotechnology etc...

The museum has displays covering different aspects of technology. The galleries have been classified and arranged on different subjects Electronics, Science Gallery, Children Gallery, and Engine. The field trip to Nehru planetarium was an effective integration to their unit of Inquiry “Our Solar System”. Students correlated to the information they had gathered on night sky, solar system, usage of sundial (Jantar Mantar model) from the second phase of Science workshop conducted by Dr. Utpal and Dr. Shonali before going for the show “Yeh Tara Woh Tara”. During the 3D show, the children absorbed a lot of facts on constellations and light pollution. Children saw a model of a satellite launcher at the entrance. They examined carefully the space shuttle and the astronaut suit of Sqn. Ldr. Rakesh Sharma (India’s first astronaut).

Cubbon Park in Bangalore is a historic park. It is located in the heart of Bangalore; The Park covers an area of 300 acres. Abundant flora, exotic botanical species and various indigenous trees and plants are found in this park. The public park also houses numerous impressive and aesthetically located buildings and statues of famous personalities. The landscaping of the park creatively integrates natural rock outcrops, with thickets of trees, massive bamboos, grassy expanses, flowerbeds and monuments. Many naturalists come to study plants and trees in this park.

A feedback session on returning to school proved that the students had not only learnt many facts, but had enjoyed the trip a great deal. All students and accompanying teachers thanked the school administration and the sponsors for their support during the field trip.