Eunoia issue #4 : New year, new me

eu·noia eu·noia noun noun

Derived from the Derived from the Ancient Greek wo Ancient Greek wo meaning: A well meaning: A well mind; beautiful mind; beautiful tthinking. hinking.

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TEACHER 'S CORNER

Dec 31, 2022

11:00 pm

Dear Diary,

You will soon be sent away into the deep dungeons of my navy blue bag under my bed. I already have your successor in my drawer - she has a purple binding with silver gilded edges. Another hour to go and I would be able to see crackers going up the skies spewing sparkles, excitement, and new promises.

Diary, they are asking me what my new year's resolutions are ‘New year, new you, how about that?’ Ma asked me today, deftly swirling and placing a huge blob of coconut ice cream into my plate. Maybe I should tell her that I like strawberry flavor with lots of chocolate sauce instead. Would it upset her, Diary?

Focus. Let’s hold the bull by its horns. What new would I like to see in me? Why doesn't this question seem right, diary?

Change is good…easy. But acceptance is better…tough. Straightening and coloring my hair is easy. But accepting my frizzy, uneven, obstinate hair which refuses to look tamed - that’s tough! I am telling you Diary; if I were to accept my cellulite, that ingrown hair on my legs, and that hovering inch of tire on my waist, I might just scream into my pillow. If only Robbie were to accept that his math scores don’t define him, but his singing skills could. If only Piya would stop hanging from the pull-up bar just to add that one extra inch to her height. If only

So here it is, diary…I want to remain Old Me for this New Year. I want to accept everything about myself. I want to be kind to myself, for once. This new year, I want to listen to myself before I listen to anyone else. I want to look at myself in the mirror, take a deep breath, and smile as I mean it

In 2023, I would gleefully be myself. This would mean a lot of things. Well, I would wear more pink and purple. I would ditch the mask; let the world see those zits ready to pop any moment. And yes, strawberry ice cream too. If that’s what it takes to be Old Me, I would do it Diary.

By Subha Manoj

People say new year, new you. Take up new-year resolutions, pick up hobbies, and try something outside your comfort zone. Well, that was the exact reason I was wearing a suit, and sitting in a conference hall with a bunch of research papers instead of being in a classroom and reading a novel during breaks.

Speaking was one thing. Speaking in front of a huge number of people looking at you was another. It was intimidating, to say the least. It was petrifying, stumbling upon words and being conscious about every little thing you do. From making speeches on the spot to analyzing what other people are saying. It was difficult at first, but as things went along it was more along the lines of exhilarating and fun. Maybe it wasn’t so bad to try new things. It wasn’t about whether you failed or got an award, it was about your learning experience. It was about what you realized, how you grew as a person, and most of all, taking that first step into being a better you.

As the American Financier J.P. Morgan famously said, “The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide you are not going to stay where you are”. To me, it implies that a new version of myself is perhaps a better version. Therefore, as a new year approaches, I will strive to ameliorate my qualities and goals thereby getting one step closer to becoming a new me; someone who’s more helpful, proactive, and productive.

To achieve this, I will first try to reify my vision through the development and implementation of SMART goals (Specific, Measured, Attainable, Reachable, and Timed). I will make sure to persevere and endeavor to achieve the goals I set for myself. Onward, I will incorporate the ideas advocated by the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People to foresee a development in my routines. It’s vital to think about each of the seven habits; Being Proactive, Beginning with the End in Mind, Putting First Things First, Thinking Win-Win, Seeking First to Understand Then to Be Understood, Synergizing and Sharpening the Saw. Developing routines and goals with the help of these habits will immensely contribute to the selfsufficient journey of becoming a better me.

A fresh start is something everyone requires, and so I will make good use of the occasion of this new year to restart my journey afresh and, as a result, manifest a better version of myself.

The Truth about The Truth about New Year's New Year's Resolutions Resolutions

We’re now in the year 2023; I still can’t believe it. One thing I always do when the New Year rolls around, and I believe other people do too, is mess up the date. For example: it’s January 5th. I’ll probably make the mistake of writing 5/01/22, before realizing it’s the new year and trying to somehow smudge the 22 into a 23.

And, of course, one thing most people always do when the New Year comes around is make New Year's resolutions. But how did this tradition even come to be?

The story goes like this: the Babylonians, around 4000 years ago, would make promises to the gods to pay debts or return borrowed items during their New Year’s celebration. They believed that the gods would look upon them favorably if they did so. The Babylonians celebrated their ‘New Year’ around mid-March, but you get the point.

As of now, the tradition of making resolutions on New Year’s Day has spread far and wide. But how many people actually keep their New Year's resolutions for long? Well, studies show that around 80% of people drop their resolutions by February and only 8% of people actually keep their resolutions for a whole year. Not that I can judge - I admit I never keep my New Year's resolutions for too long.

The reason why it’s only 8% is that most of us make resolutions that are too unrealistic, too hard to achieve, or we failed to keep track of our progress, or made too many resolutions to keep track of, or just forgot.

How to keep your New Year's resolution for longer? Try to do the exact opposite of the reasons I just listed. Instead of keeping one singular goal for the entire year, do the opposite. Make simple goals, and categorise them into short-term and long-term. Keep track of your progress by noting it down everywhere you can: in your favourite notebooks, your laptop, and your phone. This way, you’ll also have constant reminders, and there’s no way you’ll forget! And if you ever skip out on one of them, it’s okay. Work on it next year, but be as consistent as possible with your progress. Most importantly, keep yourself motivated!

This year, I’m going to try making a few New Year’s resolutions for myself and will try my best to stick to them. I hope you will too, and I wish you a Happy New Year!

While writing this article, I came across a fascinating fact. The resolutions people made in the US and Egypt were centered on health; and people in Australia and Japan popularly made resolutions about finding love. People in Russia focused on education. And India? The no. 1 type of resolution that was made by most people in India was about career goals!

“Learn

We share happiness, joy and also stories of humour forgetting the bygones and starting off with another voyage altogether free of judgement and grudges. This is how I felt when I sat in a bus, enjoying the camaraderie of my mates and envisioning the memories that were awaiting us at ‘Pyramid Valley International Meditation Centre’, off Kanakapura road in Bangalore.

The program about visiting ‘Pyramid Valley’ was on quite a short notice, in fact, disappointing us initially as it clashed with our school’s children’s day activities planned for all of us. But, nevertheless, we finally boarded the school bus. It was a blissful ride, and upon reaching I headed straight towards the snacks counter, not witnessing the massive design of the seminar hall which had a roof shaped like a pyramid. After a hearty snack, we entered the seminar hall where we had a briefing about the journey behind its

~Paramahamsa Yogananda creation, the force behind the organisation, the significance of the centre and the importance of meditation. We also learnt of different methods of meditation; for instance, ‘one-minute meditation’, which involves listening to melodious music and sitting under a pyramid.

to become calm and you will always be happy.”

After a wonderful session on understanding the interconnectedness between the soul, the mind and the heart, we headed to the spot that all of us were eagerly waiting to see. The Great Pyramid of Bangalore, the central attraction of the Meditation Centre. As we walked through the serene paths of Meditation, I was thrilled to speak to my mates about how there were Indian classical music concerts coming up in the centre, and I liked how classical music was treated with such importance that it was used to foster serenity in the mind.

My friends and I sat down under the dais inside the pyramid, and enjoyed the bliss of meditation, during which I was overwhelmed by the glorification of classical music on campus. I closed my eyes once again and started meditating until I needed to be woken up by my friends sitting beside me.

After some time, we exited the place and took a group photo sitting below a majestic Sleeping Buddha, enhancing the spiritual effect created by the site. We also strolled through a book store which included a lot of products such as wooden toys, showpieces, and flutes in addition to books in various languages.

While returning home, I reflected on how I changed as a person. Before the trip, I used to be nonchalant towards Indian cultural practises; however, through the trip, I understood the importance of our heritage in informing us ways to maintain our physical and mental well-being. Next year onwards, I resolve to understand more of my heritage, inculcate that into my life, and promote a sense of Indianness among my fellow citizens.

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

SpectrabyNihitha,M4

EXCITING EVENTS Epiphanies from the Exhibition

The day of our exhibition dawned bright at long last. I, for one, felt that this would be the greatest apprehension I had ever experienced in my life I’m pretty sure there were some others who shared this view; however, that would all change when the first parent would saunter up to my stall, and say, “Hello.”

Ah, the Personal Project Exhibition; the day that half our year had been building up to... There were a plethora of ideas put forth by my peers, including: photography, music, and even a guide to South Korea! My project had been all about creating edible and biodegradable cutlery, which would act as alternatives to plastic counterparts. My rationale behind it was that I wished to enhance my baking skills, while also creating a product that could benefit the environment these being my 2 main interests.

It was a time of cheer for some, and fear for others. Personally, I was sadly a part of the latter few. Throughout the days before the exhibition, I felt drowned in feelings of diffidence and timidity, where days simply seemed to fly by, and my anxiety skyrocketed. I was afraid that my work had been insufficient, that the parents would judge my incompetence and inadequacy. Most importantly, I feared that I wouldn’t be able to cohesively justify my experience throughout the project towards them, and it would end up being a downright disappointment

Fast forward to the exhibition, there was the first parent, waiting for me to begin my presentation. I looked around, and everyone had carried on with their presentations; they just made it look so easy. I clenched my fist, and reluctantly began reading from a script I had written beforehand. However, as my presentation went on, I felt a weird sense of control over the situation. As for my fear, it had just melted away. I stopped reading from my script, and began speaking from my heart, and suddenly, it felt as if a major load had been taken away from me, and I kept presenting to parents and peers.

Thisexhibitiontaughtmealotaboutmyself, somesurprisingrevelationsindeed Itappears thatIhadbeenafraidofmyownshadowall along,andIbelievethatIseriouslyhititheadon thisyearwithregardstomyPersonalProject. Yet,Ilearnedtohaveself-confidenceandbe clear-headed but,mostimportantly,Ilearnt totrustmyself,andrealisedthattrusting myselfisreallyallIneed

By Reshab Aarosh Reddy

Diwali. The festival of lights. The triumph of good over evil. And most importantly, an excellent reason to throw a party here at Silver Oaks.

By Amodi Kulkarni

At school, we celebrated Diwali over not one, but two days. On Thursday, the 20th of October, we decorated our classrooms Diwali is not just about bursting firecrackers, or giving out sweets. It’s about cleaning and decorating as well, aligning with the idea of “letting out the old and keeping in the new”. We all brought flowers to school, to make pookalams - rangolis made of flower petals. We spent our afternoon plucking the petals off the flowers and arranging them in set patterns It was fantastic a race against time to finish them before school ended. We all came up with innovative designs, working as one, with everything coming together perfectly in the end. Every class made something unique, and I was blown away by what our younger grades had managed to achieve.

Diwali

The 21st of October, Friday, was arguably the more fun of the two days. It was as though the celebration on Thursday was nothing compared to Friday. Everyone came to school wearing ethnic clothes, laden with all kinds of Indian sweets. The entire morning was a whirlwind of barely restrained chaos, kids flitting from classroom to classroom, giving out sweets to everyone classmates, friends, teachers, and even students they hadn’t ever spoken to. There were vivid bursts of colour everywhere, a welcome change from the monotony of the blacks, whites and greys of our school uniforms

Therewerebarelyanyclasses,mostofthedayspentinhavingfun.Therewasadance-offinthe MPH,andaLOTofpeoplewerelisteningto“Midnights”,TaylorSwift’snewalbumwhichjustso happenedtoreleaseonthatverysameday.Talkaboutimpeccabletiming.Andattheendofthe day,theteachershadasurpriseforus.They’dgonetogreatlengthstoperformadanceforusout ontheGreenMeadows.Averylivelydance,trulyinvokingthespiritofDiwali.

Diwaliis,intrinsically,afestivalmeanttobecelebratedwiththepeoplearoundus—friends,family, andcertainlythoseatschoolaswell.AtSilverOaks,weareprovidedwiththeopportunityto celebrateitatschooltoo,notjustathome.Preciousmemoriesofhavingfunatschoolwithfriends, celebratingafestivalasoldastime,werecarefullycraftedoverthosetwodays Andtheywill certainlybecherishedbyeveryoneforyearstocome.

Leadership Workshop

On the 15th of October, our school held a leadership workshop for the student government (president, vice president, captains, vice captains, sports captain and editor in chief). As we walked into the room, we were seated in groups where there was one vice captain, one captain, and two houseless leaders.

We started off with the introduction of Mr Umar Jaffar, who was hosting the workshop He kept thinking about new ways of conducting the workshop and kept redoing his plans for us. He used this to tell us when we think about something a lot we tend to get more ways to express it; a new learning for us. We then wrote down the promises we made as leaders to the student body, in order to see if they were realistic or not.

We then diverted our attention to last year’s student council, and how they performed. We rated them out of 10, and Mr. Jaffar asked us on which criterion we judged them on. We found a few benchmarks we could judge the last year’s student council with, which were presence, engagement, new initiatives, event management and student concerns.

After a 10 minute break, where we got coffee and cookies, we formed solid criterias with which we could judge future councils as well as the past council We came up with 5 umbrella terms we could use as our criteria. These terms were:

Organization Communication Student concerns Innovation Attitude

Oncecomingupwiththesecriteria,wewere givenchartpapers,sketchpensand instructionstowritedownwaysinwhichwe,as thecurrentstudentcouncil,canworktowards achievingthesecriteria.Thisactivitytookup therestoftheafternoon,anduponfinishing, wecollectedthechartpapers

Diwaliis,intrinsically,afestivalmeanttobecelebratedwiththepeoplearoundus—friends,family, andcertainlythoseatschoolaswell.AtSilverOaks,weareprovidedwiththeopportunityto celebrateitatschooltoo,notjustathome.Preciousmemoriesofhavingfunatschoolwithfriends, celebratingafestivalasoldastime,werecarefullycraftedoverthosetwodays Andtheywill certainlybecherishedbyeveryoneforyearstocome.

worded woods

The Tiny Change After 365 Days

365 days on the brand new calendar; smelling as fresh as lavender, waiting for the clock to strike, at a pitch black midnight, to let the new year begin!

Looking out at the sky, watching the moonlight wondering if… I've changed just a little bit in these 365 days of time

Ting Tong the clock rings

As I jump up like a spring, New energy in my veins Revived from all the past years pains; I feel like I even sprouted wings!

The new year gives a new life Cutting our past gloom with a knife. Celebrate with your near and dear, With a whole lot of cheer, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

by Ananya Madhan.

New me

This storm is dragging our hearts to sea, on the way to find them. We can find ourselves maybe.

In the January cold, We can try to make sure our hearts don't freeze; We can focus on what we need. Is this what we could always be?

This is a new me: I don't need a wishing tree— we will be what we can be, and let them see what they can see.

by Aditi Raman

worded woods

Single Thought

I shut my eyes and dozed to bed, Only to wake up with a single thought in my head This thought has no abditory, It will be forever seen.

I dream about saving lives, Making sure the world thrives.

I dream of being a hero true, One that will truly save you.

As I embark on my journey, a new year carries on, This year too, I’ll work till my dream follows along.

I may change, I may grow, I may not be the “Me” I know

But one thought shall not change, It won’t remain forever arcane.

I will accomplish and I will pride, That the new me holds a doctor inside.

The doctor waiting to be unleashed, The girl working to break its seal.

I will accomplish what my thought narrates, I will do so for my sake.

by Shriyaa Santosh

Poetry Competition

1stplace Dhivya Iyer

the dichotomy of freedom the dichotomy of freedom

Kavya Ramineni

M4 Persia

dying: isn’t it a kind of freedom? dying: isn’t it a kind of freedom? choosing to step into the sad blue (when blue is the sky, too.) choosing to step into the sad blue (when blue is the sky, too ) (living: isn’t it a kind of freedom?) (living: isn’t it a kind of freedom?)

you lean forward into a dark abyss; you lean forward into a dark abyss; goodbye, cruel world. i am free from you. goodbye, cruel world. i am free from you. dying: isn’t it a kind of freedom? dying: isn’t it a kind of freedom?

(you wake up, alive; (you wake up, alive; there’s a joy in knowing you’re free to be. there’s a joy in knowing you’re free to be. living: isn’t it a kind of freedom?) living: isn’t it a kind of freedom?)

M5 Mirage w i n n i n g p o e m

there’s no more pressure. you’re free from the there’s no more pressure. you’re free from the (unwanted, unrelenting) thoughts. (unwanted, unrelenting) thoughts. dying: isn’t it a kind of freedom? dying: isn’t it a kind of freedom?

(but. what about the choice to live how you want? (but. what about the choice to live how you want? and what about the freedom you have to dream, despite it and what about the freedom you have to dream, despite it aall? ll?

living: isn’t it a kind of freedom, too?) living: isn’t it a kind of freedom, too?)

(there’s a darkness and a choice you cannot undo.) (there’s a darkness and a choice you cannot undo.) there’s a light and an understanding: you can choose there’s a light and an understanding: you can choose (dying: isn’t it a kind of freedom?) (dying: isn’t it a kind of freedom?) living: isn’t it a kind of freedom, too? living: isn’t it a kind of freedom, too?

by Dhivya Iyer by Dhivya Iyer

by - Dhivya Iyer, Mrinalini Harish, Charvi Palukuru

MEDIA RECOMMENDATIONS

Tweens (7-12)

[TW: Non nongraphic blood] raphic descriptions of war]

Anne of Green Gables

Both a book series and TV show for all ages, Anne of Green Gables follows Anne Shirley, who comes to stay at Green Gables and wins the hearts of everyone she meets.

Little Women

A stunning coming of age novel written by Louisa May Alcott and adapted into a , movie of the same name, the book explores timeless themes such as love and death, war and peace, the conflict between personal ambition and family responsibilities, and the clash of cultures between Europe and America. (Adapted from Goodreads)

Spirited Away

A coming of age movie following Chihiro, who wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches, and spirits, and where humans are changed into beasts. (Adapted from IMDB)

Teens (13+)

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

A fun, adventurous coming-of-age story about a teenager, his best friend, and his girlfriend taking a day off so they can live their life without regrets.

When Harry Met Sally

One of the greatest romantic comedies ever made, When Harry Met Sally also features a stunning New Year’s Eve scene which will make you weep.

Dead Poets Society

An inspiring movie about an English teacher, Mr. Keating, and his students.

KAFKa

Kafka’s acclaimed novella takes us to Germany in the early 1900s. We follow Gregor Samsaas he finds himself inexplicably transformed into a moth. What follows are his days in isolation as his family battles the loss of the sole breadwinner of family.

Mental Health - Stress Management

- A l v i r a K h a n a n d S a n j a n a K o u t h a r a p u

The clock reads 12:45 AM, yet the room is still illuminated. A student rubs their eyes and turns the pages of their books. The student is more often than not assisted by 1 (or 4) cups of coffee during their academic enterprises This scenario is probably second nature to most of us, and while the activity may bring exhaustion and fatigue, what also clouds our mind is the insurmountable feeling of stress.

Record scratch. Freeze frame.

Stress is an ever-present part of our lives, especially as students The weight of upcoming assignments, extracurriculars (and presumably a hundred other things) press relentlessly upon our psyches day in, and day out. How many of us have just wanted to pause, stop thinking so much, and just rest? Let’s stop scurrying in our little tracks and take a deep breath. While we can’t exactly say a few magic words and make the familiar burden of stress disappear, we can learn to deal with it. Let’s get right into it, shall we?

First off, manage your work. Take a look at due dates, and the amount of time it would take to complete each task, what can you put off for a bit? Manage your tasks, and create agendas or to-do lists. This will help you partition your work into digestible chunks and not frenzy over them. Anything from a simple sketch on the corner of a page to a full-fledged document with fancy bullet points works. The main goal is to help you track all your upcoming tasks and prevent any last-minute trepidation regarding your deadlines

Second, carve out some hobby time. Whenever you feel like your brain has had enough of schoolwork, don't hesitate to stop; shut your books and resume that hobby you’ve put on the back burner! Trust us, it helps you be more active and productive the next time you sit down to study. Those 15 minutes will help loads eventually. So, give yourself that me-time and once you are ready, ace those tasks!

Last of all, giving yourself breaks and rest will never hurt anyone. We understand how stressful it is to manage academics, extra-curricular activities, and still have time for yourself. We often tend to overwork ourselves and fizzle out. To prevent this, take breaks to rejuvenate and de-stress!

At the end of the day, while academics are important, it is imperative that you prioritise your mental health and well-being too! We are optimistic that with some effort, you can finally have time for that one activity and improve your sleep schedule. With these tips, we hope we help you evade any last-minute crises and equilibrate your life.

Newest In Tech/Science

Elon Musk Acquired 'Twitter'

On the 27th of October, 2022, Elon Musk successfully acquired the social media platform Twitter. Much deliberation spilled into this decision, including the immediate changes that were to be observed after Musk had gained authority — the company being taken off the stock market, massive staff layoffs, and the introduction of the ‘Twitter Blue’ subscription model. This subscription model offers all the standard features available to normal users, with the exception of the “blue tick” feature. Though it was originally granted to users as a means of authentication, it is now available to everyone who pays a sum of $8 every month.

We must therefore beware of such accounts — who seem authentic with the blue tick, but no longer are and avoid swaying to misinformation. It is advisable that you verify any piece of information you consume using your own reliable sources.

On the other hand, a troubling new scientific study incriminates the global pandemic to have impeded the personality development of young adults. While individuals are expected to become more conscientious with age exhibiting diligence in productive activities the study holds we have instead become increasingly neurotic. Neuroticism is usually associated with feelings of guilt, anxiety, and depression that impair one’s ability to adapt to environmental changes or approach complex situations. It can be overcome with the pursuit of novel hobbies and interests, where one is exposed to a range of new stimuli that contributes to shaping character through experience. Though neurosis can be treated through simple techniques, it is still worth considering that the pandemic has had a lasting, tangible impact on each one of our lives.

On a more positive note, evidence supporting the existence of life on Mars has been recently discovered on the surface of ancient rocks in the Australian Outback. These rocks are known as stromatolites, whose formation is pioneered by microorganism activity; since these rocks are found in abundance on Mars, researchers are compelled to believe that the planet may also shelter life. Microorganisms are the progenitors of humankind and other intelligent species on Earth. This alone raises a thrilling possibility: intelligent life may indeed emerge on Mars in the coming billion years.

By Anika D.

S p o r t s S p o r t s

C o r n e r C o r n e r

Sports are one of the many exhilarating ways to break from reality and explore our limits through games, competition, and passion. This year our acorns participated in a plethora of events. From the Greenwood Ignite competition to clashing inter-house events, the excitement and thrill of it all have truly made this year memorable.

First up, the invigorating Ignite event of 2022. The event was held at the beginning of November, on the 7th and 8th. It’s held every year and was the first physical event that took place in Greenwood after the pandemic. It had multiple schools, several competitions, and plenty of athletes playing sports ranging from swimming to basketball. This year, our students participated in swimming, basketball, table tennis, and football.

In swimming, our acorns bagged multiple gold and silver medals. Sindhu Jagadeesh, Ananya Parag, Swathi Kudhu, and Navika Natarajan; these students won awards in various categories, from swimming freestyle relays to 50m breaststrokes.

In basketball and football, there were categories for boys and girls, in which our acorns displayed the utmost dedication and team spirit. Even though they didn’t win, they sure packed a punch! They overcame various hurdles and persevered through it all, and became better sportsmen.

In other news, the Children’s Day bonanza occurred on November 14th. The students of grades 6th-8th engaged in inter-house basketball and football competitions. The houses were neck and neck, showing exceptional sportsmanship and collaboration. After training hard, with encouragement from each house’s vice-captain, the players played amazingly in the championship. In football, the order of winning was: Tuskers, Tigers, Hawks, and Whales. In basketball, Tuskers, Tigers, Whales, Hawks, with Tuskers bagging first place and the house of Tigers as the runners-up for both categories.

This year was a fun-filled year, and our acorns had multiple opportunities to explore their strengths and weaknesses in the world of sports. The Ignite competition and the inter-house competition were definitely incredible and we hope to see our acorns shine more.

By Kavya Ramineni

achievement spotlight!

Ilhan Valani: MYP-5

Ilhan took part in the Ignite 2022 event held at Greenwood High, along with his teammates, Pranav and Karan, they won second place in the Dealer's choice event. It revolves around the idea of creating a marketing media to promote an imaginary technological product. Their product was about a technology that allowed planes to avoid contraills as it contributes to global warming. Despite undergoing three arduous rounds and constant questioning by the judges, they held their stand. Ilhan is never tired of a victory and has done everything to win several other awards as well.

The achievement spotlight segment acknowledges the acorns who have worked hard to earn their spot as the best by working hard and following their passion. They have put in massive efforts to reach these heights of success and hope they carry this determination forward. A few of the students who made our school proud are: His verbal skills and confidence have won him awards in several MUN’s which include:

Shrimanyu Elaiyaraja:

Adi Shanker: MYP-4

Adi participated in a community sports event and won Gold medals in cricket and football. He was the captain of the cricket team which gave him the best captaincy award for the same. He even bagged three silver medals for table tennis, 50m sprint and a marathon, making him the top scorer in his community for 2022. It really is a tremendous achievement to win so many awards in individual categories. We are happy that Adi faced this challenge with full determination and grabbed the title of a commendable achiever.

MYP-4

Shrimanyu took part in the TISB ML-thon, the largest machine learning contest in India for highschool students. He won third place in the competition. “This competition was a Machine Learning hackathon hosted by TISB where we need to develop an ML model to predict whether a customer will make a deposit in their bank based on factors such as their employment, account balance, age, last deposit, etc. We were given 1 week to develop a model that will make the best predictions based on the dataset given. After intensive research and learning about ML, learning how to code the models using python, exploring the different algorithms that could be used, and optimising my model, I was able to develop a model that was accurate enough to put me in 3rd place among the 50 participants in the competition. For receiving 3rd place, I was awarded Rs. 11,000. This competition gave me good exposure to the field of AI and ML and helped me understand the various possible implementations and applications of ML in our lives.” - Shrimanyu Shrimanyu donated his prize money to Coins for the Country.

Khwaish Garg: MYP 2

In October, Khwaish won first place in a drawing competition in her society. “The event was for Durgotsav, and our topic was to make any drawing on Durgotsav. Luckily for me, I already had a drawing I could use in the competition, but I wouldn't have been able to win without my mother's help.

On the first day of Durgotsav, my mom encouraged me to draw something Durgotsav-related, and so the next day, I did! I drew a side view of Durga maa which my mother sent me. It turned out to be really good! A few days later, a drawing competition came up, and because of my mother’s suggestion, I participated in it, without knowing what to draw.

20 minutes before the competition, my mother suggested that I draw the same picture I drew a few days ago, and so I made a rough draft of it and went to the competition. It was a breeze for me, as I knew exactly what to draw. When the society announced the results, I was scared; I thought I didn't have a chance. When they announced my name as junior champion, I couldn't have been happier as I ran up to the stage and collected my trophy. And when I went home, the first thing I did was thank my mom for telling me to draw something.”

FortheLoveofFood

M a n g o W h i t e C h o c o l a t e M o u s s E

Peel the mangoes and cut them into small cubes In a saucepan, add the chopped mangoes, and ½ cup sugar Let it boil and cook on low heat until the mangoes become soft and pulpy Let it cook down for 3 mins and then add it to the blender. Blend it nicely until it turns into a puree Keep this in the refrigerator until the Mousse is ready In a bowl, melt the white chocolate in the microwave Take another bowl and heat the heavy cream over medium heat Keep stirring Add the melted white chocolate and let it cool After some time, add the Vanilla Extract to the batter and beat it with an electric mixer until soft peaks are formed Transfer this mixture to a piping bag Powder the Salt Crackers by crushing them into pieces Take a glass, and add a thin layer of the crushed crackers Then, add a layer of the mango puree, then the mousse. Repeat this step twice Add a mint leaf for garnish!

The Editorial Board