Smt. Rajeshwari Paul Inter-School Hindi Debate

Noida, November 20, 2021: Under the dynamic leadership of Chairman, Mrs Sushma Paul Berlia (the only child of Founder Chairman, Late Dr. Stya Paul), Apeejay School, Noida is committed to quality education of global standards leading to man-making and nation-building. The School functions under the aegis of the Apeejay Education which has a rich legacy of over five decades of excellence in education.

Apeejay School, Noida, organised the sixth edition of the Dr. Stya Paul Inter-School English Debate, instituted in the fond memory of the Founder Chairman, Dr. Stya Paul, and the fourth edition of the Inter-School Hindi Debate in the fond memory of Smt. Rajeshwari Paul Ji (wife of Dr Stya Paul).

The Debates were organised on the Zoom platform on November 20, 2021. Participants from 15 renowned schools of Delhi–NCR, converged at this mega event.

The Inaugural Session for both English and Hindi Debates began with ‘Lighting of the Lamp’, virtually. A warm tribute was paid to Dr. Stya Paul and Smt. Rajeshwari Paul Ji, followed by an invocation song by Priyansh Pattanaik, which gave a befitting start to the event. The School Principal, Mr. AK Sharma extended a formal welcome to the judges. In his inspiring speech, the Principal reminded the august gathering that Apeejay School, Noida respects and honours diverse views and hence provides the platform of the English Debate to the budding orators to voice their opinion. He appreciated the relevance of the motion and emphasised the need to sensitise oneself for the sake of the environment and do something urgently to bring change. The Debate was declared open by the Principal.

At the Dr. Stya Paul Inter-School English Debate, speakers forcefully expressed their views for and against the motion – Building individual climate resilience is the only way to combat global warming.

The judges for the occasion were Mrs. Kumkum Samaria and Ms. Gaytri Madhura. The former is an educationist and a freelance content writer with over 25 years of rich experience in the field of Education and a double masters degree in English Literature as well as in Education and the latter is a Senior Content Project Manager with Microsoft and also an alumnus of 2005 batch of the School.

As 30 speakers put forth their views, the Debate, being conducted online did not dilute the zeal and energy of the talented and budding orators, who gave cutthroat competition with their incisive arguments.

The judges commended the research and the passion shown by the participants in putting forth their arguments. They appreciated the nuanced and matured understanding of the orators.

The first position for Dr. Stya Paul Inter-school English Debate 2021 was bagged by Adwita Rajpal (Apeejay School, Noida) The second prize in the individual category was awarded to Shabd Chawla (Presidium School, Noida) and the third prize was shared by Ishmeet Kaur (Somerville School, Noida) and Kalpak Mohapatra (Apeejay School, Saket). The prestigious Rolling Trophy for Best Team was lifted by Step By Step School, Noida. The Vote of Thanks was proposed by Ms. Surabhi Gupta, Head of the Department, English.

For the fourth edition of the Smt. Rajeshwari Paul Inter-School Hindi Debate 2021, the motion for the house was “कड़े कानून का डर समाज में बदलाव ला सकता है।” With 30 participants, the debate was a power-packed show as the participants shared their views very enthusiastically. The judges invited for the Hindi debate were Dr. Meenakshi Sukumaran, a well-known face in the field of freelance writing in Hindi & recipient of more than 150 awards, and Ms. Shweta Rashmi working in CNN NEWS18 as an entertainment anchor. The judges appreciated the oratory skills of the participants. Anoushka Saxena, Apeejay School, Noida bagged first place as the Best Speaker. She and Manya Ranganathan of Apeejay School, Noida also bagged the Best Team trophy but being the host school, the trophy was given to the next deserving school - Sarla Chopra DAV Public School. The second position went to Pulak Sharma, J.B.M. Global School, Noida. The third position was won by Suhani Gupta, Sarla Chopra, DAV School, Noida. The Vote of Thanks was proposed by Ms. Ruby Bhatnagar, Head of the Department, Hindi.

Apeejay School, Noida organised the much-awaited annual, Inter-School cultural event - ‘Smt. Rajeshwari Paul Kala Sangam 2021 – an ‘Art, Music and Dance Festival’ on October 30, 2021, via the Zoom platform. Instituted in the fond memory of Smt Rajeshwari Paul ji, wife of our esteemed Founder Chairman, Dr. Stya Paul ji, the cultural fest provides a platform for children to explore their creativity in dance, music, and visual arts.

The event witnessed a plethora of creative and engaging activities for students of classes II to XI. Participants from 23 prominent schools of Delhi-NCR converged at this mega event to engage in an expressive outlet of artistry, talent, and skill. The event was graced by the presence of judges from the field of Art, Music, and Dance who added tremendous value to the program with their insightful inputs.

The Valedictory ceremony commenced with a floral tribute to Smt Rajeshwari Paul ji, followed by a graceful Invocation Dance. The Principal, Mr AK Sharma accorded a formal welcome to the judges. In his address, he reiterated that the event was a manifestation of the creative talent, craftsmanship, and artistry of all the participants and aimed to unleash their latent talent and aesthetic sensibility.

An array of events were conducted to stimulate the creativity, ingenuity, and talent of the participants. The event ‘Drawing and Colouring’, organised for students of classes II and III, witnessed a spectacular display of creativity and imagination. The event was judged by Ms. Dolly Aggarwal and the 1st position was awarded to Ridhima Aarya from Somerville School, Noida, followed by Aadya Jaitly from DPS, Noida, and Syon Saigal from Lotus Valley International School, Noida in the 2nd and 3rd position respectively.

The event ‘Photo-frame’ organised for students of classes IV AND V was also adjudged by Ms. Dolly Aggarwal. The 1st position was bagged by Hunar Juneja from Apeejay School, Faridabad, followed by Anshuman Dutta from Somerville School, Noida and Prisha Gupta from Apeejay School, Pitampura in the 2nd and 3rd position respectively.

To lend a creative platform to the budding artists, two individual events ‘Bottle Art with Shilpkar Clay’ and ‘Relief on Canvas with Shilpkar Clay’ were organized for classes VI-VIII and class IX respectively. The participants demonstrated originality of ideas, brilliant designs, and creativity. Ms.Kriti Sinha was the esteemed judge for both events. The 1st position in ‘Bottle Art with Shilpkar Clay’ was a tie between Ricky from Jaypee Public School and Chhavi Verma from Apeejay School, Noida. The 2nd and 3rd position was bagged by Noor Arora of Apeejay School, Pitampura and Anika Ghai of Somerville School, Noida.

In ‘Relief on Canvas with Shilpkar Clay’, the 1st position was awarded to Anshika Singh from Somerville School, Noida followed by a tie between Abha Deshpande of Lotus Valley International School and Manaya Singh of Apeejay School, Noida in the 2nd position. The 3rd position was secured by Souptik Bannerjee of Ryan International School, Mayur Vihar.

The event ‘Portrait (pencil shading)’ organised for the students of class XI, provided a stage for the budding artists to showcase their ingenuity, creativity, and incredible artistic techniques. The event was judged by Ms Sonali Gupta and the 1st prize was awarded to Shashwati Mazumdar from Somerville School, Noida, followed by Vrinda Garg from DPS, Noida and Eden Dawson from The Millennium School in the 2nd and 3rd position respectively.

In a bid to provide an opportunity to the young participants to showcase their prowess in music and dance three separate events ‘Clef in Nature’, a western singing competition, ‘Deepotsav’, a dance competition, and ‘Shrutiranjini’, a classical singing competition were organised for classes III-V and VI-IX respectively. The event ‘Clef In Nature’ was judged by Mr. Anmol Rai. The 1st position was bagged by Anakshi Ghosh from Sarla Chopra Dav Public School, followed by Athar Nazeer Ahmed From DPS, Noida in the 2nd position. The 3rd position was a tie between Kisha Yadav Of Somerville School, Noida, and Mahika Saini of Apeejay School, Noida.

‘Deepotsav’ was judged by Ms Aparna Shandheep. The 1st position was a tie between Saanvi Mishra from DPS Indirapuram And Khyati Malhotra from Apeejay School, Noida. The 2nd prize was secured by Kimaya Aggarwal from ASN Senior Secondary School while the 3rd position was a tie between Dishita Bagoria from Bal Bharti Public School, Noida, and Virika Jain from Apeejay School, Pitampura.

Mrs Lata Bhushan was the esteemed judge for the event ‘Shrutiranjini’ and awarded the first position to Divyanshi Madaan from Apeejay School, Pitampura, followed by Kripaa Bhardwaj from Somerville School, Noida, and Paavni Sethia from Lotus Valley International School in the second and third position respectively.

The coveted Rolling E-Trophy for Best Team was lifted by Somerville School, Noida, closely followed by Apeejay School, Pitampura, and DPS Noida in the second and third position.

The Honourable Judges, Ms Aparna Shandeep and Ms Sonali Gupta, both proud alumni of Apeejay School, Noida commended the budding talents for their zealous participation and efforts.

The event concluded with the Vote of Thanks proposed by the Head of the Music Department, Ms Mamta Sharma.

Noida, November 2, 2021: Diwali symbolises the spiritual victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance. The lights of Diwali signify a time to destroy all evils and give us the strength and the zeal to carry on with our goodwill for the rest of the year.

In consonance with these thoughts, the students of classes Nursery to V celebrated the festival with gaiety and merriment via the Zoom platform on November 1, 2021. The special assembly was also conducted in the multipurpose hall for the students of classes I to V on November 2, 2021.

The assembly began with a talk, thought and videos imparting knowledge about the ‘festival of lights’. The students also enjoyed the dance videos resplendent in the glory of ‘Deepotsav’, worshipping the goddess of wealth and good fortune. The students participated in a plethora of activities and promoted the idea of celebrating eco-friendly and pollution-free Diwali. Students wrote slogans and made posters on ‘Say No To Crackers’ to promote the idea of a sustainable environment. Students also spoke on the subject and developed social responsibility and civic skills.

The students also took out a rally with placards highlighting the importance of eco-friendly Diwali that aims to make a huge difference to the environment.

Principal, Mr. AK Sharma addressed the students to convey warm wishes for Diwali. Primary In-Charge, Ms. Smriti Samuel also reiterated the importance of creating a homogeneous environment of goodwill and happiness.

The celebrations perked up the feeling of togetherness and affection amongst all students.

The greatness of a culture can be found in its festivals.

Noida, October 23, 2021: The festival of lights, known as Deepavali or Diwali, is the biggest and the brightest of all the festivals. A festival marked by four days of celebration, Diwali is witnessed all around India and also celebrated in different parts of the world.

To keep the trend alive and to celebrate the spirit of the festival virtually, the Primary Department of Apeejay School, NOIDA organised several craft-making activities for the students of Classes I-V. The activities were held online via Zoom sessions from 8:30 am to 9:30 am.

To celebrate festivity and merry-making, the students of Class I made beautiful festive cards, exhibiting their imagination and creativity. The students of Class II enthusiastically indulged in decorating the diyas, showcasing their joy for the festival. The students of Class 3 made wall hangings, Class IV made bandhanwars and Class V prepared the Diwali lanterns. The students used biodegradable material to decorate the cards, diyas, wall hangings, bandhanwars, and lanterns to uphold the importance of sustainable development and ecological equilibrium. The students came up with aesthetically beautiful craftwork highlighting the traditional motifs symbolising the rich cultural heritage of India.

Principal, Mr. AK Sharma, and Primary In-charge, Mrs. Smriti Samuel praised the relentless efforts and creativity of the students.

The students proudly displayed their glorious craftwork and basked in the glory of this cultural fiesta. It was overall an enriching experience for all.