Chettinad Harishree Vidyalayam

CHETTINAD HARISHREE VIDYALAYAM VAIDHURYAM VICTORIES TERM III NEWSLETTER

All the best children!!! Finally the day had dawned…The day everyone was waiting for!!! Interacting with you all for It was 31st of January, 2011 and the past year has been a we were going to YELAGIRI!!! A great experience filled with hill resort. For two days. And all fun and learning. I hope that by ourselves!!! Only with you all would have learnt classmates and teachers!!! something when I tried to Yay!!! correct you when any of you took a wrong turn or broke It was a great experience for the school rules. I am everyone. confident that you would be even better students next The bus started from school at year. 7.30 am and our first stop was the awe inspiring Vellore Golden The enthusiasm and talent Temple. Its dome made of pure that you all displayed in the gold. The pathway towards the Talent Fest was phenomenal. temple was in the shape of a star. After bowing our heads to All the best for the future. the Gods, we started out again. ----- Lola Acharya Soon we found ourselves going literally dizzy with excitement – what with the bus snaking up First we explored the resort. It bends and curves on the had a reservoir, and a park with mountains!! Finally we reached some beautiful musical our resort called Silent Waters. fountains that sprinkled With us around, that name of coloured water in different the hotel was sure going to patterns with music flowing with change!!! it.

We were the only guests in the The next day everyone woke up resort and my what a boisterous early and got ready to go lot we were!!! trekking, and by 6.30 we were trekking up the hill and it was

1 pretty tiring!!! But when we reached the top, we couldn’t believe our eyes!!! We were actually above the clouds!!! It was awesome! I could imagine myself flying above the clouds.

After that we came back down and all together we travelled 12 kilometers. After this tiring trek, we were left free to do whatever we wanted and we played games like football, badminton among others. We had lunch Standard VIII Students taught and oh, did I mention – the food us the poem `O Captain, My was awesome! Captain’.

At night we had a camp fire and Continuing with our ISA a get together, and our second Project, to understand poetries day in Yelagiri was over. of the world, this term we learnt the poem, `` O Captain, My Our final day in the beautiful Captain’’, a poem on the mountains off with all of us assassination of Abraham having breakfast and going to a Lincoln, the 16th President of silkworm factory. There we saw USA, who for the first time in the silkworms and each stage of the history of the country, had their life cycle. A guide abolished slavery of the African- explained the way silk was Americans. The poem, `O made. It was beautiful. Captain, My Captain’ was written by one of the greatest Once we were back, came the American poets, Walt Whitman. sad news - WE HAD TO LEAVE BACK TO CHENNAI!!! We had a We were taught the poem by final group photo and were off students of Class 8. This poet to Chennai to a boring life of had used metaphors to describe regular school… but I’m sure Abraham Lincoln, his popularity that this wonderful memory will and his sorrow stricken always be in our supporters. hearts...... Subiksha. The Students of class eight, explained how, where and why Abraham Lincoln was assassinated and the significance of the poem. They

2 also explained elaborately the meaning, the figures of speech, similes and metaphors used in the poem. I think conducting such a programme would have been a very good exposure for the students of class eight. They clearly explained the motives of the assassin.

The thing we found different was the way they taught was different from the way Acharyas teach. Archaryas always give examples from different stories. But the 8th graders did not do that as they lacked experience. But on the whole they made it quite interesting and we understood the poem, THANKS TO THEM!

Later we took a group photo. Overall we had a good time and Namaste. My name is Karunya found it useful – Shishira and Iyappan and I would like to Arvind Subramaniam share my experience with a session with Sir Robert Swan, the first man in history to visit the North and South Pole.

We assembled at the school on Joke: ) a Saturday morning and went to the Music Academy together. Santa: Why are you using a There, we met students from knife? other schools and we were all Banta: To commit suicide. given T-Shirts which increased Santa: Then why are u heating the awareness of it? Antarctica. Banta: To prevent infection. -- Aishwarya We went to the mini hall and we met the great Robert Swan. He shared with us his experience of his difficult journey to the North and South Pole.

3 Now, he collects funds to take received the saplings from the children between ages 16 to 25 hands of Mr. Swan himself and to Antarctica and they all go he praised us for waking up there on a mission to clean it early on a Saturday morning up. just to clean our environment.

When we reached the school, After the interactive session, we every single one of us learned were given our breakfast and how important it was TO SAVE we were THE EARTH!! taken to the Marina Beach. Here, we cycled for 2 km around the beach- the best athletic PICTURE THIS experience I've ever had, although it was very short period.

We cycled with our friends and met new people on the way. Although we were tired and got injured in a few places, the cycling was definitely an amazing encounter. We finally got to the main event of the session- cleaning up the Marina Beach. We found a huge variety of items- like paper, plastic and glass bottles, metal tubes, Pongal Celebrations started confetti and even diapers! with the cooking of Pongal for Luckily, we were all given the harvest festival of Tamil Nadu. protective gloves! Many visitors Joke:) of the beach encouraged us and Tess: When my grandpa passed praised us for cleaning up the away he left 10 million dollars beach. Len: When my grandpa died he But not just yet! For all our left 20 million dollars. hard work, Mr. Swan gave us a Fermi: That’s nothing, when my valuable gift. Each of us got a grandpa died he left the whole sapling to plant at our own world. homes. I think that this was a --- Aishwarya good way of telling all of us students to save the environment and to keep your city green and clean. We

4 maximum usage of Power Play was the winning streak. The match ended with a Four Every sport has its day!! Fifa delivered by Yuvraj Singh as the 2010 was one of the most crowd erupted with cheers. thrilling football World Cup in India was through to the semis history with the most against Pakistan. The other unexpected winner-team Spain. qualifiers were Sri Lanka, New The Olympics held in Beijing Zealand, and of were a huge hit. So were the course Pakistan. The first semi- CWG Games. finals was Sri Lanka Vs New Now, is the time for Cricket! Zealand, which, despite a The one day ODI World Cup wonderful effort by the Kiwis, organized by ICC was hosted was won by Sri Lanka led by jointly by India, Sri Lanka and Kumar Sangakkara. Bangladesh. The only time India has ever won the ODI world Cup Then came the day of that is held once in four years, reckoning. India VS Pakistan. was in 1983, with Kapil Dev as The old rivals. India played Capain. The big question was: astonishingly well. They were Will MS Dhoni lead team India able to exercise their supremacy to victory? over Pak thanks to their strong The tournament consisted of batsmen and able bowlers. fourteen major countries. Among which India, Pakistan, So it was India Vs Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, West Indies and in the finals! Dhoni Vs Australia had won the previous Sangakkara. A tense day with World Cups. Australia being a people dying to show their four-time champion was named support. People painting their threat even before the battle faces, their cheeks, only began. dressed in BLUE. BLEEDING It soon became evident that BLUE. Sri Lanka chose to bat. India, was one of the leading But India held them at 274. teams along with Australia, When it was India’s turn to bat, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, New Sri Lanka bravely defended their Zealand and South Africa. meager total. The quarter final set the With Malinga dropping wickets nailbiting mood. A face-off at light speed, Dhoni came in to between the Indians and the bat at the fall of four wickets. Aussies held at Motera, He played amazingly well and Ahmedabad. Australia almost shocked Sri Lanka. It was a won. Almost. But Yuvraj and close match. But it all came Raina saved the day. Their down to Four runs needed from

5 more than two overs. It was Everyone worked hard at easy. But Dhoni likes to end keeping the ball in play but things in style. He won the only a few of them managed to WORLD CUP with a SIX!!! take it to the finals. All the competitors became tired and There were cheers from all were covered with sweat sides! People celebrated! between each game, but the Bursting crackers, distributing winners proved to be really sweets. Indi made history as enthusiastic. As a competitor they were the first host country everyone felt proud playing with to win a world cup. Chak De the toughest TT players in India!!! – Radhika Nair school!!-- Praveen Srihari

During 10th of January, Monday our inter-school competition was held at our school. I belonged to Agni team, we had 5 players in our group but other groups had 6-7 players. In the beginning of the game I thought we were going to lose, and in the first round I played against Akash with some fear in my mind.

I did my best in playing the Our Class Assembly where we entertained the school with game, and fortunately we won spell bee and facts on human in the body! first round and we got selected for the finals. Then Prithvi played Vayu for the final round and with great effort defeated Vayu and met Agni in the finals!

I was again scared so I built my Our interhouse competition had confidences level and my aim to different games like table tennis win the competition. My friend , basketball , throwball and and me used our full strength badminton. Table tennis, though and threw the ball with great was the best. All the four force which the team could not houses performed well, manage to catch. In the end of especially Agni and Prithvi. the match we managed to win

6 the match, and Prithvi came will always be – Prasanthy second. Balasubramaniam.

Afterwards, Akash and Vayu played to occupy the 3rd and the 4th place. Akash won after a great struggle. I had a great time at school; this was the first time I got first place at an inter- school competition – P S DevDakshan

I picked badminton and this is what happened. The competition was held in the small pit which is meant for playing badminton. There were many rounds and then the semi - finals and the finals. All these rounds happened on three Our Principal Sumati different days. Acharya graced the function and wished our first batch Most of us had picked of Xth standard students all badminton. We all had to wait the best. until we were sorted into groups and given opponents. In the first two or three rounds, we had to play against an opponent who belonged to the same house as us. The people who qualified had to play against other One day in Chicago, U.SA there Better people in the semi – final lived a boy named John, he and the final. Luckily, almost lived in parkside and his parents nobody got hurt and the were not that rich and he did tournament went on well. home school and never knew what a school would be like. It was a really interesting John was a kind-hearted fellow competition and it was certainly and very shy. His neighbours fun to be a part of. It was also didn’t like him because he never pretty entertaining and hope it talked with them and never

7 showed his talent and made nervous as he enters the school. himself look as if he was a dead Everybody stares at him and leaf. John had many talents; he says “hey! There is a new boy in was a very good artist and a school” and all of them start to very good tennis player. So, this tease him. As he goes into the is how the story starts. class everybody gets seated in the front row and leaves the It starts with a cold winter back and dirty table for him. morning and John is sleeping in his bed when the window opens As he sits down he does not and the cool breeze comes in notice that there is a gum on his and hits John and wakes him up seat and sits on the gum and shivering. After john gets ready gets stuck to it and becomes the his mother shouts “John! I have laughing stock of the class. some thing important to tell After sometime the bell rings you”. John hates his mother and it becomes time for screaming. recesses when again his class students play a prank on him by His mother says that she has taking all his food out and got admissions in one of the putting in a toy spider in his best schools for John. John then lunch box. When he opens the starts feeling scared because he lunch box he jumps and runs has never stayed away from his and cries in fear. mother for a minute. He asks questions like how will I go to He runs home back crying and school? Will it be scary? Will I telling things like “I hate school! have friends etc? His mother I never ever want to go back to asks him to get ready quickly to school! His mother just tells him see the school, meet the that it is your first day at school teachers and get the books and and it will be bad but you will uniforms. get used to the school after sometime and blah blah blah. After John reaches the school he is astonished and surprised on He takes a bath, does his seeing the humongous size of homework eats dinner and the school and the number of sleeps in his room. In the children. First his mother takes middle of the night he is him to see his class teacher, his awakened by all things in the class teachers name was room coming to life and waking Mrs.Dhen. He goes back home, him up. The pencil, pen and plays in the evening and sleeps. eraser from his pencil box, the books, the school bag, his bed, Next day he wakes up and gets his tennis racket, and all the ready for school. He is very things in his room come to life

8 and are playing and talking. As and he is crying because he is soon as he wakes up, they all going to fail and get into greet him by saying that they trouble. are there to help him from the bullies in the school. First, the John cannot not believe his eyes pencil tells, if any body bullies, after realizing that his dream call “pencil” and I will pop at has actually come to life and them. Next the eraser tells, if that there is magic in his school any one bothers you, call bag. This makes him very “eraser” and I will erase all their confident, brave and mature. work from their books. The books tell John to call for help He goes home and explains to and that the books will his mother about his magical magically mix up all the bullies’ power and goes to sleep. In the books and they will not be able middle of the night, all the to study. magical things say goodbye to John and tell that they come John is very thrilled happy and from a different planet for the jumping with joy as he has a kids who needed them and they solution for his problem. When felt that they were not needed he wakes up he finds it was a anymore because John was now dream but he is still happy. strong in mind and very confident to deal with any John gets ready and goes to problems in school and outside school the next day and when of home- Roshan Shivakumar he gets to class it was English period and the teacher tells them to write a 2000 page story. While John is writing an essay a tall boy comes and Monsoon snatches his pencil away, he is afraid and told to himself Monsoon “eraser”, “eraser” help me and Time to have fun, then came the eraser jumping without the sun. from the pencil box with complete vigor and strength, In the monsoon, walked into the bullies school it will be raining soon. bag and starts to erase all the There ‘will be no need, writings. to go to the pool. It is amazing because the next and we’ll have no school. day the bully comes to school I’m sure to enjoy, crying and weeping that the fabulous monsoon. magically all his work was lost

9 -Harini encouragement. We go to the next class with greater confidence in ourselves and we HAIKU are sure that you will always be Friendship is golden there for us whenever we need Cherished above all treasures you. Binds us together We love you, Acharyas. Thank The Night falls you again. We hope you teach The moon shines brightly us next year as well. Peace prevails. From Aishwarya, Arvind, People excel in Avinash, DevDakshan, Incredible India Fatima, Harini, Kaavya, The land of greatness Harish, Karunya, Nikhil, Green, blue and red prashanthy, Praveen, Festival of holi comes Radhika, Rasika, Shreyas, Bringing happiness Roshan, Sriram, Subiksha, -- Aishwarya Sruthi, Vaishally, Shishira, Anand.

Thank you, Lola Acharya, Sahana Acharya, Shivagama Sundari Acharya, Kunjalata MEMORIES OF YELAGIRI Acharya, Bharati Acharya, Pushpalata Acharya, Sasirekha Acharya, Seema Acharya, Sundar Sir, Nirmal Raj Sir, Tamil Selvi Acharya, Nagapriya Acharya, Shilpi Acharya for being kind and patient with us.

For teaching us why it is necessary to study, to be good students and for bearing with our naughtiness and our mischief. You taught us to be responsible, and gave us freedom to take our decisions.

Thank you for your continuous appreciation and

10 Joke :)

Teacher: What’s the chemical formula of water? Student: HIJKLMNO Teacher: huh? Student: Yesterday you said that the formula of water was H to O.

Neil: My uncle was extremely brave. He once entered a lion’s cage. Asha: He must have got a lot of applause after he came out. Neil: I didn’t say he came out. --- Aishwarya