Established in 1936 The Doon School “I sketch your world exactly as it goes.” -Arthur Foot November 24, 2018|Issue No. 2521 sUNDIAL Ravana, our leader! COLLABORATING WITH OUR SISTERS The history of the sundial in front of The revelations of a twelve-year old A report on the recently concluded the Main Building. leadership analyst. Collabs. Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Why Do SC’s Not Meet Their Predicteds? Aayush Chowdhry examines the issue of a lack of academic time given in School. Sure, a few, having ascertained the Founder’s frenzy: an entire Lamentably, academics lose out their futures, get complacent and month academically hampered as and our efficiency takes a toll. stop studying, a phenomenon most classes were empty because Now, what is the perfect experienced worldwide. With boys were excused classes for way to exacerbate an already some introspection, one could practices, and first two schools bleak academic situation: an also argue that the entire system were cancelled. In retrospect we uncalendered TOK/EE week! of predicting on the basis of an realise that, essentially, we have Desperate to finish syllabi before incomplete syllabus, and without had two weeks of academic time year ends, teachers can’t help but practising all papers (paper 3s and in April (mid-terms and activity keep extra classes. Since, there paper 2s) or significant progress week), three weeks in May (as the exists no scheduled time for co- on internal assessments may be last week is drilled with exhaustion curriculars and evening classes flawed. However, we have, for far and activities), three weeks in already bogging down the poor too long, generalised these reasons August (DSMUN!) and one week SC’s sacrosanct toye, teachers feel to rationalise why SCs don’t meet in September. With October being compelled to keep classes at times predicted grades. Regrettably this non-existent and only November where responsibility jails an SC. creates a false perception and left to finish a large chunk of the Personally, even with an injured overlooks an institutional problem syllabus, every class went into hand, I couldn’t attend a week of that needs to be addressed. hyper-drive. However, with the extra classes after lunch as I was to slew of activities such as Inter- hold basketball practices that begin House Athletics, Badminton, at three and ensure the house’s Desperate to finish Boxing, Squash, Tennis, tennis games begin. Similarly, my syllabi before the Basketball, Table Tennis, Golf, friends couldn’t fit in all games Poetry recitation, Quiz, Hindi and activities - everything began at year ends, teachers debating, English debating, Chess three, from badminton to debating. can’t help but keep and the numerous other School The turnout for these paramount level activities, every SC finds syllabus-finishing extra classes was extra classes. himself responsible for something not even half the class strength; or the other. The contention yet teachers had no choice but to here is also that everyone wants continue, creating the illusion of a Grades were generously their activities to not only be held finished syllabus while the majority predicted, primarily, on the basis but also conform to the highest of the class in reality hadn’t. of SC Form September Trials. standards. The sheer quantity of Further, after the week was up, However, half the syllabus of events, coupled with the clerical SCs were categorically warned of the year (not even of IB) was demand of college applications the repercussions if their EEs and tested, which was also met with means an SC steals time, which IAs weren’t complete: cancellation heavy opposition from the invariably compromises his health, of outings, as if it was so because students. Post trials, we witnessed relationships and well-being. (Continued on Page 3) 2 the doon school weekly swift shuttlers future olympians The School Badminton Team participated in the The School Athletics Team participated in the All Gems District Badminton Tournament between India IPSC Athletics Meet held at PPS Nabha, the November 17 and 18. Following are the results: between 12th and 14th of November. The team Aditya Agarwal reached the Quarter-Finals in the finishedsecond overall. Following are the results: Under 14 category. Viksit Verma won Gold medals in the 100 and 200 Mayank Kukreti reached the Quarter-Finals and metres race. Adhiraj Palaitha won a Gold medal Krish Agarwal lost in Semi-Finals in the Under 17 in shot-put. Anish Bhide won a Gold medal in category. the javelin throw and Silver in the discus throw. In the Under 17 Girl’s category, Aadita Chauhan Siddhant Singhania won a Silver medal in the 5 km emerged Runner-Up. cross-country, and a Bronze medal in the 5000 metres race. Well played! A team comprising Aditya Singh, Nandil Sharma, Darsh Garg and Viksit Verma won a Gold medal in knowledge our light the 4 x 100 metre relay. Aayush Chowdhry has been awarded the Scholar’s A team comprising Harsh Sethi, Darsh Garg, Aditya Blazer. Singh and Ajay Pratap Grewal won a Gold medal in the 4 x 400 metre relay. Kudos! Well done! Sporting successes The Games Blazer was awarded to Aditya Singh, Curators of the fine arts Ajay Pratap Grewal, Kabir Kochar, Darsh Garg, The following are the appointments for the Mayank Sojatia , Ram Attri and Siddhant Singhania. VIBGYOR for the year 2018-19: Congratulations! Editor-in-Chief: Raghav Kediyal Editor: Anay Krishnan Behind the scenes The following are the Boys-in-Charge of the AV Congratulations! Squad for the year 2018-19: Kush Agarwal a year in a frame Madhav Mahajan The following are the appointments for The Nirmit Dalmia Yearbook for the year 2018-19: We wish them a fruitful tenure! Editors-in-Chief: Arjun Bajwa and Nandil Sharma Senior Editors: Shiv Sharma and Vikram Jain Everyone thinks of changing“ the world, but no Chief-of-Design: Shreyas Minocha one thinks of changing himself. We wish them a fruitful tenure! Leo Tolstoy Bleeding Blue Saatvik Anand Saturday, November 24 | Issue No. 2521 the doon school weekly 3 (Continued from Page 1) who has maintained a relatively our identity because of this. We they hadn’t worked. The case, in good academic profile throughout must ask ourselves: How can we reality, was that we effectively had School, and at the moment I don’t plan better? Why does the calendar only three days of the TOK/EE think I will achieve my predicted face the same problems repeatedly week, as the next three days we were grade. This problem extends to year after year? Why are there to sit through the presentations. regular college applications too; more than twenty parallel things Even during the week, we were some may get complacent after happening in School during crunch to get absent marks if we hadn’t their Early Applications but the academic time? Can we perhaps reported at the start and end of large majority just can’t work on distribute the various inter-house every class. Boys spent hours just them. Even in ISC, masters were activities? Is sending SC Formers getting their absent marks cut forced to cover a 600-page book in home really an issue? These are as they spent the day doing an a mere twenty days this term, and some difficult questions that need experiment or exploration. Our external help becomes a necessity. thinking about. Last Saturday’s supervisors also had other classes This shows that somewhere assembly and having consulting to attend to, and it was unrealistic there exists a systemic flaw as boys (although some were clueless to expect a first draft, let alone no institution that claims to be D Formers) during the calendar any substantial progress; one primarily academic should suffer making process were right steps couldn’t possibly move past data like this. That flaw can, arguably, be in that direction. Notwithstanding, collection. During the time after summed up in one word: planning. until we sit, introspect, listen to dinner, where one could meet their Candidly, I don’t claim that we feedback (and make a concerted supervisor, it wasn’t uncommon SCs are impeccably efficient or effort to execute it), and empathise for an SC to find himself required model students; we are far from (in the rational sense of the word), to simultaneously attend a Physics, it. But, should we reduce ourselves nothing can be achieved. Math, and English extra-class; to work-machines? Sitting and We all must take our share cancellations of any one of which laughing with friends and masters, of accountability which has were as probable as life itself. batoing gyaan to juniors, and adding contributed to this outcome, and In all of this, isn’t it unfair that value to people’s lives are what appreciate our masters for all the we create a perception, based on truly matter and make Chandbagh effort they put. However, we are a few exceptions, of SCs as being special. It is about time we all bound by the dictates of an detached from School life? We recognised that lack of planning institution striving for perfection start viewing SCs as complacent is much more inveterate than we in all domains and we need to after September and repeatedly perceive it to be and we are losing urgently plan better in order to chide them for it. I am a student out on certain defining aspects of effectively articulate our goals. Sundial Jaiveer Misra explains the history and working of the sundial in front of the Main Building. On my way past the Art and Media enables the shadow cast by the goes four minutes off as we cross centre, or the Science Block, I often sun to correspond to the number each longitude in the time zone.