After months of doubt and uncertainty of when the school would reopen and whether or not the school would ever reopen, we received a message stating that the school would be reopening on the 8th of September, 2021. At first, I was conflicted and had mixed feelings because I sat in front of my laptop screen for so long that I wasn't sure if I would be able to socialize with my friends anymore. Despite that, I couldn't wait to get back to school. I was elated knowing I could finally meet my teachers and friends whom I have only seen on the screen for the past many months. I felt relieved knowing that learning would once again become easier since the experiential learning method of Sherwood would resume. We were finally back at school and since the first day there hasn’t been a single dull moment. We got to share our thoughts and exchange ideas, and learned the right way to use the equipment in the chemistry lab for future experiments. Physical classes are allowing us to improve our practical knowledge of the subject which helps us learn better. But what makes coming back to school even better is getting to play games and being back on the playground. This year's been a rollercoaster ride and being back at school is the highest point of the ride.
- Sindhura Marty, XII
Paralympics are the international multi-sport events, conducted every four years, involving athletes with physical disabilities.
India made its debut at summer Paralympics in 1968 and competed in 1974 too. After the interlude till 1984, India continued to participate in all the Summer Paralympics. India has secured 31 medals in total (9 Gold, 12 Silver, 10 Bronze).
The 2020 Summer Paralympics saw India's best-ever medal haul with a total of 19 medals (5 Gold, 8 Silver and 6 Bronze). Shooting emerged as the biggest contributor with five medals, followed by high jump and badminton with four each.
A great deal of effort and endurance of the athletes and the coaching team resulted in finest performance.
Here are some stories of few players that inspire us:
19 year old Avani became the first athlete to secure 2 medals in Paralympics. She got paralyzed from waist down due to an accident that occurred when she was 12 year old. Avani was traumatized and remained angry all the time due to her disability. Avani’s father joined her in a shooting academy so that she can distract herself from the anguish and find confidence. Like her father’s wish Avani started concentrating on the sport and soon became skilled at it. Her trainer told that she used to gather her courage and remain strong even under difficult situations and trained hard for 5 hours every day.
(Air Rifle-Gold-10m air rifle, bronze-50m air rifle,Tokyo Paralympics)
Sumit was 17 years old, when he lost his left leg from below the knee due to a bike accident. Sumit said that he had avoided everyone after the accident and lived alone in agony. He hated people looking at him differently so he used to come out of his room only at nights. Sumit lived a depressed life until he came across Javelin in Delhi. He said that once he started practicing the sport; he was introduced to a new life. He wanted to achieve recognition and parity with normal people. He recollected in an interview that he used to take a bus from his college to the training centre and his other leg would get numb with pain. He also spent all his pocket money to move to Switzerland and get proper training. He trained hard for years to prove himself and now his success shows off.
( Javelin throw-gold, Tokyo Paralympics 2020)
Devendra had become the only Indian Athlete to secure two gold medals in the Paralympics. But his journey was not an easy one. He lost his left arm after electrocution from a live electric cable which he accidentally touched while climbing a tree. Devendra said in an interview that he was initially assumed dead after the accident but later lost his arm. He did not dare to step out of his home as his friends would taunt him about his disability. Wherever he went, he received unwanted stares and was bombarded with questions about his arm. So, he completely locked himself in his home when his mother motivated him to pursue Javelin to regain confidence. Devendra slowly overcame his fears, concentrating on creating a full time career in Javelin throw. After all the hard work, he finally got a chance to represent his country and successfully bagged two gold medals.
(Javelin Throw-Gold, RIO Paralympics, Gold Tokyo Paralympics)
Bhavina is the first table tennis player and second woman to win a medal at Paralympics. She won the silver medal after losing to Chinese Player Ying Zhou. Bhavina was born into a lower middle class family of 5 children. Despite financial instabilities, she was operated to treat Polio but the surgery did not yield any results. She has taken up the sports to maintain fitness and found her passion in it. She dedicated herself to the sport and worked hard every day, climbing every step to the Paralympics silver medal.
Table tennis-Silver(2020 Summer Paralympics)
The players had to overcome a long path of physical and mental challenges to achieve these great goals.
In spite of all the struggles and hard work put in by the athletes in the Paralympics, we fail to recognize them properly. The athletes and the sports don’t get the attention which they deserve. Paralympics changes the public perception of people with disabilities. Their efforts are highly commendable and their achievements make us proud. These athletes prove that determination and hard work are stronger than the disability. The next Paralympics will take place in 2024 at Paris, France. It is not just their effort but also our motivation that helps them play better. So let’s congratulate all the athletes who played in the Paralympics and encourage them to continue and do well in the upcoming Paralympics.
- Harshitha G, XII
Covid The Saviour by G Harshitha (XII)
It was undoubtedly an exciting moment when CCMB announced an Open Day Webinar from 21 to 26 September 2021.The heart of all major research and innovation, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology or CCMB is one place where all the aspiring biologists would definitely love to be a part of.
The webinar was conducted as part of the Foundation Day celebrations of CSIR.
Top scientists discussed the research they do in life sciences like cytology, biomolecules and its functions. There were talks on ‘how to be a scientist’, ‘how to find the right information’ and competitions for school children, besides answering questions posed by students.
Director Dr. Vinay K. Nandicoori formally began the proceedings on the first day (Sept.23) followed by discussions on model organisms like mice, fruit fly and frog by former Director Rakesh Mishraand Sonal Jaiswal. Megha Kumar shed light on the Zebrafish facility and how they use it to research on cancer. Dr. Mishra’s talk on ‘DNA- the thread of life’ was fascinating like how to manipulate DNA for a better living organism.‘Genetics and diagnostics’ talks by Chandok were also engaging.
Second day we had interesting talks about cell biology by V. Radha, Chandrasekhar on embryos, Jyotsna Dhawan on muscle stem cells and its uses for a cure, Amitabha Chattopadhyay on novel drug targets, Rajan Sankaranarayanan on structural view of life in 3D.
Third day we saw talks on human diseases related to neurology by Anant Patel, heart by Regalla and malaria by Puran S Sijwali. Rice varieties, cross breed and diseases by Hiten Patel and Atal. Incubation Centre by N Madhusudan Rao. We even had two competitions with a cash prize, one was a quiz and the other to make a catch phrase. The quiz competition was interesting, as each question had a fixed time (18 sec) and the faster you answer, the more points you get. It was encouraging for me personally, as I was awarded second prize in the quiz.
On the Last day of the program, we had talks on ecology and biogeography by Jahnvi Joshi and Meghna Krishnadas while Karthikeyan Vasudevan spoke on human-snake conflict, difference between venomous and poisonous. G Umapathy explained in detail about bio-tools in conservation.
Every day had something new and interesting to offer, it opened the doors to the ocean of possibilities available in the field of molecular biology. It exposed us to fields and studies that we never knew had existed.
The webinar was an enticing and enterprising journey. It expanded the horizon of knowledge in cellular functions and molecular structures. It has fired up our neurons in stimulating the curiosity to acquire more insight in life sciences.
- Melvin Shaji, XI
The earth is all we have, yes.
Mankind must give it all to save mother earth and that is possible only if all of us cooperate.
The environment is precious and plays a key role in human growth and development. Our lives depend on the quality of the environment we live in and to lead a healthy life it is our duty to take care of nature in all ways possible. A safe and healthy environment will not only benefit us physically but also will help us stay positive and active mentally, since a good and peaceful environment impacts our mood and thought processes and it is always good to stay in fresh surroundings. Nature plays a vital role in the young generation’s lives. Since children grow up by observing their surroundings, a pure environment will have a positive impact on their young minds and will help them grow well.
To make mother earth a safe place, we can help in our own personal ways and the government can take up necessary programs to make a global change. On a personal level, the best thing we can do is planting trees since they play a key role in making earth a better place by providing fresh air to breathe, fruits to eat and shade to live in.
There are multiple ways how even children can help in making earth a better place. Plastic water bottles can be switched to aluminum or copper, rechargeable batteries can be used for remote controls and use recyclable pencils.
The government can take up sustainable development as a challenge and make our lives better by keeping the future generations in mind.
On World Ozone Day, the interactors of Sherwood Public School went ahead and made a video regarding the preservation of the Ozone Layer and educated us about the topic, it was a great initiative. Click on the link below to watch the video:
It is not impossible to make earth a heavenly place, we must all do it together because teamwork makes the dreamwork.
“If we believe in possibilities and hope, even when the unexpected happens we will not lose our way, but discover a new one.” - RM, at the 76th United Nations General Assembly in relation to the Sustainable Development Moment.
- B Trisha Raj, XI