INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATIONS

Independence Day was celebrated with great fervour in school on the morning of August 15th. The Chief Guest, Mrs. Lily Thomas hoisted the flag. This was followed by a lively programme put up by the students. With sweets in hand and flags on their shirts, everyone left with the strain of Vande Mataram reverberating in their ears.

SCHOOL EXCURSION- STD.12
Tuesday, Sept 25,2007-Std.12 leaves on their last school excursion accompanied by Mr. Robert Ravi, Mrs. Prema Bhatt and Mrs. Geetha Rajan

8am 26th Sept- We are off-loaded at Kottayam and stop off at Hotel Arcadia for breakfast and a wash , before a five hour drive to Thekkady with a refreshing stop at a waterfall on the way. Checked into Hotel Aranya Nivas, Thekkady, by 5 p.m.and spent the evening relaxing,settling in and enjoying the hotel located in the wilds, proximal to the river.

27th Sept.- We went for an early morning boat ride on the Periyar river- saw herds of elephants bathing and having fun. An adventurous group of 30 set off enthusiastically on a trek, undeterred by the disclaimer we had to sign. With our anti-leech foot gear, salt, sticks, and exchanging advice we sub divided into groups of five, each with a guide, and completed a long trek with each group having its share of excitement and near misses.
3 p.m. -Delayed by the bandh we left for Munnar, and checked into Sterling Resorts by 8p.m.

28th Sept.-An unforgettable jeep ride, visit to a tea factory and another trek were organized. Some who had participated in the first trek, stayed back and enjoyed the recreation facilities at Sterling Resorts including rock climbing. That evening was formal night with all the excitement that accompanies it.

29th Sept.- Our last day- and the end of trip , particularly last school excursion, regret was beginning to seep in. There was still plenty to do - lunch at Hotel Wyte Fort, Cochin, a cruise on the backwaters ,a visit to the Dutch fort in Jew Town, a tussle with the illegal occupants of our seats on the train trip back, card games, etc. and people generally trying to squeeze out the last ounce of fun.

7a.m., Sunday 30th Sept.- Back at Central Station with mixed feelings- memories of a good trip and sadness that one more milestone of school life had slipped by.

SCHOOL EXCURSION- STD. 11

The excursion started with a group pf highly excited teenagers waiting at Higginbothams in the station for their trip to begin. Once everyone arrived we set off for our train, where we quickly found compartments for ourselves and our friends. An overnight train ride later we found ourselves sleepy and disheveled in Mysore, where we divided ourselves into three buses, which took us for a breakfast, and much needed wash and change in Sri Guru Residency hotel.

After this, looking much fresher, we embarked on a long bus ride to Masinagudi bear mountain forest resort we arrived there in time for lunch, missing one bus – which had had a minor crisis when the engine overheated and it stalled, and were shown to our very nice rooms. We were soon joined by the rest of our party and were given the rest of the day off to rest and explore the beautiful resort. The day passed in hysterical laughter, volley ball with Rajendran sir and more fun! It ended perfectly with a bonfire and a small neon lit dance floor where we could release some more of our seemingly boundless energy. We then had dinner and went to sleep.
The next day we woke up early for a two and half km trek through a beautiful forest, ending in a short climb to the top of a hill from which we got a panoramic view of the surrounding countryside. After taking pictures we returned for breakfast and a short drive to tusker trails resort in Bandipur.

Here, we were assigned our cottages, named after rivers, and then had a tasty lunch. We then sat in groups and talked or played till the time came for our jungle safari. We got into the safari buses, cameras at ready, careful to keep silent so as to not disturb the animals, only to see deer deer and more deer. We did see remains of a tiger’s kill though, which was exciting!
The next day we went for another trek, this time through scrub instead of forest. It was refreshing and we enjoyed it! We then left the resort, sadly, for Mysore. At Mysore we reached Sri Guru Residency for lunch and then went to Ranganathitu bird sanctuary, where we took boat rides to look at all the water birds and crocodiles! There we walked around for a while taking in the breathtaking plants and birds and also had a snack in it’s café! We then went to the tomb of Tipu Sultan in Srirangapatnam which was splendid with its intricate carvings and architecture.

We proceeded to the train station where we got into the carriage, bidding goodbye to our fun filled ‘jungle’ adventure!!

SCHOOL EXCURSION- STD. 10

We, the students of class 10, visited Hampi on our excursion this year. Located in Karnataka, Hampi was the last capital of the great Hindu kingdom of Vijayanagar. At Hampi, every stone has a story to tell. We visited a number of temples and even the Queen's palace, and each of these places had innumerable myths and legends woven around them. We had a chance to view the torrential Tungabhadra River and the Dam. Our resort, "The Boulder's", as the name suggests, was characterized by fascinating boulders which left us spellbound. The many boulders situated around the resort gave us a chance to do a lot of enjoyable trekking. Hampi, which is also one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites, definitely lived up to our expectations as one of the most prosperous and flourishing ancient civilizations of the world.