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Greenwood High International SchoolJan – Mar 2016 NewsletterGreetings from Greenwood High! Hope everyone had a wonderful spring break, and is nowready for this last quarter of the school year. School reopened in January 2016 with greatenthusiasm, and the 3rd quarter has been an extremely busy one. Even though thehighlights of these three months seemed to be the IB and IGCSE Mock exams, IAs anduploading the externally assessed assignments, students were busy with various activitiesthroughout, especially drama and gardening. Sports, student council election, music,language and math assemblies, the hugely successful Social Science Day, CAS leadershipcamps, TED Talks and theatre workshops, camps, and above all, Annie the musical havebeen as important as academics, keeping true to the Greenwood ethos of balancing studieswith co-curricular activities.Music Assembly -- January 13thOn the 13th of January, 2016, the Music students from Grade 9 to Grade 12 conducted theMusic Assembly with the theme being the ‘Benefits of Music’. The program started with thesong ‘Almost is Never Enough’ by Ariana Grande and Nathan Sykes followed by apresentation on the various benefits of music, from playing an instrument to music therapyto singing in a group. The band then demonstrated the method by which a song is built,starting with the pulse or tempo all the way to the singers accompanying the variousinstruments. The next segment was a medley of multiple genres of music such as pop, funk,jazz, hip-hop, reggae and metal. The program ended with a rendition of the famous song‘Hey Jude’ by the Beatles which helped the audience really feel the true benefits of music,because everyone joined in gleefully!The music students singing!1

Greenwood High International SchoolJan – Mar 2016 NewsletterTalent Show (MSP) -- January 19thThe MSP students displayed their talents on stage by singing, dancing, reciting poems andstaging acts. It was an entertaining event for the audience, and an opportunity for thetalented middle school students to perform for an enthusiastic crowd.Student Council ElectionThe nominees gave their persuasive speeches on January 8th, and began their vigorouscampaign. The entire school was festooned with posters, placards and banners,enumerating the enticing qualities of each candidate. The students and teachers ofGreenwood High voted for the candidates, and the student council was elected. On January20th, during the Investiture Ceremony, the Student Council of 2015-16 solemnly handedover the duties and responsibilities to the newly elected Student Council of 2016-17 . Thenewly elected student leaders are:School Captain:School Vice Captain:Pavan ChittaRuhi RameshSports Captain:Sports Vice Captain:Sports Prefect/Band Major:Kieran AdamsVeda PatnaikRishabh PonnappaRuby House Captain:Ruby House Vice Captain:Ruby House Prefect:Maya EapenRohan CherukuriAbraham AmritEmerald House Captain:Emerald House Vice Captain:Emerald House Prefect:Rahul KrishnanSanchita NarayanRahul AlluriTopaz House Captain:Topaz House Vice Captain:Topaz House Prefect:Rohan MullangiRiya AgarwalMohammed Ali2

Greenwood High International SchoolJan – Mar 2016 NewsletterSapphire House Captain:Sapphire House Vice Captain:Sapphire House Prefect:Siddharth PandiyaBhavana SreepadJosh MenonHindi Day (MSP) January 28thThe Hindi Assembly showcased the significance of the Indian National Language in aninternational academic curriculum. The invocation, the Hindi Divas Geet, led to aninformative show where the students brought forth the importance of water conservationthrough a poem and lessons on stress reduction through a short play. The students alsopresented dohe by Kabir, Rahim and Vrind, discussing the significance of universalbrotherhood. A Kathak performance based a on Krishna bhajan in Brij Bhasha (a dialect ofHindi) delighted the audience, and a dance performance on the colors of India was indeedbreathtaking. And how could Hindi be complete without a Bollywood song? A youngstudent sang a melodious number. Hindi Divas proved that indeed, the students areblending the local and the global.Robotics : January 30th-31stThe Greenwood High Robotics Team ‘Flaming Phoenix’ won the first prize in the FLLRobotics regional competition held at Chennai, and qualified for the NationalChampionship held in Delhi on 9th-10th February.The junior team (grade 8) performed well in the RoboCup Junior (23rd-24th Jan), held inDelhi, as well as in the ‘Rescue Robot’ event.The proud Robotics Team3

Greenwood High International SchoolJan – Mar 2016 NewsletterMock Exams (Grades 10th and 12th) Feb 8th-19thThe Mock Examinations had the students of grades 10 and 12 working hard, while the restof the school tried to remain quiet throughout the exam hours.Social Science Day: Feb 6thSocial Science Day was held in the International Block of Greenwood High for the first time,and it was solely dedicated to all the Social Science subjects – history, economics, business,psychology and geography. The day featured a quiz competition in Economics, a film inPsychology, a musical historical presentation of world events through popular songs.Students displayed their creativity and ingenuity in the advertising competition byadvertising interesting products made out of fused light bulbs. The FMCG (Fast-MovingConsumer Goods) stalls from the four houses ran robustly, competing to make the biggestprofit which would go to charity. With items ranging from baked treats to packets of chips,the tight race between the teams ended with Emerald making a mammoth profit of Rs7300.CAS Leadership Camp (Boys Feb 12-15) (Girls Feb 19-22)The students of grade 11 (in separate groups of boys and girls) visited Camp Quiet Cornerin Mudhumalai, (near the Tiger Reserve) Tamil Nadu as a part of a Leadership programorganized by the school. The students got the opportunity to get away from school and thecity, know each other in an informal and natural environment, and play games that taughtthem leadership, team work and trust.TheatreInternational Drama Festival, Kerala: Jan 11-13thThe drama students of grades 9, 10 and 11 went on a trip to Thrissur to watch theInternational Drama Festival, with their Drama teachers. The students watched differentplays, met the artistes, and got a few tips about what to keep in mind when directing andwriting scripts. The drama students were also able to see a black box theatre, which is usedfor experimental drama. They also visited Veda Academy to learn about the Kerala MartialArt form: Kalaripayettu, and visited a Jewish Synagogue in Cochin. Truly a trip immersed inculture.4

Greenwood High International SchoolJan – Mar 2016 NewsletterJagriti drama workshopThe Jagriti drama workshop for 8th graders taught everyone how to bring out the true actorwithin. Stage position, diction and a wide range of other assets were just a few of the pointsfocused on. Students learnt how to reach out to a larger audience. They also experiencedhow to manage props and costumes. The student’s plays, based on the Chennaideclaration, and the ill effects of anti-microbial resistance helped spread awareness aboutthe use of antibiotics and what precautions the public can take.Preparing for a show?AnnieAnnie, staged on March 4th and 5th, was the culmination of the hard work of the studentsand teachers. The departments of Drama, Music and Art truly showcased their immensetalents, and the audience was taken aback by the professional quality of the acting,direction, music and sets. Truly an amazing show!5

Greenwood High International SchoolJan – Mar 2016 NewsletterGlobe TheatreThe Globe Education, UK, in collaboration with Imbroglio Theatre, Bangalore, heldworkshops for both students and teachers.Teacher’s Professional Development: Mar 19thThe professional development workshop for the English and Drama teachers in GreenwoodHigh was conducted by Tas Emiabata from the Globe Theatre, and the objective of theworkshop was to incorporate ‘techniques for teaching Shakespeare’s text in class.’ Twentyexcited English teacher (from both the ICSE and International Curriculum blocks), and twoequally eager drama teachers participated in the workshop. Through the various activitiesthe teachers all got ideas on incorporating not only Shakespeare and theatre in teachingEnglish, but also ideas on how to invigorate the class with enthusiasm.The teachers with Tas EmbiataStudent Theatre Workshop: Mar 18-24The student workshop was held in five batches for students of middle school. After theintroductory theatre activities, Mr. Embiata merged Shakespeare’s texts, Julius Caesar andthe Merchant of Venice and the students learnt not only theatre and drama techniques ofenunciation, intonation, gestures and improvisation, but also communication skills thatthey can incorporate in all spheres of life. This workshop has certainly given the students asense of confidence in themselves.6

Greenwood High International SchoolJan – Mar 2016 NewsletterESL/German Assembly: Mar 2ndThe ESL/German Assembly was highly illuminating. The ESL students began the assemblywith presentation on the importance of English in the world, and how difficult it is to learnEnglish, yet these non-English speaking students are trying very hard to master thelanguage. The German students took us all through a tour of Munich, giving us a taste ofyummy German food, taking us to the Oktober Fest, giving us a glimpse of German fashionand shopping, and a tour of the BMW museum. Indeed, the assembly was a mini-tour ofGermany.MUN (MSP) Mar 8-9thThe MSP Model United Nations started off enthusiastically, with two committees: HRC andDISEC. The young delegates discussed the 2015 European Refugee Crisis. The students ofgrade 11 held a press conference with the delegates of China, DPRK, Syria, France, Braziland USA, asking about a particular problem in their respective country. The DISECcommittee meanwhile had been discussing about how to stop anti-state actors fromacquiring weapons of mass destruction, and had conducted their GSL and moderatedcaucus. Finally, the delegates got a chance to state their solutions. The MUN session closedwith an award ceremony.PIE Day: Mar 14thInternational PIE Day was celebrated in Greenwood High and began with a round of MathOlympiad. The Olympiad was followed by an interesting Quiz Show that focused on thelesser known facts of mathematics. The students of the different house teamsdemonstrated their knowledge of mathematicians, mathematical quotes and theories, andEmerald House won the event. After lunch, PIE day was celebrated with a treasure hunt forthe senior students, and a collage making and Math Bingo for the MSP students. Indeed PIEDay revealed that Mathematics can be a matter of merriment.7

Greenwood High International SchoolJan – Mar 2016 NewsletterHarvesting (Gardening Club MSP)Sowing, planting, waiting .The MSP Gardening Club, under the supervision of their teacher Mr. Manjunath, has beenvery productive. The students have harvested in this quarter what they had planted in thelast. The young students have not only had the chance to work and play in nature, but havelearnt crucial gardening skills in planting and harvesting bitter gourd, coriander,fenugreek, sunflower, cauliflower, and tomatoes And the money collected from the sale ofthese fresh, green (and other colored) produce has been saved for a charity. As you sow, soshall you reap!Sweet harvest of bitter gourd!8