ACHIEVEMENT -- 13:

ST ANTONY’S STUDENTS BAG GOVT’S NMM SCHOLARSHIP

 

By P S SUNDAR 

 

Six students of the Government-aided St Antony’s Higher Secondary School, Coonoor, have done proud to their institution and parents by winning the coveted National Means cum Merit Scholarship (NMMS) of Government of India.

School’s Headmaster Bro Dr Thomas Selvam honoured them with cash prize and certificate in the presence of their parents.

“The students – Franklin, Nitheeswar, Rishal, Ravishankar, Abuthakir and Dharshan – got the scholarship by successfully clearing the relevant competitive exams guided by teachers – George, Velanakanni and Leema”, the Headmaster said.

“These students are now studying in IX standard and this Scholarship comprises ₹ 48,000 to each student to complete his higher secondary course at the rate of ₹ 12,000 per year for four years from now”, he detailed.

(Response can also be sent to: pssundar.coonoor@gmail.com)

 

 CONTEMPORARY -- 1

CORONA PANDEMIC MANAGEMENT:

SCHOOL HEADS URGE PARENTS NOT TO LET CHILDREN PLAY OUTSIDE

 

BY P S SUNDAR 

 

In the context of corona second wave infecting children and experts calling for special care to protect children, Heads of Schools in The Nilgiris have urged parents not to let their children play outside especially with other children during the ongoing lockdown.

 

“Reports have it that some 50,000 children have already been infected by this deadly disease and some 12 and 13 year olds have died in various places in the country calling for more responsible parenting during this lockdown”, Principal of Stanes Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School, Coonoor, Glenn Croning told me.

 

“We have strictly advised parents to ensure that their children stay indoors during this lockdown”, he said.

 

“As the Chief Minister M K Stalin said, ‘this is not leave but lockdown’.   The very purpose of closing the schools is to protect children from Covid-19 but if they are let to play with other children outside, it defeats the purpose of closing schools and exposes the children to getting infected”, Principal of St Joseph’s Boy’s Higher Secondary School and Academy Bro Solomon Alexander said.   

 

“I am addressing parents to be cautious on this”, he said.

 

“Recently, we took measures to prevent some of our students from going for work as lockdown has hit the family income but we also notice some parents letting their children play in the open to drive away lockdown boredom”, Headmaster of Government-aided St Antony’s Higher Secondary School Bro Dr Thomas Selvam said.

 

“We do not want even a single student to suffer from corona especially due to the negligence of parents and have warned them”, he noted.

(response can be sent to: pssundar.coonoor@gmail.com)

 LANDMARK -- 4:

GOVT OF INDIA CONFERS ‘FIT INDIA SCHOOL’ TITLE TO GURUKULAM SCHOOL.

By P S SUNDAR 

 Gurukulam School which has been imparting quality English medium education to rural children in Agalar village of Thuneri circle near Ooty has been conferred the title of ‘FIT INDIA SCHOOL’ by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports of Government of India.

 

The Chief Educational Officer of The Nilgiris district Nasimudeen handed over the relevant certificates to Gurukulam Correspondent N Arjjunan and Principal Sureshkumar in the presence of District Educational Officer Pandiarajasekharan in Ooty.

The Chief Educational Officer Nasimudeen (right extreme) presenting ‘FIT INDIA SCHOOL’ certificates to Gurukulam School’s Correspondent Arjjunan (second right), Principal Sureshkumar (second left) in the presence of District Educational Officer Pandiarajasekharan (left extreme) in Ooty. 

“This follows the appreciation of the Government of the equal importance we give to academics and extra-curricular activities”, Arjjunan told me.

 

“We encourage all our students to participate regularly in any of the various sports activities.  In particular, all students are given yoga practice by lour teachers who hold Masters degree in yoga. Many of our students have bagged awards in various yoga contests”, he explained.   

 

The Government has confirmed that the school can henceforth use FIT INDIA flag and logo.

(Response can also be sent to: pssundar.coonoor@gmail.com)

 LANDMARK -- 3:

ST JOSEPH’S CALENDAR MOTIVATES STUDENTS TO THINK POSITIVE

 By P S SUNDAR 

 

After prolonged lockdown and online classes, when the 133-year-old St Joseph’s Boys’ Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School as also St Joseph’s Academy (for ICSE and ISC) re-opened for Tenth and Plus Two classes following Government orders, the school has welcomed each student with a wall calendar for 2021 on the theme ‘Positive Thinking’.

This is highly relevant in the current Covid-19 pandemic to uphold the morale of the students and keep them focussed on winning in life.

 

“We are paying special attention now to motivate the students to replace negative thoughts, especially arising from Corona-related issues, with positive ones to get positive results”, St Joseph’s Principal Bro Solomon Alexander told me.

“Underlining that ‘positive thinking’ changes our behaviour, we are counselling the students that even the darkest nights will end as the sun rises and optimism is a ‘happiness magnet’.  If you stay positive, good people will be drawn to you, we repeatedly tell the students”, he said.

“With this thought, we have designed this year’s calendar devoting each page to a positive aspect like leadership, dreaming vision, forethought, synergy, innovation, changing future with technology, exquisiteness, Art and Culture and compassion”, he disclosed.

“We also focus on contemporary aspects of hygiene and well being”, he added.

 

The calendar measuring 27 inches x 17 inches carries pleasing pictures of the infrastructure of the school hailed as an icon of Coonoor.

(response can also be sent to: pssundar.coonoor@gmail.com)

 

ACHIEVEMENT -- 12:

MUJAMIL WINS NATIONAL MEDAL AGAIN; GETTING TRAINED FOR OLYMPICS

P S SUNDAR

A Mujamil (21) of Boys Company area near Coonoor has brought laurels to The Nilgiris and Tamil Nadu state yet again – this time by winning Bronze Medal in the 59^th National Open Athletic Championship held in Ranchi.

“Mujamil has scripted a new chapter in the sporting history of The Nilgiris as he is the first from this district all these years to win a Medal in Open Athletic Nationals in 800-metres running race”, his coach Mohammed Azarudeen told me.

 “He is also the first in the last 12 years to win a Medal for Tamil Nadu in 800 metres running event in Open Athletic Nationals”, he said.

Mujamil (left) and Azarudeen

“In August, I won Silver Medal in National Inter-state Senior Athletic Championship.  So, this is my second National Medal in two months.  I am happy to have brought laurels to the Tamil Nadu Athletic Association”, said Mujamil.

In March, he had won Gold in the Chief Minister’s trophy athletics and received the trophy and cash award of ₹ one lakh from the CM.       

“When I was a student at St Antony’s Higher Secondary School in Coonoor, I had won Gold in 800 metres and Silver in 1,500 metres at state level”,  recalled  Mujamil who has completed his college study in English Literature. He had also won Medals at university level athletic meets.

“I attribute my success to the high-altitude training received from my coach Mohammed Azarudeen because this training has given me the confidence to win in National and International level sporting competitions”, he said.

“Considering the consistent winning of Mujamil, the Sports Authority of India (SAI) has chosen him for the Indian national Camp to be held in Patiala.   This will hone up his nuances to win Medal in the Senior Athletic Championship in March 2020 which will form the selection ground for 2020 Tokyo Olympics”, said Azarudeen, a certified coach of International Association of Athletic Federation who has trained a candidate each for Rio Olympics and Junior Youth Olympics.

Azarudeen has just returned from Indonesia after attending a fully-sponsored lecturers’ training programme for coaches.

It was a pleasure to see these youngsters being complimented by another Coonoor-residing international award winner Pooja Singh Yohan who has just returned from Greece after winning ‘Triple Crown’ in Haut Monde Mrs Worldwide 2019’ finals – First Runner-up (South), Mrs Style Icon and Mrs Porto Carras, Greece, making her the first woman from The Nilgiris all these years to win three titles in one international contest.

(Response can also be sent to: pssundar.coonoor@gmail.com)

ACHIEVEMENT -- 11:

ST ANTONY’S HEADMASTER RECEIVES ‘MAHATMA GANDHI AWARD’

By P S SUNDAR 

The Headmaster and Correspondent of the 154-year-old St Antony’s Higher Secondary School, Coonoor, Bro Dr Thomas Selvam is among the few selected from different parts of the state to attend a dinner meet with Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit in Chennai coming Sunday (Oct 6).

“This follows my receiving the ‘Mahatma Gandhi Award’ on Gandhi Jayanthi day in Chennai at the function organised by Gandhi World Foundation (GWF) at which the Governor distributed awards”, Bro Dr Thomas Selvam told me on return from Chennai.

According to the GWF’s Founder President M L Rajesh, Bro Dr Thomas Selvam received the award for being an ‘Achiever in Education Service’ at GWF’s ‘Gandhi 150 International Peace Festival’ to celebrate the 150th Birth anniversary of the Mahatma.

Bro Dr Thomas Selvam is among the 150 highly remarkable persons in 10 categories selected for the award, Rajesh noted.

“I received a citation, Memorabilia items relating to Gandhiji, a statue of The Mahatma and the book, ‘My Experiments with Truth’ the autography of Gandhiji”, Bro Dr Thomas Selvam said.

The teachers and students of St Antony’s honoured him in the school for bringing laurels to the institution with this coveted award.   This set the pace for Gandhiji’s 150th birth celebrations in the school.

Bro Dr Thomas Selvam who holds PhD in English Literature and Masters degree in Education has 30 years of teaching experience (as also Headmaster experience) in various schools run by the Montfort Brothers of St Gabriel.

He has the credit of producing centum pass in X and XII standard Public exams for 12 years.   Even at Coonoor St Antony’s, a Government aided school, where the majority of the students belong to poor family background, centum pass results were obtained at last year’s X and XII standard public exams.

He said that his contribution to imparting soft skill training to tribal children in The Nilgiris got recognised for the award.

He has already imparted soft skill training to teachers of over 70 schools by now.

(response can also be sent to: pssundar.coonoor@gmail.com) 

ACHIEVEMENT -- 10

MUJAMIL BRINGS CREDIT TO THE NILGIRIS

P S SUNDAR

A Mujamil (21) of Boys’ Company area near Coonoor has brought laurels to The Nilgiris by annexing Gold in the Chief Minister’s trophy.

“I won Gold when I emerged as the topper in 800 metres race at state level contest held in Trichy”, he told me.

“I received the trophy and a cash award of ₹ one lakh from the Chief Minister”, he said.

“When I was a student at St Antony’s Higher Secondary School in Coonoor, I had won Gold in 800 metres and Silver in 1,500 metres at state level”,  recalled  Mujamil who is now studying for BA English Literature.

“I attribute my success to the high-altitude training received from my coach Mohammed Azarudeen because this training has given me the confidence to rise to senior level sporting competitions”, he said.

Mujamil (right) with his coach Mohammed Azarudeen.

 “In the CM Trophy event, he clocked 1:53:05 second which is rated among the best for the category and the age-group concerned”, said Azarudeen who is a certified coach of International Association of Athletic Federation. 

“We are working on further improving the clocking time so that he could produce medals at international events”, he added.

(response can also be sent to: pssundar.coonoro@gmail.com)