Each year the Going Global Club of SAI International School conducts an event called International Youth Day (IYD). They choose a topic of importance to the youth, talk about the issues and try to bring about a change in the minds of the people and how they feel about it. Annually IYD happens at a public place where audiences from all over the city join us for our cause. The event usually includes band performance fun games and activities to dance performance, all with the motive of enhancing our public service announcement on the topic. Due to the pandemic we had to postpone our event this year and with COVID 19  restrictions we resolved to host our event on an online platform, but on the bright side, the pandemic has given us the opportunity to invite youth from all over the world and be a part of this year’s cause. This virtual event was held on  November 15, 2020 Timing 11:00AM – 6:00PM (IST).  We invited Round Square Schools from the following regions: South Asia and the Gulf, Europe and Mediterranean, Middle East, Africa and Australia and East Asia and so far we have a confirmation of 270 participants, from 23 Schools from 10 countries,  including Australia, Oman, UAE, Pakistan, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Japan, UK and India. The conference will be open for students of classes 9 – 12 and up to 15 students per school. 

The topic this year is A Step Forward: A Global Conversation on Mental Health. The purpose aims to create a level of awareness and understanding about mental health and well being that is particularly relevant in today’s trying times. It will create a positive safe space where people of different cultures and experiences come together to share their views and ideas and create ways to overcome these issues. At the end of the conference all the ideas will be compiled into an e-book and will be shared between all participating schools. Besides the Opening and Closing Sessions students will break out into smaller groups called Barazzas. The theme for the Barazzas groups are focused on mental health issues faced by today’s youth, themes includeBody Image, OCD, Bullying, Self-esteem, PTSD, ADHD, Gender Bias, COVID 19, Depression, Racial Stereotypes, Anxiety, Parentification. During the Barazza participants will have open discussions on mental health issues they are facing in their respective country they will have short debates and write a resolution on how to bring light to mental health issues in their homes and local communities.
This event will also have a focus on the Round Square IDEALS of Internationalism and Leadership by connecting students globally, encouraging and educating them to be mental health warriors in their youth communities and friend circles. Many of the Round Square Discoveries will also be inclusive of this programme including Communication skills, Inquisitiveness, Appreciation of diversity, Ability to solve problems, Sense of responsibility, Courage, Self awareness, Teamwork, Compassion. 

With months of preparation a team of 42 student and teachers set out from India to Italy full of excitement and eager to see all that this trip has to offer. The details below are the accounts of the trip written by the student themselves:
November 24: We took our breakfast and left the hotel around 9:30. We reached Venice soon,  and it took only about a mere 30 minutes to reach there. Then we went on a water taxi ride . We got to know many things about Venice , like it has 108 islands and 64 districts! We really enjoyed the rainy weather.

For lunch we ate pizza and the quantity was more than sufficient! We loved it. Then  we went to the church, and Piazza San Marco which means Saint Mark’s Square in English which is the largest and most important square in Venice. It has  been a popular meeting place for Venetians and visitors alike for long . We also went to Vecchia Murano Glass Factory. During this visit master glass blowers sculpted a vase and horse right in front of our eyes. Their technique was flawless and we learned that they had to finish each piece within 3 minutes and then place it in the cooling unit for 24 hours with a high breakage rate of 75%. That means that each piece has to be made over 5 times  before a successful one is created. After the glass factory , we went shopping in the small lanes that spread out from the Main Square.  We were so tired after that. We ate dinner at 7:30 at  the same wonderful  place!

November 25 : We woke up  early morning today at 5 am we had our breakfast and checked out from the hotel and left for Pisa. It was a four hour long journey. We reached Pisa then we had our lunch as we were very excited to see Leaning Tower Of Pisa so we had finished our lunch very quickly.

We all were busy taking pictures of Leaning Tower. Then our guide of the day arrived and he told very amazing facts about Leaning Tower. It was built from 1173 to 1399. Its height is 60 metres. The Leaning Tower is  actually the Bell Tower of Cathedral which is beside the Tower. It sinks every year by 1mm because its constructed just 2 metres above sea level. The Government has taken various steps to restore this precious monument.We went inside the Cathedral We were allowed to click photos of different paintings which depicted various stages in life of Jesus.Then we sat for a while in the Cathedral and enjoyed a peaceful state of mind. Then the guide also told us about the Pisa Baptistery and we also saw the cemetery where Christians were buried. We were free for thirty minutes for any shopping and clicking photos.Then we left for Rome. We reached Rome after a long journey. We had our dinner then we checked in the hotel , it was a tiring day but a exciting one.

Then we sat for a while in the Cathedral and enjoyed a peaceful state of mind. Then the guide also told us about the Pisa Baptistery and we also saw the cemetery where Christians were buried. We were free for thirty minutes for any shopping and clicking photos.Then we left for Rome. We reached Rome after a long journey. We had our dinner then we checked in the hotel , it was a tiring day but a exciting one.

November 26 : After sleeping for a sweet amount of time, our first day in Rome had an early beginning, with the reporting time at 6:45AM! We had a quick breakfast and discovered that we have several other Indian schools staying at our hotel as well for the Design for Change conference! It was amazing to finally find other Indians in Italy! This was followed by us boarding our buses and starting our day with a tour of Vatican City!

All of us were super excited as we all were aware of how its the smallest country in the world, 44 hectares only; smaller than Berhampur and were curious to see how it was in real! After a one-hour drive with a beautiful view of amazing graffiti and aesthetic scenery, we reached the city! All schools from India assembled in one place and we finally got to talk to them. After collecting our tickets and being briefed by our tour guide, we headed towards the beautiful, one of a kind, terrace. Having taken loads of pictures, we moved towards the museum. The greatest paintings and sculptures of Romans were displayed. We were astonished to see the finest work of Michelangelo, one of the world’s most famous sculptures. Even more fascinating were the stories behind each detail in each sculpture. He had truly brought the sculptures to life. We were told by our tour guide about how the Pope forced Michelangelo, famous for his sculptures, to not sculpt but to paint. Michelangelo did that with perfection as well. Next we moved towards the most important church in Christendom, Saint Peter’s Basilica. The dimensions of the church, along with the embellishments were absolutely mind boggling. It was a peaceful place.

We had the opportunity to endure some of the world’s greatest artistic treasures, including the Sistine Chapel which has the second most important painting in the world after Mona Lisa. The history of these beautiful places were amazing to know about. This plethora of history was followed by delicious lunch after which we again started a walking tour around the Vatican City. We had another tour guide, another pair of headsets and another beautiful place to discover. We walked around the streets of Vatican with our guide explaining to us the history of the neighbour hoods, their culture and the people. We got to Trastevere, the south of Vatican City, and had a little free time there for pictures. We even got some ice cream! We headed back to where we had begun our walking tour from, handed over our headsets, boarded our bus to get to the opening dinner of the Design For Change conference with all other schools from India. We were shocked to see the preparations made for us at a place close to out hotel, with a DJ and amazing food! We danced our hearts out and ate till the point where we couldn’t get up anymore! It was an amazing and a very happening day and we were very tired, we returned to our beds to get a good nights sleep-we had to restore our energy for the next day.

November 27 : Our first day at the conference was amazing and even included the ICAN dance that was done by students from all over the world. It started out with a beautiful sunrise and then a bus ride to the Summit. After that we joined the main opening session which was enormous and had the opportunity to introduce ourselves to other change makers from all over the world. We also received our Design for Change ‘ICAN’ conference packets name tags.

After the introduction session to the conference we headed to the Roman Colosseum. What an amazing adventure. Finally got to check off something from our bucket lists. seeing the Colosseum with our own eyes was a wonderful way to bring history to life, making our text books tangible.

The day ended with a walk up to capital hill and then finally dinner.

November 28: Today we woke up to the fact that we would be having lots of fun playing different games and activities at the Second Day of DFC and, also plenty time for shopping!!! But this feeling wasn’t the same after breakfast! Our group was split up into parts- SIS and SIRS. As soon as we finished our breakfast we headed towards our bus which would lead us to our destination! The SIS group was really late at reaching the destination i.e. Instituto PIO. Upon reaching there we had a few presentations from different groups of various countries and there was a question and answer round too. Once a few presentations were done, we played fun activities in groups of many students from different countries. The game was more than fun!!

Finally after a long wait which felt like years, we stuffed our stomach with some tasty lunch and headed off for shopping!!! We were given 1.5 hours to lighten our wallets. We all a great time in the mall and were headed to a ristorante (Italian for restaurant) for our dinner. A typical Italian dinner, is what we had, pizza and pasta. With filled stomachs and tired bodies, we headed to our hotels to retire and refresh our mind and soul with lots hope and excitement for the next day!!

November 29 : So our day started with a very lazy morning and all of us had to get up early in the morning and come down for breakfast and then after breakfast we went off for the 2nd day of our design for change conference. All of us were absolutely excited for the day because we had to present our project in front of a very happy and cheerful crowd. We had a blast on the stage because we were completely mesmerized by the reaction of the audience. We also had fun games and activities. We met a lot of students from different countries. It was an amazing experience talking FB to them. Then we had our lunch over there and after that we headed towards Spanish steps which entranced us with it’s scenic beauty. Trevi Fountain was next, we all made a wish and we hope they get fulfilled soon. We had even gone for shopping on the nearby streets of Paizza del Popolo . We had a fabulous evening. Then, we had our dinner in maharajah restaurant. The food was nice. After we finished our dinner, we came back to our hotel and that was the end to this amazing day.

November 30 : Just as the darkest of mornings lead to the brightest of days , a grey morning lead to the brightest of days with a morning visit to the pope himself in the Vatican. We had an early start to the day and soon headed for the closing ceremony of the DFC GLOBAL SUMMIT addressed by some of the youngest presenters,the children themselves. We had a talk about problems all over the world and how they can be resolved all while creating peace and harmony. Soon the leader of the biggest religion on earth, the Catholics arrived. Thousands had come to visit their father. The programme ended soon but not without smiles plastered on our faces. We headed to lunch for a hearty meal on a full bus.After filling ourselves up we headed toward the pantheon. It was a rather intriguing place. We got to know some fun facts like it had the tombs of all the popes and emperors of the past and had an open ceiling designed in a manner to not let water enter , along with a dome shaped structure on the top kept aloft with huge pillars and massive walls. We then had time to go on a shopping spree in one of the most famous streets of Italy, Piazza  Del Popolo.

All this walking had caused our stomachs to roar in protest. Following its wishes we headed for dinner to an excellent Indian restaurant missing our homeland’s delicious food with extraordinary spices.It was already quite late and hence,after dinner we decided to head back towards the hotel, but we soon changed our minds and headed to the mall instead to buy presents for our loved ones and to buy souvenirs for ourselves to always keep this trip in our hearts and minds forever, this being the last day. Soon being tired and exhausted we drifted off to sleep after a great day.

This was truly a life changing trip, from standing in front of the Leaning Tower of Pisa to walking the streets of Rome and getting a glimpse of the wonders of the Vatican City and finally seeing the Pope. We can’t wait until our next adventure.

CIAO

This years Going Global Booth during UNWIND 2019 was a big success. Each year Going global members vote on the theme of the booth and the types of items they are going to make that will be sold from the booth. They also choose which games will played that year as well and design them during club brainstorming activities.

Decoration are also created according to the theme and the entire booth is decorated the day before the event.

This year hundreds of headbands, bookmarks, posters and badges were sold from the booth. Three games were selected including a giant Snakes & Ladders game board game.

Short Video About the

OCTOBER 2 by AKANKSHA & AKSHATA Class XI, ORISSA & KRITI Class X

After a long day’s journey, from Bhubaneswar to Hyderabad, and then to Indore, we finally arrived at our host school, The Emerald Heights. It was a truly beautiful place with the architecture resembling structures similar to Oxford University, and the staff and students were extremely helpful and friendly. It was so wonderful to see such enthusiasm in people our age.
After we registered, we were given beautiful handcrafted rucksacks with goodies inside them. We were escorted by one of the student volunteers to the ‘Carnival’ and had a delicious dinner there. The decorations were extremely beautiful. We were then escorted to our dorm rooms where we were separated and split off into different rooms with people from various different places around the world. I think the long and tiring journey was certainly worthwhile considering the number of people we’ll get the chance to interact with over the next few days. We are extremely looking forward to seeing what all this experience has to offer.

OCTOBER 3 by KRITI of Class X

The day started off with all of us waking up with hopeful smiles, excited to meet like minded people from all over the world. We donned our bright orange uniforms which made us stand out from the din of greys and whites. We went down for breakfast in the Ashwamegh Hall and ate our first breakfast at round square with a group from morocco. After breakfast was the grand flag bearing ceremony where every school proudly marched their flag across the stage and down a central flight of steps and got in line all across the auditorium. Kriti did the flag bearing for our school. The bearers had to stand until the music stopped and unitedly put their flags in place as it stopped. It was a moment of great magnitude. We had a conference picture with nearly 1500 people trying to fit in. After which we had our very first keynote speaker, Kailash Satyarthi who is a Nobel Peace Laureate. He talked about his work about child labour and the number of kids he helped and how they considered him their friend, their brother, their father but not a celebrity. He inspired us by telling to follow three D’s. Dream, to dream of big things. Discover, to find out how we can achieve that dream and Do, to finally get down to doing it. After lunch which as always was interesting eating with different people we had our first Barazza session. Conversing, discussing and laughing with people from everywhere. We all made some amazing friends. One thing which our entire group had been excited about was the speech from Shashi Tharoor and he did not disappoint. We were all on the edge of seats listening to him articulate his words with absolute ease, the epitome of intelligence and politeness. He talked in his dignified manner simultaneously sipping his tea and kept us wanting for more. He answered questions from the delegates with grace and made each one us feel important. We, as ravenous as we were, were unwilling to for our tea break. We had some free time and we practiced our cultural performance in front of the football field. The cultural performance as everything was amazing and what was perhaps more impressive was the audience who showed so much unity and support for whoever was performing. We ended our day on a high note with dinner in the field which looked absolutely breathtaking. The rustic charm as it was decorated with straw huts and mud statues. There were performances from people from India’s Got Talent who defied gravity with their stunts. After which the students got on the stage and requested music. No matter which country you are from music always manages to make people come together and have a good time.

OCTOBER 4 by ORISSA of CLASS X

Our day started at 6:30 beautifully sunny morning. At around 9:00, after breakfast, we rushed to the auditorium. Our first keynote speaker was Sophia. She’s a robot and also happens to be a citizen of Saudi Arabia. She answered questions about how artificial intelligence will benefit us in the future and why we shouldn’t be afraid of it. Afterwards, we headed to the courtyard for tea followed by our first Barazza session where we exchanged our views on the AI scenario.
Afterwards, we had lunch followed by our second keynote speech o the day by Kiran Gandhi- an artist and a women’s rights activist. She spoke about the power of equality and told us her story and then went on to perform some of her own tracks. She was truly inspiring and definitely pumped all of us with a ton of positive energy. After the session, we head out for our second Barazza sessions. We talked about Feminism and the power of the movement. We also had an interesting activity where all of us created our own hashtags and had to explain them in front of our respective Barazzas. The theme of our hashtags was ‘the future we wish to see’.
After another break at a half past four, we had an extremely beautiful multicultural evening where students from an array of different places performed. At around 7:30 we had a meal in the dining hall and then headed to our dorms after yet another extremely busy, yet super fun day to get some rest to prepare for the all the fun we were to have the next day.

Our day started at 6:30 beautifully sunny morning. At around 9:00, after breakfast, we rushed to the auditorium. Our first keynote speaker was Sophia. She’s a robot and also happens to be a citizen of Saudi Arabia. She answered questions about how artificial intelligence will benefit us in the future and why we shouldn’t be afraid of it. Afterwards, we headed to the courtyard for tea followed by our first Barazza session where we exchanged our views on the AI scenario.
Afterwards, we had lunch followed by our second keynote speech o the day by Kiran Gandhi- an artist and a women’s rights activist. She spoke about the power of equality and told us her story and then went on to perform some of her own tracks. She was truly inspiring and definitely pumped all of us with a ton of positive energy. After the session, we head out for our second Barazza sessions. We talked about Feminism and the power of the movement. We also had an interesting activity where all of us created our own hashtags and had to explain them in front of our respective Barazzas. The theme of our hashtags was ‘the future we wish to see’.
After another break at a half past four, we had an extremely beautiful multicultural evening where students from an array of different places performed. At around 7:30 we had a meal in the dining hall and then headed to our dorms after yet another extremely busy, yet super fun day to get some rest to prepare for the all the fun we were to have the next day.

OCTOBER 5 by AKSHATA of Class XI

We woke up at what seemed to us like the crack of dawn; an early start at 5:30AM! After having a quick breakfast, we gathered around the bus area, excited for the Indore Tour! We looked forward to it all the more as we were travelling with other schools and couldn’t wait to know more about them; another reason why we didn’t mind the 2-hour ride to Mandu – the ancient fort city of Madhya Pradesh! While we were waiting for our buses to arrive, we taught our African and Scottish bus mates ‘Rumaal Chori’! We boarded our buses soon after and were so engrossed in the sceneries, music, and discussions that we didn’t realise when the 2 hours flew by! An Eleventh Grade student of our host school happened to be our guide for the day. Our first stop was the Baz Bahadur Palace! The architectural perfection, the acoustics, the story behind it, it was all so mesmerizing! Our next stop was Rani Roopmati’s Pavilion. She was Baz Bahadur’s wife. It was gifted to her by her beloved, Baz Bahadur. We were told about the Revakund and the several stories and myths surrounding it, it was so fascinating! We even practised our cultural performance in the beautiful remains of the pavilion! We even stopped by to buy a hat for Orissa as the Sun was at its best. We next went to the Jahaz Mahal. It was surrounded by water on all sides giving it such a peaceful vibe! Our 16-year old guide explained to us about the monument after which we went on to get tons of pictures, some even with Odissi poses! The Sun was at its peak while we walked to the Jami Masjid, India’s first marble structure and the inspiration for Taj Mahal! Our FitBit told us we’d walked 10000 steps which tells how tired we must already be with the Sun on top of that, yet we kept walking and captured the moments in our phones! We even posed with the other school students – memories! We were done with all our destinations and were drained, and thankfully our next stop was lunch!! We went to a nearby resort which had been prepared and ready to serve all our humgry stomachs! We had a quick lunch and headed back to the school realising we had very little time left for getting ready for our cultural performance, yes, the day had come! The school was considerate to understand us and shift ours to the end of the lined up performances. We ran into our dorms and thanks to Jayanti Ma’am and Jessica Ma’am, we managed to get ready quickly yet amazingly! Kriti did our Odissi make-up and we were set to go! We all trembled a little as we went up the stage but the energy of the crowd just got us in the groove again! We had an amazing performance and the adrenaline levels were beyond the roof! We did something unique after this, we taught the signature step of our school SAI to all the students and teachers in the crowd for them to pass it on in all their schools as well and spread the joy- the ClapOfHappiness! They loved it!! We even tossed a giant inflated globe into the audience preaching the phrase ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – One World One Family’. We told them about how the youth plays a huge role in not letting our planet fall and keep it where it is supposed to be. We knew we did a great job, the smiles and excitement on their faces proved it all and our hard work paid off! We were tired after this crazy hectic day and had no patience nor any energy left in us to change, so we went to dinner with our Odissi costumes still on! People kept coming to us saying how good we were, it felt so great! We had dinner quickly, danced a little, clicked a few pictures with our friends from all over the globe, and with all the million memories made in just 24 hours, we went off to our dorms to get a good nights sleep – we deserved it!

OCTOBER 6 by KRITI of Class X

We woke up before the sun at 5 in the morning, with hopes for an exciting day. We trudged to the dining hall for a quick bite, then we were ushered to the basketball court. There we boarded buses with our Barazzas: Koyal, Neelkanth, Maina and Cheeraya. It was the service day and we had to part ways in the morning. We all had quite entertaining bus rides, where we got to strengthen our bonds with our Barraza mates. After about 45 mins of discussing the different cultures and political systems, and simply fooling around, we reached different locations. Kriti went to an underprivileged school where she played with the kids and served them food; Akshata went to a school for students with dyslexia where she painted walls and gave out school shoes and uniforms; Orissa went to a school for blind children where she made laddus and pen stands; while I went to an old age home and block printed bed sheets and pillow covers with the grandparents, which were gifted to them. It was an enriching experience. We got a warm feeling after communicating with the kids and grandparents. Some of them even opened up to us about their stories which brought us to near tears. In the bus ride back to Emerald Heights we reminisced about our experience and got a fresh perspective into problems that persist in India through our Barazza friends. We reunited for lunch which seemed to dart by as we were excited to visit Maheswar. On the two hour long ride to the commercial capital of Madhya Pradesh, we talked to schools from Canada, New Zealand and Bhopal. At Maheswar we were welcomed with thread necklaces by little kids and then we clicked a picture with the statue of Maheswari. Our guide: a 12th-grade Emralite named Soumya told us tons of interesting stories about the place. We even saw the traditional Maheswari textiles. Orissa bought two necklaces and we took pictures with the girls selling trinkets. After returning we had tea and cakes. Then we ran off to watch the spectacular cultural performances. The theme of the day’s dinner was festivals of India. We had delicious food while watching the Emeralites perform energetic dances. Despite the tiring day, everyone made it to the dance floor for a zestful conclusion.

OCTOBER 7 by AKSHATA of Class XI & ORISSA of Class X

The day didn’t begin like the other days with the wake up call followed by breakfast. Instead, we woke up at 5:00am which was followed not by breakfast but by us boarding our buses to travel to the starting point of what I had been waiting for, throughout the trip – the Marathon! It was going to be my first marathon and this being with Major D.P. Singh; the first blade runner of India; I was up in the sky feeling like the luckiest person! All of the students from all around the world with their red t-shirts on, were all set and ready to run for a cause of utmost importance – cancer. It was not just a marathon but a marathon with students from all around the world, a marathon with the first blade runner of India, and a marathon with a cause – it was a big deal and it felt amazing! The 3KM marathon was run by all including teachers and all faculty and it was so heart warming to see everyone united, running for one cause irrespective of any differences among themselves, this was us preaching the ideals! We finished the marathon in an hour and were so hungry. Thankfully, we were treated with apples and bananas, I’ve never found fruits this yummy! The host school even planted one tree with the name of every school who attended RSIC, this was amazing to see! We went back to the school, freshened up, had our breakfast and had our first speaker Major D.P. Singh give us words which are now embedded in our minds. His speech on believing in one self, self-appreciation, determination, importance of having control over ones own life really had us getting goosebumps. We had our Barazza session after the speech where we discussed and debated on several topics with various activities based on global issues. We had our lunch quickly to attend yet another speaker, Swami Gaur Gopal Das whose inspirational statements really made us value our life all the more and understand what happiness truly is. He also explained to us the importance of attitude in shaping ones success path and his words were really understandable and relatable for us. We had our last Barazza session in which we clicked several pictures and danced to Punjabi tunes. All of the delegates cried realising how they may never be meeting again. We exchanged gifts which we had taken along and shared some last goodbyes. We had a grand closing ceremony with a flag bearing ceremony and a mesmerising musical performance by our host school students. The RSIC head and the host schools incharge and principal gave speeches and became emotional as their hard work of 18 months in organising this grand event had finally come to an end, and it wont be wrong to say that every bit of each individuals hard work had paid off! The last night at the RSIC had a ‘Bollywood’ theme and after having the delicious dinner, we had our last DJ night where everybody grooved to the beats of Bollywood music. After a tiring day and with tears in eyes of the conference ending, everyone returned to their dorms with a hundred tears, thousand new friends and a million memories. The conference had ended, but the learning, the friends, the exposure and the love remained, and with that, everyone went off for sleeping with teary eyes yet smiles in their minds for having spent the best 5 days of their lives.

The Global Village at the #SAIMUN 2019 witnessed participation from the international Delegates with zest and energy. They all believed that the journey of SAIMUN had been an intriguing and an interesting one. The Delegate from Ghana taught the traditional dance to the students while the delegates from Saudi Arabia gave a presentation about their country’s culture, tradition, beliefs, values and practices. The USA Delegate amazed by the Indian culture spoke about her country to all the Delegates. The SAIoneers had a musical band with Beat Boxers to entertain the Delegates.It was a stimulating extravaganza that provided an enriching educational experience to all the national and international delegates present in #SAIMUN 2019.

Each year the decoration committee decides on what items to use for decoration. A backdrop is designed as well. it depends on the students coordinating that year and what they want to do.

During their visit the International Delegates visit SAI students take them to the prominent tourist destinations and famous places of interest in the local area including Kalabhoomi (Odisha Craft Museum), Khandagrhi Caves and Peace Pagoda to name a few.

A warm traditional greeting is given to our international guests. We also host a large group of students from our adopted school Sri Harsha Memorial School for the Deaf who attend the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and workshop designed by the international guests. The deaf students also visit some of the local places of interest with the international delegates as well.

Our international guest present about their countries and if they want teach some sort of dance or share about their culture and lifestyle. This year we hosted guests from Ghana and the United States of America. Both Guest presented about their country and our Ghana guest taught a traditional Ghana dance form called the Adowa dance which is performed at ceremonies such as marriage, naming ceremony, funerals and festivals etc.

The entire show was hosted an anchored by the Going Global Club of SAI International School. They also performed and shared some of their amazing talents.

Mr. Jacob Dinerman, Vice Consul, U.S. Consulate-Hyderabad visited SAI International School on Thursday, July 11, 2019. He addressed the parents and students of SAI International School who are US Citizens. Mr. Jacob discussed on the various services offered to American Citizen living in India including passport renewals, applying for US Visa, filing taxes etc.

A brief presentation was made on United States -India Educational Foundation (USIEF), which focussed on educational prospects for students (US Citizens) after Class XII. He spoke about the University application process, student’s financial aid including how to complete and submit a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) as well as the key contact person in case of any query.

Mr. Jacob had a discussion with Founder SAI International Dr. Bijaya Kumar Sahoo on strengthening the collaboration between SAI International and U.S.Consulate-Hyderabad. The School has a long-standing partnership with the US Consulate and prominent members have visited our school over the years. 

Interview with Mr. Jacob Dinerman, Vice Consul, U.S. Consulate in Hyderabad during his vist by the Going Global Club Members.

Each year SAI International school plans an extensive Global Immersion Programme to Visit our partner Schools in UK. During this fun filled trip students not only have an opportunity to expand their global knowledge and exposure but also build their leadership and team work skills as they travel to a foreign country with a group of their peers.  Till date SAI International School has sent an average of  10 – 15 students and teachers to the UK each year  and in reciprocation we host them at SAI in March and November usually.

Report Day 1 – June 9, 2019  by

The GIP UK trip started on the 8th of June 2019. We flew from Bhubaneswar and landed in Kolkata. After that we checked in the International Terminal. The immigration process was a learning for our children. They were familiarized with the kinds of questions and procedures.

Report Day 2 – June 10, 2019  by  

It was a pleasant morning. We woke up at 6:30am and got freshened up . We left the Travelodge hotel at 7:45 to go to Chosen hill School. The school’s van had come to pick us up. It was a 10 mins drive. After reaching the school we headed to the reception. The school is very huge and beautiful. It was quite cold here. We met the deputy head Mrs. Sally Allens who took us to the meeting room. We sat there for 15 mins .

She offered us some breakfast. We gifted her souvenirs from India. Each of the students shadowed a Chosen Hill School student and attended classes. Later the students were divided into three groups and they went to three different classes to work collaboratively on the three ISA projects of SIS and SIRS.

The year 8 students worked on the project Beyond curriculum and created drama script, rehearsed and presented them. The class IX SIRS students worked on their ISA project Teens have Wings while the class X students worked on the SIRS project climate change. We told them about the climate changes that happens in India. We had a good time interacting with them . A worksheet about climate change was given to them . We helped them solve the worksheet. At 11 am we were taken to the canteen. We had some pizza and chicken burgers. Meanwhile, we made many new friends.

We had a nice time meeting them. Right after our food we came to another Year 10 classroom and presented about the same thing. Here we explained them in our own way by giving them many examples. They asked us many questions about our school. We had a great time answering them.  After the bell rang we went to have lunch. It was 1:15 pm . We had hot dogs and pretzels. It was very tasty.  After our food it was time to leave the school . We left and headed to the Churchdown Village Infant school. We met the head teacher Ms Julie Guest who showed us her school. Our bonding with the school is very nice. We spent around 30 mins there. We saw the little kids how they were engrossed and focused with their activities. We really enjoyed ! After spending some precious time there we went to the  Gloucester Quays. We took some photos in the drizzling rain. Then we went to the Gloucester Rugby ground which is one of the largest of its kind in the country. We had a quick glance of the stadium, it was cool. We then went back to Travelodge hotel , got freshened up and went to the supermarket “ASDA”. We bought some food for the next days breakfast. We returned back to the hotel and had dinner at Harvesters . We ate British food, “Fish and Chips” . It was delicious. It was late so we came back to our rooms after dinner . We packed our bags for the next day and slept.

It was raining a bit heavier and we had a good lunch in McDonald’s, after that we started exploring the different colleges of the Oxford University starting with the Balliol College with a tour guide.We were told about the history of the college and we also saw their dining hall where all the students come for having meals and the chapel as well. We also saw the Bodleian Library which is only used by students of Balliol. We went to the famous Trinity College and there we learnt about it’s foundation by Thomas Pope and we saw their dining area too. We saw the Sheledonian Theatre which is a place for graduation ceremonies of the Trinity College and then we went for shopping in Oxford high Street and bought souvenirs. We came back to the hotel, happy but tired,gathered together to plan for the next day and went to bed.

Report Day 5 – June 12, 2019 by  Mustafa and Ayushman of class IX

We started the day with last minute packing and a quick breakfast. We checked out of the Travelodge and went to Bath in 2 vehicles. The drive down the valley in drizzling rain was wonderful!! The herds of sheep in the fields, the shades of green, the painted cottages, just reminded us of pictures from our childhood story book. After reaching Bath, We quickly put the luggage in the Bath Townhouse and headed for the Welton Primary School . When we reached the school , the Headteacher Mr. John Snell heartily welcomed us. Their children sang a beautiful song to welcome us n welcome a sunshine. Then, We presented the costumes of the different states of India and told the students about India and our school. Post that we introduced #SHER KHAN The Globe trotter!! We shared his travel plans n the children were thrilled to meet Sheru!!

After that we presented our ISA project, ‘Mind Your Money ‘ to the students of Year 3 and Year 4. We also interacted with the students and answered their questions about  India and Indian currency. We then went for lunch with the Headteacher and other students. Then we went with the students to their playground and played with them, which was quite fun. After this there was a story telling session, where we narrated stories of  Sheru Khan the Globe Trotter and read Sheru’s story to the young kids!! It was a very interactive session, where they wanted to know whether we have real tigers in our country n they were so inquisitive to understand about India!!

The Headteacher then wished us good luck and presented us some mementos, batches of Welton Wizards – a recognition in their school and some beautiful collection of their hand painted pictures. We returned from the school by late afternoon and went to the  Roman Bath.

We explored the place, the source of hot spring, the statues, the glimpses of history, there was an audio guide to guide us through. We also did some shopping of the quaint and antique pieces n came back to townhouse by around 8:00pm. We went for a Chinese  dinner and returned to Townhouse. Tomorrow will be a new day!! The learning continues…

Report Day 6 – June 13, 2019 by Delwin Mathews

This morning we left Bath and headed towards London and reached Latymer School at 12 noon We were taken to the theatre by a teacher and they arranged a good presentation for us followed by a musical performance by the students of the school. Then they explained about different programs that they have like ‘unwind’ ‘bounce’ and a lot more. Just after that we showed our school video and the CSP projects video. We were then paired with their students who took on a school tour and lunch.

Their school was very big. They had a lot of clubs as well as  a lot of labs for different purposes. They learned instruments, art, swimming, and other outdoor activities.. They also had a gym. Finally by 2:30 PM  we left the school and directly went to our hotel the London Central Travelodge , that was about 5 minutes from the school.. We checked in and dumped all our bags in the room and  after about an hour, left for some shopping…. We boarded a metro and went to Primark, where we did shopping for about 1 Hour and 30 minutes .We completed our shopping and boarded the metro  back to our hotel. On our way back we got into an Indian restaurant and had our dinner.. We came out by 8(took about an hour) and finally we came back to hotel and after being so tired, we all slept so fast.

Report Day 7 – June 14, 2019 by Anshuman Rath

SAIONEERS once again shine at the 9th Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival 2019. In total the team walked away with three awards including Best Public Service Announcement, Best Short Documentary, Best Background Music. The 9th Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival-2019 aims to celebrate the excellence in cinema. Dada Saheb Phalke started the movement of cinema in India in real sense & he is the symbol of excellence. Over the past few years the festival has gain a reputation and is regarded among the most prestigious festival in India. The festivals growth over the years has attracted filmmakers from across India & 90+ nations world wide. The festival has sections for feature films, short films, documentaries, animations, music videos & ad films. The festival awards the filmmakers in production, creative, music & performance categories.

MOVIE NAME: “Safe Spaces for Youth”

Awarded: BEST PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

Directors:  SUJAL AGRAWAL, PARTHA MOHANTY, NANDAN NABODIT 

Producers: RUHINA SINGH, SALONI PATTNAIK, MANSITA MISHRA, ADYASHA MAHAPATRA, AKANSHA MOHTA, ADARSH KHANDELWAL, ADITYA AGARWAL, ASTHA BANKA, MEERU RUSIC MAJHI, PALAK SETH

Synopsis: As the world witnesses the largest youth population ever seen, it also feels the rising challenges faced by the world’s youth. To support United Nations (UN) theme for 2018 International Youth Day, SAI International School celebrated the day in an eloquent manner. Preparation started a week before the event to optimize the reach of message. Students designed the back drops, T-shirts and the badges to be used and started a media campaign on Facebook and twitter. SAI Students filmed and edited a short public service announcement to use for their public campaign. Each year they created one based off the International Youth Day theme for that year. This year’s theme was “Safe Space for Youth”. Students spoke about what a safe place means for them and what the community could do to keep them safe.

MOVIE NAME: “U.S. MEMOIRS” 

Awarded : BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY & BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC

Director:   PRIYANSH NAYAK

Producers:   SHASHREEK SHIKHAR, ARCHIT BANDO, AMLAN KISHORE DAS, YOGDA PACHISIA, ARNAV DHANAWAT, JYOTIRADITYA MOHANTY, MANSITA MISHRA, SHIVAM BHARALAWALA, ANIMESH MOHANTY, PRATHAM PRADEEP, DHRUTI SUNDAR KAMPA, AARYAN KUMAR BEHERA, VIDISHA AGRAWAL, SWASTIK ROUT, DEVESH GUPTA, AKSHITA SATAPATHY, AKSHITA SATAPATHY, SANIYA JIJI, ANKITA DAGARA, DEEKSHA SAHOO, MAYURAKSHI PANY, RAJNANDINI SARANGI, ISHA PATTNAIK, KANISK GUPTA, MEERU RUSIC MAJHI, KRITI GARG, LAVANYA

Music Directors and Composers:   DEEVYAM DEEPANKAR DHAL, SOUBHAGYAN RATNA BEHERA, ORISSA LEE PATNAIK

Synopsis: The Short Documentary “U.S. Memoirs” showed glimpses of the USA Global Immersion Programmes that happened in 2018 in light of the Cupertino Bhubaneswar Sister City Initiative linking our two cities through student collaboration and exchange visits. The students also composed back ground music for the U.S. Memoirs documentary called “Reminiscence”.  After composing, recording and editing the music it was placed on the documentary. Over 4,500 pictures and video from both U.S. trips were screened and edited into a 5 minute documentary.

SAIONEERs are gearing up for next years Film Festival and are already working on the the Public Service Announcement for 2020 called SPEAK UP. SAI has many talented students in several genres including filming, editing, photography, videography, music and much more. SAI proudly gives each student the opportunity to shine, in this case on a international scale.

As part of our ongoing international teacher exchange program in partnership with Churchdown Village Infant School (CVIS), Gloucester, UK , SAI Angan hosted two teachers form UK for four days. During their stay teachers work on International School Award (ISA) activities and International Collaborative Projects (ICP) along with sharing of best teaching practices. Their visit started off with a traditional welcome by our Chairman, Dr. Bijaya Sahoo.

Followed by attending a special assembly in honour of International Women’s Day. The SAI Choir presented a beautiful song on the importance of women followed by a brilliantly choreographed dance depicting the importance of a mother. Students also presented the achievements of eminent women personalities of the country like Rani Laxmi Bai, Mother Teresa, Mary Kom, Kiran Bedi, Bachandri Pal, Lata Mangeskar, Kalpana Chawla etc. The Guest of the day, Ms. Maddie Hobbs, CVIS Teacher spoke about the significance of the Day. In her address, she said”If we look back and evaluate, we see woman had to fight agaist injustice and work even harder because they had ambition to take on roles that society thought women shouldn’t be involved in”. she added that, this day is and event that honours and celebrates the amazing things done by woman. She advised the students to work hard and believe in themselves as today’s world presents endless possibilities and resources to aid in achieving our goals and dreams. She urged the SAIoneers  to challenge themselves and try something new and pursue it through hard work and determination. She also spoke about eminent people like Ms. Marie Curie and Ms. Jane Austen who made the world proud through their achievements.

Video of International Women’s Day Special Assembly @ SAI

After the assembly The CVIS teachers participated in a International Curriculum Project called birds of a feather both SAI Angan and CVIS showed presentations about the different types of birds in both respective countries including India and UK. SAI teachers spoke about the Vulture, Crow and of course the Peacock. The UK teachers spoke about Kingfishers, Swan and the Robin witch best represented the UK according to the teachers. They also told us that all the Swans in the UK are protected by the Queen so you can not harm them in anyway.

The second half of the day was spent at SAI International Residential School where our UK guest teachers participated again in an assembly about International Women’s Day and worked with class V students on their International School Award Project “Mind Your Money”. Presents were exchange on the history and symbolism of both India’s and UK’s currencies, followed by a hands on face to face question answer session which allowed SIRS students to hold the different denominations of British pounds including coins. The discussion even touched on the cost of items like bottled water in UK and India and the significant difference in the amount. Finally the UK teachers where hosted for Dinner by our Principal, Harish Sanduja and his family.

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The second Day was spent working on several ICP projects the first called “Folklore” in which students from both schools learn about the rich cultural history of different countries related to the folktale they are told. The second project they worked on was called “Amazing Animals” with KG II students. They learned about different domestic and wild animals of UK and India. This project also included a craft activity making the national bird of both UK and India. Information on three bird of each country wans exchanged. “Educational Trips” was the last ICP in which our UK teachers went with class II students to the Natural Museum of History.

Apart from this our UK guest participated in International Women’s Day at Both SAI International School and SAI International Residential School (SIRS) as part of the special assembly. They even participated in and ISA project called “Mind Your Money” at the SIRS presenting information in British Currency and learning about the history of the Indian Rupee.

A visit to a few of Bhubaneswar’s famous historic places was also scheduled, including a trip to the Dhauli Peace Pagoda and Market One Building for shopping. They also spent an entire day visiting Pipli, the Konark Temple and Konark Beach where they watch the sun go down. Besides activities during school hours the teachers were hosted by the Pre- primary teachers for Dinner every evening.

SAI Angan will be sending a pre – primary teacher to visit Churchdown Village Infant School this June giving our two school yet another chance to continue developing our embedded global partnership of 9 years.