“And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” – Paulo Coelho

Delhi Public School, R. K. Puram hosted the Annual Scholar Badge Ceremony for the students of class XII on 8 July 2024. This highly anticipated day is an occasion to recognize the students who have excelled in academics and co-curricular activities during the previous academic year. The ceremony commenced with the lighting of the lamp by the Chief Guest, Shri V. K. Shunglu, Chairman of the Managing Committee of Delhi Public School, R. K. Puram, the Principal, Ms Padma Srinivasan, the Vice Principals, Mr Anil Kathuria and Mr Mukesh Kumar, and the Headmistresses, Ms Rashmi Malhotra and Ms Anubha Gopal.

The event began on an auspicious note with the performance of a musical symphony. The audience was captivated by a melodious orchestra recital by the students of the Indian Music Society. The Chief Guest, Shri V. K. Shunglu was felicitated by the Principal, Ms Padma Srinivasan. The Principal addressed the gathering and began by extending a warm welcome to the Chief Guest and thanked him for taking time out from his busy schedule to grace the occasion. She added that the school has always been grateful to the Chairman for setting new goals and supporting the school towards achieving them. She encouraged the students to face the challenges in life with courage, determination and hardwork to meet their potential.

A movie featuring the school’s innumerable achievements and highlighting the students’ competitive spirit and hunger for excellence followed next. This gave way to a graceful rendition of a dance based on a story of the Rani Durgawati from Madhya Pradesh in  Rajasthani Kathputli style. As excitement filled the venue, the students of the Indian Choir enthralled the audience with a soulful rendition of ‘Pinjra’, a Western and folk fusion.

The Chief Guest motivated the students by emphasising the importance of the journey to success rather than the goal. He highlighted the significance of unity among the students and their mentors. His address was followed by the much awaited Award Ceremony conducted by the Class Representatives of class XII Ms Sarika Kaushal and Ms Richa Aggarwal as a hallmark of true academic brilliance, 210 gold medals and 77 green badges were awarded to the meritorious students and over 153 awards were bestowed upon those excelling in co-curricular activities like sports, music and dance. The stream toppers of Class XI were felicitated with the Dipanvita Baisya Memorial Award in recognition of their perseverance. The section toppers of class XI were conferred the Ishwar Chandra Memorial Award, presented to them by Mr. and Mrs. Surie. The toppers of Class XII in the CBSE Board Examinations 2024, Sannidhi Agarwal from Science, Nishnaat Aggarwal from Commerce and Simran Jain from Humanities, were also awarded with gold medals and books. Further, Nishant Aggarwal, CBSE Commerce School Topper also received the Unnati Iyer Memorial Award Trophy sent by Mr. Krishnamoorthy along with his good wishes.

The Vice Principal, Mr Anil Kathuria, proposed the vote of thanks. He thanked the Chief Guest, Shri V. K. Shunglu, for gracing the occasion, the Principal, Ms Padma Srinivasan, for her constant support and guidance, and the Class Representatives Ms Richa Aggarwal and Ms Sarika Kaushal, for their hard work and diligence.He also thanked the activity incharges,the Performing Arts department and Art department for the support offered .He thanked all the teachers working in any capacity for their efforts and the support staff for being there at all times He congratulated the students for their achievements and diligent efforts in accomplishing their goal. 

The ceremony concluded with the School Anthem and the National Anthem.

“The more I learn, the more I realise how much I don’t know.”  – Albert Einstein

The Quizzing Club of Delhi Public School, R.K. Puram hosted Infinitus Reus – an annual inter-school quizzing extravaganza designed to test the intellect of students from 32 schools across North India.  This club, founded in 1983, is the school’s oldest and one of its most prestigious clubs. The event, which was held on 6 July 2024, has become a prestigious platform for quizzers to test their awareness, hone their skills and learn through the experience. 

The event was sponsored by Athena – India’s largest premium education consulting firm for undergraduate study abroad. Additional support came from gifting partners such as Crossword: Art of Problem Solving, Interview Cake, Taskade, Rosenfeld, Balsamiq, Mr Makhana, Tax City, Oddy Stationery, Hapi Pola, along with domains from Gen.xyz.

The event featured two competitive quizzes: The Junior Quiz for Classes VI-VIII and the Senior Quiz for Classes IX-XII. The quizzes were designed to test a range of topics from music, entertainment and literature to arts and sports. Each quiz consisted of twenty questions in the preliminary round, with the top scorers advancing to the elimination round and ultimately the final one. 

The quizmasters for the preliminary rounds were Mr. Shubhaankar Gupta, former Head Boy, currently studying Economics and Computer Science at the University of Chicago, and Mr. Tanmay Arora, former Vice President of the Exun Clan. The quizmaster for the final round was Dr. Arindam Bhattacharya, who has conducted more than 500 quizzes over 17 years.

Six teams from the two categories qualified for the finals.The atmosphere at the venue was charged as each team vied for the trophy. The event reached its crescendo during the last round as teams faced increasingly challenging questions. The winners for the junior and senior categories respectively were Delhi Public School, Mathura Road and Delhi Public School, Greater Noida.

The valedictory ceremony commenced as Ms. Priyam Sharma and Ms. Sakshi Malik delivered the vote of thanks to the audience. Later, the winners for both the categories were announced, and they were felicitated onstage with trophies and certificates. The event concluded with the playing of the National Anthem. 

JUNIOR QUIZ
First Position	Delhi Public School, Mathura Road
Second Position	Vasant Valley School
Third Position	St. Columba’s School

SENIOR QUIZ
First Position	Delhi Public School, Greater Noida
Second Position	The Mother’s International School
Third Position	Delhi Public School, R. K. Puram / Delhi Public School, Kalyanpur

DPS RK Puram Campaign to save and enhance awareness about the Common House Sparrow 

House Sparrow, once an integral part of our immediate environment, disappeared almost two decades ago. The common bird that lived in the cavities of our houses and polished off our leftover food, today sits on the red list of the endangered species of The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

March 20 being observed as the ‘World Sparrow Day’ and the house sparrow being declared the state bird of Delhi in 2012. 

Sparrows are fascinating creatures that play an essential role in both urban and rural ecosystems, and their presence serves as a reminder of the intricate connections between humans and the natural world.

• Prevents locust attack
• Biodiversity indicator
• Controls insect population
• Helps in Seed dispersal

Sparrow populations have experienced declines in recent years, particularly in urban areas where changes in habitat and food availability have impacted their numbers. Loss of nesting sites, pesticide use, and competition with invasive species are among the factors contributing to sparrow declines. Efforts to conserve sparrows often involve creating suitable habitat, reducing pesticide use, and raising awareness about the importance of these charismatic birds in our ecosystems.

There are various causes for the decline in their numbers:  predation, especially by Eurasian Sparrowhawks,electromagnetic radiation from mobile phones,diseases,shortage of nesting spaces in urban areas,inadequate presence of insect food for nestling sparrows,declines in insect populations,substitution of native plants in cities,introduction of unleaded petrol, which produces toxic compounds such as methyl nitrite.

Sparrows build their nests in a variety of locations, including cavities in buildings, trees, and shrubs. The increasingly urban landscape and jungles of concrete in the city are losing out on the sweet chirping of birds, with not enough trees left for the avians to build their nest. Ensuring that the sweet melody returns is possible by artificial nests.An artificial nest provides a platform to common bird species for breeding. The bird collects the rest of the material.

Under the guidance of our Principal Ms Padma Srinivasan, the  Campaign to save and enhance awareness about the Common House Sparrow was planned and executed by the Campaign Incharge , Ms Niva Chhonkar, Head: Biology department. The students of Classes IV to XII were given a Video presentation of Nest making with essential guidelines using easily available environment friendly material.The feedback was collected as photographs.Many Students enthusiastically  participated in the ‘Sparrow Quiz’. Students who participated in the quiz and made nests were awarded a certificate.

The aim now is to add nests in different locations of the school and provide ambience for Sparrow Nesting.