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.

“A woman is truly free, when she has the confidence of choice.”

Under the aegis of Delhi Public School, R.K.Puram, members of DebSoc, the Debating Society, participated in the prestigious SheLeads Conventional Debate Competition, held by Education New Zealand Manapou Ki Te Ao. The event, imbued with a spirit of justice and female empowerment, took place at the New Zealand High Commision, on 18th May 2024. 

Part of a larger initiative started by Education New Zealand Manapou Ki Te Ao, the debate competition was held over two separate rounds, with an intra-school selection round taking place first, followed by the finals- where two students from the club represented the school at the embassy and spoke on the topic “The Impact of Flexible Work Policies on Gender Diversity in Leadership”.

With the expert mentorship and support of the club in-charges, Ms. Kakoli Sengupta and Ms. Livano Banerjee, Shaurya Datta of XII -P and Pranshu Gupta of XII -Q were able to secure the 1st Position (for the motion) and the 2nd Position (Against the Motion) respectively.

The exchange programme with Lycée St. Ambroise in Chambéry, France, began in 2007. This year, the fifth French exchange programme with lycée St. Ambroise, Chambéry, took place from 4 to 16 May 2024. 

A total of 18 Indian students of classes X and XI accompanied by 2 teachers, Headmistress Ms. Rashmi Malhotra and Mr. Vaibhav Popli (French Language Teacher), visited Chambéry from 4 May to 11 May 2024. They stayed with their French correspondents, who showered their hospitality on us. This was a lifetime experience that gave the Indian students an opportunity to learn and experience the nuances of French culture and language. Upon their arrival at lycée, the Principal, Ms. Christal Cousin, welcomed them. Mr Pierre Guillot (senior English language teacher and coordinator of the French exchange Programme) took them on a school tour.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   They learnt about the French school system and became involved with the riveting history and culture of Chambéry. They visited numerous places, namely- the Chambéry city centre, Annecy, Chamonix, Grenoble city, Aix Les Bains and some famous lakes in the Savoie region, such as Lac du Bourget.

On the 7th of May, a cultural evening was hosted at the lycée, serving as a platform for our Indian students to showcase their talents. Their performances were highly appreciated by the French families and teachers, fostering a sense of cultural exchange. 

LINK FOR THE CULTURAL EVENT-

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12ZsTCVGgaw_nbBJb0PFMe6j_6m5SuDAB?usp=sharing

This exchange was a bridge between two different cultures. It provided our students excellent opportunities to use their French language skills with natives and deepen their understanding of French culture. 

  Indian students and their accompanying teachers spent the last few days of the programme in Paris. The Louvre Museum, The Eiffel Tower, the Sacré-Coeur, The Château de Versailles and Disneyland were some of the popular sites they visited. The students also enjoyed the Seine cruise at the  Bateaux Mouches. This gave them a vivid understanding of the essence of the rich French architecture and her glorious history. 

The exchange program provided the students with a unique opportunity to assimilate and imbibe the french culture through experiential learning. 

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

Ananya Singh        11 E	10.  Aanya Khanna         11 Q
Samaira Sehgal      11S	11. Reva Dongre             11 D
Aarna Gulati           11 A	12. Sonakshi Segal         11 V
Anwita Chandra     11 O	13.  Abhiveer Luthra       11 E
Anaya Vij                11A	14.  Hriday Gupta             11 L
Samaira Kumar      11 O	15.  Vaibhav Sekhri          11 O
Tanya Dhaka           11 H	16.  Shaurya Singhal        11 E
Paridhi Kumar         11 O	17.  Aarav Anand             10 N
Krita Mozumder       11 D	18.  Ahaan Chopra           10 N

“Teleporting the past into the future, painting a rainbow through the black and white of film- that’s photography”

DIGEX, the Digital Excellence Society of Delhi Public School R.K.Puram, hosted its prized and greatly awaited annual filmmaking and photography event, DIGEX 2024, on the bright summer morning of 18th May 2024. 

The event gave students from participating schools the opportunity to showcase their talent, and participate in 6 different, diverse events- ranging from Pixelate Sr., a senior photography event, to CrADive, an advertisement making competition. 

The day saw a  footfall of more than 400 students, and after an august opening ceremony, the participants got to work, contesting not only for the winners’ trophies, but also for the accompanying gifts- which included a DSLR Camera, earphones, and much more.

The six categories of the competition were:

1. PIXELATE SR.: A DSLR photography competition for students of classes IX-XII, which saw students try to encapsulate the essence of the topic- “Let the thirds guide your vision” in their photographs. The category was judged by talented and experienced film-makers, and former members of the club, Kushagra Pandey, and Naresh Sharma. 
2. PIXELATE JR.: The junior category of the Pixelate event, Pixelate Jr. witnessed a large number of participants from classes VI-VIII. The competition was, as its senior category, an on-the-spot DSLR photography competition, and the topic was “Proportions”. An incredibly skilled camerawoman herself, Tanvi Singh, an alumnus of the club, judged the event. 
3. PHONESCAPE: The third category of competition, PhoneScape, open to students of classes XI-XII, was an on-the-spot mobile photography competition, and what set it apart from the rest of the events was the fact that it employed phone photography, not professional cameras. The event was judged by Vansh Jain, a former president of the club and a passionate photographer.
4. CAMISTIC: One of the largest categories, Camistic, another on-the-spot competition, involved storyboarding. Students of classes XI and XII were given two hours to create an eye-catching and thought provoking storyboard on the topic “As it falls apart”- and were judged by Kaina Gulliani and Pratishtha Batra, both accomplished designers themselves.
5. CREADIVE: One of the most awaited categories, the Ad-Making competition was eligible to students of all classes. Judged by Vivaan Pahwa and Kartik Chauhan, the event’s entries were short 30-60 second advertisements, on the topic of CDs, or compressed drives. The students were given a CD each, and were also given the creative freedom to direct the advertisements however they wanted to.
6. HI-RES: The final, and the only online category of the entire event, Hi-Res is an immensely reputed film-making competition. It was judged by Kushagra Pandey and Vivaann Pahwa, and had entries in the form of short 5-6 minute films, on the topic “Curveball”.

The fest was concluded by an equally captivatingly closing ceremony- which commenced with the felicitation of the Vice Principal, Mr. Naresh Miglani, as well as the honorable judges. After the Vice Principal’s.’s address, Ms. Sarika Kaushal, the  club in-charge and founder of the society, also addressed the gathering, emphasizing on the fact that the true winner is the one who tries.

The ceremony included a masterfully animated trailer of the event, a put-together and alluring short-film which dramatically portrayed the process of coming up with the idea of a film, as well as a mesmerizing dance performance by the Performing Arts Society of the school, depicting the soulfulness of a photograph. The ceremony, the perfect end to a perfect event, finally came to the most awaited moment of the day- the prize distribution ceremony.

The results of the events were as follows:

PIXELATE SR.
1st	Amity International School, Noida (Anika)
2nd	The Mother’s International School (Ananya Bajaj)
3rd	Delhi Public School Vasant Kunj (Arv Duggal)

PIXELATE JR.
1st	Tagore International School, Vasant Vihar
2nd	Delhi Public School, Rohini
3rd	Summer Fields School

PHONESCAPE
1st	Delhi Public School, Greater Faridabad (Harsheen Barar)
2nd	Tagore International School, Vasant Vihar (Harshit Kumar)
3rd	KR Mangalam World School Vikaspuri (Arshraj Singh Kohli)

CAMISTIC
1st	Bal Bharati Public School Noida
2nd	Delhi Public School Sushant Lok
3rd	The Mother’s International School

CREADIVE
1st	Amity International School, Sector 46
2nd	Delhi Public School Noida
3rd	Modern School  Barakhamba Road

HI-RES
1st	Delhi Public School, Bhopal
2nd	Amity International School, Noida
3rd	Delhi Public School, Dwarka