Editors’ Letter …“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty”

- Winston Churchill

To be happy, we need to look at the brighter side of life. For that our attitude matters a lot and makes a big difference. Attitude is a feeling which is expressed by outward behaviour.

A positive attitude is generally the hopeful state of mind, bringing positive thinking that leads to positive results. It is a way of living that helps to attain our goal and has to be included in our daily lives.

Here are some ways to develop positive thinking:• Be optimistic• Cultivate the habit of reading inspiring books• Find reasons to smile / laugh more often because it is a great stress buster• Try to use positive words while thinking and talking• Engage yourself in enjoyable recreational activities• Finally, interact with people who have a positive outlook in life

By being a positive thinker, one can cope better with stressful situations besides becoming physically and mentally strong. It also enhances our self-esteem and self-confidence. Furthermore, we will be motivated to accomplish our goals and live life to the fullest extent.

Watch your thoughts – Your thoughts become your words.

Watch your words – Your words become your actions.

Watch your actions – Your actions become your habit.

Watch you habits – Your habits become your character.

Every single day we are faced with challenges in life. When mountains hamper the path, cowards think it is an obstacle on their way while the brave think it is a reason to move forward. Smooth roads never make good drivers, clear skies never make good pilots and a problem-free life can never make you a better person. Accept life as an adventure, face it with courage, wisdom and more wonder than worry to solve it.

Good luck!

GOOD SHEPHERD INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLFernhill Post, Ootacamund 643 004, The Nilgiris

Visit us @ www.gsis.ac.in | www.gsfs.ac.in

September 2011 | Volume 1 | Issue 2

New Golf Course Inauguratedat Good Shepherd Knowledge Village

Investiture of New Prefects in Fernhill Campus

A new 9-hole Golf Course was formally inaugurated and opened for play by the Principal, Dr. P.C. Thomas, on August 29, 2011 at the Annexe Hill of the Good Shepherd Knowledge Village in M.Palada.

The Principal, Dr. P.C. Thomas, the Chief Guest for the function, a keen golfer himself, in his inaugural address said that it was one of his great dreams to have a Golf Course in GSIS and in the near future, he would

make it an 18-hole Golf Course. He encouraged students to take up golf in school and become good golfers. Later, saplings were planted on the hillside to keep the hills green.

The Principal, Dr. P.C. Thomas, unveiling the Golf Course Plaque

The new captains and prefects being sworn in

Inaugural Tee Off by the Principal,Dr. P.C. Thomas

Distribution of Certificates and Badges

“Leadership cannot really be taught, it can only be learned.”

- Harold Geneen.

As aptly said by Harold Geneen, our institution provides ample

opportunities to the students to develop their talents. Leadership is one among them.

The Primary School had the young aspirants with leadership qualities

invested with powers to adorn various posts at 3.00 p.m. on the 26th of August, 2011. The badges and certificates were awarded to the newly-elected leaders by the Chief Guest, Mrs. Elsamma Thomas,

Raksha Bandhan - A Special Bond for Life

A Charity Trip toNazareth Convent Children’s Home, Ooty

On August 13, 2011, our auditorium witnessed the bonds of love between brothers and sisters being re-established when every brother vowed to protect his sister for life. Raksha Bandhan was celebrated in our school with great fervour. The festival honours the strong bond of love with a sacred thread tied around the wrist of a brother by the sister.

The programme started at 1.30 p.m. and the auditorium was filled with the fragrance of incense sticks and the light of the lamps. The sweetness of this festival was heightened when mouth-watering sweets were served. An introductory speech was given by Mrs. Anila Ann Mathew (Director of Counselling) wherein she emphasized

A sister tying a ‘Rakhi’ on her brother’s wrist

Senior Vice Principal of GSIS and Mrs. Julie Pradeesh, Vice President & Vice Principal of GSIS.

Dr. P.C. Thomas, Principal of GSIS, Mr. Pradeesh Lawrence, one of the Governors of GSIS, Lt. Col.(Retd) Mohan Mathew, Vice Principal(Administration), parents of the newly-elected prefects, the students and staff of the Primary

School attended the function. The Coordinator of Primary School, Mrs. Elizabeth Koshy delivered the welcome address and touched upon the nuances of leadership.

“The key to successful leadership is influence, not authority.”

- Kenneth Blanchard.

This thought was emphasized in the speech by the Chief Guest,

Mrs. Elsamma Thomas, Senior Vice Principal. She highlighted the basic qualities of a leader, requesting the newly-elected prefects to be role models and to be sincere and honest in all their endeavours.

The Expression of Gratitude for the Investiture ceremony was delivered by Mr. James Milton.

the importance of ‘Rakhi’. It was really a proud moment for all brothers when their wrists were adorned with beautiful, intricately-designed rakhis by their sisters. It was an important occasion to honour family ties.

We, 28 girls of IB-II, left for MARANATHA CHILDREN’S HOME at 3.45 p.m. on 7th August 2011 from our school – Palada Campus - accompanied by our teachers, Mr. Muraleedharan and Ms. Gargi Gupta.

The Home is run by Nazareth Convent School, Ooty. There were 80 girls eagerly waiting for us at the doorstep. There were loud cheers and applause all around. We were overwhelmed by their gesture.

The girls ushered us into a big hall with wooden floor to perform some dances for us. Their dancing skills literally held us spellbound. It was a traditional Tamil Dance with pots kept on the heads which required amazing skills of balancing. In return, we taught them some latest dance movements which they were not familiar with. Then it was free for all, we all danced, sang and ran together in the hall for half an hour forgetting all the academic pressure. It was our

world. Those were moments of joy and realization.

During the interactive session, we learned that all the children were good in academics and had great a desire to be successful in life. There was a girl who wants to be a doctor, but was worried about how she could fulfill her desire without any financial support. We suggested her to have faith in God and do her best and the Almighty would take care

Charity Visit to Pope Mercy Home, Ooty

Our students with the inmates of the Children’s Home

Caring for the elderly

of the rest because there are many scholarships available for outstanding achievers in the board exams. We could immediately see a spark of joy in her eyes and there was a smile on her face. It was a great experience to realize that our words of motivation had instilled some confidence in her. We were immensely pleased to know that we were instrumental in lifting her sagging morale.

The boys of IB II had an opportunity to visit the Pope Paul Mercy Home in Nanjanad that houses up to 95 elderly people. They were all either visually impaired or physically and mentally challenged. We also met a few inmates who had no one to take care of them.

Pope Paul Mercy Home is an organization founded in 1960. It is a religious congregation of sisters

Though we spent only three hours with them, the bond we created seemed everlasting.

Then we moved down to the courtyard to play throwball as requested by them. We taught them some skills of the game of throwball.

We distributed cakes and cookies to all of them. In return, some of them gifted us flowers.

We felt very sad to leave them behind as it was time to get back to our school. We promised them that we would certainly return. We would like to thank the management for giving us an opportunity to enrich ourselves and making us feel good by visiting Maranatha Children’s Home, Ooty.

- IB-II Girls

known as the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary. The foundation receives small funds from Germany. The local donors and the well-wishers also contribute in cash and kind. Sister Mabel heads the team along with seven other nurses. A doctor visits the home frequently to conduct medical check-up.

We met Mr. Babu who is deaf and blind. He has been living in the home

for the last three decades. He wanted to express many things to us but could not. He always wanted someone to hold his hands. He was literally groping in the dark for our hands. We could see some inexplicable expression on his face when one of us held his hands. We realized that a human touch could create wonders in the life of a man who was born deaf and blind. It was an expression of gratitude, joy and confidence.

Joint Installation Ceremony of theInteract and Rotaract Clubs, Ootacamund

We interacted with all the inmates to know their experiences in life. It was a moment of enlightenment. We realized how important it is to take care of people who are in need of

our support and love. In the evening, we returned to school fully satisfied. It was a wonderful experience generating happiness in the lives of these people. We are grateful to

the management for giving us this opportunity to serve mankind.

- IB-II Boys

On Wednesday, August 17, 2011, the new team of Office-Bearers of the Interact Club of Good Shepherd International School and of the Rotaract Club of Good Shepherd Finishing School were administered their Badge of Office for the academic year 2011-2012. The Chief Guest for the event was an alumnus of the School, Rtn. Thiyagu Venkatesh, Director – New Generation, Rotary Club of Nilgiris West.

At the function, the Annual Reports of both the clubs were presented and the new leaders vowed to continue offering their best service. All the students of Std. IX, Std. XI and the Good Shepherd Finishing School took the oath to be worthy members of the Interact and the Rotaract Clubs, respectively. Both the clubs are involved in many charitable projects and awareness programmes in the Nilgiris district.

Following are the new Office Bearers:

Interact Club:

PRESIDENTUJJWAL KAMALIA

VICE PRESIDENTSHARMILA BHAVESH SHAH

SECRETARYAKHIL SANJAY POTDAR

TREASURERAWLEEN CHAWLA

DIRECTORSDHRUV HITESH VORA (Community Service)GANESAN SENTHIL (Vocational Service)ANJALI SABU NAIR (Club Service)BIJOY LAKSHMI CHUTIA (International Service)

Rotaract Club:

PRESIDENTSAKSHI GUPTA

VICE PRESIDENTAYUSHI JAIN

GENERAL SECRETARYRIDDHI JAIN

TREASURERA. SWETHA JAIN

DIRECTORSINAYAT RANDHAWA (Community Service)SALONI TAYAL (Vocational Service)ANUSHREE BAGADIA (Club Activities)DIVYA AGARWAL (Professional Development)

New Office-Bearers of the Interact and Rotaract Clubs for the year 2011-2012

New Dean of GSFS

Selected to the District Cricket Team

Inter House Recitation Competition 2011

Mrs. Neetha Nataraj has been appointed as the new Dean of the Good Shepherd Finishing School.

She has a M.A. and M.Phil in English Literature. She has also completed PGD in Mass communication and Journalism.

Earlier, she was a faculty member of GSIS. She has ten years of experience in teaching and two years in editing and writing. She has worked with a corporate organization for four years and as a trainer in soft skills and had been part of the curriculum-planning process for the same. She has conducted workshops on Effective Communication for Teachers and Parents(school), Team Work Skills for trainers(corporate) and Time Management and Leadership Skills for students(school). She had been conducting sessions in Business English (Oral and Written), Presentation Skills, Conversation Skills, Teamwork Skills, Business Etiquette, Dining Etiquette, Professional Grooming, Interview Skills, Global Etiquette, Culture and Stress Management programmes.

We wish her all the best.Mrs. Neetha Nataraj

Siddharth A. Nambiar

The Inter District Cricket Tournament[U-14] was held at Thiruvarur in Tamil Nadu in August 2011.

Siddharth A. Nambiar, a student of FM IIIC in GSIS, was selected to represent the Nilgiris District Boys’ team. In the three matches that he played, he scored 55 runs and took 6 wickets. Siddharth is a good all-rounder.

He is good at academics, sports, games and co-curricular activities. Congratulations on the fine performance!

Inter house recitation competition for classes VI and VII was held in GSIS on August 17, 2011. The following students were declared the winners:

Category: A (Inters - Class VI)

Name of student House Position Poem

Ishaan Vinod Dulhani Autumn I “The Hardest part of Work” by Evan James Griffin

Shubh Agarwal Autumn II “Sands of Dee!” by Charles Kingsley

Aryadeep Shah Spring III “The Tiger” by William Blake

Category: A (Inters - Class VII)

Name of student House Position Poem

Siddhi Suri Spring I “Caged Bird” by Maya Angelou

Ginaishwarya Anne Jacob Autumn II “The Owl and the Pussy Cat!” by Edward Lear

Chayanin Khanijou Spring III “The Chimney Sweeper” by William Blake

Sneha Valiaveetil Paulson Winter III “Casabianca” by Felicia Dorothea Hemans

Congratulations to the winners!

Ramzan Celebrations

Ganesh Chaturthi

Onam Celebrated in GSIS

Special Assembly held to celebrate Teachers’ Day

Our Muslim students celebrated Ramzan on August 31, 2011.

The continuous drizzle in the morning

Ganesh Chaturthi is the celebration of the birth of Lord Ganesh. Ganesh Chaturthi, the Hindu Festival, was celebrated in GSIS on September 1,

‘A teacher affects Eternity’ – and these words truly bring forth the importance of a teacher.

On the 5th of September 2011, a special assembly was held in the school auditorium, where all teachers were given a thankful round of applause by the students. The skit performed by the students of Grade 12 sent the audience into peals of laughter, but surely passed on a message of the need to be respectful and disciplined. It was a moment of pride for the teachers when they were asked to rise and receive a big round of appreciation from their students. It

did not dampen their spirit and enthusiasm and they ventured out of the campus in their best attire and offered prayers at the nearby

2011. Hindus presented offerings and paid homage to Lord Ganesh.

Ganesha, the son of Shiva and Parvati,

mosque. All the students merrily celebrated Ramzan with a grand feast of ‘Chicken Biriyani’ and ‘Shahi Tukda’ that were served during lunch.

is worshipped as the God of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune. Ganesha is believed to bestow His grace on all his devotees during the festival.

Grade 10 choir singing…

A ‘pookalam’ in the dining hall

was a pleasure to witness the efforts and the time put in by the students to put up a wonderful programme, despite the pressure of their examination.

Onam, the harvest festival of Kerala, was celebrated in GSIS on September 9, 2011.

People of all communities celebrated Onam with gaiety and fervour. Traditional colourful floral designs called ‘pookalams’ were made in the dining hall, hospital and dormitories. On the day of Thiruonam, an elaborate feast called ‘onasadya’ consisting of traditional South Indian dishes was prepared for all at GSIS. Food was served on banana leaves and most of the students ate with bare hands instead of using forks and spoons.

Teachers and students took an early bath, wore new traditional clothes and performed elaborate prayers to seek divine blessings.

Immunisation Drive Against Swine Flu

Awareness Campaign on Cervical Cancer

Friendly Basketball Matches Held in GSIS

Monthly Examination Conducted

IELTS Examination

With the availability of Swine Flu vaccine since 2010, GSIS has made it a policy to vaccinate all the students and staff in its campus against Swine Flu.

The vaccine, Influvac, apart from giving protection against the H1N1 strain, also gives protection from two other strains of the Influenza virus.

An Awareness Programme on Cervical Cancer was conducted in GSIS for the girl students of Grades IX – XII and the lady staff members of GSIS on the 10th of September 2011.

The session was conducted by Dr. Udita Prasad, the Resident Medical officer of GSIS. The session

A student being vaccinated in the school hospital

Dr. Udita Prasad speaking on Cervical Cancer

U-14yrs category Boys’ Basketball matches in progress U-16yrs category

Every year, the WHO determines which strain has to be immobilized to reduce the outbreak of the Flu in the community. This year, GSIS successfully carried out the drive against this deadly disease during the first week of September. Since August 2010, the vaccination has helped in reducing hospital admissions due to fever.

was primarily an awareness campaign to highlight the best ways to prevent cervical cancer, detect and treat it early. During her one-hour session, she also imparted information related to the Human Papilloma Virus(HPV) vaccination.

Friendly Basketball matches were held in the indoor basketball court of GSIS on September 12, 2011.

Our boys’ team [U-14years category] defeated the visiting JSS International School, Ooty.

Score : 17points – 13points

Our boys’ team [U-16years category] also defeated the JSS International School team.

Score : 35points – 13points

Congratulations!

The First Monthly Examination was conducted during the first week of September 2011, for all students in the Fernhill and the Palada campuses. The question papers for each subject were prepared in accordance with the syllabus and the formats of the specimen model papers as per the board pattern.

The International English Language Testing System[IELTS] Examination was conducted in GSIS on the 17th of September 2011.

45 students took the Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing components of the Examination. The Speaking test was conducted on the 16th, 17th and 18th of September. GSIS continues to be a registered centre for the IELTS Examination. Examiners from the British Council, Chennai, conducted the Examination. IELTS tests enable our students to fulfil a pre-requisite for admission to colleges and universities in commonwealth countries.