At Aditi, students are encouraged to pursue their passions in whichever field their heart desires. From running a covid vaccination drive with over 200 people to hosting an international debate tournament with 150+ students from over 5 countries, Aditi students have done it all, and then some. With the support of the school, students have ensured that the shift to virtual schooling has not put a halt to their interests – with 8 new clubs started in the previous academic year. Here are some of the incredible things High School and Pre- University students at our school are doing:
A student’s take – The TNQ Distinguished Lectures in the Life Sciences-2023
Dr Ronald Vale on “Marvellous Molecular Motors”
On Friday the 13th of January, 2022, Biology students of Std 11 and teachers attended a talk at the Indian Institute of Science by Ron Vale alongside some of my classmates and Biology teachers. It was called ‘Marvellous Molecular Motors’, which is not a topic I know very much about, I will admit, but nonetheless I was still very excited to hear him talk. I think all of us were definitely expecting a lot of information to just completely go over our heads, but we were luckily quite incorrect. As Prof. Vale began talking, and I think I speak on everyone’s behalf, the things he said truly captivated our attention. He spoke in a very simple and clear manner, giving excellent explanations on his topic of proteins involved in movement. The talk coupled with the Q&A session lasted around two hours, in which I learnt so much more than I thought was possible in that amount of time! I think that if the topic interests you, you could listen to a talk like this for hours; it was beautifully presented and spoken. I won’t go into detail about everything I learnt within the realms of the working of kinesin and dynein, but just know, it is exceedingly interesting! I am so, so glad that I had the opportunity to be there at such an esteemed talk and listen to one of the most accomplished people in science speak!
youth and sustainability collaboration for the future, with the future
As part of our Socially Useful and Productive Work (SUPW) initiatives, we, the students of Std.11 AICE, worked on the different aspects of ‘YOUTH AND SUSTAINABILITY’. Throughout the week-long programmme, we attended talks, researched, documented and discussed the urgency of the issues that plague the natural and ecological spheres of our planet and how the youth or our generation can create the changes required in order to restore our planet.
To conclude the week, the class was divided into four groups to present our understanding and learning to the students of Std. 4 and 5. The topics being covered by the groups were; waste management and segregation, importance of oceans, sustainable fashion and biodiversity.
Group 1: Waste Management and Segregation for a more Sustainable Future.
We started off the session with an activity for the students of Std. 5 KN – a mini basketball game. The students had to shoot assigned trash (newspaper, orange peels, candy wrappers, face masks) into the right basket named – wet waste, dry waste, and medical waste. This got their minds thinking, in an interactive and exciting way, about the topic we wanted to present. We went on to explain some terms related to waste such as biodegradable, compost, recyclable and the effects of ineffective waste management. We concluded the session with a short recap quiz. This activity was enjoyable for both us and the students of Std 5.
Group 2: Oceans and their Importance.
We introduced the concept by giving all the students of Std. 4 BJ candy and asking them what they thought happened to the wrapper after it went in the dustbin. The enthusiastic and interactive students managed to trace the journey of the wrapper to the ocean!! The discussion that followed was on the importance of the oceans in our lives even though we live so far away from one. To conclude we had a quiz on the fun facts of oceans. They had insightful responses and guessed almost all the questions we had on our slide! We followed the quiz with a discussion of what we can do to help. As we were leaving the students told us that the workshop was their best class ever. To say that their statement made our day would be an understatement!
Group 3: Sustainable Fashion
We chose to do thistopic as it seemed like a fun and meaningful one, and we were excited to engage with the students of Std. 5 CF. Through a fun presentation we explained the following points:
- what makes a garment sustainable
- what are the characteristics of slow fashion and eco fashion
- the 5Rs of fashion and gave them examples of sustainable fashion
Following the presentation we conducted an interesting hands-on activity. This activity consisted of dividing the students into groups of 5 and giving them print outs of a male and female mannequin. Different fabrics were then given to the groups. The students were required to design outfits for the mannequins.
Our main aim of this presentation was to spread awareness of eco fashion and slow fashion, what are sustainable and unsustainable fabrics and how we as consumers could make small changes in our lifestyle. We also wanted to inform the students that while polyester and other synthetic fabrics are harmful for the environment, their harm can be minimised by using these garments for longer periods of time. In the end we asked one person from each group to present their work.This session was quite informative and interactive as the students were well versed with these ideologies by the time we left class.
Group 4 : Biodiversity
Webelieved that our experience with the 4th graders (Std. 4 EV) was nothing short of fun and engaging. On our topic of biodiversity, we learned how every system of nature that exists is interconnected and how these cyclical ecological systems could be utilised without harming the natural cycle that keeps its resources regenerating. We as a group made it our aim to have these two principles translated to the students through activities such as a quiz, a story about how tigers are connected to Bangalore’s water supply and an excursion to the school amphitheatre. The reaction from the students was extremely enthusiastic and made us feel more comfortable with this daunting task. They showed extreme knowledge and enthusiasm in answering our questions and in interpreting the concept of biodiversity. They were able to successfully comprehend our aims and principles, as well as understanding the definition of biodiversity.
Sharing our learning with the students of Std. 4 and 5 was an insightful way to end our week long SUPW programme.
Students of 11AICE (W)
Bounce Back:
Bounce Back is a student-led initiative to help provide education to children suffering from cancer. Education and cancer are causes that Aditi cares deeply about, and the students have taken it upon themselves to help those in need in any way possible. Traditionally, Bounce Back raises funds for the Samiksha Foundation (insert link) through a sports carnival. The previous year, due to the disruption caused by covid-19, Bounce Back couldn’t hold a sports festival. But they didn’t let that stop them! They created an online magazine for the foundation. This year, Bounce Back held the event in school with plenty of fun games, competitions, and entertainment.
Computer Science:
In the near future, it is extremely likely that coding will be an essential skill for people across professions to master. The Aditi Coding Society was established in 2020 with the goal of spreading love for building through code, by engaging in several interesting projects. The Coding Society welcomes both experienced and new coders, to work on building novel products with code. In the past year, the ACS has introduced its members to Python and has worked on creating programs by using the Spotify API (Application Programming Interface). The club is currently delving into web(site) development. In the coming future, they will deal with increasingly pertinent issues in the coding space, such as ethical hacking. They also want to display the ability of code to directly impact our lives in a positive and tangible way – this year, they have the ambitious plan of building a tool to automate your email, to eliminate the inbox clutter we all know and dread.
Members of the ACS attend and have won awards at various hackathons (an event where a team of coders build a project from scratch in less than 24 hours). They also started TechaMAIS, our intra school competition for everything tech.
Dance:
The pandemic did not halt Aditi students from putting a spring in their step – the Dance Club started last year with the purpose of creating a platform where anyone and everyone could come to share knowledge (and more importantly, learn) about dance. In their weekly meetings, members with training across various dance styles conduct choreography sessions, along with working out, freestyling, and team dancing. The Dance Club has performed at TEDxMAIS and has held their own showcase, and plans on performing more in the coming years.Melding culture, technique, and exercise, the club is committed to create a space where members explore the boundaries of dance.
Debate:
To borrow the words of one of the world’s greatest debaters, – Ashish Xiangyi Kumar – debating is arguably the most high octane intellectual sport out there. The Aditi Debate Society welcomes longtime debaters and newcomers to the sport with open arms. A long standing and integral aspect to Aditi’s culture, the Aditi Debate Society is one of the most active and enriching clubs to be a part of.
With an exceptionally wide array of achievements and successful debaters, the Debate Society has not only had teams at international tournaments like Asia World Schools Debating Championships 2019 (we placed in the top 16!), but its most recent accolades are winning prestigious tournaments like the National Law School Junior Debate (South India’s largest school level debate tournament) in consecutive years (2019,2020), and the RV Inter School Debate 2019. Members of the DebSoc have had immense success at international debating and public speaking tournaments as well. We have won the India Today Cup, India’s most prestigious invitational tournament in 2019, and reached the semifinals in 2020. At the most recent World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championship, members have reached the finals as well as rank in the top 100 public speakers in the world. We have also had two members on the Indian National Debate Team, beyond sending multiple debaters to the final round of Team India’s selections year on year.
The DebSoc focuses not just on competitions, but on fostering a space where effective discourse and exchange of ideas can take place. The DebSoc has organised The Aditi Parliamentary Debate (TAPD), a mainstay of the Indian school debating calendar, for 3 years running. Last year, we partnered with the Indian Schools Debating Society to act as a selection round for the Indian national debate team. Our tournament had over 150 participants from 5 different countries – making us one of, if not, the biggest school level debating competition in India in 2020. The Aditi DebSoc looks to foster the ability to marshall your thoughts and crystallize them into arguments, but more importantly, to think critically about the world at large.
TAPD:
This year’s edition of The Aditi Parliamentary Debate was held on the 13th and 14th of August, and featured teams from across India. Adjudicated by respected judges in the Indian and international debating circuit, the tournament was run over the online video-conferencing platform, Discord. One of India’s most competitive school level debating tournaments, TAPD 21 featured 16 teams from institutions from every corner of India. This year’s tournament was won by the Team from Vasant Valley High School, consisting of Aryan Aggarwal, Aryan Goyal and Siddhant Nagrath. The Best Speaker award was received by Chahat Bambri of Bhavan Vidyalaya. Our Core Adjudication Panel consisted of Karthik Tadepalli (formerly of Team India in 2016, debated for the University of Pennsylvania), Prithvi Arun (member of the World Championship Team India in 2019) and our very own Aryan Makhecha ‘21. The motion for the Grand Finals was “This house prefers a world in which most college graduates dedicate their careers to reducing existential risks to humanity (e.g. nuclear catastrophe, climate change,pandemics,artificial intelligence)”.
Design:
Art is an important component of our lives – it dictates everything from the content we consume to the device you are reading this on. The Aditi Design Club was brought to life in the virtual format last year.
The club focuses on design and art both in its personal and its professional capacity.
Sessions are hands-on: after a theory brief, students create their own pieces. Members have learnt about creative expression forms as diverse as craft making, storyboarding, digital art, thematic designing through sticker making, fabric dyeing, digital art, calendar making, character design, and much more. By utilising online classrooms to their max capacity, the Design Club was able to transition seamlessly to a virtual format, and deliver an engaging experience for all its members.The Club explores cutting edge topics in design, and through projects, provides hands-on experience that will be valuable in pursuing design-related careers in the future.
In the past year, the club has explored calendar making, tie-dying, digital art and so much more. The club is truly making the best use of its virtual presence, and is currently building on the digital experience through exploring the world of digital animation. In the coming future, the club will take up projects in crafts including origami and ceramics. The club has shown a commitment to ensuring a quality education across a wide variety of art forms, design techniques, and crafts – all while being fun and engaging!
Interact:
Service has always been an integral part of the Aditi mission. Students at Aditi have kept the spirit of giving alive and well through the Interact Club. The Interact club is entirely student run, and is affiliated with Rotary International, a global organisation with the aim of advancing goodwill across the world.
10 years old as of this year, Aditi’s Interact club has regularly organised events to foster the spirit of giving through ReachOut and the Aditi Blood Drive. ReachOut is one of the highlights of the year, raising funds through sports, games, food and so much more. Through our yearly blood drive, we ensure that we are able to do our part to help save lives.
The covid-19 pandemic has been a terrifying disaster, leaving us unable to run our blood drive and ReachOut. The Interact Club, ever ready to help those in need, adapted to this ordeal, and organised a vaccination drive with over 200 people receiving covid vaccines.
The Interact Club hopes to keep fostering the spirit of service in the coming years in any way it can.
Investment:
Developing financial acumen is a crucial step towards true financial independence. The MAIS Investment Club was started with the goal of bridging the gap between amateur investors and the world of finance. Through carefully curated workshops conducted by experts from the foremost global financial institutions such as ICICI, Barclays, etc the club disseminates investing knowledge to its eager members. Members of the club meet weekly to discuss their newfound knowledge of the markets and books on investing. The club seeks to prepare its members for the future by building awareness and developing the capacity to attain financial independence at an early age.
Math (Radicals):
The Radicals seek to push beyond the boundary of the math that is taught in a typical school curriculum – they explore topics as far-ranging as Euler numbers and probability in card games like Blackjack. This year, the club runs in two batches: Juniors (9th and 10th Grade) and Seniors (11th and 12th Grade). Members of the club are exposed to multiple advanced and intriguing math concepts and engage in fun quizzes. This year, the club seeks to participate in math contests and eventually, host our own! Additionally, in the coming year, they plan on inviting speakers from the field of math to shed more light on the beautiful subject.
Model United Nations:
The MUN club at Aditi seeks to develop an interest in international relations and diplomacy, along with building communication skills in its members. The Mallya Aditi MUN Club has had a great start to the academic year. In June, we welcomed more than 30 new students to the club and the seniors spent weeks training these avid MUNners.
Every Friday sessions are conducted on numerous skills that would boost students’ MUN prowess. Training sessions on the following topics have been conducted: How to write position papers, drafting effective resolutions, enhancing one’s oratory skills, delivering powerful and informative speeches, and understanding foreign policies of countries. As the year progresses the seniors of the club will continue conducting such sessions.
In the first week of July, we sent a 5 member delegation to DNMUN hosted by Delhi Public School, Bangalore North. Later in the month, we sent students to take part in the Vidyashilp Academy Model Parliament, the students that took part were attending such a conference for the first time. Members of the MUN Club have received multiple awards in all categories.
The club members are eagerly looking forward to taking part in conferences over the next few months and introducing their juniors to the highly competitive Bangalore MUN circuit, who will in turn carry forward the legacy of the club. The delegates of the club will next take part in SMUN hosted by Sophia High School.
MAIS MUN:
The Mallya Aditi Model United Nations (‘MAISMUN’) was held on 30th July, 31st July and 1st August. The organizing committee, consisting of 12th-grade students, had spent the past 3 months in preparation for the conference. All the chairpersons were highly experienced in the MUN circuit and handled the committees with the utmost courtesy and professionalism. We had around 70 delegates taking part from various schools across Bangalore and Pune. Each of the 4 committees – Lok Sabha, Commission on the Status of Women, Historic Security Council and the Futuristic Crisis Committee – had intellectually stimulating agendas that tackled a wide range of real-world issues. Mr. Samarth Parthak, a representative of the UNODC attended our closing ceremony and addressed the delegates with a message of encouragement. All in all, the event was a resounding success thanks to every member of the Mallya Aditi MUN Club community.
Music Club:
Music is one of the best forms of expression. The true beauty of music is that it connects people and is an incredible force with which we are gifted. Music is a universal language which appeals to every single person.
It needs to be felt and not just heard.
The Music Club seeks to create an enjoyable experience for everyone, where students can step back and relax, while nurturing their talents. It is a creative platform and a comfortable space where everyone can express themselves without any hesitation.
We think it’s a great way for creative musicians to express their talent during these circumstances.
The club consists of artists who play a variety of instruments as well as singers, be it Indian or western, classical or contemporary! The club has sessions on music theory, jam sessions, mashups confined to important cultural events and festivals, doing songs from different time periods and discussing the history of music from different eras and genres of the 20th century.
The club has created several wonderful pieces, including a special performance for Independence Day (insert video below), as well as learn about the history of different music periods.
Rutuchakra:
RutuChakra is a youth-run organization working to achieve menstrual equity and dignity for menstruators through action, awareness, and advocacy.
The Aditi Chapter of RutuChakra started last year. The members of the Aditi Chapter work in teams to organise events, raise money, coordinate outreach and plan donation drives. So far the club has had multiple Instagram livestreams, run two donation drives and is currently working on making content to share about periods and sanitation.
The club builds outreach through conducting multiple Instagram live streams and maintains an active Instagram community of people that refer to our page for information, updates and general awareness messages.
They’ve also run two donation drives: to the Abhaya Ashram and the Abhala Ashram to help give menstrual products to menstruators in orphanages.
In the coming year, they plan on hosting workshops to help spread the message of period poverty and making video content that can be shared with NGOs to help them teach children at the rural/ ground level. Our Rutuchakra Chapter aims to tackle period poverty and directly work with menstruators in need to provide essential resources and products to help them stay safe and take care of themselves through puberty.
The Scribe:
The Scribe is an art and cultural magazine run by high school students at Aditi. The Scribe endeavours to be a space for free expression through poetry, essays, art, and photography. From modern art to poetry to articles on moral philosophy, the Scribe has it all. The first edition of Scribe was published in 2018, and the clubs aim to continue the tradition of releasing creative issues every year!
After forming the largest team the club has ever had this year, they got started right away on Scribe’s 10th edition so far – the theme being “Renaissance Reborn”.
“Renaissance Reborn”: The gold sweeps through the room. Perhaps it’s sunlight, or some celestial sign that this is it, that this is all I’ll ever need. White dresses turned gold, gauze turned mist, pencil turned paintbrush. I’m an artist and the world is my palette. Thread through needle, the gentle clicking of the sewing machine, thoughts rattling around in my head like marbles. The white wine by my side, a strand of gold on bare shoulders, stray scraps of fabric littering the room. Different shades of the same color. This theme revolves around the burst of creativity during the Renaissance, and focuses on expression through art.
Link to website: https://www.scribemais.com/
Link to latest edition: https://www.scribemais.com/copy-of-lost-in-translation
Technology Awareness Society
Technology is a critical and irreplaceable part of our lives, empowering us to do great things. However, in the hallowed words of Uncle Ben from Spiderman, with great power comes great responsibility.
The Technology Awareness Society was founded last year, in correlation with the increased shift to a digital lifestyle, to better educate people about the interaction between technology and society. The club seeks to create awareness about both the benefits and risks of technology through publishing articles on their website, conducting interviews, and through the Aditi Tech Journal. The Aditi Tech Journal is a student-run publication exploring the intersection of technology, healthcare, and society. Aside from this, TAS conducted webinars and an essay contest. In the coming years, TAS aspires to improve the current dialogue surrounding technology to lead to more positive interactions with it and the modern world.
Website : https://www.tasmais.com/
Aditi Tech Journal https://www.tasmais.com/aditi-tech-journal
TED Club:
The name ‘TEDxMAIS’ has become synonymous with our school’s culture, holding an inextricable meaning throughout our entire school community. For the past decade, speakers of previous TEDxMAIS events have left a mark on the crowd with their influential ideas. The name has forged a connection between the TED philosophy of “ideas worth spreading” and the essence of our educational experience. An eagerly-anticipated event, whether in-house or online, TEDxMAIS is an integral part of our school’s calendar. TEDxMAIS is normally hosted on the campus of Mallya Aditi International School. Since 2011, the event has been set in the amphitheatre, owing to a tradition of sorts. Set against the luminous night sky and lush green trees, the semi-circular seating allows for the perfect atmosphere to foster deep conversations, ponder ideas and learn new things. Although the January 2021 event, marking the 10th anniversary of TEDxMAIS, was forced to be held virtually in lieu of the pandemic, it was still a blazing success. The event is run by students from grades 10 to 12.
Website: https://www.tedxmais.net
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsRNoUx8w3rNATbxEl0nR1Rkjp3xGadXo
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSatVjzQd2dSlKXNzi-nAiNdKrboY5Xue
Links to past events:
2021: https://www.ted.com/tedx/events/40172
2020: https://www.ted.com/tedx/events/37152
2019: https://www.ted.com/tedx/events/31157
2017: https://www.ted.com/tedx/events/24597
2016: https://www.ted.com/tedx/events/21215
2015: https://www.ted.com/tedx/events/17525
2014: https://www.ted.com/tedx/events/13657
2013: https://www.ted.com/tedx/events/10320
2012: https://www.ted.com/tedx/events/7125
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tedxmais_official/
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/TEDxMAIS/
Email: tedxmaisofficial@gmail.com
Théa:
In a world that is increasingly politicised, it becomes crucial to develop a better understanding of our surroundings. At Théa (Greek for “View”), we focus on analytically examining the world around us through a critical eye; Théa writes articles on Law, International Relations, Politics, Economics and Philosophy. Our political landscape is shaped by the intersection of these fields, and we hope to gain a deeper understanding of them through focusing on them. In the world around us, where every issue is becoming increasingly important, ranging from climate change, to universal healthcare, to religious monuments, it’s become harder to find unbiased sources of information that convey details concisely, correctly, and clearly. That’s the gap we plan to bridge. We also occasionally interview prominent academics, lawyers, economists, and scholars to obtain their perspective on certain issues. The club aims to have guest writers pitching in with their takes on current affairs in the near future. The members of the club come from across the political spectrum to engage in expansive discourse to spread ideas worth thinking about. Théa publishes 2-3 issues every year.
Website: https://thea-ivory.vercel.app/
