Feats of triumph

Gone arethe days when excelling only in academics was the prime objective of parents and thereby students.

Gone arethe days when excelling only in academics was the prime objective of parents and thereby students. However lately such beliefs have taken a back seat and now parents without keeping a linear view are encouraging their kids not only to participate but also excel in sports and other cultural activities. And schools play an important role by encouraging their students for the same. SPM English Medium Secondary School,Sadashiv Peth,is one such school that has many scholars excelling in a variety of activities. Few students from this school have come out with flying colours in the field of sports as well as academics on National as well as International levels. Sports are blended in the interests of the school’s curriculum.

Ajinkya Mule of Class VIII recently gained the ninth spot in the second International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO),the World Championship Mathematics Competition for high school students. He likes science and maths and says,”School maths is relatively easy but as the standard for the competition was very high I had to prepare from CBSE,ICSC,NCERT books. The competition is objective based and has basic maths with analytical and logical reasoning. He didn’t join any special classes for this. Besides IMO,this year he has also appeared for the first round of National Cyber Olympiad (NCO) that includes computer basics and is waiting for the results. Ajinkya likes reading books on geography and loves going on treks and play football and cricket. When asked about his future career plans he answers,”My ambition keeps on changing now and then,but I am definitely opting for Science after my school.

Another young lad from the school Shireen Limaye,Class IX,recently won the second prize in billiards and third in snooker at the sub juniors and junior Billards and Snookers National Championship,in Agra. I started playing both the sports around four years back and train at the PYC ground everyday for three to four hours with my coach Satish Amarnath. My idol is Pankaj Advani and I would like to represent India one day, she adds. A head strong Shireen also plays basketball for the past nine years and is trained by her mother Suvarna Limaye. As a result she is currently selected for under 16 Asian Basketball Championship in Balewadi on 20th October. Apart from basketball,billiards and snooker Shireen has also been selected for Common Wealth Games in Delhi for Netball this year,which she started playing just five months back.

The school also encourages its students tio take part in excercises related to environment awareness,tours and so on.

Roma Joglekar of class X,is another star of the school who has shown her excellence in Gymnastics. She recently won the second prize in Floor Exercise and in Uneven Bar at the School National Championship at Agra. She has been selected for the camp for the Common Wealth Games,Delhi and is preparing for the same since last six months in Kolkata. Having strarted Gymnastics from the age of four and trained by Ram Krishna Lokhande of Sports Authority Of India (SAI),she also excels in academics and loves Kathak and drawing. Constantly encouraging its students to widen their horizons Medha Pandit,Principal,SPM English School says,”Our school aims at developing self-reliant individuals. Every year one or two students from school are selected and fully sponsored by American Field Service (AFS) for an exchange program, She further adds,”we also play host each year of Marcus Cato,an elocution competition,thereby encouraging students for public speaking. Also every Saturday we have a GK club for students. We also have started a Software Creating Program,which is led by a team from TCS,for students of std VI,and students are immensely enjoying it. There are also field trips and educational tours for each class in addition to cleanliness drives in the school itself. During the outbreak of Swine Flu,we fumigated the school twice a week and are still continuing while all the students continue to take precautions. “

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