The Silver Duke of Edinburgh Adventurous Journey to Poonhill
By: Upasana, Bibhushan and Nikhil (Y11)
Last week, the Year 11 students completed their Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award (DofE) Expedition with the aim to summit Poonhill. After an unsuccessful attempt to catch the flight the day before, the group stayed determined and got on a flight the next day, even after the setback.
Following their arrival in Pokhara, the students began their preparations for the days to come. The evening consisted of a leisurely stroll along the lakeside, accompanied by dinner, in an effort to relax before the forthcoming hike.
On the first day of the hike, the students embarked on a three hour long jeep ride to Tikhedhungga. The journey was a very bumpy one, but the breathtaking views of the mountains along the way were definitely worth it. On arrival, the Year 11s undertook a 9km long hike up to Nangethani (2400m). It was a tough journey which was mostly uphill, made harder with the heavy bags the students had to carry. Eventually, after about 1.5 hours worth of stairs, the students finally got to take a quick lunch break at the halfway point. The delicious lunches and snacks were a good source of motivation to keep the students going for the rest of the hike. After finally reaching Nangethani and settling into their tea houses, the students cooled off and were able to unwind. To stay entertained, many of the students played card games to pass time before dinner. For dinner, the students had to cook their own meals in order to successfully complete the DofE expedition. The groups all cooked a variety of delicious meals (noodles, pasta, mac and cheese) using the ingredients and cooking equipment that they carried up in their backpacks. While eating, the students also spotted Starlink – a satellite based internet provider in the sky. It was very cool to see!
The next morning, after making breakfast (some groups had chickpeas and slightly watered down hot chocolate while others had cinnamon rolls and chocolate croissants) the group set off again – this time to Ghorepani (about 2800m in altitude.) This hike was much easier than the previous day as it was only 3km long and the students arrived with enough time to cook lunches and play cards. Since Ghorepani was higher up in altitude, the students also got the opportunity to see snow, for a few of the Year 11s, this was their first time seeing snow, which gave them more enthusiasm than ever! Though a lot of it had melted, students were still able to build snowmen and have snowball fights. It was an amazing experience! At around 3 or 4 o’clock, the students began climbing up to Poonhill, the highest point of the journey (3200m.) Though it was quite a steep uphill climb, many of the students didn’t have to carry their heavy bags, only packed dinner, water bottles and some warm clothes. This made the 3km hike much easier, though the students did a very great job at being careful not to slip on the icy steps. The view from the Poonhill tower was definitely worth it and the sunset was a breathtaking sight to see. It was also another great spot for the students to play in the snow, even though it was very cold in the evening, everyone was enjoying this memorable experience. After witnessing the sunset, the group cautiously went back down to Ghorepani, making sure not to slip in the snow and using headlights and torches to see in the dark.
After that eventful and amazing day, the students got up very early (around 5 o’clock) the next morning and made their final breakfast (sandwiches), ready for the long and arduous hike ahead of them. They all got to see a beautiful sunrise as they descended the mountain one last time. This hike by far was the longest hike on the entire trip, lasting over 6 hours and traversing over 15 kilometres. As they went further and further down, they got closer and closer to the finish line. Even though the students carried their big bags, it was a bit easier due to them finishing the majority of their snacks and food before this hike. The students traversed through the mountain and passed through many villages with lots of friendly locals to help them guide their way home. Though the downhill road was less tiring, most of the students were very sore because of the pain in their legs. After the students reached their final point, they took a 3 hour bus ride back to Pokhara where they were in for a surprise that night. To kill some time, some students played card games, some cooked ramen and had leftover snacks while others slept after the long journey they faced. The best part for most however, was the hot shower they were able to take. That night, the teachers hosted a small party for the students on the rooftop, celebrating the completion of the adventurous journey. The students received many awards in the form of chocolate such as most improved in hiking, most compassionate, learning how to tie shoelaces and much more. The teachers arranged for delicious pizza, fizzy drinks such as cola and lemonade, chips and finally some amazing music!
The day after was their flight back home, where once again it was delayed. On the other hand, the flight wasn’t as late compared to the first day of the trip and they managed to see the mountainside and the city from above one last time before arriving back home at Kathmandu. The school is very proud to see how far they have come and the skills that they have developed from this journey. A huge congratulations to all the students who finished their silver qualifying journey with courage, compassion, and accepting the challenge throughout, and many thanks to the amazing teachers who helped organise it!
Congratulations to these students once more: Shreegya, Maulik, Paridhi, Athalia, Sizuka, Mateo, Saanvi, Victoria, Shrishti, Upasana, Aaria, Nikhil, Manashi, Aasha, Bibhushan, Ira, William and Ivanjali.
World Scholars Cup Regional Round
By: Meekha and Nijal (year 9)
33 different schools, 6 core subjects (although it ends up being closer to 14), 1,200 voices and 5 academic events. If you think that’s a lot, it’s only the Kathmandu regional rounds. The World Scholars Cup is an academic event that encourages pupils to pursue further knowledge and celebrate awkwardness and alpacas. It is one of the only places that encourage you to learn the history of the loading sign, interstate route 66, the ending of LoTR, Wodziwobs visions, and the second law of thermodynamics. For most of us reading, this sounds like gibberish, but for the scholars, it’s all part of the academic events.
For those of us who do not know what Scholars Cup is, it’s an academic program that consists of events such as the team debate, collaborative writing (or collabowriting as we tend to call it), the challenge, the team bowl, and the debate showcase. Alongside these, the non academic events consist of Alpaca adoption, the opening and closing ceremony, and the scholars “un-talent” show. For more information, check out their website.
The regional rounds run across 2-4 days (2 days for each age group) and consist of those 5 events. The first day is what scholars dub the “Triple Threat Day”, this is the day in which 3 of the hardest academic events – team debate, collabowriting, and the challenge, these events tend to happen back to back, giving the scholars less time to eat or take a break.
The second day is much more relaxed and fun. It starts off with the scholars bowl, which is another multiple choice quiz, but it’s done in a theatre/hall/gym with clickers and your teammates. You are encouraged NOT to sell said clickers on Ebay, but the WSC team catches strays every now and then. In the middle of the bowl, the alpaca adoption ceremony happens, each scholar is given a stuffed alpaca called Jerry, and they must partake in several vows like “I promise to not eat my alpaca” to formally “adopt” them. Afterwards, the debate showcase takes place, and it is the last academic event of the round.
The “un-talent” show signups generally take place during the lunch break, and it is called that because it doesn’t have to be a conventional talent like singing or dancing. It could be standup comedy, flexibility, the ability to sleep through anything, and magic. The title of “un-talent” show allows anybody to showcase anything, a freedom many don’t get elsewhere.
The award/closing ceremony needs no explanation, although the sheer length of it is both applaudable and irritable. The variation of awards one can get makes sure that every scholar leaves the day with at least 1 achievement, but also ensures that the programme is bound to run past the schedule (sorry juniors).
ĢƵ did an astonishing job this year, even though we had a low number of teams compared to larger schools, some of us managed to finish quite high in the rankings. Many of our ĢƵ teams qualified with great honours and have done incredibly well. A massive congratulations to all the scholars and all of our scholars team and all our teachers who helped accompany and manage this. For many, it was their first time participating in WSC, and they still smashed the competition. A big well done to all the students who participated in this event, and we hope that you come again next year, or even partake in the global rounds this year!
Many of our ĢƵ teams qualified with great honours and have done incredibly well. A massive congratulations to all the scholars and all of our scholars team and all our teachers who helped accompany and manage this.
NISSA Girls’ Football Match
By: Saanvi & Sizuka
TheNissagirls’ football match was held on Thursday evening on the 5th of February, with the home team competing against RBS. The starting squad for the day was Adiba, Anaya, Ede, Ghazal, Iksana, Meredith, Nadiya, Reha, and Yaja From the beginning, the team showed strong determination on the field.
As the match continued the first goal was made by ĢƵ during the first half, scored by Adiba from a well placed free kick taken by Ghazal, due to a handball foul by an RBS member. The pair worked together marvelously so the first goal was added on the board. This made the atmosphere more lively, filled with cheers and encouragement everywhere, creating a positive ambience that motivated them to continue pushing forward.
Throughout the match Ghazal, Adiba and Merideth maintained a strong, solid attacking formation, showing confidence while driving the ball forward. While Reha & Anaya covered the back end with their tight defence. Everyone on the team showed some impressive skills both individually and united. Ghazal stood out with her excellent dribbling skills, successfully throwing off multiple RBS defenders and creating several chances. Their strong defensive efforts helped maintain balance and control during tense moments of the game.
Along with this, Ede performed excellently as goalkeeper, making five crucial saves that prevented the opposition from gaining an early lead, showing quite good work inside the post. At the same time, the opposition team also demonstrated excellent skills, with good defence, and their several attempts at shooting and bringing the ball forwards. RBS attempted several drives through the field but struggled to convert their chances into goals due to the tight defence and strong goalkeeping shown by ĢƵ.
After the end of the first half, RBS scored 1 resulting in a tie. The game ended with the score on the board being 1-1. Reflecting overall, both teams were seen creating opportunities, the match remained competitive and intense until the final whistle. Both teams displayed excellent skills, teamwork, and sportsmanship throughout the game, representing their schools with pride and determination.
Editor’s note: Our boys’ basketball team had a tremendous 40-18 win, also against RBS and our boys’ football and girls’ basketball team are in action this Sunday at GEMS in the rearranged season 1 finals.
Eco Fair
By: Shajonee (year 9), Luveena (year 9), Sofia (year 8), Jeeya (year 10)
The eco fair was held last Friday, 30 January on the primary astro. It was a fun and impactful event that brought attention and awareness to the environmental impacts of our ĢƵ community as a whole. The children participated in a bingo which highlighted the ĢƵ ecosystem and the compassion for one another and the environment. The stalls were fully student led with great creativity in displaying information and great understanding of our environment.
One stall stood out in demonstrating the value of our ĢƵ ecosystem. A student from Year 9, Adeline Spencer, collaborated with River Conservation of the Bagmati river where she helped in cleaning a part of the Bagmati River which reduced some of its damages. She put together an impressive stall during the Eco Fair that helped spread awareness and encourage our community to support local businesses such as this initiative.
There were multiple stalls that were at the Eco Fair. Splash the Teacher was a popular choice for the children to visit and have the chance to throw wet sponges at specific teachers when their time slot came up. All the primary years also took part in the Eco fair by remaking items from old, used things and sold many hand made craft items like the bottle planters and the bookmarks. The face paint stall run by the KS4 students was very popular as children and even some parents wanted eco-friendly designs. All Years took part from Early Years to KS4 on an Eco quiz.
There were multiple reusable item stalls with a toy, clothes and book swap stalls which were run by multiple students. We also had multiple small businesses come in and make time to set up their own special stalls, with a Sara Bakes Vegan, which helped promote eco friendly eating.
Some specific subjects had special stalls that you could visit as well. English had a stall of which you could read descriptive writing about drought-ravaged land in the story of Oedipus and Art made clay vessels made from recycled clay/earth. Science had Year 9 and 10 present their posters on renewable energy and AQI levels in Kathmandu, supported by great diagrams to engage younger kids and educate them. We could see some informative conversations taking place between the visitors and the students who had put up their stalls about various different components concerning our environment.
By the end of the Eco-fair we could see some very happy, engaged, and informed students and parents leaving knowing just what they wanted to do on their end to be a part of our community and help keep our environment clean, healthy and a safe place for all.
Mock Results
By: Abhiroop (year 11), Luveena (year 9)
After a lot of time, effort and hard work put in by all the students across year 11 over the last couple of weeks on their mock exams, it finally paid off. This week on the 4th of February, Year 11’s received their much awaited mock results in an envelope segregated for each subject. One by one, each student received their grades and while some were excited, a minority of the students were nervous. Upon receiving their results, many congratulated their peers on reaching their targets and goals while others encouraged their peers to not doubt themselves.
These mock results and examinations were done to point the students in the direction of the GCSE exams they will be taking in 2 months time. These mock grades were designed to help students identify their weaker points so that they can get extra help from their teachers and peers on areas they need to improve.
These reflections are seen during PSHE where the students plan on how to improve their grades in the coming months and finalise their revision tables. Many students believe that the mock exams are a vital part of doing GCSE because it helps them identify their weaknesses and strengths. Many students also tend to believe that sitting a full length exam under timed conditions is essential in preparing for the GCSE exams. These mock exams were a crucial part of learning and understanding not only academically but also in real life experiences where sometimes unexpected things tend to happen.
