Report on Visit to Aravali Biodiversity Park
Ahlcon International School
was invited by WWF and Ministry of Environment Education to visit Aravali
Biodiversity Park for a Nature Camping Programme of 2 days &1 night on 18th
and 19th March 2014, where 32 students of class VII and VIII along
with 2 teachers participated.
The Aravali Biodiversity
Park is situated near Vasant Vihar and is being developed at 693 acres of land
that was over mined and completely infected with Prosopis Juliflora (Vilayati
kikar) and has lost indigenous biodiversity. The major portion of the park is
rocky and devoid of soil and vegetation cover. With its different habitat types
and ecosystems having many rare and endangered flora and fauna, the park serves
as a live museum and laboratory for promoting environmental education.
When the children and
teachers arrived at the campsite, the research team welcomed them and allotted
7 tents to be shared among all. In the first nature trail the children were
taken to a Herbal Garden and shown various species of medicinal plants and told
about their uses. Then they visited the Butterfly Conservatory where they
learnt about the lifecycle of a butterfly and observed its various stages. The
children also visited Orchidarium and studied about the plantation of orchids.
Few students were selected for a video recording on Earth Hour. In the
afternoon the children enjoyed clay modeling. In the evening, the children went
for bird watching and saw around 40 birds and identified their nature calls. A
movie on the beauty of Aravali Biodiversity Park was shown once the children
returned to the campsite. They also enjoyed dinner around a campfire.
Next day, early morning
children went to their last nature trail to enjoy the fresh air and see a
variety of flora and fauna. Many nature education activities like quiz, debate
and thumb printing were enjoyed by the children.
It was a great source of motivation for the
students to attend the camp and study about the degradation and revival of a
degraded ecosystem. They were sensitized towards nature appreciation and
conservation. The nature walk through the park has encouraged qualities of
leadership, exploration and nature observation among the students.
Vasantotsav
at Ahlcon
Celebrating Vasant – spring and
invocation to Goddess Saraswati- symbolizing knowledge and empowerment has been
the regular feature in the calendar of Ahlcon International School since 2002.
This year too it was celebrated with enthusiasm
and vibrancyon Feb 4th . The two day musical extravaganza was
inaugurated by His Excellency John Aquilina UOM, the High Commissioner of
Malta, Shri B.P. Singh, former Governor of Sikkim and other dignitaries. The
highlight of the programme was a performance by the school staff and a
Bharatnatyam performance by Ms. Marie Elangovan a renowned exponent. She
enthralled the audience with her graceful, tender and sculpture- like poses.
Over 500 students from 20 schools participated in classical music and dance competitions
performances.
The Chief Guest, the High
Commissioner of Malta exhorted the students to respect their parents and
teachers for the sacrifices they make. He paid tribute to his own teachers for
shaping him and his personality.
The former Governor, author and civil
servant Shri B P Singh in his address impressed upon the students to practice
discipline and order in their lives.