Activities & Competitions - International - Cultural Exchange : St. Mark's Sr. Sec. Public School, Meera Bagh, Delhi

Loyalty, Truth & Honour

ST. MARK'S SENIOR SECONDARY PUBLIC SCHOOL
MEERA BAGH, NEW DELHI - 41

The School came into existence in the year 1990, to provide quality education that equips students to excel in all walks of life.

Home » Beyond Curriculum » Activities & Competitions » International » CULTURAL EXCHANGE

St. Mark's School Meera Bagh wins I prize (15 November 2011)

On 15 November 2011, Punjab Kesari organized a National level competition titiled, ‘Kesari Little Star’. Varun Sethi of class V-B of St. Mark’s Sr. Sec. Public School, Meera Bagh, won the First Prize in the Painting Competition. There were five topics for the same, out of which the participants were required to attempt any two. He attempted the topics ‘Save Earth’ and ‘Grow More Trees’.

The competition was divided into three categories Talent Hunt, Ramp Walk and Baby Show. Distinguished judges such as Ekta Kapoor, Raveena Tandon, Dr. Kiran Bedi graced the occasion with their presence. Live performances by Daler Mehndi, Jasbir Signh and Malkeet Singh also caught the attention of audience.

St. Mark's School Meera Bagh connects with uur Own High School, Dubai (15 November 2011)

On 15^th of November 2011, students of St. Mark's School, Meera Bagh had a video conference session with the students of Our Own High School, Dubai.

The Video conference saw the students of both the schools’ first talking about their community. They also discussed about influence of different religions on their lives. The students from St. Mark's School were curious to know as to how many of the students from Our Own high School were originally from India. They also wanted to know whether they miss India and whether they would like to come to India to join a university here.

It was a wonderful experience for all the students as they showed respect towards each other and also the eagerness to learn and share from and with each other respectively.

St. Mark’s Sr. Sec. Public School, Meera Bagh celebrates Sanskriti-an initiative by the European Union

As part of European Union's Sanskriti Festival for school children, St. Mark's Sr. Sec. Public School, Meera Bagh screened three Italian movies for the students. The three movies screened were V.I.P by Bruno Boggetto for students of class 4, Pinocchio by Roberto Benigni for students of Class V and Kim Rossi Stuart’s Anche Libero Va Bene for a group of senior students.

Ms. Antonia Grande, Cultural Director, Italian Embassy was in the school to interact with the students and tell them about EU and its functions. She also spoke about the importance of all countries working together to promote peace in the universe.

Ms. Anjali Aggarwal, Principal, St. Mark's School and Ms. Grande shared the view that it is the student community which is the best ambassador to promote harmony and brotherhood, hence it is essential for schools to collaborate with each other both virtually as well as on the real space.

St. Mark’s Sr. Sec. Public School, Meera Bagh attends the 10^th AEC-NET Conference at Dundalk, Ireland - (7 to 10 November 2011)

Mrs. Geeta Rajan, Global Coordinator, St. Mark’s Sr. Sec. Public School, Meera Bagh attended the 10^th AEC-NET Conference at Dundalk, Ireland from 7^th to 11^th of November 2011.

The conference aims at promoting ICT in classroom and also gives opportunities to educators from Asia and Europe to collaborate with each other through several online projects. This year, too, all the award winning projects – R.E.D, Home Seek and Flora and Fauna featured St. Mark’s School.

This year’s conference also saw experts teaching speed networking to the participating educators. The delegates were also taken to visit Newgrange a beautiful pre historic monument located in County eath, east of Ireland. The delegates also had a beautiful evening together when they were treated with some lovely Irish music and dance. They witnessed an Indian jig done in the traditional Irish style.

The participating educators were also taken to visit Institute of Further Education, a one of its kind school, which excels in the area of information technology. The conference was attended by several dignitaries like Mr. Oliver Tully, Chairperson, Vocational Education Committee, County Louth, Dr. Padraig Kirk, CEO, VEC, County Louth, to name just a few.

Video Conference with GVC Project Manager (21 October 2011)

Seven members of classroom GVC1113 of St. Mark’s Sr. Sec. Public School, Meera Bagh and their teacher Ms. L. Srinivas held an effective video conference session on 21 October with Mrs. Janet Barnstable, Project manager Global Virtual Classroom, USA. During the course of the interaction, Mrs. Barnstable agreed to share her expertise in the field of Web Designing and related subtopics with our students Vibhu Arora (XI), Ravit Malik (XI), Simran Malhotra (X), Kashish Anand (X), Deepika Matande (X) and Lakshay Virmani (X). During the 40-minutes long duration of the conference the participants had a fruitful transaction of ideas with the project manager who addressed all their queries and wholeheartedly wished them success. The conference concluded with plans for another meet with students of St Mary School, New York.

St. Mark's Meera Bagh teachers accompanied Swedish teacher trainees to Agra

It was an immense pleasure for 2 teachers of St. Mark’s Sr. Sec. Public School, Meera Bagh, to accompany 2 Swedish Teacher Trainees Ms. Emine Hifturi and Ms. Katharina Skar from the ‘University West’ to Agra. It was a breathtaking moment to see larger than life – Taj Mahal – one of the seven wonders of the world. The trip also included visit to Agra Fort – UNESCO World Heritage Site. The guests were impressed by the demonstration of the intricate art work by the skilled labourers in the construction of Taj Mahal.

Video Conferencing (30 September 2011)

SMS Meerabagh - Video Conferencing : Click to Enlarge

Technology has definitely made the world a small place. It was indeed a proud moment for us St. Markians when we had our first Video Conference. It was an Intergenerational Video Conference conducted on 30 September, 2011. Ten students participated and contributed during the 90 minutes Video Conferencing. This Video Conference was conducted by the ‘Tony Blair’ Face to Faith Foundation. The special guest for the Video Conference was Mr. Walter Woods from U.S.A and the participating schools were : Technologicode Monterrey and Our Own High School (UAE). The participants showed their concern about the elderly and the role of different faith groups in their country. They even expressed their views on the relationship which they share with their grandparents.

We even invited the grandparents, Mr. Malhotra and Mr. Krishnan to share their views as well. The Video Conference was conducted with visions of a society in which every member lives with dignity, respect and love.

St. Mark's Sr. Sec. Public School gets invited to Italy - (27 to 30 September 2011)

St. Mark’s Sr. Sec.Public School, Meera Bagh created history once again this year as it became the only school in Delhi to be invited to the first ever Indian Italian School Network Conference.Initiated by the Ministry of Education, Italy, the Conference was held from September 27 to September 30, 2011 in Vicenza, near Venice.

There were five Italian schools and two Indian schools at the conference.The Italian schools were from Vicenza,Venice, Trieste,Benevento and Rome while the second Indian school was Delhi Public School,Bangalore.The host school was Liceo “Pigafetta” located in Vicenza, Italy.

The three day conference was headed by Ms. Rita Renda, a senior official from the Ministry of Education, Italy. The agenda of the three day conference was to bring Indian and Italian schools closer by developing online projects and student exchange programmes, to integrate ICT tools in classroom and to teach students the importance of the rich historical heritage and cultural diversity of both the countries.

The delegates not only took part in the conference but were also taken for sight seeing in Vicenza. They were privileged to meet the Deputy Mayor of Vicenza Mrs Alessandra Moretti.A mesmerising musical concert by the students of the host school made one of the evenings very special for the delegates. The Indian delegates were taken to the city of Verona where they visited Juliet’s House to see the famous balcony from Romeo and Juliet and the Olympiad Stadium. The Italian hosts took the Indian delegates to visit the beautiful city of Venice where they saw St. Mark's Basilica, Saint Mark's Square, Doge’s Palace and the Grand Canal The main highlight was when they took the famous gondola ride.

Mrs. Geeta Rajan, Global Co-ordinator, represented St. Mark’s School at the conference.

World Education Summit : BEST GLOBAL COLLABORATIVE SCHOOL LEARNING AWARD - (13 to 15 July 2011)

St. Mark’s Sr. Sec. Public School, Meera Bagh wins the World Education Jury Choice Award

World Education Summit : BEST GLOBAL COLLABORATIVE SCHOOL LEARNING AWARD : Click to Enlarge

St. Mark’s Sr. Sec. Public School, Meera Bagh wins the World Education Jury Choice Award : Click to Enlarge

Yet another feather in the school's cap in the field of Globalising education and implementing the four C's — communication, coordination, collaboration, and cooperation in its curriculum.

It was a very proud evening for St. Mark’s Sr. Sec. Public School, Meera Bagh on the 14^th of July, 2011 as it won the BEST GLOBAL COLLABORATIVE SCHOOL LEARNING AWARD at the WORLD EDUCATION SUMMIT 2011 held at Hotel Ashok from 13 July to 15 July 2011. The award was in recognition to the school’s attempt in collaboration with schools from around 17 countries through the project - WINDOWS TO THE PAST-CHRONICLES OF STAMPS.

The award comprised of atrophy as well as a certificate. What makes the award special is the fact that it was judged by eminent stalwarts from the education sector Ms. Shakila Shamsu, Former Joint Advisor, Planning Commission, Mr. Naimur Rehman, Director, One World International, Dr. Veera Gupta, Secretary, CBSE, Dr. Thomas Christie, Director, Aga Khan University Examination Board to name just a few.

The award was collected by Ms. Geeta Rajan, Global co–ordinator, who represented the school in the three day summit.

Students of St. Mark's School, Meera Bagh attend International Friendship Week in Singapore

A group of 6 students namely, Niharika Kapoor,Pulkita Sharma, Garima Rawal, Prateek Bajaj, Udit Mahajan and Rohit Raman Banerji accompanied by the teacher incharge, Mrs. Geeta Rajan attended the International Friendship Week from 6 April 2011 to 10 April 2011 organized by Pioneer Secondary School, Singapore.

Students of St. Mark's School have been collaborating with the students of Pioneer Secondary School and doing numerous online projects for the past three years.

The International Friendship Week saw the students of St. Mark's School participating in a plethora of activities organized by the host school. They also were proud to sing the national song Vande Mataram in front of the august audience comprising of students and teachers of around seven schools from all across the world and other dignitaries from the host country.

The visit to Singapore was a combination of education, knowledge and fun for the students of St. Mark's School. Along with celebration at the host school, St. Mark's Students also got an opportunity to explore the city, do a lot of shopping, visit the famous Singapore Zoo and also enjoy the not-to-miss Night Safari.

St. Markians also visited Millennia Institute, Singapore with whom they have been part of the ET winning programme.

Visit to Indonesia - Jakarta

St. Mark's School, Meera Bagh hosts guests from Indonesia - (23 November 2010)

A four member delegation from the Ministry of Education, Indonesia, accompanied by Ms. Hendra Henny Andries, from the Embassy of Indonesia, New Delhi, visited St. Mark’s Sr. Sec. Public School, Meera Bagh, on 23 November 2010. They were on a research tour to India to know more about the Indian Education system. They also wanted to make an analysis on the similarities and differences in the education system of both the countries.

The delegation was shown a presentation on the Indian Education System which they found very informative and comprehensive. What gave them more happiness was the fact that nine member delegation from St. Mark’s School, Meera Bagh, is going to visit Jakarta very soon. The Indonesian delegation and the management of St. Mark’s reiterated the belief that in an era of violence and aggression, it is the student community that can really make a difference to the world.

Three Global Awards to St. Mark's School Meera Bagh

Two teams of St Mark’s Senior Secondary Public School, Meera Bagh won TWO GRAND FIRST PRIZES in Primary as well as Secondary level and a Special Certificate of Merit for Exceptional Helping Focus at Secondary level in GVC (Global Virtual Classroom Contest). GVC is a free online collaborative learning project that fosters creativity, cross cultural understanding, helping others and teaches IT and website design skills amongst students working together from around the world.

It was a proud moment for the participating students of St Mark’s Senior Secondary Public School, Meera Bagh, when the prize money of 1000$ in each category and a Plaque for the school was announced by the Give Something Back International Foundation (GSBI), USA. It was a well earned, well deserved victory after a six month long process of Research, Artistic Productivity, Technical Creativity, Web Designing and Team Work by all 60 members of both the teams along with their team mates at Primary Level from Percy Julian Middle School, Oak Park, Illinois USA, and Washington West School, Olean, New York and Secondary Level from John Muir School, San Diego, USA and Wako Kokusai High School, Japan.

The Principal Ms. A. Aggarwal congratulated all of them.

You may log on to the following sites to view the websites and check results

http://gvc0916.gvc09.virtualclassroom.org

http://gvc0901.gvc09.virtualclassroom.org

http://www.virtualclassroom.org/win09.html

9^th Aec-Net Conference (Click below links for details)


9^th Asia-Europe Classroom Network Conference of Principals and Teachers in Gurgaon 12 to 16 November 2010
Inauguration Ceremony	Welcome Dinner	Foreign delegates visit our school	Farewell

Click here for - Letter of Thanks

9th Asia-Europe Classroom Network Conference of Principals and Teachers in Gurgaon - Click to Enlarge

The much awaited 9^th AEC-NET Conference kicked off in great style on the 12^th November 2010. The Chief Guest for the evening was Ms.Caralyn Deshmukh, Director, (SE&L), MHRD. While the special guests were Mr. Clemens Kroll, Cultural Counsellor, Federal Republic of Germany, Shagun Mehrotra, Programme Head (Education), European Union.

The evening saw mesmering performances from the students of St. Mark's Sr. Sec. Public School, Meera Bagh. It was a cultural bonanza for the 100 delegates from all over Asia and Europe as they witnessed the diverse culture of our country - Incredible India.

The AEC-NET Conference an annual meeting since 2001 that gathers secondary and high school educators from Asia and Europe who take a keen interest in fostering collaborations among their students through innovative and interactive collaborative online learning and inter-cultural exchanges. The online collaborative projects initiated at each Conference are referred to as the AEC Projects.

The Conference is usually held over a period of four days, and comprises four essential components :

1.	Professional Enrichment for AEC-NET members. Internationally-recognised experts are invited to give presentations on topics related to the conference theme.
2.	Review of past AEC Projects, and presentation of new AEC Project proposals. Participants review the results of the AEC on-line collaborative learning projects that had been developed in the preceding year, the most outstanding of which are then shortlisted to contend for the AEC Awards (please see Annex B). Participants are also encouraged to submit proposals for on-line collaborative learning projects that teachers and students could develop over the course of the next 12 months. These proposals are presented and further developed in different Working Groups during the conference. At the end of the working group session, each Project Group should have finalised the discussion on the project implementation plan.
3.	Introduction to Host Country. Activities including visits to places of cultural and historical significance in the host country are organised to give the participants a better understanding of the different aspects of the host country. The host country might also take the opportunity to organise activities to better acquaint the participants with its approach to secondary and high school education, which may include visits to schools or specialised training centres for teachers.
4.	Networking. Participants are given adequate opportunities to interact with one another at the social level, outside of the plenary sessions and the working groups. This is to engender camaraderie among participants, thereby fostering the creation of networks that could form the foundations of future and further contacts and collaborations.

For more details, click here - AEC Projects

St. Mark's School Meera Bagh Hosts Guests from Indonesia

The students of Al-Azhar Islamic High School, Indonesia performing in our school - Click to Enlarge

St. Mark’s Sr. Sec. Public School, Meera Bagh, reopened after the summer break on 1^st July 2010. Soon after, the school hosted a group of 9 students along with two teachers Ms. Wati Wardani and Ms. Popon Julia from Al Azhar High School, Jakarta, Indonesia. The ten day visit was a fun filled exchange programme wherein the students learnt a lot about Indian culture, traditions, customs and rituals. They were given a warm welcome by the Principal Mrs. Anjali Aggarwal, the Vice Principal Mrs. V. Wahi and Educational Supervisors Ms. Ritika and Ms. Anita.

The student delegates alongwith the students of Snow Leopard Eco Club of planted ‘neem’ saplings. This would serve as reminder of the student exchange programme. The student delegates were happy to see the medicinal garden, vermicomposting, aerobic composting and recycling unit.

During their stay in India, they went for a Dilli Darshan (Qutub Minar,Red Fort,Lotus Temple etc.). They also visited Gandhi Smriti and the SOS Villages. They were taken to Agra wherein they not only visited the Taj, but also visited Fatehpur Sikri and Sikandra.

They also went to Dilli Haat, Fab India, the different malls, and of course, Janpath. This student exchange was meant to foster good friendly relations between the two schools. Students of our school with their Indonesian counterparts visited the Embassy of Indonesia. They were accompanied by the Principal Ms. A. Aggarwal and the Global Projects Co-ordinator Ms. Geeta Rajan. The interaction with the Ambassador His Excellency Lt. General (R) Andi M. Ghalib, SH,.MH has initiated a new bond not only between the two schools but also the two countries.

A bond which would be cherished and nourished forever in the days to come.

St. Mark's Odyssey Members have an Interactive Session

Chairman Mr. T. P Agarwal welcoming Mrs. Badiropa Sinha, Principal Path Bhawan, Shantiniketan, West Bengal

A group of 12 students from Path Bhawan School which is under the renowned Vishva Bharati University (Shantiniketan) visited St. Mark's Sr. Sec. Public School, Meera Bagh, alongwith 2 faculty members and their Principal Ms. Bodhirupa Sinha from 2 August 2009 to 05 August 2009. A cultural programme was presented by the students of St. Mark’s School to welcome the guests. The students from Path Bhawan presented a song and dance performance ‘Ritu Rango’ – that was based on seasons.

The next day the visiting group celebrated the Vriksharopan Ceremony (Tree Plantation). The Eco Club members of St. Mark’s also participated in the same. This was followed by a beautiful dance drama ‘Shyama’, performed by the students of Path Bhawan. Thereafter they interacted with the students of St. Mark’s and even taught them how to make Rakhis for the occasion of Raksha Bandhan.

They enjoyed the food of Delhi and the sight seeing in particular. It was a privilege to have this group of students from the eastern part of India. It was a wonderful learning experience indeed!

St. Mark's Joins ASEFC

St. Mark's School, Meera Bagh becomes the first Indian school to join ASEF (The Asia-Europe Foundation).

The Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) advances mutual understanding and collaboration between the people of Asia and Europe through intellectual, cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

St. Mark's Sr. Sec. Public School, Meera Bagh has been working with this forum since the year 2005. The students had collaborated with an Italian school to review the book Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Hence the forum wasn't anything new to the school. But India was officially not a member of the Forum. Year 2007 saw India being included in the forum while year 2008 saw St. Mark's School become the first Indian school to get registered. Year 2008 also saw a representative of the school attending the 7th AEC-NET Conference a Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.

The conference was held over a period of 4 days. There were four essential elements in the programme.

1.	Prominent speakers gave presentations on topics dealing with the latest in ICT applications in schools which helped in the professional enrichment of all participants.
2.	The participants were divided into different working groups to discuss and develop individual project proposals.
3.	Visits t places of cultural and historical significance in the host country was organized to give the participants a better understanding of the different aspects of the host country.
4.	The participants got opportunities to interact with one another at the social level to engender camaraderie among participants thereby forming the foundations of future and further contacts and collaborations.

In recognition of efforts to produce outstanding online projects, ASEF also presented the AEC Award to project groups responsible to develop and create online learning platforms.