All students of Grades VI to XII do 12 hours of Community Service for a cause that they choose, and they are required to put in consistent efforts. The school helps them coordinate with the institutes they want to volunteer for, and involve the parents in supervision of the same.
With a lot of pride, we announce that The Kalyani School has partnered with the Cancer Patients Aid Association (CPAA) on an ongoing basis to support their noble cause. The Kalyaniites have been asked to collect old newspapers and bring them to school to be donated at the end of every month. This monthly drive is a selfless act of giving, and the children are encouraged to take active part in it, without the expectations of any reward. Representatives from CPAA visit the school to collect the old newspapers and the proceeds go directly to help the patients suffering from cancer.
This continuous initiative to join hands to make a difference is a tenet of TKS, which is inculcated in each child. Besides this commendable enterprise, the Kalyaniites are also a part of a plastic collection drive, in collaboration with Rudra Environment Solutions, Pune. The children gather clean and dry plastic items that they have at home, such as discarded bottles, containers and packaging materials. These items are also donated to Rudra Environment Solutions, who are responsible for recycling them and creating polyfuels. This initiative helps address the critical issue of plastic pollution and inspires our children to become environmentally conscious.
In another bid to improve our environment and serve our Mother Earth, the students of The Kalyani School visited Anandvan on 30th of November. This time they participated voluntarily in a cleaning drive. They cleared litter and debris to help protect our environment and create a healthier and greener space for everyone. These community ventures that the Kalyaniites regularly participate in, reflect their awareness about the environment and their responsible and sensitive natures.
In collaboration with the Pune Climate Warrior programme, a session on recycling natural clay, called ‘Punaravartan’, was organized on 9th of September, under the guidance of Ms. Divya Chavan, the Program Director of Pune Climate Warriors. Punaravartan is a city-wide campaign to collect clay sludge during Ganesh Chaturthi and return it to artisans. Recycling it, will help reduce the need for fresh clay mining and keep the rivers free from external clay deposits from the immersion of idols.
Ms. Divya visited the school and spoke about the need for a sustainable lifestyle, for a better future. The aim of the programme was to promote a zero-waste Ganeshotsav this year, and Divya Ma’am discussed the concept of non-renewable resources, mining, and its impact on nature; emphasizing the importance of reusing material. She explained to the students that despite the increased use of clay idols, and a ban on POP (Plaster of Paris), the large quantity of clay in water bodies has also become an environmental issue.
This is because clay too is a nonrenewable natural resource, mined in various parts of India. The highlight of the event was the ‘Cyclic Dance of Life’, a graceful performance by Ms. Sayali Patwardhan, which was thoroughly enjoyed by the children. The session was highly effective because small steps taken by the children will surely make a big difference to our environment.
India & South Asia, organized the Students' Climate Action Conference online in the month of August. By addressing issues at a local level, the platform of Students' Climate Action Conference empowers students to share their unique perspectives on climate change, and on a sustainable future.
Many schools from India and South Asia participated, discussing local issues. The results of the Conference were announced on 31st of August. The finale was not only interesting and engaging, but also a unique learning experience for the participants, who showcased solidarity for their chosen niche.
The Kalyani School students, Aryan Godani and Yuvraj Kavrani from Grade IX, spoke about the agrarian crisis and proposed bamboo as a solution to purify the air in our surroundings. They secured the 4th Position in the event.
On the occasion of World Environment Day on 5th of June, the children of Grades VI, VII and VIII, along with some parents and teachers from The Kalyani School, participated in a Cleanliness Drive. The children of Grades VI and VII took out a rally and spoke to the local shopkeepers within a onekilometer radius of the school, urging them to stop using plastic. Meanwhile, the children of Grade VIII lent a helping hand in cleaning the area around the school, making it plastic-free. This initiative aligned with the theme for this year, which was ‘Beat Plastic Pollution.’ A significant amount of plastic was collected and segregated into biodegradable bags for proper disposal.
On 23rd of April 2022, the students, teachers and all the staff of the Kalyani School engaged in cleaning the area in front of the school. The nallaa that runs there has troubled everyone for a long time, because local people have been heedlessly dumping plastic material and household garbage, including glass and metal into it. The area had become infested with harmful insects and emitted a bad odour. So, despite Saturday being a weekend, the Kalyaniites took it upon themselves to do the needful and clean the area.
With the help of the workers of an NGO, they tried to clean the area as best as they could. At the end of the drive, the place looked much cleaner, and would perhaps inspire the local people to keep it that way. The effort of the Kalyaniites was commendable and the students especially felt a sense of accomplishment after doing it. The school is proud of all the participants.
Bharat Yatra by Shri Kailash Satyarthi against child abuse: In 2017, The Kalyani school hosted Nobel Laureate, Shri Kailash Satyarthi’s team and our students participated in a march. They also sought to spread awareness through a street play, posters and songs.
The Kalyaniites do it all. Along with their studies, they are quite determined to do something meaningful, to make this world a healthy place to live in. They know the raging environmental concerns, and that it is everyone’s responsibility to make sure that the health and beauty of Mother Earth is restored and maintained. Keeping that in mind, on 26th of November 2022, our children of Grades VI-XII, participated in the river cleanup and plantation drive in Kharadi; and also took out a rally in the nearby areas, to raise awareness amongst the people about the importance of keeping our water bodies clean. They collected plastic, metal and garbage in separate bags. The teachers, parents, students and Management were highly appreciated for their initiatives, by the governing bodies of the city. The Kalyaniites have pledged to keep such efforts going, until they make a positive difference.
We are extremely conscious of our responsibilities towards our surroundings. This has led us into initiating and sustaining environment or eco-friendly projects and products, as an institution, as well as inculcating the same values in our students. Some of our projects aligning with the same are as follows:
