Medical Camp at AVM

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On 27th July 2014 the students of Atmiya Vidya Mandir were privileged to have a medical camp organised by Vijaybhai, (our resident medical assistant) and Pranav Sir, (our senior hostel incharge) with support of the school management. It was an honour to have qualified doctors on our campus to help us with the medical check-up of students and suggest solutions to challenges if any. The team was divided into three groups:
  • Eye check up held by Dr Popat Lunagaria
  • Skin check up held by Dr Jagdish Sakhiya and Dr Talpesh Vaghasia
  • Dental check up Dr Karishma Patel
The camp started at 9 AM with a disciplined approach of each standard completing check up at one facility and switching to another, all together, so that there was no chaos and doctors could document suggestions accordingly and order wise.
It started with junior hostel from grades 1 to 6 and then to senior hostel for grades 7 to 12 after lunch, where mentors guided the students in the process and particular didi/housemaster sat with facilitated doctor and students when they performed the check-up individually, discussing their concern and challenges.
All the doctors had come very well equipped with their medical kits. The eye specialist, Dr Lunagaria discussed more about how to keep the eye healthy and infection free. We gained new insights about how to take care of minor infections, irritation, what kinds of vitamins are necessary for eye to be healthy, etc.
The skin specialists, Dr Sakhiya and Dr Vaghasia minutely examined the skin, scalp and hair. They also discussed about allergy, irritation due to dryness or damp skin, how to control acne and pimples and how to keep skin clean. It was really satisfying for the students to talk to the doctors open heartedly who responded enthusiastically to all the concerns raised. While checking hair and scalp, they also answered various queries regarding dandruff and hair fall.
Dr Patel, the dentist, was very patient and also very responsive to the queries of students. She discussed about health of teeth and gums, how to protect teeth against cavity and ways of cleaning and brushing teeth.
It was a day to learn many things about dental eye and skin, doctors were very enthusiastic and didn’t hesitate giving their services till the last student. Students were very happy, satisfied and learnt how to tackle challenges if occurred and were satisfied with the solutions and advise of the doctors.
Reported by: Parth Amipara (Class 12 Science)

To a Research Laboratory – an overwhelming experience!

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At the time, when the rain-God showered generously, the school management organised an educational trip to Rajkot and Junagadh. The main objective of the excursion was for Std 11 and 12 Biology stream students to explore the intriguing world of Biotechnology.
The voyage of set its sail in the evening of 24th July 2014. After getting fresh and having lunch at Yogidham, Rajkot the next day, we left for Junagadh, where we all arrived excited to learn and eager to satisfy our curiosity. We got an opportunity to visit the “Food testing lab – Department of Biotechnology at Junagadh Agricultural University”. The department has eight labs with different objectives, such as, to check adulteration in food, soil analysis, pesticides content in food, nutrient content, etc. We were delighted to see the high–tech labs where we were explained about the instruments and objectives by the research scholars from the department. And the cherry on the cake was the opportunity we were provided to have question and answer session. Dr. B A Golakiya (Professor and Head of Biotechnology Department) who further quenched our curiosity and appreciated all the students for their scientific enquiries. The day ended with lots of learning and fun, both.

 

On 26th July 2014, the other purpose of the trip was achieved when we reached the M N Virani Science College at Yogidham campus in Rajkot. Firstly, we were explained about different fields and careers in Biology like Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Bioinformatics, etc. by Dr. Shivani Patel (Professor and Head of Biotechnology Department). We got an interesting insight into the widespread applications of Biology. The session was then taken over by Dr. Leena Ambasana for an experiment. The aim was to isolate DNA from plant material (spinach). She started with explaining the theory and then came the most awaited moment, to see all that description really happen in front of us! During the entire process, all the students enthusiastically and sincerely followed through the instructions given by her.The duration of the experiment was about 5-6 hours. Indeed, it was a long experiment but in between the waiting time of experiment, we were shown around the Department of Tissue Culture, Department of Biochemistry and Department of Microbiology. We also got a chance to visit the engineering department and were in awe while visiting the library there and looking at different labs, classrooms and auditorium halls.

Although the experiment was long, there wasn’t any trace of tiredness on anyone’s face and enthusiasm seemed permanent! And then the time was for results of the experiment and of course it had to be the best due to the Grace of Swamiji, efforts put by students as well as our teachers. We were very much satisfied due to the achieved outcome. In the evening, after a long day of learning and exploring the field of Biotechnology, the team enjoyed a delightful dinner at Subway.

On the 27th July, we were back to school with new learning, new experiences and satisfied curiosity, all due to the grace of Param Pujya Hariprasad Swamiji. And not to forget all the enthusiasm and support of Sarvajit Sir and Archana Ma’am (our Biology teacher) who patiently executed this wonderful educational trip in such a way that it could not have been any better. Their determination, dedication and devotion towards the academic welfare of students made such a learning process possible. We all express special gratitude to them.

This well planned trip taught us the important virtues such as Atmiyata, patience, hard work and a very essential scientific approach.

Written by: Het (Class XII Science) & Keyur (Class XI Science)

Glimpses from Swamishree’s Ideal Student Life

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Behind the iconic name of the school ‘Atmiya’ lies a noble mission of His Divine Holiness Param Pujya Hariprasad Swamiji. It is to nurture the qualities of compassion, harmony and devoutness in the students of Atmiya Vidya Mandir. Swamishree is an epitome of these values and His student life is a perfect example of an ideal student life, hence in the third week of July, from 14th July to 20th July 2014, Sundaram House members presented glimpses of Swamishree’s inspiring student-life.

 

In this week, Sundaram House members discussed how Swamiji’s student life is like a road-map showing a clear-cut route to success and happiness. On Monday, Purvesh Sir explained that if we analyse Swamiji’s student life, we can find glimpses of the qualities of sincerity, hard work, devotion and compassion. On Tuesday, students were shown through a video presentation, how Prabhudasbhai (Swamishree’s childhood name) was obedient and respectful towards his parents. Wednesday brought forth a presentation on Swamishree’s school life in which students learnt how Prabhudasbhai excelled in his academics through constant hard work, full attention and being meticulous about his books. On the following day, students were privileged to relive, through a video, one of Swamishree’s visits to AVM. In this video, by giving example of His own life, Swamishree advised students to stay away from misleading movies and remain focused to the studies. On Friday, Mukesh Sir, elucidated how qualities of respectfulness, acceptance and positive attitude made Prabhudasbhai an ideal student.And then arrived the most awaited, most significant, eventful day of creative assembly where an incident of Prabhudasbhai’s life was enacted. A drama presentation explained the students about Swamiji’s unflinching focus on maintaining his positive attitude and harmony with others in spite of all unfavourable circumstances. This creative assembly was a source of insight for the students as they realised not to expend their energy in those matters which do not contribute in living an ideal life. The dramatization of ‘Dudhpak’ incident from Swamiji’s life brought the students to a deeper understanding of their purpose of life. Thus, with a better understanding of their goal, they can stay focused in fruitful work.

In a world which is full of alluring interferences for the students, they have a daily battle with the distractions to stay prolific and in such a scenario, analysis of Swamishree’s student life helps to create a firewall against all distractions. As a matter of fact, by this week’s presentations, students are highly inspired to maintain acceptance, forgiveness and harmony amongst themselves which further creates clarity of destination.

Visual-Spatial Intelligence Competition: The Expedition from Vision to Reality

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The beauty of garden lies in the variety of flowers with myriad of fragrances it has. Likewise, the glory of school lies in the environment created for the students to foster their hidden talent and polish the same. Teachers of Atmiya Vidya Mandir try to nurture the blooming buds of the school by developing their unique talent through various inter house competitions based on multiple-intelligences.
The first competition in that series was organized on 12th July 2014. This competition was based on Visual Spatial Intelligence which deals with the ability to comprehend shapes, patterns, designs and the entire spectrum of colour. It includes the capacity to visualize and imagine which can help to improve memory, cognitive ability and thinking. The competition was divided into four different groups mentioned below:
Group A: (Std. I to III) – Colour the Picture 
  • Colouring plays a major role in the development of children. Various pictures were provided to students for colouring by Manish Sir and Suhradam Sir.
  • All the students of grade I to III enthusiastically participated and enjoyed the colouring competition. They were able to showcase their imagination, choice of colours and creativity that helped them to develop attractive colour combination, hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. It was a pleasure to watch these tiny tots work with such ease.
Group B: (Std. IV to VI) – Model Making
  • “Imagine the concept and make your imagination visible to all” was the main idea of the competition organized for grade IV to VI by Sunita Ma’am and Binu Ma’am.
  • The theme for grade IV was “Season”. Two participants from each house, thus total eight students participated and demonstrated their ability to organize related pictures of the season in the given space to make their model relevant and sensible.
  • For grade V, two participants from each house were selected, thus total eight students were there for making a model of different landscapes like desert, polar region, coastal plain and valley.
  • For grade VI, four participants from each house were selected, thus total sixteen students were there for making models of different land forms like plateau, island, mountain-valley and coastal plain.
  • Participants of Model Making competition showed their ability to visualise the world, perceived and interpreted in their own way. They were able to think in three-dimensional terms and re-created ideas into eye-catching models.
Group C: (Std. VII – VIII) – Draw and Label 
  • Accurate and abstract visualization is just one of the many skills possessed by ‘picture smart’ students. With their exceptional ability to memorize the pictures shown to them, grade VII and VIII students drew and labelled the pictures based on topics picked up from science.
  • There were four participants from each house, thus total sixteen students participated in this competition under the guidance of Anand Sir and Prerak Sir.
Group D: (Std. IX – X) – Mind Mapping
  • A Mind Map is a powerful graphic technique which provides a universal key to unlock the potential of the brain. It harnesses the full range of cortical skills – word, image, colour, spatial awareness and precise information of the topic – in a single, unique powerful manner. To encourage students to show their creativity, Mind Mapping competition was organized under the guidance of Samidh Ma’am and Rashmi Ma’am.
  • There were four participants from each house, thus, total sixteen students participated in this competition. The theme “Physical Features of India” and “Natural Resources” were given to grade IX and X respectively.
  • Participants of this competition exhibited an extraordinary ability to create a mental map providing a strong sense of spatial awareness for the topics given to them.
Competition was designed to help students reinforce their strengths and boost their confidence in the areas where could further improve.
Congratulations to all the students who took part in the competition and thanks to all those who contributed to make the event successful.

Guru: God Personified

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Every nook and corner of AVM campus and every life associated with it, has been flourishing through the ever flowing grace of His Divine Holiness Param Pujya Hariprasad Swamiji. Hence, at AVM, Guru Purnima is just not a commemoration of Swamishree’s glory but a day to reunite with His supremacy by offering our prayers to Him.“Swamishree always blesses us with all success and happiness, we just need to be committed and resolute for a good cause and a good goal.” said Suhrad Swamiji while addressing the congregation of Guru Purnima celebration in the Atmiya Prayer Hall on campus. In the presence of all elders, teachers, hostel staff, students and all members of Atmiya family, the programme started with Thakorji’s pujan by saints from Haridham and principal Vijay Sir. The junior class’ students sang melodious bhajans admiring the beauty of a Guru-guided life.

 

Thereafter, the host of the programme, Mukesh sir narrated a few stories to the students elucidating that the Guru is God manifested and He cultivates the human potentials. The students were reminded that it was the day for them to resolve to those easy-to-follow yet hard-to-stick to injunctions given by Swamishree to all AVM students and to realise that following these will help them to be a better human being.The inspiring and elevating words of Pujya Suhrad Swamiji on this pious occasion explained that the best way of celebrating Guru Purnima and offering true reverence to Swamishree is by self – reflection to be worthy of His blessings. He further added that it is a day to decide to resort to prayers and take divine help each time we deviate from our goal. This would certainly bring a realisation which leads to improvement.

So let’s decide, how we are going to deal with the darkness within us – with the glare of fascinating distractions that obscures OR with the light – the glow of Guru’s grace that illuminates!!!

3Ds for an Ideal Student: Determination, Dedication & Devotion

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The destiny of a nation depends on the character of people. And as defined, the character is not merely the awareness of some values but also both, the desire and capacity to uphold them in practice. On one hand, we are experiencing a rapid global change, and on the other, we all are also hoping for peaceful and prosperous global community.

Our school functions on the essence of the basic Indian culture, supported by His Divine Holiness Hariprasad Swamiji. According to him, every child can be an ideal child, if he is determined, devoted and dedicated to understand the core of every task assigned to him. It is said that an ideal student is the wealth and future of the nation. Such student is a hope of a family and pride of the school. Such bright and good students are the gems of an institution, thus they are able to become responsible citizens, statesmen and leaders of tomorrow.

Working on the same line, Satyam House took an initiative to project the aspect of “3Ds” for an ideal student i.e. ‘Determination, Dedication and Devotion’. It was demonstrated in regular assembly through real life examples and live role models. Everyday a personality was selected and was appreciated by teacher and students together.

Day
An Ideal student
Monday
Dr. Prakash Aamte, the sincere social worker
Tuesday
Sardar Patel, an iron man of India
Wednesday
APJ Abdul Kalam, the former President of India
Thursday
HDH Hariprasad Swamiji, the spiritual master
Friday
Helen Keller, the first deaf & blind person to earn a bachelor
degree
Saturday
Sage Panini, a great Sanskrit Master
All the presentations depicted the value in its real sense. It not only helped students discover the hidden powers of 3Ds – Dedication, Determination and Devotion, but also help them in setting good examples for their personal and professional lives.
– By Satyam House Team

Habits – Key to Effectiveness

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We are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence then, is not just an act, it is a habit.
-Aristotle

The power of habits is mind-boggling. If we develop positive habits then we can multitask efficiently and achieve the desired results in all that we do. The question is, “Is there any standard technique, strategy or rules that can help us to develop the habit of becoming successful?” The answer to this is very well explained in the very inspiring book, ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens’ by Sean Covey. In this book, he has put forward the seven fundamental habits that can help a teenager achieve the desired goals, fulfill his dreams, build a successful career, live a happy and stress free life and build a highly esteemed character.

Shivam House had an opportunity to explore, analyze, correlate and share the 7 habits of highly effective teenagers with all the students at AVM throughout the week. The following points were discussed in the assembly:

Habit 1: Be Proactive
· I am a responsible person
· I take Initiative
· I choose my actions, attitudes and moods
· I do not blame others for my wrong actions
· I do the right thing without being asked, even when no one is looking

Habit 2: Begin with End in Mind
· I plan ahead and set goals
· I do things that have meaning and make a difference
· I am an important part of my classroom and contribute to my schools mission and vision, and look for ways to be a good citizen

Habit 3: Put First Things First
· I spend my time on the things that are most important. This means I say no to the things I know I should not do
· I set priorities, make a schedule and follow my plan
· I am disciplined and organized

Habit 4: Think Win-Win
· I balance courage for getting what I want with consideration for what others want
· I make deposits in other’s emotional bank accounts
· When conflicts arise, I look for third alternatives

Habit 5: Seek First to Understand and then to be understood
· I listen to other people’s ideas and feelings. I try to see things from their view points
· I listen to others without interrupting
· I am confident in voicing my ideas
· I look people in the eyes when talking

Habit 6: Synergize
· I value other people strengths and learn from them
· I get along well with others, even people who are different than me
· I work well in groups
· I seek out other people’s ideas to solve problems because I know that by teaming with others we can create better solutions than any one of us alone
· I am humble.

Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw (Perpetual Learner)
· I take care of my body, by eating right, exercising and taking rest.
· I spend time with family and friends.
· I learn in a lot of ways and lots of places, not just at school.
· I take time to find meaningful ways to help others.


Under the guidance of teachers, the students explored what the parents, teachers and the business world expect from all the students. It was also an opportunity for the students at AVM to realize how the principles of AVM as laid down by Param Pujya Hariprasad Swamiji are leading them towards becoming the leaders of tomorrow.

What
Parents, Businesses and Teachers want for students?
Mapping
Habits
Swamiji’s
Vision
Independence
Initiative, Self Motivation
Habit 1-3
Be proactive
Begin with end in mind
Put First Things first
Students should have a goal in life which should be serving parents
and society…
Self Confidence
Planning Skills
Goal Setting Skills
Organization/Time Management
Interdependence
Conflict Management Skills
Habits 4-6
Think Win-Win
Seek first to understand then to be understood
Synergize
The Student should have stable Speech (vani), righteousness of act
(vartan) and Thinking (Vichar).
Communication Skills (both listening and presentation skills)
Honesty
Fairness
Openness to Suggestion
Team Work
Problem Solving
Decision Making
Creativity
Renewal
Technical Skills
Habit 7
Sharpen the Saw
  • Physical
  • Mental
  • Emotional
  • Spiritual
The student should be a leader; wherever he should go he should make
changes.
Love, passion, dedication, devotion, determination, enthusiasm and
spirituality.
Good Health and Hygiene
Emotional Stability
Analytical Skills
Involvement in Meaningful skills

 

 Students understood that if they started with any one of the above mentioned habits, then slowly and steadily they will be able to imbibe the others. This will not only help them to become successful but also a good human being.

Such a person will be a significantly contributing factor to the family, society and nation.

Compiled by: Shivam House Team

Student Council Election 2014-15

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A leader is one who knows the way, walks the way and shows the way.

To be a responsible citizen of any nation, one needs to inculcate the 3D’s i.e. dedication, devotion and determination. The seeds to develop such a citizen should ideally be sown right at the tender age, during school education.At Atmiya Vidya Mandir, students are given such an opportunity to use their talents, and shape their being not only into better humans but also into proactive citizens of the nation.

According to the vision of H.D.H Swamiji, a child must be made capable of serving his parents, society and nation. And, school is the sphere where a child can learn the value of serving mankind. To put this into action, the Student Council further advanced this year.

 

Atmiya Vidya Mandir witnessed its fifth student council election in the last week of June of the academic year 2014-15. The election campaigning process took place from 26th June to 28th June, wherein all the nominees expressed their thoughts and reasons to be a part of the student council.The speeches were delivered focusing mainly on offering services to school, house and students with utmost devotion and dedication. Each of them was heart-touching and mind-stirring even to the elders. The campaigning process ended, with the election held on 28th June 2014 i.e. on Saturday, at the school prayer hall. It was a challenging task to vote, as all the nominees were equally capable and devoted.

The entire voting process went very smoothly. All the students of grades VI to XII, teachers, Vice-Principal, Principal, Administrator and entire non-teaching staff enthusiastically participated in the election.

1st July 2014, Monday, the most awaited morning rose with the arrival of results and declaration of the new leaders.

The members of 2014-15 Students Council are mentioned below:-

Head Boy: Arpit Trapasiya
Vice Head Boy: Vinamra Patel
Sports Captain: Rahul Patel

Satyam House
Captain: Nikunj Aggarwal
Vice-Captain: Dhyey Rathod

Shivam House
Captain: Sarvanaman Patel
Vice-Captain: Niramay Kachhadiya

Sundaram House
Captain: Smit Patel
Vice-Captain: Sahaj Bakhda

Suhradam House
Captain: Prashit Patel
Vice-Captain: Karan Desai

Waiting for the Student Council to take their charge of duty and assure all of their commitment to serve the school with a difference!

Written by: Rashmi Ma’am