MARIA'S PUBLIC SCHOOL
UNDER MARIA'S PUBLIC SCHOOL EDUCATIONAL TRUST
A Senior Secondary School affiliated to Central Board of Secondary Education
Experiences at the GSA - 'Student Climate & Conservation Congress(Sc3) Programme', 2023, National Conservation Training Center, West Virginia, USA
The Sc3 (Student Climate & Conservation Congress) was organised by the Green Schools Alliance, an organization based in the United States of America, from 9th – 15th of July, 2023 at the National Conservation Center (NCTC), West Virginia, USA. I was fortunate to be a part of the 4th Delegation Team from Maria’s Public School(MPS) to participate in the prestigious programme which tries to bring together students and teachers every year, during the months of June and July. I would like to thank Mrs. Nellie Ahmed, Honourable Founder & Managing Trustee, MPS for giving me this wonderful, life-changing opportunity.
The wonderful journey began with the departure from India on the 7th of July, 2023 accompanied by Mrs. Moon Moon D. Chaliha, HOD. Science, MPS, from Guwahati. This time the Indian Delegation Team also had two more students – Jash Modi from CNM School, Mumbai and Arnav Saxena, student of Delhi Public School, Raipur, who travelled with Dr. De, from Mumbai, on the same day. We arrived in USA on the 8th of July, 2023, and were welcomed by the Senior Faculties of Sc3, at the Airport. The welcoming itself made me realise the immense amount of learning I would have, at the Congress.
The Inaugural Program on 9th of July
The program started with the arrival of all the students and faculty members from various places, within the US and also from other countries like Argentina, Africa and Spain. All of us interacted and introduced ourselves to one another. We had the Scavenger Hunt Program and in the evening, and actively engaged in discussion sessions which were held at our dorms.
The Program on 10th of July
During the Open Space Technology (OST) we were asked the question ‘What does an environmentally sustainable future looks like and how can we build this future?’. We were given blank cards where we had to write the answers and go to the microphone and read our answers aloud and then affix them on the Soft Board.
The points which I shared were –
○ To reduce the use of materials that harm our environment and find different alternatives and as well as put the three R’sReuse, Reduce andRecycle on to use in a huge basis.
○ To have more or promote programmes like the Sc3 so that more people can participate in them and that their interests and likes are vested in Environmental Conservation and Sustainability.
I was amazed by how all the people had so many different ideas. In the evening, during Dr. Biswajit De’s plenary session and presentation on ‘Perspectives of Youth Conservation Projects in South-East Asia, using Design’, which was very engaging and fantastic, me and the other two delegates were called by him to raise the ‘call to action‘. I was nervous facing the audience and august gathering at NCTC, but still delivered by speech. Everyone gave me compliments and positive applause which made me feel great. After that Mr. Mike Dudash gave us the instructions about the river trip, which happened on the 11thof July.
We went to the Potomac River trip. We had to walk to the Riverside of NCTC, where we were given life vests and were introduced to the river guides. This was a very fun experience. We were given our own individual boats and had to paddle down the river and even braved ourselves up stream. We also had lunch on the Riverside and swam for a bit which was the best part of the day. During the evening Mr. Rodney, the Falconer from West Virginia gave a presentation, who even brought his Eagle Owl – Mr. Hood who was 27 years old. The fact that he will retire this year is sad but it was fascinating to know about his life’s journey.
The Program on 12th of July
We had morning workshops and I had joined the photography workshop by Dr. Biswajit Sir. It was a great session. He taught us rules regarding photography and showed us his work and shared some stories about his work. Then we had to go out to click some pictures outside. I clicked some berries, trees and mushrooms. Then we were told to click pictures of patterns and upload everything in slack for the other members to see. It was our own Virtual Exhibition, where we showcased our Creativity with all the Sc3 Delegates. After that we had to go to our OST groups. I had picked the Environmental Policy Group and I found out that only four people had joined this group including me, other three where Avery, Isabella and Alex, students from the US Schools. We did research on our topic and discussed about it. During the evening workshop, I joined the Soil Food web/Mycology workshop by Raskal Turbeville. This was a very nice session. He taught us about different kinds of soil and organisms inside of them, and introduced us to the magical and fantastic world of ‘Fungi and Mushrooms’. We had our second OST session of the day where we did some more research. The group Photograph followed where we were told to wear the official Sc3 T-shirt that they had provided us. We reconnected with the Potomac River a bit in the evening.
The Program on 13th of July
This was the second day of the workshops and for the morning workshop I had picked the ‘Potomac river tour’. All of us had to wear rubber boots and we were given nets and charts containing the details of some of the organisms in the Potomac River. We were assigned a partner to work with for searching insects and fishes.Me and my partner had caught the larva of a big carnivorous insect – the Antlion. The river guide, Mr. Jim Siegel, veteran Biologist & Conservationist explain to us about River Ecology. This was a very fun activity, we even got to see a Box Turtle with red eyes, on our way back. After that we went to get our deliverables for the Final Presentations ready. All the members of our Policy group had divided our roles and I had to do the intro part. We worked on our presentation for the whole day. It was hectic, but it was super fun. During the evening workshop I had picked the Environmental Justice and ESG workshop by Aida Orozco and Abrah Cate Steward, Sc3 Alumni. In the evening speakers Ryan Harvey and Pete Dominick captivated us all.
The Icing on the Cake - Visit to the US Federal Archives of NCTC
I would always be grateful to Dr. Biswajit De for connecting us with Mr. Mark Madison, Head of Conservation History at the National Conservation Training Center. We had a wonderful chance of visiting the Federal Archive and Museum where we saw many artefacts and exhibits. This was indeed the icing on the Cake and I even got a signed Cartoon Book from Mr. Mark Madison.
The Program on 14th of July
Alas! This was the last day of the Sc3 – 2023 Congress. We were asked to highlight our experience and learning outcomes from the programme, which will remain afresh in my mind, for the rest of my life. Then we had the flag ceremony where me and the other two Indian delegates along with Dr. Biswajit De and Moon Moon D. Chaliha were asked to come to the stage with the respective flags of our schools and were given presents by Katy Perry and Margaret Watson. After that we delivered our OST group presentation in front of all the other students and faculty members. Commendation Certificates were awarded to us.
The day of Departure, 15th of July - I left NCTC with a Dream!
With fond memories, we left the NCTC campus both feeling sad and happy equally. We bid farewell to all the members and were dropped at the Airport. Thanks to the Principal of MPS – Mrs. Mausumi Mahanta and the teachers who have taught me and have made me worthy of facing an International Audience. LOOKING FORWARD TO MANY MORE SUCH INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE!
Twenty Medals for Team Maria’s at the World Scholar’s Cup, Hanoi
Maria’s Public School, Guwahati clinched 7 gold and 13 silver medals at the recently concluded Tenth Global Round Anniversary of the World Scholars Cup, held in the historic city of Hanoi, which saw a participation of 3600 scholars from across 40 countries of the world. The fourteen member student delegation led by the Founder & Managing Trustee of the institution, Mrs. Nellie Ahmed also comprised two mentor-teachers Mr. Anjan Gogoi and Mrs. Jabeen S. Pathak respectively. Based on their tremendous success in the regional round held in Guwahati in December last year, the students of the school qualified and earned for themselves, invitational berths for the World Scholars Cup Global Round, held from the 27th June to the 1st July in this picturesque city.
Founded in 2007, the World Scholars Cup is a global enrichment initiative for students of all backgrounds, in order to inspire in them a zeal for learning, a confidence in new skills and a sense of global citizenship. The four day programme featured four academic events—Team Debate, Scholars’ Challenge, Collaborative Writing and Scholars’ Bowl, in which the students of Maria’s Public School put up an incredible show. Besides, scholars from across the world performed together in programmes like the Scholars’ Fair, the Scholars’ Scavenge and the Scholars’ Ball, which made it possible for them to celebrate learning as part of the global family.
Maria’s Public School believes in the holistic development of the children and avails every opportunity to take ‘learning beyond the classroom’ and live up to the school vision and mission.
City School takes Conservation Education to the Global Platform
Paving new avenues for the mission of ‘Global Conservation Education’ and the Green Schools Alliance (GSA) – India & South East Asia Chapters, Maria’s Public School (MPS), Guwahati, Assam, India, had sent a third delegation to the 9th Student Conservation Corps & Congress – Sc3 organized by GSA at US Fish & Wildlife Service’s National Conservation Training Center (NCTC) at Shepherdstown, West Virginia, USA.
The third delegation to the congress comprised of Mriganka Borah and Pratishruti Barman, students of Class 10, Mrs. Sushmita Chakraborty, Teacher of Science and Mr. Biswajit De, Creative Director, Maria’s Public School. Being the National Coordinator School for the Green Schools Alliance – India, under the leadership of Mrs. Nellie Ahmed Tanweer, Founder & Managing Trustee, MPS had introduced two new schools to the GSA this time – Delhi Public School Raipur, represented by Ishani Saxena, student of Class 9 and Greenwood High International School, Bangalore, represented by Aryan Kota, student of Class 9, who were a part of the Indian Delegation Team. The two new students from each school were chosen through International Conservation Training Camps organized by MPS at their own Conservation Education & Training Facility at Rajasthan, India, the Maria’s Braveheart.
Sc3 is a week-long leadership training program held annually at NCTC, US – the nation’s top environmental and conservation training facility. Participants, also known as Sc3 Fellows, spent a week, June 25th – July 1st, 2017, learning from world-renown experts, naturalists, scientists and conservationists as well as studying and discussing environmental, social, and economic interconnections to address biodiversity and natural resource conservation challenges affecting their generation in the ever challenging, changing world. The team got an opportunity to interact and learn from a prominent and recognized panel of speakers like Ian Cheney – Documentary Film-Maker, Pete Dominick – Media Personality, Susan Cohen, Lisa Hupp and Cameron Conaway – US Conservationists and Naturalists and Rob Watson – Entrepreneur and Pioneer of Green Buildings.
With constant support and encouragement from Mrs. Alpana K Phukan, Principal of Maria’s Public School, the Indian Delegation team was mentored by Mr. Biswajit De who is also the National Faculty Coordinator for the Green Schools Alliance – India. The Indian Delegation team was highly praised and commended for their collective performances by the delegates at the congress which comprised of 125 Schools from US, Egypt and UK.
Maria’s Public School is the National Coordinator School for the Green Schools Alliance, USA
Maria’s Public School (MPS), Guwahati, Assam has been chosen to be the National Cordinator School by the Green Schools Alliance (GSA), an international organization of sustainable schools that fosters collaboration among its members to help them set and meet individual and collective sustainability goals. Uniquely created by schools for schools, the GSA is a global peer-to-peer network of pre-K-12 schools represented by school decision makers (including sustainability coordinators, students, principals and heads, faculty, facility managers, business officers and other administrators and staff) who work together to solve climate and conservation challenges. The declaration was made during the Student Climate Change & Conservation Congress (SC3) – June 29-July 2, 2016 at the National Conservation Center of the US Fish & Wildlife Service, Shepherdstown, West Virginia, USA, where the official plaque was handed over to Mrs. Nellie Ahmed Tanweer, Founder & Managing Trustee, MPS, by Margaret H. Watson, Founder President of GSA. Headed by Mrs.Tanweer, designated as the National Cordinator – GSA, India this year’s delegation to the congress comprised of Sayantan Chaudhuri & Upasana Patgiri, students of Class 10, MPS as the student fellows and Mr.Biswajit De, Creative Director, MPS as the Faculty Coordinator & Mentor. During the congress, the MPS team had put up a collective presentation on ‘Conservation Education – the North-East Perspective’ to stalwarts from Global Conservation and student and faculty delegates from 250 states and 7 countries. The team got an opportunity to interact with Turk & Christy Pipkin, writers, filmmakers & co-founders of the Nobelity Project, Joe Riis, National Geographic Photographer and Photojournalist, Jay Slack, Director, National Conservation Training Center, U.S. Fish & WildLife Service, Rob Watson, Environmentalist & Pioneer, the Green Building Project, U.S., Dr.Compton Jim Tucker, Senior Scientist, NASA, Dr. Mamie Parker, Biologist & Environmental Leadership advocate, and many other prominent personalities from around the World.
As the National Coordinator School, MPS has already introduced Pathways World School (PWS), Aravali as the first Indian school to be the member of GSA. PWS was represented by Student Fellow Raina Ahmed, student Form 10, PWS at the congress. MPS is now a catalyst for school communities who aspire to become global leaders in their own community, better stewards of the Earth, learn from one another, and put their passion into conservation related actions. Through MPS, the Alliance brings to scale programs that empower Indian schools, both Urban & Rural, to set sustainability goals, take action, and track and share progress. MPS will play a key role in India to harness collective power, policy, education and behavior, by organizing events like the SC3 and integrate Conservation Education prominently into its curriculum.
Maria’s as GSA’s First National Coordinator School in India
Maria’s Public School (MPS) in Guwahati, Assam has been designated a National Coordinator school for the Green Schools Alliance (GSA), an international coalition of sustainable schools, created in 2007 by schools for schools. The GSA has grown to 7,800 public and private schools in 41 U.S. states and 53 countries representing over 5 million students. MPS will serve as a mentor to new member schools in India, rural and urban, host regional sustainable school events, and assist GSA in developing international student and educator training programs. The collaboration will create the long-term infrastructure needed to support a ‘GSA India Chapter’.
Mrs. Nellie Ahmed Tanweer, Founder & Managing Trustee, MPS assisted GSA in creating the partnership framework for what a National Coordinator school would do, creating a system for GSA to recruit national coordinator schools in other countries. “It is important to include conservation education paradigms within our curriculum, being a school located in one of the most prominent bio-geographical hotspots of the world, and we aspire to reach out to schools and community in the North East, especially in the remote areas through sustainable conservation education, with the help from GSA”, said Mrs. Tanweer. The idea for this partnership was sparked when MPS’ Creative Director & Teacher of Design, Mr.Biswajit De and students Violina Das and Siddhant Agarwala attended the GSA’s Student Climate Change & Conservation Congress (SC3) in West Virginia, USA in 2015.
The partnership between MPS and GSA takes the next step in uniting the global sustainable school movement. The designation of a National Coordinator school in India marks the first partnership of its kind for GSA outside of the United States. “GSA’s vision has always been to affect change at the national and global scale. When schools come together to create a global green school community and connect across generations, socioeconomics, and geopolitics, we can make giant leaps of progress from many small steps,” states Margaret Watson, founder and president of the GSA. “The leadership that Maria’s Public School has shown in becoming our first National Coordinator school is impressive”, she added.
Marians outshine at the 7th International Student Climate & Conservation Congress
in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, USA
Upholding the schools vision and mission – ‘Learning beyond the Classroom – Nature as our Classroom’, Marians have recently received standing ovation at the 7th International Student Climate & Conservation Congress in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, USA, for their presentation on “Conservation Education in North-East India”.
The Green Schools Alliance (GSA) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Conservation Training Center (NCTC) had joined forces to host the International Congress (Sc3) last week at the National Conservation Training Center, Shepherdstown, West Virginia, USA. The programme was designed to equip high-performing school students from around the globe with conservation leadership skills through a series of plenary and breakout training sessions, using a student-driven process called the ‘Open Space Technology’. The student fellows were engaged in interactive presentations on topics ranging from energy-efficiency, to climate change, to what it means to be a good citizen in a global community.
Representing their school, State & Country, Violina Das and Siddhant Agarwala, students of Class-10, Maria’s Public School, Guwahati, Assam, India were chosen by GSA as Student Fellows to the Congress and Mr.Biswajit De, Creative Director of the School, as the Faculty Fellow and mentor to the participating team. MPS was the only Indian school to participate at the Sc3 The participants, both students and faculties were nominated by their schools and were competitively selected on the basis of their responses to a series of online questions, telephonic interviews and their dedication towards conservation. This year’s cohort included 125 students and 29 faculty fellows and staff, collectively representing 27 states, the District of Colombia, and the countries of India, China, Haiti, Morocco, Ivory Coast, and Yemen. Faculty Fellows were leaders from GSA affiliated schools, partner colleges and universities, and the conservation community.
‘It was now time for us to take the vision and missions of the school-Learning beyond the Classroom & Nature as our Classroom, forward and make a mark on an International Platform. I am happy that MPS has become Global Leaders of Conservation Education and is setting the stage for the new generation paradigms, through participations at such programmes, bringing forth enterprising contacts’, said Mrs. Nellie Ahmed Tanweer, the Founder & Managing Trustee.
As a Faculty fellow, Mr. De had mentored the groups of students, sharing his experience and providing hands-on help with local Forest Service projects. These projects included maintenance of an outdoor classroom at Shepherdstown Elementary School, Trail clearing at Cullison Park at the Yankauer Nature Preserve, Biodiversity surveys within the NCTC Campus and Removal of Exotic Invasive plants at Morgan’s Grove Park. In addition, students had identified specific community-improvement projects that they will undertake over the following year upon their return to their home communities. These ongoing initiatives in their home towns and schools will be sponsored by the Green Schools Alliance, and supported by the peer and faculty network, mentored by Mr.De. In addition to the above, the students had opportunities to interact and learn more from some the most prominent figures in conservation today – Carl Safina (Marine Biologist & Conservationist), Dr. Erin Pettit (Glaciologist from Alaska), Joe Riis (National Geographic Photographer), and Dr. Benjamin Tuggle (Naturalist & Researcher), to name a few. Post SC3, Maria’s Public School has been officially declared as the leader in environmental sustainability, bio-diversity awareness & conservation, as the GSA, India Chapter and Violina Das and Siddhant Agarwala to be the GSA International Student Ambassadors.
Biswajit De, Creative Director.
Representatives of Canadian High Commission and universities visit Maria’s Public School
Studying in world-class institutes would not be a privilege for a chosen few anymore, but would be possible for all aspiring students with academic requirements; this was stated by all present at the meeting of the representatives of the High Commission of Canada and the representatives of the prestigious Canadian universities on November 16, at Maria’s Public School, Birkuchi, Guwahati. Ms Ivy Lerner-Frank, First Secretary, Education and Mr Sanjeev Verma, First Officer, Immigration of the High Commission of Canada addressed a gathering of students and spoke at length about the facilities and study conditions in Canada. The representatives of the universities informed about the available avenues in the universities through one-to-one interactions with the students. Canada houses some prestigious institutes and they offer consistent high quality of education across the country, affordable education, exciting campus lifestyle, innovative and abundant research opportunities, internship and employment options, qualifications that are valued world-wide and immigration options. The visit of the Canadian officials was organized by the Indo-Canadian Business Chamber through the 2nd Edu-Canada Undergraduate Education Outreach to East and Northeast India and hosted by the Founder and Managing Trustee of Maria’s Public School, Mrs Nellie Ahmed Tanweer. The initiative for this endeavour was taken by Mrs Tanweer following her educational trip to Canada during the month of May this year. The Managing Trustee through the international dimension programmes has been instrumental in providing a global perspective to the students of Maria’s as well as the entire students community of northeast India.
Following the meeting at the school in the morning hours, a dinner was also hosted by the Managing Trustee to the Canadian delegates as well as government officials of Assam and renowned educationists in the city at her residence in Kharghuli.