November 8

When I was young?----Ah, woeful when!
Ah! for the change ‘twixt Now and Then!
—Youth and Age, Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Sunday Seminars are getting old, they are nearing the end of their journey, but 160 students from 15 campuses of the City Montessori School(CMS) did their best to negate the difference between the first time on July 12 and the 10th Sunday Seminar on November 8 at CMS Gomtinagar Auditorium. The weather has changed a lot since we began, it has become a bit cool, and so has the tenor of the sessions, but it was another Sunday as the delegates of the seminar registered their attendance with the help of Mrs Sangeeta Negi, Assistant Coordinator, Sunday Seminar. The reduction in the number of attendees could be attributed to ongoing event, Geofest-09, and to the National Talent Search Competition exams. Spanish super hit songs echoed in the auditorium while all this was on.

The tenth session of Sunday Seminar began at 9.30 a.m. when Mr Raza Hasnain Naqvi, Chief Coordinator, Sunday Seminar, rose to the occasion and welcomed the students. Like the last time, one of the students, Ayushi Kapoor, class XI-F, CMS Aliganj Campus-I, was given the privilege to take the photographs of the session. The students were reminded that the sessions were meant to prepare the students for the 10th International Conference of Chief Justices of the World between December 11 and 14, later this year. The students would be supposed to present an appeal before the delegates attending the conference. The theme of the conference would be safeguarding the future of the world’s two billion children and generations yet-to-be-born. An appeal by the students of CMS in the five appeal sessions during the conference on behalf of their counterparts in other parts of the world including India is bound to leave a lasting effect on the judges attending the conference. The students were reminded that this would not be a stage to test their knowledge of English, but they are to make an appeal.

Sajjal Singh, class IX-D, CMS Gomti Nagar Campus was called on to explain the qualitie of a good appelant /ortor. A good orator, should put forth a good question before the judges with a lot of confidence, he said. Shivangi Chakravorty, class X-C, CMS Rajendra Nagar Campus-I was of the opinion that the appellant should put forth a relevant question before the judges in a confident manner and in the proper tenor. Reports of earlier sessions of Sunday Seminar that the students had missed were distributed to them.

A short presentation called This I remember followed this. Students were given a minute to think of two things they had been appreciated for by their elders. Appereceation is something all of us yearn for. Thinking of this gives us strength and courage to struggle when we are feeling low. Among others,Aman Bhargava, class VII-B, CMS Mahanagar Campus-II pointed out the occasion when he had been appreciated for his skills at playing football, besides being praised for his oratory skills. Vaishnavi Gautam, class , CMS Anand Nagar Campus, cherished memories of the time when she had been praised for her good behaviour. Ayush, class VII, CMS Mahanagar Campus-II could think of being praised for being a good student besides being a good painter. Krishna Kumar, class VII-A, CMS Gomti Nagar Campus could think of being praised for being good at drawing and sketching besides being good at initiating others for positive thinking. The presentation ended with everyone posing for a group photograph.

This was followed by an exhaustive quiz on the conference to be organized in December. Sajjal singh, class IX-D, CMS Gomti Nagar Campus said that a conference of the presidents of the nations of the world would be more fruitful in produncing world unity and world peace.

The refreshments break that followed this was punctuated with superhit Spanish and Arbic songs.

Students were shown a clipping of last year’s appeal to familiarize them with the protocol. They were shown the gait htat they were required to maintain while walking and also the tenor they would be required to have for it. A certificate of appreciation and a CD with their appeal would be given to the students as the incentive.

A number of students from different campuses lined up on the stage for a rehearsal of the appeal. The topics of the appeals ranged from child labour, pollution, deforestation, child exploitation, and global warming. Those regularly attending the Sunday Seminar sessions were given the task of preparing three questions that they would like to ask the judges. The day ended with the vote of thanks when the students were given back their appeals after a bit of editing.