Pune: New English School Tilak Road has secured the top position in the A and B grade private school category at the regional level in the second phase of the Maharashtra state government's "Chief Minister's My School, Beautiful School" campaign.
Recognized for its unique infrastructure and forward-thinking initiatives, the school will receive a ₹21 lakh prize for its efforts.
New English School stands out as the only school in Asia with an artificial planetarium and a dedicated observatory for astronomical studies. The school also boasts an impressive library with over 37,000 books, offering students a wealth of knowledge.
Under the leadership of Headmistress Sunita Rao, Supervisor Suresh Vargantiwar, and School Committee President Khemraj Ranpise, the school community made a collective effort to participate in the state government’s campaign, which focuses on making schools beautiful and sustainable.
As part of its involvement in the campaign, New English School initiated several eco-friendly activities. An "Eco Club" was formed to promote environmental conservation among the students.
The school hosted various competitions, including essay writing and debates, to raise awareness about environmental issues.
A backyard garden was created on the school grounds, and students were encouraged to grow vegetables at home as part of the green initiative. The school also holds astronomy classes every Saturday in its planetarium, a rare feature for educational institutions in the region.
The ₹21 lakh prize money will be used to install solar panels, which will generate clean energy to power the school's 35 classrooms.
Additionally, the funds will be directed toward enhancing the garden, purchasing new learning materials, implementing advanced software to monitor students' progress, and fulfilling other educational needs, according to Headmistress Sunita Rao.
Prominent School Initiatives:
The school cultivates bottle gourds, ridge gourds, eggplants, chilies, onions, and colocasia in its garden, with the produce being used in the school’s nutrition program.
Students actively participate in waste management by collecting plastic waste from their surroundings and creating eco-bricks, which are donated to social organizations.
The students are responsible for maintaining the trees within the school compound and also take part in tree-planting drives on the city's hills. They create their own seed balls to support the reforestation efforts.
Ninth-grade students have been designated as "Cleanliness Ambassadors" and are responsible for raising cleanliness awareness among residents in their local communities.