Remembering Our Heroes!

The Tyrant dies and his rule is over, the Martyr dies and his rule begins.

-Soren Kierkegaard

30th January was observed as Martyr’s Day at DRS International School with a special assembly presentation by Grade 9 students. The students spoke about the importance of the day and presented a skit that portrayed the timeline of Mahatma Gandhi’s sacrifices. The assembly observed a minute of silence in the honour of all those martyrs who have sacrifices their lives for the greater good.

​Inspiring Energy

Our residential students of Grade XI had a great time recently in an ‘Energy Workshop’ held for them. The session was conducted by Mr Zubin, a theatre artist and a musician from the viral band V Minor. The session featured several energizers that brought in much needed life and zest to the Sunday. Ranging from challenging exercises such as ‘Reverse Trash Talking’ and ‘The Screamer’, the tasks really transformed our students and their confidence. The ‘Magic If’ activity saw our students morph into animals and other avatars, in incredibly realistic ways. The ‘Chi’ session at the end, helped our students tap into their inner energies to find their ‘energy ball’, after which they reflected on ways to draw strength from it.

Sporting Spirit!

Our students of Grade- 9 (CBSE & IGCSE) visited the ‘Telangana Sports School’ located in Hakimpet, Hyderabad. Students had a chance to visit the campus and view arenas of different sports like gymnastics, athletics, cricket, tennis etc. They interacted with the coaches and tried to clarify their doubts and share their views about indigenous sports. They enjoyed playing different sports and recalled the importance of sports for their physical fitness. They even realized the contribution of sports to the country’s development. This field trip was truly a great break from their regular academic activities and enlightened them about importance of sports.

The school was founded by B.Parameshwaram in 1993. The school believes that sports are also equally important as academics. The school gives professional coaching to children who are good in sports. The government sponsors education for students and top boys and girls who are good in sports and ensure they are given admission in the Telangana Sports School. It is the only sports school in both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Morning Quizzzz!

The secondary wing at DRS International School had a morning assembly conducted by Grade- IX-A students. They quizzed the audience about the World Events happened in the recent past. The quiz was informative and students actively participated in the quiz showing their knowledge about current affairs of the world.

Sunday, fun-day!

The residential students of DRS International School had a thrilling day with a blend of special lunch and movie. The venue for the special lunch was OHRIS, Nautanki Galli, Hi-Tech city, Hyderabad. The journey was exciting for students in anticipation of delicious food and watching wonderful movie “JUMANJI-2”.

OHRIS, Nautanki Galli was a buffet set up with delicious display of food. Several starters, main course and desserts filled their cravings. Boarders were all over the place, excited to pick food of their choice. They filled dined to their hearts’ content and had a great time. Jumanji-2 was a humorous movie, and made for a few laughs. The hall was filled with laughter and appreciation.

Boarders returned refreshed with positivity and good cheer. The recreational trip made for a good respite ahead of the exam season. The trip was filled with fun, frolic and lots of positive energy. Boarders thoroughly enjoyed it.

Movie Day

The students of DRSIS primary wing from Grade- IK-I to V had a Film Screening in the school. DRSIS participated in this initiative along with several other schools across the district. It was organized under the leadership of Telangana State and District authorities. The students saw an interesting film- The Good Dinosaur. The students were excited about watching the movie and thoroughly enjoyed the movie. The initiative seeks to give students across the district an opportunity to appreciate films of different types. The film encouraged students to face their fears, believe in themselves and also made them reflect on the importance of loved ones in one’s life.

The Good Dinosaur is an animated- comedy-drama adventure film. It is set on a fictional Earth in which dinosaurs never became extinct; the film follows a young Apatosaurus named Arlo, who meets an unlikely human friend while traveling through a harsh and mysterious landscape.

The animated characters kept the students engrossed in the movie and also entertained the student.

DRSIS celebrates R-Day!

DRS International School, celebrated the nation’s 69th Republic Day with a difference. To observe the day that our constitution was formally adopted, the school community creatively took up the day as an opportunity to adopt ‘personal constitutions’ for themselves.

The impressive flag-hoisting ceremony was followed by patriotic songs, a ‘tri-colour’ dance performance as well a unique tableau that showcased the journey of India as a nation and its hard-won struggle for independence through an exciting combination of contemporary dance and mime. The tableau was a tribute to the spirit of our freedom fighters and their beautiful legacy.

The school also marked the day by honouring its employees who had completed 5 years and 10 years of service successfully with mementos and cash awards. Particularly noteworthy was the school’s move to recognize and felicitate members of the support staff. Sports coaches were also felicitated for the role they played in bringing laurels to the school.

The day also saw the announcement of the final tallies for Inter-House competitions held in the cultural, sports and literary categories. Newton House stole the limelight by emerging the Overall Winner for the academic year 2017-18 while Da Vinci House emerged the Runners-up. The awards ceremony was a fitting end to the year’s fiercely competitive Inter-House events.

Show-Time!

Our Secondary Students put up quite a show at the Inter-House One Act Play Competition held recently. The students were judged on acting, plot, communication, message given through act; time taken, and the props used. The four houses took up themes like-Mothers, Save & Share Water, Start the day fresh, etc. The themes of the act was conveyed strongly and meaningfully to the audience.

As this event was the last competition of the Academic Year- 2017-2018, the students wholeheartedly enjoyed the plays and made the most of the event.

The Dance-Off

This Wednesday saw our students of the Secondary Wing put their best foot forward for the Inter-House Group Dance Competition. The competition saw participants from the four houses compete to outdo each other with impressive sync. The latest tunes and the latest moves came together for an impressive visual treat.

The students were judged on 5 categories i.e. costume, coordination, choreography, song selection and formation. The judges evaluated the students based on these categories and were impressed by their coordination and dedication. The highlights of the group dance competition were the energy of students, interesting music and dance forms like jazz, hip-hop, Indian-classical, etc.

Globe-trotters!

The school is offering an exclusive 8-9 days fun-filled educational program for students. The school is working with EXPLORARS, an expert group in conducting domestic and International Educational Programmers. Ms. Pallavi had visited our school and gave an orientation to our students about the education program.

The students of IBPYP Grade IV & V are going on an 8-days educational program to Italy and Switzerland. This program allows the participants to experience a journey through advanced technology, art, industry, history and culture. The program focuses on giving our students holistic development, hands on experiences and igniting an ambition and help them be a world citizen.

The students of secondary wing from Grade- VI-IX and XI are going on an exclusive 9 days fun-filled educational program to US- West Coast (San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle). This program is an immersive educational journey that is designed to hone students’ leadership skills through thrilling hands-on experiences with technology besides other learning opportunities.

This program will help the students in becoming International Minded person and also help them learn different cultures.

Recipe for Success

The students of DRSIS from Grade- VI-IX had visited Swagath Grand Restaurant as a part of Cuisine Club. The students got a chance to interact with management and chef. The students collected information about the restaurant’s process, cleanliness, disposal of garbage, etc. The students also got a chance to see the store-room and kitchen in the restaurant.

The restaurant was started by three brothers- Ravinder Goud, Harishanker Goud & Baskar Goud. The restaurant has 23 branches with 190 workers managing the restaurant. The cuisines served by the restaurant are- Indian, Chinese, Tandoori, South Indian, Sweets and Pantry. The cleanliness at the restaurant is properly maintained by disposing the dry and wet garbage separately and a clean cold storage.

The students had a good experience exploring the restaurant. The management also actively interacted with the students. The students learnt that it requires lot of hard work to satisfy each and every customer.

Pathfinders

A university visit cum career counseling session was organized at DRSIS by The Times NIE, Hyderabad. Mr. Vinod addressed the students of Grade XI and IBDP-1. The crux of the interaction was focused on identifying one's interest area with regard to the subjects and abilities. The technological advancements, adapting to it with time and entrepreneurship as an integral support system was discussed.

The students took back with them the importance of being introspective and focused from an early age.

It’s A Drill!

Once more ‘Emergency Exit Drill’ proved that Precaution is better than cure. School safety plans played an essential role in the unlikely events of disasters such as fire, earthquake, floods etc. 

A sudden sound of the siren took students by surprise. The Emergency Exit Drill which was planned earlier in order to give practice to the whole school on ways and means of dealing with disasters helped bolster preparedness and disaster readiness. On hearing the hooter the students evacuated the building and reported to their teachers at the ground within 150 seconds. The sunny area was that although it was a surprise drill the students did not panic. During the drill there was no single person who got injured or hurt. Students did not get distracted from their routine before and after the drill. The evacuation, announcement, demonstration & wrap up were completed within 30 minutes.

After everyone safely assembled in the grounds Ms. Janet announced the record that was broken from the previous drill. The Chief Security Officer explained different types of fire and extinguishers. The security personnel performed a physical routine by rescuing personnel from the balcony while students watched. The school nurse performed First Aid on the mock injured personnel and explained vital signs. This practice made it imperative to reduce school vulnerability through structural and non-structural interventions.

Remembering The Neta!

In order to remember great Indian nationalist Subhash Chandra Bose known and famous by the title Netaji, the secondary wing of DRSIS paid tribute to the patriotic leader, Subhash Chandra Bose through a special presentation which was performed by students of XI-B in the morning assembly.

23rd January was celebrated to pay tribute to his sacrifice towards the country and to mark his birth anniversary as “Desh Prem Divas”. The students enjoyed a musical presentation and a skit on theme of the month “truthfulness”.

Toddlers Day Out

The students of IK-III went on a field trip to ‘Nehru Zoological Park’, Hyderabad as a part of their Unit of Inquiry on ‘Animals’. The field trip helped the toddlers to identify different kinds of animals and birds. They also interacted with Zoo officials about different types of animals.

The students did Safari at the Nehru Zoological Park. They saw wild animals, reptiles, birds, native animals, exotic animals, etc. The students were attracted by different exhibits like Primate Park, Carnivore Plaza, Bears Bay, Lion Junction, Parrot World, Reptile Row, etc which gave them knowledge about different kinds of animals and their adaptations.

Zoo Education

The students of IB PYP of Grade-III went on an educational trip to ‘Nehru Zoological Park’. This trip is a part of their inquiry, ‘Living things have certain requirements in order to sustain ’.The students explored about different species of animals & interacted with the zookeeper.

The students also learnt to differentiate between Carnivorous, Herbivorous and Omnivorous animals. They got to know the different facts about the animals present in the zoo and also learnt about the different adaptations needed for the animals and birds to sustain like the climatic conditions, food etc.

In the zoo, the students were attracted by different exhibits like Primate Park, Carnivore Plaza, Bears Bay, etc where they saw native animals found in India and exotic animals which are found in other countries.

The students were thrilled to visit the Zoo which was filled with information, facts and enjoyment.

A Cultural Treat

In a great display of the spirit of international mindedness, the IB PYP students of Grade-I made an educational visit to Puri Jagganath Temple in Banjara Hills and Anandha Buddha Vihar in Mahendra Hills as a part of their Unit of Inquiry about ‘Festivals & Celebrations Around the World Reflect Culture’. The students were very excited to see the Puri Jaggannath temple, which is a replica of the original Puri jaggannath Temple at Odisha, in terms of design and architecture. The most attracting aspect of this temple is its "Shikhara" measuring around 70 feet in height. The red color of the temple is due to the usage of sand stone (around 600 tonnes were brought from Orissa which is being used to build this whole architecture) and around 60 stone carvers were blessed to carve this temple. There are shrines dedicated to Lakshmi, along with Shiva, Ganesh, Hanuman and Navagrahas. The sanctum sanctorum houses Lord Jaggannath along with his siblings, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Shubadra. The pictorial printings and carvings depicted the story of Lord Krishna and the students interpreted the story independently.

Our enthusiastic thinkers got the opportunity to have a short 40 minute session with Monk of Anandha Buddha Vihar, and were told about some of the beliefs of the religion and got to experience a prayer ceremony by a monk who taught the children meditation techniques for better concentration and memory power. The monk answered the various questions asked by our students . They were overwhelmed with the artistic work, excellent sculpture, colours, greenery, peace and serenity inside the Buddha Vihar. The visit created awareness among students about the similarities and differences between various places of worship, their culture and beliefs which inspired them to inquire even more.

Cool Clubs

The secondary students at DRS International School were once again excited to get together for the ‘Beyond Classroom’ Club Meet by putting their ingenious imaginations to work. The Literary Club students drew diagrams of their likes such as trees, cars etc and wrote ‘Shape Poems’ around them.

The Visual Arts Club experimented with artistic hand -made Tribal Jewellery with clay. The Performing Arts Club students learned to sway to western dance for slow music.

At the Music Club, the students presented their own songs and also planned for upcoming Republic Day Celebrations. They also planned for a showcase of their vocal and instrumental skills in February as well.

Meanwhile, the Eco Sustainability Club, DRS Community & Humane Club students had a reflection on the activities so far.

The Design & Technology Club had an introductory session on ‘Dream Weaver’ software whereas the DRS MUN club engaged themselves in a word search for UN lingo and vocabulary in small groups.

Show of Diversity

A talk show took place for the IB PYP students of Grade IV in which representatives of threee religions interacted with students as guest speakers.



Ms.Jyosthsna spoke about Hinduism, Ms.Mariam spoke about Islam and Mr.Daniel spoke about Christianity. The speakers shared their religious practices and beliefs with them and as part of ‘Taking Action’, the students planned ways to appreciate others’ culture and show unity in diversity by dressing up as people from different religions.

Facing Fears

CAS experiences provide students opportunities for collaboration, self-determination, accomplishment and enjoyment. Our students of the IBDP had one such thrilling CAS experience on their trek at Khajaguda Hills last week.

The four hour trek, that was part of the ‘Activity’ strand, was literally a breath of fresh air. It challenged our students into facing their fears and pushing their endurance and stamina levels.

First students were allowed to climb to a small height. This helped build confidence and trust in each other. Each step ahead generated further energy and zeal. Slipping and falling and then again trying again helped boost confidence in their own abilities and as well as helped them conquer their fear of getting hurt.

The trek cemented students’ confidence in their skills and abilities, and helped them affirm their identification of their strengths as well as areas for growth. A trek to remember, indeed!

Celebration in the Air!

The IB PYP Wing at DRS International School welcomed the harvest festival of India by celebrating Bhogi, Pongal and Sankranti in a special assembly. Our PYP students came dressed in colourful traditional attire and presented various cultural performances to spread the joy of this festival and some students dressed in ‘Haridasulu’ caught the attention of all present there.

The celebrations reflected the festive decorations with a colorful rangoli of flowers and gobbemmalu, Sankranti greetings backdrop and the highlight of the celebrations was the dance-drama presentation on the song ‘Andariki Sankranthi Subakankshalu’, folkloricas of Kolatam dance, garagala dance, and gangiredulla dance and an auspicious speech about the importance of this festival, how it is celebrated in different states of India etc.

The little ones of International Kindergarten enjoyed making kites with colorful paper as their ‘Activity of the Month’ and danced for various songs in different languages as part of the celebrations. They even had a joyful time flying kites with great gusto and enthusiasm.

A Trip Across the Universe!

As part of their Unit of Inquiry-‘Human Actions Have an Impact on the Universe’, the IB PYP students of Grade V at DRS International School went on a field trip to the famous Indian Science museum -Birla Planetarium located in Hyderabad to learn more about the universe.The students interacted with the curator to understand the components of the Universe and its unique features and also enjoyed watching a 3D show about the ‘Universe’.

They even explored the Art Gallery which has a rare collection, breathtaking displays and a unique Natural History Gallery called the ‘Dinosaurium Museum’ with exhibits of the excavated fossils of dinosaurs, marine shells, fossilized tree trunks and eggs etc. This field trip served the purpose of helping the students to comprehend the wonders of universe and watching the galleries helped them to go back to about 160 million years ago and estimate the age of universe and our planet.

Unity in Diversity

As part of the IB PYP Grade IV Unit of Inquiry – ‘Beliefs and Values Enrich Culture’, our students went on a field trip to few religious places in Hyderabad like Jagannath Temple and Calvary Church and explored the places of worship. They had interactions with the committee members and caretakers and learnt about their religious practices.

The visit not only made them observe and appreciate the different architectures of these religious sites and study the similarities and commonalities between religions but also helped them to understand the importance of the concept of ‘Unity in Diversity’.