Mental health awareness month celebrated

Jessica Shrestha

7th june, Kirtipur

To celebrate the mental health awareness month two students of Creative Academy, showed their talents in a debate competition organized by iHub Kathmandu on May 31st.

The debate motion “Is working/studying from home good/bad” was based solely upon mental health. Participants had to prepare affirmative as well as negative arguments.

After a lucky draw the speaker's sides were decided.There were two rounds of the debate and five students were selected for the second round.

Debate was organized in a collaboration with five schools: Viswa Niketan Secondary School, Janajyoti English School, Creative Academy, Annapurna Secondary School, and Saraswati Niketan Secondary School.

Prasanna Baskota and Jessica Shrestha were the participants of the debate. "The debate was really engaging as well as challenging,it was a great networking session too" said Baskota.

“Debate was very good and it taught students confidence skills and the way that they should lead the mass,no doubt it has taught to build their mass confidence or to reduce mass phobia”, said Parshuram Khanal who supported students in this debate.

“We are immensely proud of the enthusiasm and brilliance showcased by all the participating schools”, said the organizers, “together we made a positive impact in promoting mental well-being and fostering a supportive community.”

 

Beware of Cyber Crime

 Lakita Maharjan

Kirtipur, May 2, 2023

With the significant rise of digital technology and easy access to the internet, criminal activities via digital way are also increasing. Such criminal activities are denoted as Cyber Crime. They are crimes which take place primarily online.

Regarding this danger, a program was organized in Creative Academy. On that programme, various types of cyber crime were explained. Based on that programme and other sources here are some tips to be safe from cyber crime.

1. Use strong passwords

- Make them complex using a combination of at least 10 letters, numbers, and symbols.

2. Manage you social media settings

- Keep your personal and private information locked down. The less you share publicly, the better.

3. Keep your software updated.

- This is especially important with your operating systems and internet security software.

4. Don't share private for anyone

- Sharing private photos and information can be dangerous so keep it a secret.

5. Don't trust cyber friend

- People connected via the internet like social sites may be fake or criminals so don't trust anyone. 

Electricity Workshop

Sumit yadav

16th Jestha, Kirtipur

 Electricity workshop session was organized by the Municipality of Kirtipur for the betterment of 8th and 9th graders of Creative Academy.The workshop aimed to equip the students with basic life skills related to electricity such as wiring,safety and energy conservation.

“The students were very eager and alternative throughout the workshop and learned a lot from the practical sessions” the senior level in-charge  Mr. Parshuram Khanal  exclaimed.

The workshop was led by Associate Professor Shanta Maharjan from Tribhuvan University Institute of engineering,Thapathali campus, who shared her expertise and experience with students. This workshop was held with the motive to allow students to learn in a  creative way.

  

‘Fresher’s Welcome Program marks new beginnings for many’

 -Ridhi Regmi

8th May, Kathmandu

A Fresher’s Welcome Programme was held at the Creative Academy on 6th February at Creative hall. The programme was  both conducted and managed by the organizing team of grade 10 . 

 The purpose of this programme was to welcome the new students and teachers and motivate them to begin their journey at the school. They were also provided with a token of love from the students' side.The program involved the students and teachers from primary level up to senior level and had many performances by the students including dances, musical performances and a welcoming ceremony as well. 

 The organizing team consisted of Jessica Shrestha, Ridhi Regmi, Khushi Poudel, Shikhshita Poudel, Republica Gautam, Arwacheen Panta, Kushal Maharjan, Prasanna Baskota and Pranish Pulami  who played a major role in conducting and making this program successful with the contributions of the teachers as well.

 Parshuram Khanal, the senior level incharge expressed his views about the program stating  that it was really ‘awesome’ and ‘managed perfectly’. He even expressed his thankfulness towards the organizing team’s hard work. Along with this, He also gave a message directed to the newcomers and new teachers stating that ‘’Whoever comes as a new teacher and a student are the part of Creative Family.’’

A student of grade 10, Shreeya Maharjan expressed her views about the program stating that the performances and management were both very good and the hosts were great as well. 

First Meeting of Creative Student Assembly

 Nhuja Maharjan and Manish BK

28 Jestha Kirtipur

Students of Creative Academy have gained experience of being a lawmaker. With the first meeting of “Student Assembly” they have got such experience.

Assembly is the governing body of the school, established as a joint venture with ‘Federal Youth Discourse’, which plays the role of the legislature.

First meeting of the Student Assembly was held in the Hall on 12th of Jestha. The Assembly is composed of 30 Class representatives (CRs),14 Club Leaders, 8 House Captains and Vice Captains, and 4 Directly Elected Representatives (DER).

“All 56 members attended the first meeting and took the oath of their position,” said Anish Pokharel, a representative of Federal Youth Discourse.

Among the 6 participants of Directly Elected Representative, four of them were elected by the majority vote of the students from the Senior block. Again, in the First Assembly the elected DER members were given their posts by the members of the Assembly through a voting system.

Ansu Maharjan was elected as Prime Minister, Sangam Rai as the Speaker, Deep Shrestha as the treasurer, and Sakshyam as the deputy prime minister.

A programme bridging Students and Teachers

 Anuska Maharjan 

30 jestha, Kirtipur

One year ago, Kritisha Budhathoki, a student of grade Nine, didn’t have close friends. In view of her friends, she was shy and somehow introverted, unable to make friends. Now, she has changed. “Counseling changed me”, Budhathoki said, “It has helped me to be more friendly and nice.” 

Similarly, Sambridi Thapa, student from grade Nine, was also benefited by Counseling. “It helped me to develop the close relationship between teachers”, she said. 

According to Dipti Thapa, a student from grade Nine, counseling has helped her to share her feelings to teachers easily.  

In such a way, the Counseling program, continuing in Creative Academy, is supporting students in various ways. “It helps the students to believe, equipped to solve their problem”, says Khagendra Gautam, teacher of Creative Academy, “students feel more comfortable and do better in academic performance after the counseling.”

According to the school administration, the counseling program started two years ago. “We felt students are going through various problems, and we tried to solve them in many ways”, says Prashuram Khanal, senior level in-charge,“then counseling came in our mind”.

“Such need was arosed due to sudden change in behavior of students'”, says Drishti Shrestha, teacher of Creative Academy.

On counseling, the class teacher of  each grade counsels students before the first term, about the student's daily life, their problems, and possibilites. 

He claims counseling is helping students to move in the right track for betterment of students. “Students feel comfortable and better after counseling”, Khanal argues. 

“Counseling is very essential to know about what is happening and to support the students”, says Ashok Sharma, senior level assistant in-charge, “to understand student’s reality, problems of student’s life counseling help the students. Students feel closeness where they can share their feelings and problems with their teachers.”

Counseling is also helpful for teachers as it has provided a new way to understand their students. According to Kaushal oli, head of Department of International Collaboration, “through the counseling the teachers also know about their student.”

Inspiration from Childhood Memories in support of human service

 Prapti Sharma 

6 July, Kirtipur

One of the identities of Creative Academy is its Scout activity which has been promoting kindness and human service for more than a decade. 

This initiation is a result of childhood memories. Shiva Giri and Sumitra Giri, founders of CA, had shaped their memory in reality 12 years ago. According to Shiva Giri, they both were scouts in their childhood in India. Their love for scouting and passion for community service inspired them to start a movement that would help build a more compassionate school.

The team supported them to change their dream into reality. According to Pashuram Khanal, one of the founders of Scout in CA, they saw that programs like Scout and Red Cross were very effective in promoting kindness and service to humanity. So, they decided to include these programs in their school as well. 

Since its inception, Scout has grown into a global movement with members from all over the world. Its mission is to promote kindness, compassion, selfless service, and to help people in need. Scout members participate in various activities such as community service, disaster relief, and environmental conservation.

“Through its various programs and initiatives, Creative Academy Scout has been able to create a positive impact on countless lives”, says Khanal, “it continues to inspire students to work towards creating a more kind and compassionate world.”

However, as argued by Shiva Giri, the effort by Scout in Creative Academy is still not enough. “Scouts are supposed to undergo intense training to be able to help people in any kind of need and be ready for any emergency situation. For example, Scouts should be able to provide aid to people who are victims of earthquakes”, he says. 

He believes that Scout members should be trained to have a strong sense of leadership, teamwork, and empathy. They should also be equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to provide immediate assistance to people in times of crisis.

Despite the limitation, Scout remains committed to its mission of promoting kindness and human service and still tries to improve more towards creating a better world for all.

Digging out the potentiality of students

Leeza Tandukar and Lasata Maharjan

28 May 2023, Kirtipur

Extra-curricular activity clubs are helping the students of Creative Academy to dig out their latent potentiality. 14 clubs are engaged in such activities, says school administration. Most of the clubs’ mentors are from outside the school which are supported by school teachers. 

Every club has its own motive and their name were given regarding their role: gurukul club, movie club, arts club, scrabble club, astronomy club, literature club, robotics club, python club, eco club, media club, public speaking club, debate club, chess club and drama club.

According to Saurav Singha Chaudhary, mentor of the Gurukul club, the main objective of the club is to help students  gain behavioral skills. “We  have discussed real life problems among students and their innovative solutions and done some research as well”, he said.

Binod Khatiwada, the mentor of Movie club explained the objective of club which is to make movies, documentaries and writing scripts. He said, “Students have learned shot size, how to write script and learned basic ideas of script writing.”

According to Sajan Waiba, the mentor of Arts club, the objective of this club is to improve the art skills of students. “Students have learned about still life drawing, form 4 and elements of arts”, he explained.

Similarly, Scrabble club is developing the skill of scrabble players, as told by Sarala Bhujel, the mentor. “The objective of this club is to develop international scrabble players from this school”, she argued, “students have set the school's annual academic calendar, made rules for the club, played games and many more.”

Astronomy club is helping students to operate different astronomical instruments and learn about astronomy workshops. According to Manisha Dwa, the mentor, the objective of this club is to teach students how to operate different astronomical instruments and learn astronomy workshop. “Students have done presentation and hands-on activities, constellation view, solar wind themes, planisphere, telescope and phases of the moon”, Dwa said.

Literature club under the mentorship of  Krishnadev Singdile  is developing reading and writing culture among the students as well as teachers. He explained, ”The objective of this club is to teach students about reading a memoir. He added, “Students have done yoga (Kamalasan) and also explored their horizon of literary knowledge."

The objective of the Robotics club is to teach the students a little about Robot Engineering. “Students are doing the activities like conducting an insulator test, making a motorboard, making a doorbell system, playing games and making a remote control car”, said Kenij Maharjan, the mentor.

According to Saurav Gyawali, the mentor of the Python club students have created an "Accounten Codester" a software programme . “Students also have made a project called ‘random number guesser’, Gyawali said, “They have made snowflake game and learned about loops, variables, etc.”

The objective of Eco club is to work in the field of environmental conservation and protection of resources as stated by Subodh Bhatta, the mentor. “Participants of the club have designed the logo and annual plan for their club”, Bhatta said, “they have classified plants present in our school premises in different categories based on their nature.”

Similarly, students of Media Club are learning to write news and developing public speaking, according to Kusum Shrestha, one of the mentors of the club. “The objective of this club is to make students sort of journalist”, said Kusum Waiba, another mentor, “Students have developed the news sense in them and learned the ways to present it in the form of the news."

Hemanta Wagle, the mentor of Public Speaking Club clarified the objective of the club. According to him, the club aims to train students on public speaking and develop rhetorical skills in them. “Students have learned about types of public speaking and discussed what to do”, Wagle said.

Members of Debate Club are learning the different patterns and formats of debate that encompasses and promote their ability and skill of critical thinking and argumentation as stated by Piyush Murarka who is mentoring the club and its members.

"The Chess Club is aimed at making students the chess player and enhance their intellectual growth," said Manbahadur Sunar, the supporting mentor of the club.

Likewise, Drama Club is functioning under the mentorship and supervision of Suraj Tamu. He informed us that children have read a chart related to drama and learned how to act in past , present and future situations. They have even played games relating to drama. The objective of this club is to make them see a situation from different perspectives as mentioned by him.

Two decades of Creative Academy: Building Dreams, Shaping Futures

Eva Swar and Jaya Basyal

29 June 2023

Kirtipur, Kathmandu 

They were desperate. They wanted to do something new which would also support their livelihood but didn't know what they should do. They decided to establish an English medium School. However, in those days, it seemed a foolish decision. Country was suffering from “Maoist Insurgency”, and the strike was general. Maoist, the then insurgent political group, was determined to close all private schools. 

“However, after considerable thought we decided to establish the school and our journey began with optimism”, says Khagendra Gautam, one of the founders.

As told by Gautam, the group of friends consisting of Shiva Giri, Prasuram Khanal, Marijman Singh, BN Poudel, and himself decided to establish the school. Finally, on the 8th of Baisakh 2060 BS, the Creative Academy (CA) was founded.The school now provides the light of education for more than 1200 students.

Shiva Giri remembers those initial days. At first, they had trouble finding the students. Giri was acquainted with several people from the orphanage in Kirtipur. He talked to the members of the orphanage and together they managed to gather nine students. A blue van used to carry and drop them from the Balkhu area.

“Due to a lack of funds, all of the founders used to share RS. 40 each day to eat Wai Wai noodles for lunch”, recalls Siba Giri. Since the main motto of the school was to deliver something unique for Kirtipur, they even invested the money they profited from the fee of students for the development of the school itself.

 “We should show them by working  rather than begging” says Shiva Giri. So, they focused on extra curricular activities instead of being confined within the curriculum. Simultaneously, they  established Science lab and computer lab too for better learning opportunities, which was a new initiative for then Kirtipur.  As a result, CA became the first school in Kirtipur to have a pre-primary study system, as well as the first entirely English-speaking school in Kirtipur, attracting the attention of immigrant students.

With the flow of time, CA gained popularity and success which began from 9 students to 90 in one year. Each year, one grade was added, and C. A succeeded to become a school until the tenth grade in 2065 BS.

As explained by Sumitra Giri, a teacher of CA, "discipline is the pillar to success." 

Creative Academy has received several honors for its outstanding and unique creations. Creative Academy is also a recipient of an International School award from the British Council. 

“One of the most memorable and valuable awards for  Creative Academy was our first trophy, which we received in a dance competition. Miss Prerada instructed the dance, and senior students performed it”,says Shiva Giri. 

According to BN Poudel, the principal, CA recognizes the importance of providing a world-class educational experience that prepares children for global citizenship. “It believes that an excellent curriculum with a global dimension is critical for preparing children to face the challenges of the twenty-first century with confidence and character strength”, says Poudel.

As per her experience, Drishty shrestha, in-charge of primary level, CA always encourages teachers for their self development too. “Myself being a teacher of Creative Academy for the past  13 years, I can proudly tell that Creative Academy is a progressive school which encourages teachers for their self development too”, she says. 

“The old students who studied in Creative Academy are in very good positions. Majority  of them are aboard whereas many hold great positions in Nepal. Yet, they occasionally visit the school to express their gratitude to the teachers.” explains Shiva Giri.