“Don’t just tell your children about the world, show them”

Education aims not only for academic excellence, but an overall development of the mind, body and soul, where the students learn life-skills along with vocational skills. What better way to do that than letting them explore the world with their own eyes? With this aim, Delhi Public School Aligarh organizes educational tours every year for students of various age groups, to make them value the importance of learning through experience, and not just through information.

On May 28, a group of 38 students of class 10 (Batch 2023-24) along with 3 faculty members left for Pune, Lonavala, Khandala and Mahabaleshwar with a heart full of expectations, and came back on June 4 with a bag full of memories. With professionally developed and well-crafted itinerary keeping their entertainment as well as education in mind, the tour maneuvered through the Katraj Snake Park, Khandala hills, views from Duke’s Nose and Tiger’s Leap to Chikki Sweet market in Khandala. To add to their level of excitement, the group of friends made their best reels at the AdlabsImagica Water Park, spilling and swooshing through the water.

The next lapse of their journey was in the scenic beauty of Panchgani where they could witness tunnels in the mountains, hydro and wind power projects, along with the breathtaking view from the Parsi Point. But that was not all. A study of History, architecture and religion played a significant part of this experience, as they adored the beauty of the Old Mahabaleshwar temples, and the peaceful Venna Lakes in Mahabaleshwar. The unforgettable experience of visiting the Mapro Gardens, the strawberry farms and a fruit processing factory made them elated. They shopped till their hearts were full.

On their way back, they also immersed themselves in the beautiful Aga Khan Palace in Pune, and learnt about the historical significance of this place.

After a trip with DJ night, bonfire, swimming session, mouth-watering Maharashtrian delicacies, games, music and some remarkable memories made, the students came back with a heavy heart, ready to fight their battle in the upcoming board exams. /p>

“Traveling opens your heart, broadens your mind, and fills your life with stories to tell”

A trip to Bengaluru, Mysore, and Ooty was organised by Delhi Public School Aligarh for the students of class 12. The journey started from Delhi on Rajdhani Express and maneuvered through Bengaluru, Mysore and Ooty over a span of 9 days. Amazing tourist sites included in the itinerary for Bangalore were the Vidhan Soudha, Lalbagh Botanical Garden, and Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technlical Museum along with the shopping paradise like the M.G Road and historical wonders like the Tipu Sultan Palace and Krishna Sagar Dam in Bangalore, Karnataka whereas for Mysore, it had Brindavan Garden, The Phillominas Church and Mysore Palace. They also enjoyed a heritage toy train ride, visit to the Tea garden, chocolate factory on this tour. The students grooved to the most famous Bollywood songs by letting their spirits free during the DJ night and gorged on some sumptuous South Indian cuisine, making this the best trip in their life so far. The students were thrilled and bubbling with happiness to be able to create some wonderful memories of a lifetime with their friends, and were all saddened to return home.

"Knowledge is like climbing a mountain, the higher you reach the more you can see and appreciate"

Taking this quote literally, the students of Class XI of DPS Aligarh and DPS Civil Lines Aligarh started on their journey to Manali with 5 teachers guiding them through their way.

- They explored the engineering marvel of Atal Tunnel connecting Manali with Lahaul- Spiti Valley along with Solang Valley, places which have become extremely popular for their scenic beauty and marvelous views. The students were left absolutely speechless especially when they saw snow and could dive right in playing and making snowballs, throwing it at their fellow mates at these crazy heights.  - The students also visited the Hidimba Devi Mata temple at Kullu, a Tibetan Monastery and enjoyed learning the traditional art of shawl making from the artisans themselves. With sumptuous meals and a luxurious stay, the students enjoyed their time in Manali and Kullu with no worries of holiday homework or assignments. The overall tour was filled with experiences, leaving the students with millions of stories to weave and tell.

"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page”

DPS Aligarh recently organized a 6 night 7 days Chail- Shimla Adventure Tour for students of classes VII and VIII to teach them life lessons like decision making, risk taking, planning, packing, facing challenging circumstances outside the luxuries of life along with a pinch of adventure and thrill.

The students enthusiastically participated in activities like tent building, wall climbing, zip lining, Burma Bridge among several others and stayed with their friends in tents, where they also relished some mouth watering dishes from the mountains. This adventure tour which covered four prominent locations of Chail, Kufri, Shimla and Chandigarh exposed students to the wide array of lifestyles in cities, mountains and countryside. The students thoroughly enjoyed their stay, meals, activities and ended it all with bags full of souvenirs and accessories for their loved ones.

The students of class XII-C (Humanities) have visited the Bird Sanctuary located at Sheikha Lake near Jalali town on Aligarh-Gangiri Road. This lake is one of the favourite nesting places for migratory birds in the plains of the river Ganga. Every year innumerable number of birds from temperate regions arrives here for wintering purpose. On their arrival, a number of visitors, bird watchers, researchers and school students visit this lake to experience its natural beauty lake and biodiversity. This Lake has been declared as a National Bird Sanctuary by the government in 2018.

Protection and Conservation are the two principles of the Environmental Policy of the DPS, Aligarh. With this concern a field based observational study was conducted on 04.01.2020 (Saturday) as a part of Geography Practical exercise which was very much fruitful. During this visit the following admiring activities were conducted

• Nature walk
• Observation of natural vegetation
• Wildlife: wild beasts (nilgai), mongoose, monkeys, tortoise etc.
• View the aquatic organisms such as fishes, mollusks, weeds, water lily etc.
• Watching the chirping birds such as storks, graylag goose, pintails, pochards, spoonbills, black drango, saras crane etc.
• Silt clearance in the Upper-Ganga canal.
• Degradation of agricultural land in urban fringe areas.
• Demonstration of Rabi season crops such as wheat, mustard, potato and vegetables.
• Site of domestic airport of Aligarh at Dhanipur.

The visit was very much fruitful and enjoyed by the students. As a result students became aware about the importance of conservation of natural environment for sustainable development of resources like water, forest, wildlife and soils.

“You must go on adventures to find out where you truly belong”

A child needs grooming in all the aspects. Not only academic or sports but also excursions, travelling, seeing and meeting new people etc should be considered. To ensure that, under the supervision of teachers and professional instructors from Khet Camp, Delhi Public School, Aligarhorganised a Day Adventure Camp for students. It was a day camp that provided a positive and safe environment for kids to build confidence and self-esteem. This camp assisted them in developing fundamental athletic skills such as balancing coordination and in enjoying the feeling of adventures. The students arrived with sense of excitement and anticipation as they prepared to take part in such activities

Many activities were set up on the field to improve gross motor skills. It included activities such as Commando Net, Commando Crawl, Trampoline, Zorb Roller, Rappelling, Zip Line, Dancing Bamboo, Parallel Rope, Ladder Climbing, and Ladder Walk. Not only did the students participate in athletic tasks, but they also had the opportunity to connect with nature and experience the simplicity of village life through a tractor ride and then getting to know about various plants of flowers, and fruits. The children enthusiastically participated and were overjoyed when they completed each task. Every activity was designed to improve a specific skill. The students crossed the Zip Line with confidence. Adrenaline rushed in during the tasks they participated in. Students had a wonderful time. The camp came to an end with unforgettable memories.

"Experience knows no Boundaries"

We live in the era of globalisation and keeping this in mind DPS Aligarh,, had planned a Trip to Dubai. The 6 days long trip has taken children to a new level of experiential learning. From learning the etiquette of checking in the hotel to exchanging currency they did it all on their own. They also got the opportunity to explore and discover new cultures, new people and new friends. Here’s the list of places covered during the 6 days of their adventure:

Day1: Started with checking-in the hotel and then went on a yacht at Marina bay. The yacht tour was followed by dinner.

Day 2: During the day, they went for a city tour and in the evening all of them went for dessert safari.

Day 3: This day was all about Dolphin show, Dinosaur Park, Magic Park and wow garden. Later, during the day children got the chance to meet Lana Rose and Angry Prash famous You Tubers. Not only this, they also got a chance to shoot a music video with Lana Rose.

Day 4: The day started with water rides. Later, during the day went to Ski Dubai and Mall of Emirates.

Day 5: The day started with fun filled activities conducted in the hotel. Later, during the day they all went to IMG one of the biggest theme park.

Day 6: Last day was all about learning to check out from the hotel and reach out to Sharjah airport.

All in all it was a trip full of opportunities to explore and discover.

“The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are.”

‘Travelling is a part of education’. An excursion is not just a pleasure trip; it enhances the knowledge of the students beyond the four walls of the classroom. To provide such an enriching experience to students, a joint tour was organised for the students of Delhi Public School Aligarh and Delhi Public school, Civil lines Aligarh. The Educational tours are part and parcel of the life of students. Students needed rest and entertainment after working hard for many days. The fun filled excursion provided them solace and helped them form an escape route from the tedium of Pandemic. It was organised from 31 st May to 4 June 2022. Total participants were 63 escorted by six teachers from both school.

As soon as the students reached Mussourie they were transferred to the camping resort which was beautiful, calm and with greenery all around. This resort had a lot of outdoor activities for kids. It also has a small kempty fall of its own. On arrival, the students were welcomed by the hospitable staff of the camps. They were divided into groups to allow maximum participation. The activities were well planned. Excitement could be easily spotted on the students’ faces. Trek in the local area, away from the urban noise was a peaceful experience. The sight from the camp was breath-taking. Bonfire, music and dance in the evening added to the students’ happiness

A hike to the Shiva temple at the top of a mountain was tiring but the view from the top was captivating and provided a lifetime experience to the students Adventurous activities like trekking, fox flying, rappelling and rock-climbing session on natural rocks rejuvenated their frayed spirits. The Nature walk and bird watching session was something new for the students. Tree climbing activities, tug of war, preparation of Maggie paved the way to team work and companionship. The children participated with zeal and were delighted when they completed each task. Every activity aimed at honing a different skill. The students managed to cross the Zip Line confidently. While indulging in the activities like Rappelling, Wall Climbing etc. Various skills like leadership, decision making, managing fear and team work were addressed to them by professional and experienced instructors

Students developed love for nature and got real happiness when they got a chance to visit ‘Fri Dehradun’. They enriched their knowledge about flora and fauna, herbal plants and sought geographical information. Students had a joyful experience. The camp concluded with unforgettable memories.it was truly rejuvenating for students as well as teachers.

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”

Life goes on with lots of ups and downs, after a long exhaustive Corona period to change the mood of children and to create some excitement, DPS ALIGARH organized a tour for the students of class XII during their summer vacation to visit different places in Chandigarh and Manali. 69 students of class XII along with 6 teachers departed from school on May 31 at 10.30 pm and returned on June 5 at 3 pm. During the period they visited the following places:

Firstly they visited Chandigarh where they saw a marvelous piece of Mughal architecture in the form of a series of fountains at Pinjore garden, an unbelievable use of waste material at Rock Garden, cool and refreshing Sukhna lake and window shopping at Posh Sector-17 market.

Later the group moved to Manali, on the way enjoyed dhaba food, landscape capturing, during the stay visited famous Hadimba temple, located in the mid of a lush green forest, in the evening enjoyed walking on the streets of Mall road. Next day moved to Rohtang to see the glacier, where children enjoyed adventure sports, Yak ride etc, while returning passed through a national heritage Atal tunnel, 9.5 kms long that has reduced a distance of around 38 kms.

Finally they packed their bag and baggage and boarded their buses, on the way taken halt at some famous places in Kullu, performed puja at Mata ka temple, took snaps at the bank of river Beas, bought exotic fruits at fruit market, visited shawl factory where children bought some woolens for themselves and their parents. I sum up children enjoyed a lot during these days while returning they were singing and dancing together in their buses and were departing with their classmates with a heavy heart.

Historical places always bring a great experience of learning new things. Delhi Public School, Aligarh always provides opportunities for the students for kinesthetic learning i.e., learning by doing and encourages students to engage with people, places in new ways. With the same approach an excursion was planned for the students of Classes IV, V and VI to visit Agra.91 students in all went to Agra along with six teachers from DPS Aligarh. They visited Taj Mahal and learnt its significance in the Indian History and now announced by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. They appreciated the beauty of the Taj and were awestruck by the intricate carvings on the walls everywhere. They enjoyed there thoroughly. After the visit to the Taj, they had a splendiferous lunch. Post- lunch they visited Radha Soami Samadh at Dayal bagh in Agra. It was a beautiful place having a huge building with fine paintings carved on the walls and pillars. It was wonderful trip with lots of learning and full of fun, masti and laughter.

Comments of the students:

• “It was fun to enjoy with our friends.”
• “We enjoyed a lot and had a wonderful time. The food provided was yummy.”

Feedback of Parents:

• “It was a wonderful trip organized by the school.”
• “We are thankful to the school for providing such a nice opportunity to the students to know the historical places.”
• On the whole, the students found the entire experience full of fun and informative!

God is our protector that’s what we imbibe in our children at school and in our homes. The topics taught at school also delve on this. One such topic ‘New Religious Ideas’ presented an opportunity to take our students of Class V and VI to Teerthdham Mangalayatan on 11th December and 27th November 2018 respectively. A total of 101 students of Class V and 111 students of Class VI accompanied by 3 teachers each visited the Teerthdhaam Mangalayatan on two separate days.

DPS troupes, on both the occasions, started off at 9:30 a.m. from the school premises and after an enthralling journey of 15 minutes, the children reached Mangalayatan. On entering the temple, the students went into the prayer hall where the religious Gurus helped them to understand the important aspects of Jainism, explained about its origin and the stories associated with it.

The students were quite excited to see the renowned holy place and learnt how people following Jainism display their faith. The students were extremely excited to visit the artificially built cave depicting the scenes from the life of Lord Mahavira. Students enjoyed this trip to their fullest. After an informative trip, the students returned back by 12:00 in the noon. It was a devotional and learning experience for the students.