The gravity of the situation washed over the world like waves on a beach, the ebb of unbridled unanimity rippling ever outwards into the oceans of the cosmos. The titanic loss was greatened by the man’s achievements of Brobdingnagian proportions—still mankind stood in silent solidarity, mourning the passing of perhaps the greatest scientist to come along since Albert Einstein himself.
And while the late Professor Stephen Hawking deserved all his recognition and more, a delve further into his life reveals a remarkable tale of determination, courage, and above all, the wonder of the human spirit. Considered a death sentence only a few decades ago, and fair cause to euthanize the ‘useless’ just a few more before that, his diagnosis would have been reason enough to stray anyone from their path. Yet, through sheer willpower and the undying support of those closest to him, Hawking garnered the adoration of millions worldwide, moving cosmology from a fringe science to one highly sought after, proving that given the right community environment, anything is possible.
Here at the MBIS Student Council, we are driven by such stories of resilience to create a nurturing environment that begets such passion. While it is healthy to have debate, all our members agree that one of the cornerstones that makes MBIS unique is its strong community ethos. We see the school not just through the context of education, but as a close-knit family that looks out for the needs of its members. It was in keeping with this spirit that the idea for the MBIS Spring Party was born.
The brainchild of our communications liaison, Sneh Deshpande, we aimed to create an event that would not only bolster this sense of community, but provide a platform for student initiative. Our initial surveys revealed a strong desire amongst the student body for an event that celebrated its progress; we found there were very few occasions marking the change from year to year. Thus, with the support of the student body, an event was conceived of that would create a tangible milestone for the Secondary School to mark its progress against, and give students a chance to interact with their peers in a setting outside the context of formal education.
Throughout the process we were met with the full support of everyone involved—it was extremely rewarding to see members of the school going above and beyond the call of duty to seize opportunities for themselves and their peers. I personally got to witness incredibly sophisticated leadership skills from members of the Student Council; from gathering data, to raising funds, to negotiating with various involved parties, all the way to executing the event, I am proud to have been a part of such a dedicated group of young leaders. With the support of their peers, they were able to pave the way to a successful event that could not have been conceived of as being entirely student organised and funded only last year. We were met with overwhelmingly positive feedback from the student body, and believe we have achieved what we originally set out to do, and more, marking the Spring Party as a milestone to be revisited each year from a new perspective.
It is this fiery determination—this absence of the fear of failure—this community that functions as one that makes me proud to be a part of this school. Our students are not afraid to dream big, and our community is not afraid to make those dreams a reality, for they seem to live by the immortal words of Professor Stephen Hawking:
“Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet.”
day Mehra
President of the Student Council
