Olcott Memorial High School Site Visit Report Site Visit between July 9-July 21 By: Sundari Balan with contributions from Ananya Radhakrishnan I had the opportunity to visit Olcott Memorial High School in the Besant Nagar area located opposite the Rajaji Complex in Chennai. I had visited the school about 5 years ago but this was to be a more extended visit as my daughter, a high schooler in St. Louis had taken up a project to write and direct a small English play for upper elementary students. During the two weeks of practicing and rehearsals, we got to meet and chat with various teachers and students. Based on these conversations, we have summarized our subjective assessment of the school. Overall, we found that the school was chugging along quite effectively towards providing free education in the local Tamil medium to the students in the community. In addition, the new leadership team (including director Mrs. Sashikala S. and principal Mrs. Lalitha) continues to work passionately to build upon the strong foundations laid down by its former director, the late Mrs. Lakshmi S. through innovative programming and local outreach efforts. Number of students: 378 Grade level division of girls and boys (+ indicates a new admission for 2017-18) Grade Boys Girls 1 13 4 2 17+1 2 3 10 9 4 9 9 5 11+5 9 6 28+5 13 7 15 15 8A 10+1 9 8B 11 9 9A 10+1 10 9B 11+1 9 10 A 13 10 10 B 13+1 10 11 A 1 5 11 B1 10 2 11 B2 4 5 11 C 13 1 12 A 3 3 12 B1 9 5 12 B2 8 3 12 C 11 1 The school and its surroundings
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OlcottMemorialHighSchoolSiteVisitReportSiteVisitbetweenJuly9-July21
By:SundariBalanwithcontributionsfromAnanyaRadhakrishnanIhadtheopportunitytovisitOlcottMemorialHighSchoolintheBesantNagararealocatedoppositetheRajajiComplexinChennai.Ihadvisitedtheschoolabout5yearsagobutthiswastobeamoreextendedvisitasmydaughter,ahighschoolerinSt.LouishadtakenupaprojecttowriteanddirectasmallEnglishplayforupperelementarystudents.Duringthetwoweeksofpracticingandrehearsals,wegottomeetandchatwithvariousteachersandstudents.Basedontheseconversations,wehavesummarizedoursubjectiveassessmentoftheschool.Overall,wefoundthattheschoolwaschuggingalongquiteeffectivelytowardsprovidingfreeeducationinthelocalTamilmediumtothestudentsinthecommunity.Inaddition,thenewleadershipteam(includingdirectorMrs.SashikalaS.andprincipalMrs.Lalitha)continuestoworkpassionatelytobuilduponthestrongfoundationslaiddownbyitsformerdirector,thelateMrs.LakshmiS.throughinnovativeprogrammingandlocaloutreachefforts.Numberofstudents:378Gradeleveldivisionofgirlsandboys(+indicatesanewadmissionfor2017-18)Grade Boys Girls1 13 42 17+1 23 10 94 9 95 11+5 96 28+5 137 15 158A 10+1 98B 11 99A 10+1 109B 11+1 910A 13 1010B 13+1 1011A 1 511B1 10 211B2 4 511C 13 112A 3 312B1 9 512B2 8 312C 11 1Theschoolanditssurroundings
OlcottMemorialHighschoolislocated5minutesfromthepopularBesantNagarBeachandintheshadowoftheaffluentneighborhoodssurroundingthebeach.Theareaisapopularplaceforjoggingortakingarelaxingstrollandisalsofilledwithrestaurantsandshoppingdistricts.Withintherecessesofthebeachfrontandtheneighboringaffluentneighborhoods,thereexistssmallerandmorecongestedneighborhoods.Needlesstosay,theschool’sfreeeducationandmealsprimarilybenefitthesefamilies.Inaddition,somechildrenalsotravelsomedistanceastheirparentsorextendedfamilymembersarealumni.Theparents’workasfishermenorservethelocalcommunityaswatchmenguardingapartmentcomplexes,asmaids,orasdomestichelp.Onthelastdayofourvisit,wemetonegentlemanwhohadmovedtoleasinghisownautorickshaw!TheliteracylevelislowandfewparentshaveevenpassedHighSchool.Below:Parentdroppingoffkidatschool.
Narmada,aseventhgraderisapromisingstudentattheschool.WemetherduringthecourseoftheplayasNarmadawasassignedaprominentroleintheplaybyherteachers.Rightafterourfirstsession,wechattedbrieflywithNarmada.Whiletalkingwithheronedayafterrehearsal,shetoldusthatherfatherwasawatchmanandhermotherwasamaid.Duetothis,noonewouldbehomewhensheleftschool.WelearntthatNarmadaisaselfmotivatedgirlwhoaspirestobeadoctorwhenshegrowsup.OntheseconddayofpracticewefoundthatNarmadahadalsosigneduptobeinthemusic
programandwouldn’tbeabletoattendpracticeregularly.Thecoordinatorsre-assignedherroletoanotherchildwhodidn’thaveaspeakingpartintheprogrambutwishedto.WhenNarmadafoundoutshewasextremelyupset.She,alongwithtwootherswhowereinthesamesituationwereintearsbutdidn’tgiveup.Theyhungaroundoutsidetheclassroomduringseveralafternoonpracticesandtheirpersistencefinallywontheirteachers’hearts.So,wegavethemtherolesofintroducingtheplayandconcludingwhichwasoriginallytobedonebytheteachers.Soontheirexemplaryperformanceandmotivationcaughttheattentionofotherteachersandsoontheywereropedinforothercompering/announcingrolesthatevening!!AcademicsTheschoolfollowstheStateBoardSyllabusfromKindergartentotwelfthStandard.ThemediumofinstructionisTamil.DuringthecourseofourvisitwediscoveredthatparentsinthecommunitygenerallypreferEnglishmediuminstructionofferedinGovernmentSchoolsorinotherprivateschools.WetalkedtoacoupleofwomenwhoworkedasdomesticswhomentionedthatEnglishcertainlyhelpsthechildrenbemoremobileandbetterpreparedforcollege.WhenIdiscussedthisissuewithsometeachers,theyappearedtoagreebutswitchingtoEnglishmediumwasnoteasy.ThesalarylevelsstartingaroundRs.10,000onaveragearelowascomparedtoaGovernmentMediumSchool.Despitethistheschool’srichlegacycontinuestoattractandretainteacherswhotrulycareaboutmakingadifferencethrougheducation.WewerefortunatetoworkwithonesuchEnglishteacherMrs.Lakshmi,whohasbeenwiththeschoolfortwentyoneyears!!TheschoolisnowexperimentingwithEnglishmediuminKindergartenonly.Withoutfreshfundinghoweveritmaybedifficulttosustaintheeffortthroughuppergrades.EvenifEnglishmediumisintroducedinsubsequentgrades,thereisageneralconcernthatthechildrenmaybeunabletocopewiththegeneralcurriculumwithoutadditionalhelpafterschool/Englishcomprehension/readingandstudyskillsarea.WediscoveredthattheScienceandcomputercurriculumhavebenefittedfromadoptingEnglishintheeleventhandtwelfthstandard.However,therearesomepeculiarchallenges.ThestateexamsrequirethatstudentsuseTamilwordsonlyevenforcommonlyusedtermssuchas“computer,”“mouse”etc.,Thisneedtoteachintwolanguagesisproblematicasteachersneedtobewell-versedinbothlanguages!!GiventhatitishardtofindandretainadvancedSTEMteachersinthefirstplace,theneedtofindbilingualSTEMteacherspresentsadditionalburdens.TheSciencestream-EnglishmediumversusArtsstream-TamilMediumintheeleventhandtwelfthstandardisapragmaticdivisionbuthassomeunintendedconsequences.WemetKailashandhisfriendsallintenthgrade.Kailashseemedtohaveawayaroundsolvingtechnicalproblemswithmike,speakeretc.,Hewasveryinterestedhelpinguswithplayrehearsals.Kailashmentionedthathefoundschoolboringandwouldn’twanttogotocollegeatall.Hewouldratherworkandpickupanyjobthathecouldfind.WealsomethisfriendVadivel,whosaidhewouldstudyadvancedTamil.TheirtwootherfriendswhobothclaimedthatMathwastheirfavoritesubjectalsoplannedtodropoutaftertwelfthstandard.Thussuchdichotomies
(Science-EnglishMedium)mayreduceoptionsforstudents.Furthermore,theemphasisonEnglishmediumforscienceeducationdoesnotguaranteethatthestudentswillpickupsufficientcommunicationskillstodealwiththechallengesofcollege.IwasalsogiventounderstandthattheschoolhasexperimentedwithanEnglishlanguageteachertrainingprogramandfirstcohortofteacherstrainedthroughtheBritishCouncilhaveworkedhardtoinitiatechangesintheEnglishteachingcurriculum.However,onlytwoteachersfromthisinitialcohortnowremainwiththeschool.Inaddition,anEnglishlabhadtobeshutdownbecauseofpoorvolunteerengagement.TheschoolisalsoexperimentingwithotherEnglishProgramsintheareatoincreaseteacherpreparedness.Additionalfundingisneededtosustaintheseeffortseitherthroughimprovedteachersalariesorbetterteachertraining.Fromthestudentsperspective,afterschoolReadingcomprehensionandstudyskillsprogramswouldbeespeciallynecessaryasthestudentswouldnotbeabletogethelpfromthehomefront.Below:KindergartenkidslearningandperformingtheirwelcomesonginEnglish
Below:StudentsworkingmatchingsoundsandwordsinEnglish
Below:StudentsattheResourceRoom
ComputerLabWehadtheopportunitytostopbythecomputerlabtotakeprintoutsofanimalpictureswhichwereneededforthechildrenhelpingwithplay’sprops.Subsequentlywechattedwiththecomputereducationteacheraboutthechallengestheyfaced.AmongthemwastheneedtolearnboththeTamilandEnglishequivalentsforcommonlyusedterms(e.g.,computer!).Intermsofcomputereducation,theyoungerchildrenworkedingroupsdoingdigitalartetc.,Olderchildren’scurriculumwasmorerigorouswithclassroominstructionandlabtime.Internetaccessisrestrictedtooneortwocomputerstopreventanymisuse.Wechattedwiththeyoungerstudentswhosaidtheylovedcomputertime.ThecomputersweredonatedbylocalITcompanies.Inpreviousyears,aportionofthemaintenanceexpensesforthelabwereprovidedbyAshaSTL.ScienceLabWeweregiventounderstandthattheSciencelabwasbadlyaffectedbytherecentChennaifloods.WithsupportofAshaforEducationSTLandTamilSangamofMissouri,theScienceLabwasrecentlyrebuilt.TheSchoolisespeciallygratefultotheChellaswamifamilyandtheMissouriTamilSangamfortimelysupportthroughfundsforrebuildingthelab.
Below:StudentsworkingattheScienceLab
Below:Biologyclassinprogress
ExtracurricularactivitiesTheNewLeadershipteamispioneeringnewactivitiesincludingthejuniorandseniorannualdaycelebrations,Marchpastduringindependenceday,Sciencefairetc.,Theseactivitiesgivestudentsanopportunitytoshowcasetheirtalent.Parentsareusuallyinvitedtotheseeventsandexperienceasenseofenthusiasmandbelongingnesstotheschool.Localvolunteersareropedintohelpwiththeseefforts.Forexample,WiprovolunteersalongwithdedicatedteachersincludingMrs.Kanchanadesignedthesets.Musicteacherropedinformerstudenttoprovidetheinstrumentaccompanimentattheannualdayshow.
Below:TeacherspreparingtheperformancestagefortheJr.annualdaywithrecycledsareesascurtains
Below:CreativeuseofWelcomeBoardtoinformparentsandotherstakeholders
Below:ChildrencarryingcostumestoprepareforJr.AnnualDay
Below:EnglishPlay“OurWonderfulWorld”participantswithteachersandAnanyaRadhakrishnan
Below:ThirdtoSeventhgradersperforming“OurWonderfulWorld”
Below:ThirdtoSeventhgradersperformingthe“KavadiSong”
SportsTheschoolhasinitiatedanactiveKabaddiprogram.TheyrecentlyhiredacoachandsecuredfundingforafterschoolKabaddicoaching.TheschoolisnowlookingforadditionalsupportfornutritionfortheKabaddiplayers.Tenupperschoolstudentsrana10Kforthefirsttime.Inaddition,upperelementarystudentssecuredatopfivespotattheregionalchesstournament.Below:10KRunnerParthiban,studentofclass10atOMHS
OccupationalTherapyTwoTrainedoccupationaltherapistsareavailabletoworkoneononewiththechildren.
Below:OccupationalTherapyRoomandOTteachers
ConclusionandrecommendationsOveralltheschoolisdoingverywellandmovingalongitsmissiontoprovidefreebasiceducationtothechildreninthelocalcommunity.Additionaldirectedeffortsinthefollowingareascouldsignificantlybenefittheschool.
1) Family/homeenvironmentrelatedchallenges:Thisisachallengingpopulationgiventhechildren’sdifficulthomeenvironments.Unlikethedevelopedcountries,localgovernmentresources(e.g.,childadvocacy)arecompletelyunavailable.Amongotherincidents,Iwitnessedaconversationbetweentheprincipalandaparent,whowantedtopullhersonoutoftheschoolalmostthenextday.Ialsosawachildclutchingapackof“Crocin”whichheclaimedheneededtorelievehimselfofa“fever”thatheisexperiencing.Absenteismishighandthereasonsarenotalwaysknown.Theschoolistryingtosetupahostelfacilitynearbytoovercomethechallengesofadifficulthome
environmentforthechildren.Theprincipalanddirectorwiththehelpofteacherstriedaonemonthresidentialprogramatthetimeofstudents’boardexamswithpromisingresults.Additionalprogrammingforfamiliesincludingparentsabouthealth/nutritionmayalsobeneeded.Moresystematicassessments/recordkeepingaroundabsenteeismandinnovativeprogramstoinvolveatleastoneparent/guardianshouldbeexplored.Afterschoolacademicsupportcouldpotentiallybeexploredincludingprovidingreading/learningtoolsforchildrenwhichwillenablethemtoattaingreaterconfidencewiththeirstudyskillsandconsequentlypotentiallybetterexamresultsandhigherincentivestostudy.
2) Health/Exerciseprograms.Wesawalotofenthusiasmforsportsprograms.Kudostotheschoolforgettingresourcesforthemarathon,Kabaddiandotherprograms.Incaseresourcesbecomeavailable,theschoolcouldpotentiallydevelopadditionalsportsprogram/yoga/meditationprogramsthatareorientedtowardspsychologicalresilience/strengthbuilding.Also,thekabaddicoachrecentlysuggestedincludinganutritioncomponentfortheprogram.Someresourcesshouldpotentiallybedirectedtothiseffort.
Below:Recess
Below:MealPreparation
Below:Kidsgettingreadyformeals
Below:Thirdgradersenjoyingtheirlatemorningporridge
3) ParentEducation:TheschoolshouldlookintoparenteducationprogramsasawaytosupportchildrenandparentEnglishandotherprogramsaswellincaseparentsareinterested.Parentvolunteeringmayalsocreateagreatersenseofcommunity.
4) NewLeadershiphascreatedconsiderableinterestinthelocalcommunityandcorporates.Thiscouldbeleveragedfurther.
5) Organization/Sustainability:TheleadershipteamhasgarneredconsiderablelocalresourcesincludingvolunteersupportonSaturdays,eveningsetc.,Moresystematicandorganizationwidegoalsetting/prioritizationmaybenefittheorganizationinthelongrun.Systematicprogramevaluationwouldespeciallybehelpfulinreassessingprioritiesandtowardsmakingsuccessfulgrantapplications.
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