Summer — hazy, golden summer, where the afternoon light slants into the room as you roll out of bed. Where nights are spent on a lone park bench or a swing, talking to your friends as a sweet summer breeze flows. Even if you spend your summer holed up in your room, buried under a never-ending pile of textbooks, it’s different, knowing there are no hallways to walk, papers to turn in, or desks to sit on.
And just like that, May fades into June, cutting into the well-established stupor you’ve spent a whole month diligently following. Just like that, it is back to school, back to the bells, the alarms, the blackboards.
But this year, the return was softer. Instead of being dropped headfirst into the school year, we were welcomed with a lineup of activities that helped ease us into the transition from vacation to classroom. On the 5th of June, Grades 9 and 10 returned to a freshly painted and decorated VVS. The atmosphere was buzzing with curiosity and excitement as class lists had been shuffled, rooms reassigned, and class teachers changed. The surprise was revealed during a special welcome assembly held that very morning.
The first two days were what I like to call the jet lag days of school. These were dedicated not to academic work but to helping us settle back in. On the first day, we were asked to reflect and plan — to create a weekly schedule for the year ahead and to list our personal strengths and weaknesses. The idea was to encourage us to work on ourselves throughout the year, with the promise of revisiting our progress later. The second day brought creativity into the mix. We were split into random groups and challenged to create skits using everyday props, with a twist. We were not allowed to use the props as they were meant to be used. A glass could not be a glass. It had to become something entirely new, like a microphone or a time machine. It was strange and chaotic in the best way.
For the younger grades, the experience was just as engaging. Students from Grades 1 to 8 returned on the 9th of June and were met with a week of open-ended, block-free periods. Classrooms became safe spaces to reconnect and rediscover.
These students participated in a range of activities, from icebreaker games and creative introductions to bonding tasks. They played a flag guessing game that used emojis, crafted colourful “All About Me” posters, and even took part in a tree plantation drive that brought a fresh sense of purpose to the campus. One of the highlights was the “Interview Your Friends” activity, where students took turns learning more about one another by asking thoughtful questions and sharing their responses with the class. Some classes did a SWOT analysis, a thoughtful exercise that allowed students to identify their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Others staged skits, adding a dose of laughter and performance to the first week back.
For Grades 7 and 8, there was an additional moment of insight. A couple of students from Grade 10 held an assembly to introduce the school’s programs in space exploration, like NSS and Cubes In Space. It offered the younger students a glimpse into the wider world of opportunities waiting for them as they moved up the grades.
There was something comforting about watching it all unfold, just like the bougainvillea tree in the corner of the campus, blooming softly after weeks of stillness.
When asked how they felt about the return to school, many students lit up. “It was so much fun,” one said. “You come to school and get to do what you love most- talk to your friends, enjoy yourself, and have free block periods. What more could you want?”
– Paarmita Khandare, Class 9
