"1° of Learning" Interschool Quiz and Art Competition

8th January 2009. 1di successfully saw through its “1° of Learning” Interschool Quiz and Art Competition.  At nine o’clock, 50 students lined up in front of the registration desks, delighting in the colourful walls and lovely decorations of the Ark School. The Art Competition participants were taken to a large room in the ground floor and the Quiz participants to the first floor. The participating schools were Ekmattra (Mirpur), Surovi (Dhanmondi) and Alok Shishu Shikkhaloy, the Afzalunnessa Foundation school (Agargaon).

The Art Competition was for the younger children from classes 1 and 2, while the quiz was for students from classes 3 to 6. As the youngsters let their imaginations lose drawing their own interpretation of the topic "Dhaka’y Thaki" (Living in Dhaka), the older students were divided in team of two and put their heads together to solve their hour-long written paper with questions ranging from multiple choice to word-matching. The top-scoring five teams were promoted to the second round, held in the international pub-quiz format. In order to keep the remainder of the children entertained, an organization called CommunityAction stepped in and added vibrancy to the event with their various games, stories and other activities. Meanwhile, Sandhani (Bangladesh Medical College Unit) provided free blood screening to all participants.

The final round was held outdoors between two teams and witnessed by all present. It was incredibly enjoyed by the audience and instilled the very feel of school spirit that 1di had aimed to do from the very beginning of the project. The final round was a buzzer round - the two teams sat facing each other and would rush to hit the bell in the centre as soon as the question was read out. The final round took an interlude when the remianing three teams from the second round perfomed skits on the theme "jekhane shekhane moyla fela jabe na" (don't litter here and there) to compete for third prize.  Ekmattra, after much anticipation and cheering, won the Champion trophy, while Aalok Shishu Shikkhaloy took home both the 1st and 2nd Runner-Up prizes. Meanwhile, a grinning youngster from Surovi won the Art Competition, the art pieces of which were judged by Shameem Ahmed. However, the most important thing was neither the end that led to the winning nor the trophies they bagged. It was more about the chaos that made each child smile, the activities that taught them the importance of teamwork and school spirit and furthermore, an experience that can spark twinkles in every eye.

In short, it was a day no one would forget. Fifty children entered the grounds of the Ark school, brimming with excitement for they would be getting the experience of a lifetime and they all left it fully satisfied. As for 1° Initiative, it asked for nothing more than to know that they could give these children a reason to smile and a few lessons worth learning. It was a project that answered to the intellectual and creative needs of these children, who rarely get such opportunities and was proven to be immensely successful.

One degree Initiative expresses their heartfelt gratitude to DOM-INNO LTD and Md Abdus Salam, Managing Director, for sponsoring the entire event, and making such a wonderful opportunity possible for all of us. We also would like to thank  Principal of Ark Int’l School Mr. Nurullah Patwari and Registrar of Manarat University Mr. Abul Bashar Khan, the honourary guests of our event, and Mr. Shameem Ahmed, respected artist, for judging the art pieces. And of course, a round of applause goes to CommunityAction and Sandhani, Bangladesh Medical College Unit, for adding vibrancy to our event! 

See full story

See pictures

Related Articles:

Today is for Tomorrow

One Degree of School Spirit

Through the Eyes of a Volunteer

Event date: 8th January, 2009, Thursday

Event members: Zubair Idris, Sabhanaz Rashid Diya, Tushmit Mehruba Hasan, Risalat Khan, Zabir Hasan, Russel Rahman, Zubaer Tazin, Zeeshan Alam, Hiya Islam, Raitul Islam Rabith, Abrar Rahman Jycee, Rafed Hossain Tomo, Samee Siraj Qafi, Armin Zaman Khan, Adithi Chowdhury, Ishrat Nawreen Shamma, Mashruk Zaman Khan Wasif, Tousif Farhad, Faiza Rahman, Nabil bin Murtaza, Nafis Alam, Ismat Jahan Shoma, Kazi Tahseen Agaz Apurbo, Fahim Uddin Shuvo, Zeeshan Bayezid Rahman, and Abu Sayeed Mohammad Sohail