Maintaining its promise to promote more equity in the world through pre-eminence in the field of girls’ education, Welham Girls’ School celebrated its 66th Founders’ Day on 27th & 28th October, 2023. The two-day celebrations included the Annual Sports Meet, Exhibitions, Cultural Productions, Speeches and Distribution of Awards. A Preliminary to the final events was the ‘Welham Woman Real Talk’ by our very own trail blazers, wherein six outstanding ex-Welhamites interacted with students of classes 8 to 12. They shared their experiences and information on their respective areas of expertise including medicine, management, film making, public policy, finance and publications. The Chief Guest for this year’s Founders’ Day was HE Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj, Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations Organisation, New York.
The Founders’ Day celebrations began with the Annual Sports Meet which included the March Past, Athletics, Track events, Karate & Aerobics demonstrations by the school students. Ms. Renu Basu, Member, Board of Governors, Welham Girls' School and a veteran Sales & Marketing professional as well as former Senior Vice President at Tata Group's IHCL kindly consented to be the Chief Guest for the occasion.
Dr. Kshitiza Singh, the School Career Counsellor and Ms. Subohi Rashid, Dean of Academics, Senior School held talks and counselling sessions on ‘Profile Building & Subject Selection for College Admissions’ for the parents of classes 8 & 10 students in the afternoon. Parent-Teacher Meetings were held for all classes from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
The students put up an adaptation of George Bernard Shaw’s play ‘Arms and the Man’ on 27th October. The play, set against the Serbo-Bulgarian War of 1885 in eastern Europe, transported the audience into the world of romantic satire, wit, and social commentary by exploring the clash between romantic ideals and stark realities of war.
The theme for this year's exhibition was inspired by the seventeen United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The theme aimed at educating the students about the SDGs through research and empower them to generate awareness about the importance of achieving these goals for the continued existence of the human race. The various innovative tools employed to drive home their message included live experiments, puppetry, drama, short films, art, and music. The exhibition also spurred participation of local communities and authorities, cultivating a pervasive culture of conscious inclusivity for sustainability among the younger generation.
The main Founders’ Day programme began with Speeches and Prize Distribution. HE Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj, Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations in New York presided over the celebrations as Chief Guest. It was followed by ‘Param Pravaaha’ where the students celebrated through a medley of music, dance, and songs the collective consciousness, beliefs, values, and cultural essence that are deeply ingrained in the psyche of India. The celebrations ended with a ‘Bada Khana’ for parents, guests, staff and students, accompanied by the students’ Live Band.