ANNUAL ATHLETIC MEET 2022

ANNUAL ATHLETIC MEET 2022

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The 6th Annual Athletic Meet of Hiranandani Foundation School International took place on December 15, 2022. Given that the event was the first offline sports meet after COVID-19, the excitement, energy and enthusiasm on the sports ground was thrice as palpable and contagious. The chief guest and guest of honor for the day included Mr. Dinesh Nair, a well-known personality in the field of football, a sought-after sports consultant and TEDx speaker and Mr. Frank Braccia, Head of School, Goldcrest International, Navi Mumbai. Our special guests for the day were Mrs. Jayshree Ramesh, Project Head for Kotak Education Foundation and Mr. Punit Mehra, CEO, Sportsters Academy and a professional cricketer. Hiranandani Foundation School International hosted Kotak Education Foundation-supported students for their Annual Athletic Meet under their community outreach program. Kotak Education Foundation conducts various online and offline student exchange programmes in pursuit of empowering students from underserved community through education to rise above poverty.

One such initiative is the Buddy Program where KEF )Kotak Education Foundation) supported students and HFS International students come together and undertake various projects. A buddy system helps to promote a sense of fellowship, and fosters a greater understanding of belonging and a more inclusive school community. It is exciting to see how two prominent leaders in the field of education, Ms Kalyani Patnaik, Principal of Hiranandani Foundation School, and Ms Jayasree Ramesh, Head of Education from Kotak Education Foundation, envision a future of inclusive education and the UN's sustainable development goal of providing quality education to the community as the nation plans to implement NEP 2020, which talks about sports integrating learning and institutional collaboration.

Needless to say, the familial ties shared by HFSI with our eminent guests added to the necessary motivation needed by our young athletes to go the extra mile on the field.

After the 6th Annual Athletic Meet was declared open by HFSI Head of School, Mrs. Kalyani Patnaik, the day began with the customary march past – the young HFSI athletes’ synchronized swing of arms and proud thud of feet reverberating on the hallowed school grounds after two long years. The march past was a stunning display of months of rigorous practice by all four houses – alpha, beta, sigma and delta – along with the senior learners of the school from IBDP programme and the contingent of our IB Outreach programme – The Kotak Education Foundation. Following close on the heels was a stunning array of drills – tambourine, sports, gymnastics and taekwondo. Each drill aimed to infuse the sought-after spirit of sportsmanship – the qualities of resilience, tenacity, endurance and courage – in the students in order to help them experience the true wonders of the human spirit. Each drill focused on how everybody knew that in the post-pandemic world, things would be harder before they got easier and that we needed to be braced to take on the hard times with unwavering resolve, determined to look back at the lessons we learnt and be reminded of the miracle that is the HUMAN SPIRIT. Reinforcing the message were our tiny mascots - the young dumas (Nigerian cheetahs) on the HFSI soil – marking the return of cheetahs to the Indian soil and reminding one of the stealth and power needed to maintain harmony in unison.

The final races in the junior, senior and super-senior categories were a delight to watch and the surprise element was the parents’ race with enthusiastic participation from all quarters. It was thrilling to watch parents attempt to balance a book on their heads as they raced to reach the finish line – demonstrating to our young learners the oft-required precarious art of balancing things as you journey through life, often against time.

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