Camp Kanechi -Grade X
The Grade X students went on an OLE trip to a Camp located in the scenic Village Kanechi in District Chail at an altitude of about 5100 ft. perched on a ridge. They reached Kanechi via an overnight bus journey starting on the last working day of the school before the summer vacations.
The first day began with a trek to the Government Senior Secondary School in the village. It was almost an hour-long trek that helped the students understand the daily struggle of the village students to reach their school. They repaired and painted the school walls. The students had collected and carried 250 books to be donated to the local school in the village. The students sorted and prepared a list of all the books and handed it over to the Principal for the library of the school.
The students took up the task of cleaning the hills. They collected garbage like plastic bottles and wrappers that are choking the hills while on an early morning trek. To cool down after the trek, they took a dip in the waterfall in the midst of the wilderness. After reaching back at the camp, they prepared a simple meal from scratch for the students of the village school who had been invited for lunch. The students learned how to build a chulha (stone stove) with stones and collected wood for the fuel. They were taught how to light the fire and keep it going. The students fetched water from the spring to wash the vegetables which they chopped themselves. They prepared a meal of noodles, fried rice, sweet and sour veggies, salad and lemonade. The students played host to the village school children and engaged them in interactive games like Antakshri and two truths & a lie. The guest students relished and enjoyed the lovely meal prepared and served by the children which was followed by ice cream.
The evening saw the children enjoying zip lining, crossing the Burma Bridge, etc. At night, the students went for a night trek to observe the night sky and enjoy the stillness and nocturnal sounds of the mountain. The next day the students participated in the local school assembly. They performed a Nukkad Natak on gender discrimination to sensitize the local students on the importance of gender equality in all spheres of life whether it was education, employment, etc.
After a sumptuous lunch, the students headed back home on the long bus journey. It was an enriching and memorable experience for the students.
