Aurum 1st Annual Fest, Feb 2-3 ,2024

Asha Sundararajan • February 4, 2024

A 2-Day Interschool STEM Fest

About Aurum

The first edition of the STEM fest of St Joseph’s Boys’ High School, Aurum 2024 was a spectacular celebration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The 2 day event, held on the 2nd and 3rd of February, aimed at inspiring students, and educators by showcasing the wonders of STEM fields through fun competitions, engaging exhibits, interactive demonstrations, and presentations, truly succeeded spectacularly in its goal.

The Opening Ceremony

The event started after the Opening Ceremony with a prayer, a prayer song by the High School Choir followed by a Welcome Address by Fr Principal.

The Chief Guest, Vice Provincial Rev Fr Joseph D’Mello’s Speech inspired students to be like GOLD. Mr Thomas Thekkethala and Mrs. Asha Sunderarajan’s addresses were also eye- opening. These accomplished speakers shared their experiences, insights, and the impact of STEM in their respective careers. Mr Thomas Thekkethala addressed the 120 students from the 10 participating Jesuit schools and spoke about global warming, and urged them to adapt lifestyle changes to reduce global warming. Ms Asha urged the students to be more inquisitive and ask questions while studying concepts.

After the trophy was unveiled by the dignitaries and Aurum was declared open, the much awaited events commenced.

Day 1

Three events took place on day 1. The Debate event, Rhetorix was one of the first events that took place. Theparticipants thoroughly enjoyed the multilingual debate to the fullest and put their points forth in a very eloquent manner. Graphica, the Cartooning event was a colourful blast of talent. The Treasure Hunt event, Chrysos for Juniors also took place on Day 1. The participants, accompanied by student volunteers, left no stone unturned in their hunt for clues to emerge victorious. The first day of Aurum 2024 was indeed remarkable.

The workshop conducted by Ms. Asha Sundararajan, Mr. Stephen K Nebu, and Ms. Harshitha R was a valuable and hands-on experience for the teachers participating in the AURUM fest. The focus on holistic ways of engaging a class suggests that the workshop aimed at providing teachers with a well-rounded approach to teaching that goes beyond traditional methods. This initiative seems to align with the spirit of professional development and the promotion of modern, effective teaching practices. The AURUM fest, by incorporating such workshops, appears to be fostering a culture of continuous learning and innovation among educators.

Day 2

Day 2 of Aurum was also a resounding success. From the smooth completion of Egnitus, the Engineering event, Quaestio, the Quiz event, the Senior Treasure Hunt and the STEM Bingo, the day was completed perfectly irrespective of the bumps faced along the way. Students of different schools were even given an opportunity to display their singing, dancing and acting talents on stage during the delightful Ice-breaking sessions held in the auditorium.

The closing ceremony of Aurum 2024 was graced by the Principal of St Joseph School, Pandithalli, Fr Stevan Gonzalvez, who, along with our Vice Principal, Mr Brian Mackertish distributed the prizes to the winning schools. Loyola English Medium School, Vijayapura were the overall champions of Aurum 2024.