DATE: 4th October, 2019
VENUE: Middle School Auditorium
Choral Recitation was organised for classes 8th and 9th in the Middle section of St. Columba’s School on Friday, 4th October 2019. It was conducted in the Middle School Auditorium. The event had two segments for the aforementioned classes. In the first segment, all sections of class 8 celebrated ‘Nature’ in all its glory by reciting timeless poems that have managed to capture the essence of Nature and explore it in their own unique ways. In the second segment, all sections of class 9 celebrated the works of one of the icons of English Literature and one of the finest playwrights that the world has ever seen – ‘William Shakespeare’.
Both the segments commenced with a motivating message by the Middle School headmistress, Mrs. Sangeeta Sheel. In her address, she highlighted the learning outcomes of the event and encouraged the students to participate in such activities to enhance their language skills.
The first segment was set into motion by a mesmerising musical performance by Alvin Manglianlal of class 8-D. The gathering comprised of Mrs. Sangeeta Sheel, Mrs. Sucheeta Pall and the students of class 8 along with their respective English teachers. Following Alvin’s performance, class 8-A set the tone for the event with Angela Morgan’s poem “God The Artist” in which the poet wonders at the marvels of God, the intricacies He has infused everything with and the beauty that emanates from it. In the next poem titled “Trees”, the poet Joyce Kilmer implicitly calls the tree – a poem – which was made clear as class 8-B presented a beautiful recitation of the same. Class 8-C then reminded everyone of the summer rain that relieves us of our stresses with the recitation of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem “How Beautiful is the Rain”. Invoking English Literature’s Romantic Era, class 8-D recited a poem by William Blake, titled “The Tyger”, in which he commends the hand that has made a being so ferocious and yet so enigmatic as the tiger. The last performance was by the students of class 8-E who made the stage their own by a wonderful recitation of “The Solitary Reaper” which was written by someone who has managed to present Nature by way of holding a ‘mirror to life’ – William Shakespeare.
After the performances, Mrs. Sheel concluded the segment with her words of appreciation and blessings for the students as well as the teachers who had put in their effort in making the morning so pleasant.
Following a short break of 10 minutes, the event’s second segment commenced. The august gathering was presided over by Mrs. Sangeeta Sheel; Mr. Naresh Chopra and Mrs. Ritu Kaushal. The event was attended by grade 9 English teachers and students. The segment began with a beautiful performance by two students of class 9 - Jossam and Joshua - on violin and keyboard. Following the opening musical performance, Mrs. S. Sheel outlined the learning objectives for the event in her introductory address.
Each section of class 9 took the stage and recited either a Shakespearean monologue or a sonnet. After performances of the first three sections were completed, a short quiz on poetry was conducted. The quiz comprised of five questions and the audience was rewarded with small prizes for correct answers.
The first choral recitation performance of the segment was the iconic speech by Mark Antony in the play Julius Caesar – ‘Friends, Romans and Countrymen…’, performed by Class 9-A. Class 9-B followed their mates with a recitation of Shakespeare’s famous sonnet – Sonnet 18: ‘Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?’ Class 9-C took the stage next and performed Marc Antony’s soliloquy ‘O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of Earth’ from Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar. Class 9-D recited a classic monologue on the quality of mercy that was spoken by Portia in the play The Merchant of Venice. Class 9-E then took the stage and recited the wise words of Polonius to his son Laertes in the play, Hamlet. The final performance of the event was by students of class 9-G who performed the Seven Ages of a Man’s Life as catalogued by the melancholic Jacques in the play As You Like It.
After the performances, Mrs. Himani Jain expressed appreciation for the efforts of the students and encouraged them to participate more in such events going forward.
Choral Recitation proved to be the perfect opportunity for the young students to exhibit their talent and confidence. The event inspired the children to come forward and recite a poem with proper diction, intonation, enunciation and rhythm on stage. Through this event, the students developed a sense of teamwork and performance.
Students of grades 8 and 9 showed exemplary zeal and delivered spirited performances for which they deserve our gratitude and applause.
The event was coordinated and executed by – Mrs. Vandana Shah and Ms. Simrah Mehmood (class 8) and Mrs. Aditi Joshi and Mrs. Julie Varghese (class 9).
Department : English
Reported by : Ms. Simrah Mehmood and Mrs. Aditi Joshi
