BIS Mumbai
BOSCO INFORMATION SERVICE # 3449
GREEN FEATHER IN OUR CAP - THE SECOND TIME!
By Mrs Sunita D'Souza
WADALA-MUMBAI, MARCH 15, 2013: After a long wait, the propitious moment arrived on March 14, 2013. A group of five students, of St. Joseph's 
High School, Wadala, Cleon, Unnat, Parth, Yash and Bishabh, accompanied by their teachers Mrs. Pavita and Ms. Sunita promenaded along the avenue leading to Don Bosco High School, Matunga. They were on their way to the GreenLine awards ceremony scheduled for the day. A palpable ripple of excitement and a sense of bliss, after all they were in the company of nature who were their companions on this journey.
An array of the wonderful GreenLine activities displayed on the screen greeted the eye upon our arrival at the venue. These were the activities taken up by the different schools under the 'Green Schools Campaign' banner. We were proud to be a part of these 'Green Crusaders'. Eminent environmentalist, Mr. Sunjoy Monga, was the chief guest for the awards ceremony. Also present, as the guest of honour, was Fr. Edwin D'Souza, Rector of the Shrine of Don Bosco, Matunga.
Rev. Fr. Savio Silveira, Director of the GreenLine team, welcomed the gathering and congratulated all the fifty one participating schools for putting in that extra effort to contribute to the success of the Greenline activities. The green crusaders had to go beyond the requirements of the school! And "to walk the extra mile is never easy!'' said he. However, "working together is a fascinating experience!" He appreciated the presence of the journalists and reporters from the Hindustan Times and the Week who always gave that extra fillip to the GreenLine ventures through their thought provoking articles and reporting.
An eye-catching and informative power-point presentation on the Green School Campaign 2012 - 2013 was presented by Ms. Devyani Singh and Mr. Aristo of the GreenLine team. They highlighted the major themes of the year - 'Green Cover', 'Our Faunatastic World', 'Threats and Conservation', 'Project Sparrow', 'Project Butterfly' and 'Project Green Zone'. A special mention was made of their e-magazine 'Green Runner' - a green concept of the Greenline Team – that allows students to express their thoughts and feelings on biodiversity through articles, poems, paintings, and the like.
Presentations by three schools based on the theme 'My Green Dream for the City' followed thereafter. Our students, Cleon, Unnat and Parth recited a 
poem, their own composition for this occasion and alongside a power-point presentation with images and scenes that matched their thoughts.
The Chief Guest, Mr. Sunjoy Monga, enthralled the audience with flashbacks of his schooling days when he enjoyed catching frogs and other insects just to observe them closely because he was immensely fascinated by nature. This passion led him on to create a career for himself in which he devotes his time and energies to the protection of nature. 'Little Actions - Big Difference!', that was his message to all of us
Outlining the criteria for the awards, Fr. Savio Silveira mentioned that the key areas for the point system were participation and involvement, session outcomes, participation in events, initiatives by the school, creativity of ideas, impact on the neighbourhood, school environment and sustainability of activities. The list of the top ten schools was up on display next. And were we not excited to see our name out there! And yes, our joy knew no bounds when it was announced that our school was awarded the 'Maschio Foundation award for the Greenest School' for the second consecutive year. A cheque for Rs. one lakh accompanied the prize for the promotion of programmes and projects related to environmental education and greening activities in the school. The 'Green Hero' award for the 'Greenest student' of the school was won by Master Cleo Braganza of Std. VII for his outstanding contribution in all the GreenLine activities.
Credit to the Management, staff members and the students for pooling in to work towards a 'sustained commitment to develop a green culture' in the school. We now march in unison, with yet another green feather in our cap, towards a land of biodiversity, and a greener and cleaner world!