Dubai Modern High School will present their 13th Creative Festival. Students and teachers are working around the clock to make sure everything is just right.
On Wednesday, we will witness the grand spectacle of the 13th Creative Festival at the Dubai Modern High School - a multicultural, intellectual, academic and educative extravaganza that will showcase the multi-faceted skills of students from throughout the UAE.
Over 10,000 students will come as spectators and participants.
Thanks to the sweat and talent of the students of the school, and the relentless grooming of the teachers, the event gets bigger and better every year; so much so that it has evolved into a brand icon for the school.
The countdown for the festival begins the moment one festival ends and students of DMHS begin planning the next one.
"We work all the year round. Effective ideas are tossed around, discussed, a lot of brainstorming happens between the teachers and students. Once we decide on what the objectives are, the fine tuning begins.
"Rehearsals begin soon after students return from their summer break and all the afternoon sessions are devoted to practice," says Neeraj Ramesh, the school's head boy.
The hard work that participants are devoting is reflected in the energy and activity in each department.
At the auditorium a 100-strong posse of students is rehearsing for the opening ceremony soon after their lunch break. Their faces shining with enthusiasm, they listen intently to instructions from the teachers.
Students from the ages of 9 to 17 practice hard, undaunted by negative comments and criticism.
At the art workshop a couple of students hone their brush strokes on canvas under the watchful eye of their art teacher.
The fine arts department is alive with the steady tapping of the hammer as students put nails into their nail and thread artwork and others put the final touches to thermocol cut-outs to be displayed at the festival.
The participants in the maths Olympiad are avidly solving problems in the library where yet another group of students pores over general knowledge books for the quiz competition. Nothing is left to chance and the excitement is palpable.
Says the organiser of the Press Club, Neena Kataky: "As teachers we get to see a very different aspect of our students. Some of them, who are shy and reticent in class, turn out to be so brilliant in creative faculties and it does wonders to their confidence and self-esteem."
Head girl Anusha Basu says, "It is a moment of self-discovery for us as it brings out the best in all."
Michale Guzder, acting principal, describes the goal of the festival's theme this year: "Our theme, I, the Future is all set to create a cultural eddy that will draw in the genius of young minds from across the UAE."
