THE VIPERS' VOICE

SEPTEMBER 2020

   This is Katya Datla and Vedeesha Reddy. In collaboration with STUCO we have founded The Vipers’ Voice newspaper club. The Vipers’ Voice is a student-led newspaper initiative which allows the writers at ISH to showcase their skills through writing.
  This is distinct from the usual school newsletters received by the students and parents as this program is completely student-led.
  Our goal is based on the lines of encouraging the ISH students to go out and find a way to express their innermost thoughts while also for some to step out of their comfort zones and experience new creativity and knowledge.
  We hope all of you are thoroughly entertained and satisfied by the work done by the Vipers’. The team of September has worked really hard to make this work, we hope you take your time to acknowledge the effort they have put in.
  On this delightful note, we request all readers to take a picture of themselves holding a piece of paper which says The Vipers’ Voice or the logo printed or written on it and send them to us as a form of appreciation for the team of September. Please send these to 2023katya@ishstudents.in and 2023vedeesha@ishstudents.in

STUCO Executives
Aryan Kalyanam
Hemanjali Karedla
Rishab Paruchuri
Dhriti Kadakia

DESIGN TEAM
Rishab Paruchuri (Chief Developer)
Alex Fleming (Chief Designer)
Diya Medasani

EDITORS
Katya Datla (Chief Editor)
Vedeesha Reddy (Chief Editor)
Jyothika Mantena
Ishika Adapa Reddy
Ankush Adapa Reddy
Dhriti Kadakia
Manya Reddy
Anvitha Kollipara
Vunshika Zaveri
Hesham Babukhan
Ania Gupta

THE VIPERS' VOICE

SEPTEMBER 2020

GRADE 4

  Grade four has been learning and advancing in all of their subjects! In math, we are working on difficult patterns, quizzes, and pattern word problems. In Spanish, grade four is learning about family members and are using Kahoot quite a lot. Kahoot is an app where you can do quizzes and fourth graders really like doing them. Students are also doing work of zoom by doing some tasks on google classroom instead, during some classes.

  In PE, we are working on developing our weaker spots by doing flexibility, strength, and cardiovascular endurance. In music, for fun, we are learning songs and trying to sing and play them as a class. We also are doing class concerts to perform said songs and are singing with other grades. In art, we are doing allusions with different types of colors, though we do focus on the bright colors mostly. In English, we have been doing topic sentences and main ideas. In inquiry, we were working on synergy in which we did ecosystems and biomes. We had to do a lot of research!

GRADE 5

  When talking to the Group Managers of Synergy across 5th Grade, you’d think doing Synergy would be easy, but no! Everybody in the fifth-grade class was nervous because this is the first time we are doing Synergy virtually. All groups had to do multiple zoom calls at different times to finish their Synergy presentations. Sairitivik (5A) brought up that a lot of kids in other time zones were waking up at odd times to attend classes – this could be unhealthy for kids our age.
  Moving on from Synergy, some 5th graders talked about their studies, and this is what they had to say: Aanya (5B) likes doing virtual classes in Spanish because they get to play ‘Kahoot!’ a lot while learning. While in Art, they are learning cool things like ‘Stop Motion Animation’. In one Music class, Mr. Suveer even showed the School of Rock movie to the entire class. Students also find the Well-being classes to be helpful. In Math, the students are learning how to operate with decimals using helpful tools. In English, they are improving their Reading Comprehension skills. And in PE, Ms. Karin searches for new and fun ways to get us out of our seats. Her motto is “When Your Bum is Numb, Your Brain is the Same”!

  Everything is going swimmingly, but almost everyone that was talked to expressly wished that they were back together on the ISH campus, as it was hard to do group activities and they missed each other terribly.

GRADE 6

  It’s Grade 6’s first year in middle school and they are soaring! In Math, Grade 6 is learning about Square Roots and Square Numbers, fundamental in problem-solving. Furthermore in Science, they had been learning about IV and DV, Data Charts, Scientific Methods, and much more, and now have currently moved on to the topic of Cells. Moving onwards, with a subject that takes literature to the next level, G6 has been analyzing Grimm and Anderson tales in English class, what a classic!
  Having said that, it’s always important to make sure that whenever fact-checking, the source is trustable, and that’s exactly what Grade 6 has been doing! During Humanities, they have been learning about Primary and Secondary sources & how to fact check sites! Finalmente, during Spanish, Grade 6 has been learning about verbs & conjugation, along with their AR, ER, IR & watching & analyzing a short film called “Cierra la Puerta”!
  Nevertheless, we can’t forget about Art, Music & PE! Grade 6’s art teacher Mr. Sukalyan has been teaching the students how to make art using the elements of shape. In Music, Grade 6 has been learning how to make electronic computer music and is currently working on their class concert, impressive!. Nonetheless, our Valiant Viper, Mr. Hancock has been leading them to create astounding movement compositions!
  Congratulations Grade 6 for all the hard work that you have all been doing, and keep up the great effort!

GRADE 7

Over the past few weeks, students in Grade 7 have been learning lots in their virtual classes. In Math class, students are currently learning about collecting data, analyzing data, and comparing distributions.
  In Ms. Ellie and Ms. Rebecca’s English classes, they will soon learn about myths and mythology. 7th-grade students will be analyzing myths from all over the world giving them the opportunity to learn and discover new cultures and the purpose of myths and how they shape beliefs. Students will also get the chance to have debates along with researching and writing essays.
  Then, in Science class, students will be learning about the atomic structure and they will be introduced to the periodic table. In Mr. Hunsaker’s Humanities class students are learning about migration. Students will have the opportunity to learn about different types of migration, and understand why people migrate. In PE, students are exploring skills and goal-setting with health-related and skill-related fitness.
  Then, in Ms. Raquel and Mr. Venu’s Spanish classes, students will be reading and learning about what dating is like in different Spanish speaking countries. In Mr. Sukalyan’s Art class, students can choose to draw whatever they want, but it must be drawn inside of a shape. And finally, in Ms. Iryna’s music class, students are learning to play a medley on whichever instrument they’d like.

THE VIPERS' VOICE

SEPTEMBER 2020

GRADE 8

  It’s Grade 8’s last year in Middle School! In less than a year they will be in high school taking part in the IGCSE program. In Math, Grade 8 is learning about Index laws & surds, fractions, and ratios, whereas in Science they are focusing on Chemistry and are learning about periodic trends and chemical bonds, interesting!
  Novels, stable to the library, whether it be a classic like “To Kill a Mockingbird” or a more or less modern one. Grade 8 is doing Novel Studies in English and are learning and taking part in a 101 guide of writing their own novel, neat! In Spanish, the students are learning about household chores and about what we can do as children to help our families, and compared to what the children do in Spain and other Spanish speaking countries. In French, students have been learning about chores, household lives, school, and much more! And of course, Humanities. Mr. Prasad and Mr. Hunsaker have been teaching their Grade 8 students about Culture & Globalisation and looking at the different aspects of it!
  During art, Ms. Jigyasa and Mr. Sukalyan have been teaching the students about vanishing points, horizon lines and etc, and they have been very engaged drawing away in their sketchbooks! Throughout Music, Ms. Iryna has been having Grade 8 as a whole doing class concerts and having them practice for upcoming performances, wonderful! Again, our Valiant Viper, Mr. Hancock has lead Grade 8 to outstanding movement compositions, and the talent really came through!
   Grade 8, outstanding effort from you all, and continue to keep it up!

GRADE 9

  Ever since school has started, 9th-grade students have been hard at work with their academics, extracurriculars, Synergy, and more. In Ms. Neha’s English class students have been analyzing poetry by Carol Ann Duffy.
  Then, in Math class, students are learning about speed, distance and time, and travel graphs. Students who choose to take Chemistry will be learning about atomic structure, bonding and next month they will learn about the periodic table and have a small glimpse at chemical energetics. In biology class, students are learning about biomolecules but will soon move on to learn about enzymes.

  Then in physics, students can look forward to learning about forces and motion. In Ms. Rebecca’s History class students have just learned about the peace treaties of 1919-1923, and will soon start Unit 2 on whether the League of Nation was a success by looking at their success and failures. In Geography, Mr. Prasad will be teaching students about Topic 7 where they are learning about the impacts of migration.
  Then in Spanish students have been studying indirect object pronouns and direct object pronouns. And in Ms. Sheila's French class students have been learning about household chores, while they also review what they have previously learned. In Ms. Jigyasa’s Art class students have been learning about perspectives and how to draw them.
  Then, for music students, they have been learning about music theory. Likewise, in Ms. Durga’s class, students have been learning about things such as opportunity cost and primary, secondary and tertiary sectors as they read case studies. Finally, in PE students have been learning about different components of fitness like agility, flexibility, and more.

GRADE 10

  It’s halfway through the semester and grade ten is making lots of progress during virtual classes. In math, they have been covering polynomial functions. In English, so far, they have been focused on poetry and completing poems like, ‘Stealing’ and ‘We Remember Your Childhood Well’ both by Carol Ann Duffy. In Spanish, students have recently been working on subjunctives and doing past papers. While, in french, tenth graders have been exploring ‘Future Education and Careers’, it is which is the unit they are working on.
  In history, we are working on Unit 5 covering the US containment of Communism during the cold war and more specifically, the Korean War, the Cuban Revolution, and Missile Crisis, and the Vietnam war. If there's time, we will also start looking at Unit 6 on the USSR's control over Eastern Europe between 1948 and 1989. In geography, they have started the third theme in their textbook known as ‘Economic Development’. In business studies, grade ten has been working on ‘Operations and Management’ and is about to start the unit, ‘External and Internal Influences’. In physics, we are covering electromagnetism. In biology, tenth graders are covering inheritance and variation. In chemistry, we have been covering metals as our recent unit and before that, acids, bases, and salts.
  On the more creative side of things, in art, students continue to add on to their portfolios while also refining what’s been done so far. In music, this month, grade 10 music students have been working on world music, their compositions and were starting work on their set-piece which is the second and third movement of Mozart’s 21st concerto.

THE VIPERS' VOICE

SEPTEMBER 2020

The Start of Peace and The End of a War

  September 13th could have potentially become the end of the ongoing tension between the Taliban and Afghanistan. The Taliban are members of an Islamic political movement based in Afghanistan. They are currently in dispute with the Afghanistan government and have been for many years.
  In 2018, the peace talks and negotiations intensified between Afghanistan and the Taliban. A few years later, on February 29th, 2020 the US joined the peace talks and signed a peace agreement with the Taliban which calls for the withdrawal of foreign troops if the Taliban uphold the terms of the agreement. This was a 14-month long agreement. However, later this year, the Afghan government, which was not a part of the deal between the U.S and the Taliban, rejected the U.S. and Taliban's call for a prisoner swap. President Ashraf Ghani stated that such an agreement will require further negotiation and will also not be implemented as a precondition for future peace negotiations.
  Which brings us to 23rd September, the first day of the conference. "We'll start introductions on the left," suggested Masoom Stanikzai, the chief negotiator of the Afghan government's chosen delegation. From the other side of the glittering Qatari ballroom, "You always do things from the left," chimed the head of the Taliban team, Abbas Stanikzai. "We mujahideen start from the right always.”
  In an instant, those peacemakers were pulled back to the days when they brandished banners for communism or Islam - a violent war of words that sparked a fire that kills and maims across Afghanistan to this day.
  The talks that are taking place are the first direct talks between the Taliban and representatives of the Afghan government. They also present a challenge to the Taliban, who will have to bring forward a tangible political vision for Afghanistan. Most Afghan citizens haven’t known peace their whole life and they are looking forward to finally experiencing peace. The conference representatives have been vague so far, stating they wish to see an "Islamic" but also "inclusive" government. We hope that soon, we will finally be able to see peace between these organizations.

California Burning

  Orange, red, and eerie, those are how the skies look like in California right now. Reminiscent of the Australian bushfires earlier in January, it seems like history is repeating itself once more. Although the wildlife has not been drastically affected, since most animals have managed to learn how to adapt, we need to stop the fires before they cause more harm. These wildfires which have destroyed over 3,000 homes and burned up to 3.5 million acres began from intentional, accidental, and natural causes(protests, firecrackers, cigarettes, smoke generating pyrotechnic devices, and forest fires).

  From January 1st to September 9th this year, the US has had 6,000 more fires than the same period in 2019. This has led to an astonishing 41,000 wildfires this year. It’s not just homes that have been destroyed but previous records of pollution levels as well. Research has proven that excessive amounts of smoke, pollution, and particles in the air can lead to irritation in the lungs, asthma, and infections like COVID-19. The weather has changed drastically due to heat from the wildfires. South California hit a staggering 54.5 degrees celsius. We can no longer deny climate change. It’s happening, burning and very real. Although California's climate has always been fire-prone, the link to climate change and bigger fires is inextricable.

   Apart from California’s State Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, other citizens are helping put out these fires. In the middle of these valiant efforts, a controversial program has sprouted; California is training prison inmates to fight wildfires. This lets them earn time off their sentences and help others in need. However, the program has been criticized for the amount of hard work in comparison to a meager pay.
  These fires have shed light on giving, caring, and helping. If desired, send out a silent prayer to all those suffering and fighting. Donations are being made left and right. Hopefully, these wildfires will die down soon and be remembered as a warning and plea for change. Let us spread awareness of climate change and attempt to improve our lifestyles if necessary in order to live in a cooler and healthier environment.

Not So Barren Anymore

  July 2015, a satellite swings over a barren land in the far west part of China. The 22nd April 2018, a satellite swings over the same land, but now not so empty. These two photos started one of the most controversial and pressing concerns for humans now. This land has transformed into a secured massive building, structured by 16 watchtowers, and has a perimeter of over two km. Many of these strange prison-like structures have sprouted in Xinjiang over the past few years and the newly found one seemed to grow enormously in just a few months.
  These buildings make up a concentration camp for Muslims. This camp has been in the making for the past few years and many residents in Xinjiang call it a “re-education school” for people who have problems with their thoughts. The campus meant to sustain tens of thousands of people but does this huge facility fit the definition of a school? China is in constant denial of the reason for these huge structures and is facing an abundance of international criticism. These buildings are only for Muslim minorities in China who do not speak Mandarin as their mother tongue. China has failed to mention how long these students will be learning in school. People have noticed that the initial interviews that inmates take sound more like confessions.
  “I have deeply understood my own mistakes,” said one person to the camera. For years, Xinjiang has been populated with over 10 million Muslims. These Muslims have been placed under harsh rules and have been banned from doing many things that are important to their culture like wearing hijabs. 29-year-old Ablet Tursun Tohti, an Uiurgh now living overseas, was forced to wake up before sunrise and had to get to the exercise yard with his fellow detainees each morning at the camp. After lining up, they were forced to run and two men would watch and beat them if they paused. “It was a special room to punish those who didn't run fast enough” stated Ablet. These huge facilities are still a mystery to the outside world and what they are used for is an even bigger mystery. Hopefully, soon the truth will come out.

THE VIPERS' VOICE

SEPTEMBER 2020

Jump, Sing, and Dance

   I like to dance, sing, jump and play sports with my friends and my brother after school. Jumping, singing and dancing makes me feel like a popstar. My favourite song is Let It Go because Elsa is my favourite character. I also like the character Rainbow Dash because she is pink and she has rainbow hair, a song from that show that I love is A True True Friend. I like to dance, sing and jump at home near the tv when the volume is very very loud. I have more time to dance, sing and jump around during quarantine because our school is closed. I like both online and actual school because I can go to different zoom calls and in actual school I can play at the playground and eat at the cafeteria.
   I think everyone who likes to, should jump, sing and dance because it makes everyone happy and it is good for your health.

My Trip to Seychelles

  My summer holidays had just begun. My parents gave me a surprise - we were going on a trip to Seychelles! We happily packed up our beach toys and swimsuits. I was ready with my bags packed and very excited to fly to Seychelles!
   While driving to our resort from the Seychelles airport, we saw a gorgeous rainbow. It was late morning when we reached our beautiful resort. Our room was in the middle of a maze of flowers. We had a delicious breakfast of waffles, pancakes and scrambled eggs and got ready to go to the beach. That afternoon I went on a glass bottom boat for the very first time. I saw colourful fish and lovely corals! I felt excited when my mom said we can feed the fish bread. After we fed the fish, I was very happy to see Mickey Mouse on the boat. I shook hands with Mickey and hugged him.
   The next day, we drove to a beautiful island with soft white sand under the golden sun and deep blue water. The water was so shallow that we could walk from this island to another island. We saw schools of colorful fish swimming in the water. I saw a bright red starfish with white spots on it. We took pictures of the beautiful starfish. We also fed hundred year old giant turtles on the island!
   During the rest of the trip, we swam in the pool at the resort and built sandcastles and collected sea-shells at the beach. I really enjoyed my trip.
   I love traveling to different countries and I am missing traveling now. I really hope that Covid goes away soon so I can continue exploring the world.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck

Author: Jeff Kinney
Age Group: 8-10-year olds
Review: ★★★★☆

  This book is about a boy called Greg Heffley and is set mostly in a school. The plot focuses on how Greg gets ditched by his friend Rowley Jefferson. It is proving to be a tough task for Greg to find new friends whereas Rowley found a new friend. Greg tried hard to split Rowley and his new friend up, and finally him and Rowley became friends again. I liked this book because it has lots of interesting and funny pictures and words and the author used different texts for different parts. It helped me learn a lot of words too. But I felt the ending was a little boring and I wish the author could have made it funnier.

Soccer

  Soccer is a team sport in which a ball is used to kick and score it into the opponents goal post to gain a point. It is played between twenty two players, each team having eleven. Soccer is viewed by 3.572 billion people. Communication and cooperation are really important to play soccer as it needs teamwork. Soccer also helps us by giving us an active mind. Basically, the two teams of eleven go against each other by shooting the ball in the opponents goal post. Doing this will help them get a point. Each match is for 90 minutes.

  Personally, my favorite soccer player is Cristiano Ronaldo. He is a footballer who is the captain of the Portugal national team and he also plays as a forward for Serie A club Juventus. I like him because he won a lot of matches and has good sportsmanship. He is one of the richest football players. I want to become a soccer player when I grow up because I think it’s cool.
  I play soccer everyday. I play soccer at my house. I play soccer at my house with my friends. I take soccer classes everyday. It is in Rspot sports center and I play soccer there for an hour. I love soccer because it is very engaging. Looking forward to meeting everyone on the field.

Planes and How They Work?

   You all know planes are the big metal things with engines in the sky. Well if we didn’t have airplanes we wouldn’t be able to fly anywhere so fast. A plane has four forces, but we will talk about them later. Do you like planes? Do you know who invented airplanes? I love airplanes. They are amazing. This will tell you more!
  It was the Wright brothers! They created the first airplane in their workshop. The first flight was in 1903. It looked not a lot like the planes you see today. An interesting fact is the first flight was only for 12 seconds! It didn't even have an engine. My favorite plane is the Boeing 747 because it is big and very fast.
  Do you know how planes work? They need three forces to fly. The main one is thrust. Thrust is what the engine’s provide. They need to use thrust to move. If you don't produce enough speed you don't get the lift. This is where lift comes in. Lift makes the plane fly. It is the hardest job because it has to go against gravity. Gravity is a force that attracts a body towards the centre of the Earth. In space there is no gravity so you float. Anyways, finally there’s drag. Drag makes things that don't produce enough thrust stop. You all know that eventually when you roll a ball it stops. This is the force drag.
  Have you ever been on an airplane? Well I have! It was supernatural when I first went on a plane. It felt like this. I was walking through an airport when I saw huge planes. When I got to the gate I boarded the plane. It was huge! Fun fact, the place where you sit is called the fuselage. When the engines started it was very loud! When we were finnaly airborne my ears hurt like mad. In about three hours we reached our destination for a bumpy landing. When we got off the plane. All was good! There was nothing to worry about. I hope you enjoyed reading thank you! See you on board!

Global Warming

  Global warming, in simple words, is the unusually rapid increase in the Earths' surface temperature over the past century, primarily due to the greenhouse gases released by people burning fossil fuels. Now I will explain what causes global warming. The causes are pollution, cutting trees, burning fossil fuels, using too much water, ice caps melting, sea levels rising, etc.
  The greenhouse effect is when the greenhouse gases capture light and send it to earth. They don’t usually capture too much light or too little light. Now I will publicize specific greenhouse gases that trap heat from escaping the atmosphere. For example, when we burn fossil fuels the layer of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide increases and traps too much heat which is causing global warming.

  Even though global warming is being faced by the whole world, we can do a few things to reduce or terminate global warming. People have suggested many ideas to reduce global warming. Now I will address a few of these techniques, such as planting trees, reduce burning fossil fuels, reduce pollution, smoking, and terminate water waste, etc. For instance, by planting trees we can reduce the amount of Co2 in the air because trees store Co2 and convert it into oxygen.
  So far I explained what is global warming, what are the causes, and how we can reduce or terminate global warming. In my opinion, we should take action on global warming immediately. We should take action starting now because global warming is a huge thing and if we hope to survive in the future, we better start doing the things that I mentioned before now.

THE VIPERS' VOICE

SEPTEMBER 2020

Around the World

Football
  Even though there is Covid-19, the UEFA (Union of European Football Association) Champions League has games almost everyday! There were 5 games on Wednesday 16th September. It doesn’t seem like the games will stop anytime soon because the champions league is still in its first leg.

Basketball
  The National Basketball Association is a professional basketball league of men. It consists of 30 teams and is one of the four major leagues in the US. The NBA playoffs are going on. The Eastern Conference Finals is being played between Miami Heat and Boston Celtics. The Western Conference Finals are being played between Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets.

American Football
  The National Football League is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams, 16 from the National Football Conference and 16 from the American Football Conference. The preseason games were all cancelled due to the virus, and the season started on the 10th of September.

Tokyo Olympics

   Tokyo decided that the Tokyo Olympics will take place with or without COVID 19. Top badminton players like Saina Nehwal and Srikanth Kidambi have resumed their training at Pullela Gopichand Academy with strict COVID-19 guidelines.

South Asian Games gold medalist, Kho Kho is struggling to find a job. A former world champion boxer L Sarita Devi has recovered from COVID 19 but is staying quarantined away from her house just to make sure that her son is healthy and safe.

The Indian Premier League

   The IPL, started in 2008, is a professional T-20 tournament consisting of 56 matches this season, plus 4 playoffs. It is a league in India and takes place in March, April, or May each year, but has been delayed this year due to COVID-19. There are eight teams for 8 different cities in India. The players that participate in this league are from various countries and teams, not just India.
   At the time of writing, 6 matches have been played. The first one, between the Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings resulted in Chennai winning by 5 wickets with 4 balls left. The second match between Delhi Challengers and Kings XI Punjab went into a super over, which was won by DC. The Royal Challengers, Bangalore won the third match against the Sunrisers, Hyderabad by 10 runs. SRH was all out at 19.4 overs. The Rajasthan Royals won the fourth match against CSK by 16 runs, and MI won against the Kolkata Knight Riders by 49 runs. KXIP beat RCB by 97 runs in the sixth match.

THE VIPERS' VOICE

SEPTEMBER 2020

La Voce

Talent. Singing. Wonder.

  You might be wondering, what do these all have in common? Well, of course, they are all things that can be found in La Voce! But who has these impressive capabilities?
  Our soloists for this year include Anish (G12), Akshun, Laya, Jasmine (G9), Hemanjali (G11) and Nalini (G9)! These amazing soloists along with our outstanding instrumentalists, Manya (G9), Siddarth (G9), Arvind (G11) and Akshath(G9) have been working on a special project. This mystery project is celebrating the 180th anniversary of the greatest Russian composer, Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky. This project was initiated by the Centre Of Russian Science and Culture, located in Chennai, who will also help aid with the publicity of the performance!
  You might be wondering, when will we get to see this incredible performance? The live concert is planned for late November to early December, depending on the current situation. In the wonderful concert, you will have the joy of listening to parts from the operas “Eugene Onegin”, “The Queen of Spades”, the ballet “Nutcracker” and many more artistic songs to come.

High School Production

“We gladly feast on those who would subdue us”- Morticia Addams.

The Addams Family is a story about a man, who claims to be Fester Addams, the missing brother of Gomez Addams. He arrives at the Addam’s house, but Morticia Addams (The wife of Gomez Addams) starts suspecting he is a fraud since he can't recall details from Fester’s life. With help from a lawyer, Fester gets the Addams family evicted from the house. Gomez realizes that Fester and the lawyer are conspiring against him and trying to take away the Addams fortune and that he must challenge Fester.
  This beautifully written story is about to get even better when our high school students turn it into their very own production! The auditions have already been held on September 23rd, Wednesday and the roles will be given shortly! If you have any questions, doubts or concerns, contact our fantastic leadership team, consisting of Hemanjali, Tanya, Anish, Marco, Ankush & Aanya!

STUCO

   Although it is a difficult time to collaborate during this global pandemic, STUCO hopes everything we do will keep everyone excited throughout the year at the most.
  We begin our Friday morning's with some spirit in the ISH community to make the last day of the week a special and exciting way to begin the weekend and we have enjoyed a lot of them as they are encouraging your spirit. STUCO would be delighted if you would participate and give your best. So far we have done “Career Day”, “Hat Day”,and “Monochrome Day”.
  Every week the STUCO team comes up with creative tasks to incorporate their learning, collaboration and artistic skills. Our class reps help encourage and guide their respective classes to participate in the challenge assigned. Over the last two weeks, we have conducted a 'Science Experiment challenge' to expand their knowledge on science with a bit of creativity and 'The Viper's Chef' to bring out their cooking and artful talent. For the upcoming Spirit Day, the winners from “The Vipers Chef” challenge will be choosing what will be the spirit day theme.

Click here to view the pictures of Spirit Day and the winners of the STUCO Challenges

  STUCO has started incorporating online games as a fun and exciting way for ISH learners to collaborate and raise money for the charity, SolarGood. STUCO is honoured to help encourage and support the NGO that Anvitha from Grade 9 has started. In order to participate, you have to only pay a 100/- that will go directly to SolarGood. The online games include Chess, Skribbl.io, UNO, and Among Us.
  To sum it up, we would love for you to participate in every event and fundraiser for SolarGood, as you will be supporting a good cause.

THE VIPERS' VOICE

SEPTEMBER 2020

Mock Trial

   Is ISH Guilty Or Innocent of Creating an Exceptional Mock Trial?-
  If you're thinking about becoming a lawyer, you enjoy public speaking and are good at communicating, or you simply want a fun and litigious experience, a Mock trial is something that you should consider. A Mock Trial is a great opportunity for students who are looking to learn more about the legal system and also gain some great debate and public speaking skills experience. At a basic level, a Mock trial is more or less exactly what it sounds like. There are different levels of a Mock Trial, interestingly at ISH the mock trial consists of 2 teams, each one acting out either a civil or criminal trial, and arguing on the prosecution or defence side of a case.
  Despite the Global Pandemic, an event is planned for late October which will take place in the same way as authentic court trials do. They’ve worked collaboratively on several documents outlining the procedure and they'll be dividing them into defendants and prosecutors and will also be deciding on the two debate cases. This trial is to see if people will be interested in the main event taking place, next February. ISH is taking it to the next level as it will include various schools from across the country. There was a case conference management held on September 26th, 2020.
  The leadership team consists of Tanya (G 11) as the Managing Director, Adhvaith (G11) as Logistics Coordinator, and Anjali (G11) as the Project Manager. All other participants are separated into either Case Prep, Logistics, or Active Participants.
  In conclusion, a Mock trial is a great way for high schoolers to gain experience about the legal system and it will be a great opportunity for students looking to pursue law in the future.

ISACI Choir

“Music is Life. That's why our Hearts have beats.” - Cecily Morgan.

  ISACI choir is a great way to connect with people who share unique talents across India. Choristers refers to the participants in a choir, and they generally are separated into 3 voice ranges, The Soprano, Alto and Baritone. They are based upon how high or low your voice, and the highest voices are in Soprano, and the lowest ones are in Baritone. And for those who can sing high, but not too high, and low, but not too low, there’s a very special place right in the middle for them: Alto’s. The spectacular Sopranos, Alto’s and Baritone’s will be:
  Soprano’s - Ania, Nalini, Jasmine, Rithu, Ishika, Annika, Maya, Nirali, Shrika, Seeun, Hemanjali, and Nina.
  Alto’s - Laya, Aarya, Renee, Zeynep, Nitya, Shivani, Zara, Prateek, Kiara, and Katya.
  Baritone’s - Ankush, Anish, Akshun, Andrew, Hesham, Nikhil, Saurya, Shiven, Alay, and Marco.
  The songs that will dazzle the crowd (hopefully) include Rainbow Nation and other popular songs from famous musicians that were previously presented in 2019s ISACI Choir.
  Rainbow Nation - Inspired by Nelson Mandela’s dream, and Desmond Tutu’s hope, when he named South Africa the “Rainbow Nation,”. The song explores Canadian and South African cultural identity through song and theatre. It was conducted by the renowned musician Pete Churchill, during ISACI Choir, 2019, and he has given us his approval to sing it in virtual choir. Even though there are no upcoming performances planned as of now due to the pandemic, you can expect to hear us singing sometime soon.

THE VIPERS' VOICE

SEPTEMBER 2020

What’s New in the World of Music?

  The music industry is constantly creating new songs for us to listen to, this month isn’t any different. The k-pop girl group favorite Blackpink releases it’s debut korean language studio album today on October 2nd. Record producer Tommy Brown collaborated on two of the songs, including ‘Ice Cream’ starring Selena Gomez. On September 18th, Ali Gatie released a new song featuring Alessia Cara called “Welcome Back” before his upcoming album that he is currently working on. Also on the 18th of September, Justin Bieber released a new song called Holy featuring Chance the Rapper. Being billed as his return to pop, his manager Scooter Braun recently said the artist is now poised to move into a new “era”.

  Rapper Lil Tecca, One of 21st century hip hop’s strongest contenders, released his much awaited Debut album “Virgo World” along with a new visual called Dolly that featured Lil Uzi Vert. Sam Smith also recently released his single “Diamonds” where he lets go of material love and a lover who wants him for his glamour and not him. He also announced that his new album Love Goes releases on October 30th. Ava Max released her debut album Heaven & Hell

41 Reasons To Love YOU!

  2020 brought something no one was prepared for. Being the start of a new decade, things were bound to be different, but were we all fully ready for what was coming? Before we move onto the main focus of this article, some light needs to be shed on an important subject. People who have difficulties often do a good job of pretending they are fine. This year has been hard for everyone, old and young. That’s why we are introducing Pink’s self love challenge to all of you. If you had to name 100 things to love about yourself, what would you say? Would you say it’s your kind words, your crazy sense of humour or your intelligence? Take a moment, right now, and think about a few things you love about yourself.
   Alecia Beth Moore, known as Pink, is an American singer that recently celebrated her 41st birthday. In a heartfelt video, she shared multiple thank-you’s and mentioned how grateful she is, and at the end of the video she took upon the chance to ask her fans what they love about themselves.
   A few months ago, we barely knew what the word quarantine meant. We all thought a situation like COVID-19 could only be a dystopian dream, yet now it’s a reality that we can’t escape from. We’ve been spending all this time at home; one would think people would start to reflect on everything that has happened and how they can improve on themselves and be a better person. Unfortunately, that’s not the case for everyone. Toxicity, targeted hatred, bullying, just to name a few, have become even worse. Studies show that one out of every 5 students have reported for being bullied.
   In our daily lives, we scroll through Instagram and Twitter and see all these perfect people that we often start comparing ourselves to. But even these people who pretend to have a seemingly perfect life online have fought battles and experienced struggles, they all have a story. We can’t judge anyone without fully knowing what they’ve been through. Pink’s self love challenge is one of the first steps to learning to love ourselves and we can take the initiative ourselves to go on our own beautiful journey of self awareness and acceptance. With the concept of self love we can change; ourselves, our actions and our world.
   As students, we think the self love challenge shouldn’t just be a challenge, but something we celebrate every day. For this week specifically, we want you to do something for yourself, write down 41 things you love about YOU; it can be your smile, your health, your generosity, anything! Today might not have been your ideal day, but there is good in every day, even if it's only a second or a moment, it’s always there. Take this as an opportunity to help yourself become a better person; work on who you are, what you see yourself as and what that means to you. “Keep on being you. Keep doing those beautiful impactful honest things you do. Out here in this crazy world we need more people like you.”- Morgan Harper Nichols

What Would It Be Like If Superheros Lived Among Us?

   The Marvel Comic Universe also known as the MCU have been creating films for more than 10 years now and they are some of the most popular movies in the world. According to Hotstar the most popular film is Avengers: Endgame, seeing as 2.8 million people search for it every month. Also,the most googled superhero is Iron Man. This made me wonder what it would be like if superheroes lived amongst us?
   If superheroes lived on the same planet as us nothing would be the same. It could make things a lot easier or harder depending on which superheroes came to exist on planet Earth. But how would this change everything? Take for example the Olympics. If Superheroes took part in them,would Usain Bolt even be famous? With Captain America's Agility, Strength, Speed and Endurance he would surely win every running event. Hawkeye’s ability to aim and shoot arrows perfectly would surely see him winning gold medals in every single Olympic Archery event. Additionally, people on talent shows could never win since they’d be outdone by people like Dr. Strange. Imagine watching someone with Doctor Strange’s superpowers in a talent show; someone who can open portals and has the ability to read the judges’ minds, he would inevitably win every season of America’s Got Talent.
   As many of you know, Thor is immune to all human diseases and many Doctors and Scientists could research his DNA seeing as it could hold the antidote for diseases such as Covid-19 and Cancer. Also, if there was an antidote to COVID-19 there would be no lockdown and everyone's lives would return to normal (if only Thor was real). But if there was a cure to all diseases, there’s a downside to that. The world would be far too overpopulated and crowded. This not only makes the world more polluted, but also takes up and uses limited natural resources such as water and food in excess. One last example is Ant Man. He has the ability to shrink and grow in size and when he does change size he has super strength. With this, he could really help the police as he could do top secret missions such as foiling terrorist plots. Also, since he used to be a burglar, he knows exactly how a criminal thinks. If lots of people in our world had Ant Man's abilities we would have lower crime rates and this could make the world a safer place.
   To conclude, having superheroes as part of our daily lives could have many positive aspects but also a few negatives at the same time. However, you could all agree it could be pretty cool!

THE VIPERS' VOICE

SEPTEMBER 2020

How Have Some Countries Recovered And Which Countries Are Opening Up Again?

  Globally, as of 21st September 2020, there have been 30,675,675 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 954,417 deaths, reported to WHO. COVID-19 keeps us from being free, but in some countries it is recovering . New Zealand, South Korea, Australia and Vietnam appear to be recovering and have had some of the best progress with managing the pandemic.

New Zealand
  It locked down early and aimed for elimination. During lockdown was used to finesse an extensive testing and contact tracing operation. New Zealand can now carry out 10,000 tests a day and when a case is confirmed, contact tracers get to work alerting anyone they had close interactions with and telling them to isolate.

Vietnam
  The number of infected people is very low thanks to rapid containment measures and tight border controls

South Korea
  What distinguishes it from other countries is that they have not imposed strict don’t do on migration or taken closure measures that cause economic damage, such as Europe and the United States. South Korea says swift action, extensive testing and contact tracking, and civic cooperation.
  Also, some countries that are reopening have many children going back to school after this extensive lockdown. Countries such as the Netherlands have started opening up borders and schools and some middle easteran areas such as UAE are opening up for tourism and trade.

The Economic Effect Covid-19 Has Brought In India And China

   “The world has faced the most dramatic economic slowdown since the Second World War”. Due to the virus many businesses have shut down and filed for bankruptcy due to quarantine and lock down restrictions. In India the economic growth was disrupted due to the virus, and the country's growth in the 4th quarter of the year went down to 3.1%. India now has one of the fastest growing number of cases but to save its economy from total collapse has started to open up as of July.
   Even Though some businesses were not able to continue, other businesses took advantage of the situation to transfer their market and boost their sales online, some examples are; books, ordering gifts, indoor sports equipment etc... MNCs’ such as Amazon and shipping companies like Ups are thriving due to this surge in customers ordering from home.
   In other parts of the world like China the economic growth had temporarily collapsed as borders were shut down and citizens fled from the country due to the growing rates of cases in China. As the country recovered business and oversea trade started to open up again and as the country contained the virus things ran smoothly. China has now recovered but has strict rules so that there isn’t another outbreak.
   Covid-19 has devastated the world and has caused a lot of irreplaceable damage. The economies of countries did have a massive decline back in Feb/March but are now slowly on the rise and its predicted that economies will fully stabilize in the coming years

THE VIPERS' VOICE

SEPTEMBER 2020

Riddles

Hover over box to see answers.

What month of the year has 28 days
All 12 months

I shave everyday, but my beard stays the same. Why?
I'm a barber.

I'm light as a feather, but the strongest person can't hold me for long. What am I?
Your breath.

What invention lets you look right through a wall?
A window

If you're running in a race and you pass the person in second place, which place are you in?
Second Place

Short Story

“No! Come back!”
   It was a fine Spring evening, the marigolds were blooming, sleepy from their long rest, the birds were back from the South, and the wind was blowing ever so swiftly. Little Betty Summers had just lost her satin ribbon, which had flown away in the wind. What was she going to tell her mom now, she had already dirtied the other two of the set on the way to Mora Little’s. She reluctantly trudged towards home.
   “Betty!” Just by the time little Betty flipped her head around, she saw the plump mailman Mr. Harris jogging over to her, he looked like he was going to collapse any minute that way he was going.
   “Hi Mr. Harris, any mail today?”
   “Plenty indeed. This is for your father from Mr. Lopez about his tax files, this is from your aunt to your mother saying she’s got a serious itch on the back of her neck, she’s asking to send over a few bottles of calamine lotion. Oh, and this is from your pen pal in Maine, he says….”
   Betty quickly jutted in, “Thank you for the mail, Mr. Harris, I’ll be sure to give them to my parents.”
   Mr. Harris stuttered and then said, “Very well, I’ll be on my way.”
   Betty shook her head. Mr. Harris has been reading their letters for the past 10 years, no matter how much everyone’s been hinting to him that he shouldn’t. Once, Margaret Benjamin’s uncle had a serious case of chickenpox, and gave each red bump on his body a name, from Sugar Bump all the way to Squeeze Pus. This scared him from reading their letters for an entire month.
   Betty saw Mr. Harris walk away, his breathing hard and raspy, just out of the corner of her eye, she could see him reach into his bag and pick out a letter, he never learns does he? But Betty didn’t give it a second thought, for she was too happy, Peter had finally written to her after a month! She picked out the creamy white letter with the red seal and ever so delicately opened it...

ORIGAMI

Click Here to Make Some Cool Origami

THE VIPERS' VOICE

SEPTEMBER 2020

Movie Recommendations

Despicable Me: All Ages

  A man who delights in all things wicked, supervillain Gru hatches a plan to steal the moon. Surrounded by an army of yellow minions and his impenetrable arsenal of weapons and war machines, Gru makes ready to vanquish all who stand in his way. But nothing in his calculations has prepared him for his greatest challenge: three adorable orphan girls who want to be adopted.
Matilda: All Ages
  This film adaptation of a Roald Dahl book tells the story of Matilda Wormwood, a gifted girl forced to put up with a crude, distant father and mother. Worse, Agatha Trunchbull, the evil principal at Matilda's school, is a terrifyingly strict bully. However, when Matilda realizes she has the power of telekinesis, she begins to defend her friends from Trunchbull's wrath and fight back against her unkind parents.
The Addams Family: Middle School & Above
  When a man claiming to be Fester, the missing brother of Gomez Addams, arrives at the Addams' home, the family is thrilled. However, Morticia begins to suspect the man is a fraud, since he cannot recall details of Fester's life. Fester manages to get the Addams clan evicted from their home. Gomez realizes the two men are conspiring to swindle the Addams fortune and that they must be challenged.
Black Panther: Middle School & Above [In memory of Chadwick Aaron Boseman]

  After the death of his father, T'Challa returns home to the African nation of Wakanda to take his rightful place as king. When a powerful enemy suddenly reappears, T'Challa's mettle as king gets tested when he's drawn into a conflict that puts the fate of Wakanda and the entire world at risk.
She’s The Man: High School
  Viola Johnson is in a real jam. Complications threaten her scheme to pose as her twin brother, Sebastian, and take his place at a new boarding school. She falls in love with her handsome roommate, Duke, who loves beautiful Olivia, who has fallen for Sebastian! As if that were not enough, Viola's twin returns from London ahead of schedule but has no idea that his sister has already replaced him on campus.
Jumanji: High School

  Four high school kids discover an old video game console and are drawn into the game's jungle setting, literally becoming the adult avatars they chose. In order to return to the real world, they must beat the game and go on the most dangerous adventure of their lives.

THE VIPERS' VOICE

SEPTEMBER 2020

THE VIPERS' VOICE

SEPTEMBER 2020

  The COVID-19 crisis came in and disrupted everything us students had learnt to experience day in and day out; Attending school and constantly developing through classes, social circles and extracurricular activities, students usually stuck to a schedule and kept themselves busy. But the transition to online learning forced many to adapt and adjust as soon and as quickly as we could, giving way to yet another new experience. Yet in light of these new processes, most people haven’t been able to cope with these new standards, and many of us have had to deal with an abundance of stress and negative emotions, be it academics or personal circumstances. Social and emotional learning is an important factor in a student’s life, and through the Viper Voice, we hope to identify and educate our community on these struggles and help them reflect on themselves, one struggle at a time.