Photo credits: Luvlynn Bholah
From left to right; Advitiya Bissessur, Krishni Ramsurun, Murielle Marchand, Julia Sirop, Adweita Beeharry, Sonali Mungur, Nishta Punnigadu, Shahana Auhammud.
Lore had it that talent and creativity were offsprings of DMC. Following the tradition, our legacy is strengthened by our club presidents whose ambition is to bring to life the latent talents of our students in various fields, academics aside.
Existing and ongoing clubs at DMC:
EcoLife Club, Performing Arts Club, Journalism Club, Interact Club, Debate Club, UNESCO Club, and Book Club.
What pushed you to set up/pursue the running of this club?
“As soon as I saw that new board members were being selected for the Journalism Club, I felt like it was my calling. My father is a journalist and so, I am quite familiar with the way journalism works. I want to create something beautiful, in which all members can participate, and call it our own.”
-Adweita Beeharry
“I wanted to have a safe space at school where students could not only voice their opinions but also share their views and understand that of others. Along with the co-president Sonali, we decided to also implement public speaking as it was a skill that most students lacked.” -Nishta Punnigadu
“The Interact club of DMC was set up in 2019, and I've been an active member since. It is an infant club of Rotary International and its purpose is mainly humanitarian service while “interacting” with people outside school, be it our age or not, and, that is something I have enthused over since the very outset. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the club was falling to pieces last year, and since I believed in what the club stood for, I felt like it was my responsibility to pick up these pieces.”
-Shahana Auhammud
“I always had the ambition to bring something to our school that could break its moroseness and do something that could set free the creativity of our students. Last year I got the opportunity to speak out my desire to set up the performing arts club to the rector, from there my ambition only got higher and higher and soon Murielle Marchand and I founded the Performing Arts Club.” -Julia Sirop
“What pushed me to become the vice president of this club is that UNESCO was created internationally to promote peace and bring people together. I accepted that post with great pleasure and was really ambitious to run that club with the help of other board members. I also want to interact with other people and bring about small positive changes for the betterment of the society.”
-Sefora Gersey
“I've always had this love and connection to nature. Last year after helping for my first blood donation and for the Wakashio fundraising, I realised my passion and devotion towards the Ecolife club and this eagerness of finally being in charge of it and showing my duty towards Nature fueled with ambition.”
-Krishni Ramsurun
Is it a difficult responsibility to uptake?
On top of their academic and social lives, our presidents took the responsibility of running these clubs on their shoulders. Needless to say, it is not an easy task. “ I make sure that I have everything noted down and work with the board members as a team,” says Adweita Beeharry. She and other several presidents highlight the need to classify and categorize your work frame and upcoming activities; planning is key.
They also mention that team work is a crucial factor to the smooth running of the clubs; without cooperation or the help of other members, not much could have been conquered. “I am more than grateful to our friends who provided great support, and especially to our head coordinator Sarina Ghanty. In gross managing a club is a lot of team work,” adds Julia Sirop.
Support from every corner of the school provides our presidents with zeal and enthusiasm to pursue their passion. “The rector and senior educator have been very helpful and easy to work with. Both Nishta and I work very well together, have more or less the same intentions and ideas for the club. Also, the educators at school have been very encouraging which makes the whole process much easier,” mentions Sonali Mungur, co-president of the Debate Club.
How do the members benefit from the club?
Certainly, the clubs aim that every student gets out of each session with a developed attitude and uplifted maturity. With proper mentors and guidance, members for sure will acquire marvelous skills from attending and participating in the activities held by the clubs.
“They learn to develop their communication and leadership skills, while discovering the power of “Service above Self”. The club gives them a chance to make a difference in the school or the community, discover new cultures and promote international understanding, and have fun while making friends around the country,” points out Shahana Auhammud, president of the Interact Club of DMC.
“Our activities and our purpose bring out qualities that were already present inside of them. Knowledge about tasks and how to handle them in a responsible manner make them grow in terms of maturity. The purpose of the Ecolife Club being to give love back to Nature definitely prepares them to face life with calmness and determination,” Krishni Ramsurun, president of EcoLife Club.
Though latent, the talents residing in our students are being brought back to life with the assistance of the wonderful presidents we have!
Recruiting members:
Our presidents have been very successful in radiating their enthusiasm and passion to the other students of the school. They mention that recruiting members was to inspire the pupils to bloom and unleash their creativity with their guidance.
“When the students were informed of the mission of the Unesco Club, they voluntarily came to my class and gave their consent for participation. I think they know well that the mission of UNESCO is important for the future generation to exist,” remarks Mr Kanen, president of UNESCO Club.
With the advent of technology, presidents use the internet to their benefits by making DMC pupils aware of the existing clubs and their activities. “Our members are already extremely active, mostly on social media platforms. we have not carried out any activities at school itself yet but an instagram page has been created whereby all members have the opportunity to send me book reviews or quotes or even book related memes to post there. moreover I could notice that more students are interested in joining the club,” adds Krishika Lockee, president of Book Club.
What personal changes did you notice whilst upholding such a position?
Our young leaders have been doing such an inspiring job in handling this rather challenging engagement. For instance, the gain of benefits is not one sided; they too witness positive changes in their persona and demeanor.
“ I cannot deny that being the president of the club is a big responsibility. I am very grateful to have been selected. Being the president has made me gain new organisational skills, having to plan, work with different departments. At times, it gets quite confusing, but I try to keep my calm,” says Adweita Beeharry, not planning to back down from any hint of apprehension.
“I do think that founding the debate club has made me more responsible and organised as managing the club does require careful structuring,” mentions Nishta Punnigadu, co-president of the Debate club, determined to amplify her sense of responsibility.
“Being president has taught me how to deal with my emotions in a diplomatic way and how to break down my tasks accordingly. It is never easy, but when your sense of duty compels you to do something, you end up doing it well,” explains Shahana.
Stress management and handling one’s emotions are not always easy which is why we look up to them for their strength and courage in occupying this post.
In recapitulation, we should all be thankful for the amazing devotion shown by the passion-driven students of DMC. Tied by the moments shared through the activities of the club, we learn to live as a family. And so, together we stand, divided we fall.
By: Luvlynn Bholah and Oorshia Mulung.