The Clubs of Vista International School Hyderabad

Club (noun):  An association dedicated to a particular interest or activity

Vista International School strives to bring balance to the lives of their students. This is done in many ways, from extracurricular activities to teaching them essential daily life skills.

At Vista International School, a primary avenue they do this is through their CCA Clubs. These clubs have played a major role in preparing students for multiple things such as public speaking and assisting their students in making real-life projects. They offer numerous clubs for students to choose from, where at the start of each term, each club has been given an objective that they are supposed to achieve by the end of the term. This achieved objective is then displayed at the end of the term on a day called the “Club Closure”.

Vista School has many clubs such as:

• The Eco Club
• The Culinary Club
• The Theater Club
• The Literature Club
• The CSA Club (Community Service Activity)
• The Arts and Crafts Club
• The MUN Club
• The Equality Club
• The JDO Club (only for grade 8 students)
• The SUPW Club (Socially Useful Productive Works)

These clubs have been shown to improve the confidence and morale of the students while teaching them how to use the household items they always have with them in new and creative ways. As commented on by the Grade 8 coordinator, Sunitha Ma’am, these clubs have boosted the morale of students. As the event coordinator, Ramya Ma’am has stated that these clubs are also contemporary, age-appropriate and foster students’ research abilities.

The Arts and Crafts Club

The main objective of this club is to foster motor skills and to be a sort of inclusive education. This club covers the historical and ancient art styles that to this day influence the day-to-day movements and ideas of all, whilst working on home decor from the crafts side. This club has received positive feedback from the parents of all the students who have taken part in it. A major goal of this club is to teach the students about the history of various art forms while fostering creativity. It has assisted in increasing the communication skills of the students along with teaching them about religion and nature. Asmi Mehta of Grade 7 has said that it has taught her more about Indian culture and Sai Varshit of Grade 8 has said that it has allowed him to pursue his passion further than he could have normally.

The Culinary Club

The main goal of this club is to impart knowledge regarding the basics of culinary skills and teach students how to prepare basic fire-less meals. It also teaches students how to adjust in adverse situations where they would only have access to a limited amount of resources although it draws a line at tools that could be considered as dangerous. It encourages team work while promoting gender equality.

The Equality Club

The main objective of this club is to foster a sense of equality and to understand the differences that set us all apart. It helps students tackle different types of inequalities that they might face in their daily lives. It teaches the students how to respect the dignity of labor and serves as a platform for them to come and discuss inequalities that they have faced in their lives.

The Literary Club

 The main aspect of the literary club is to provide a platform for the students to exhibit their writing and speaking skills. It covers a wide range of topics which are bound to make sure that each student is reaching their maximum potential in the three segments that make up this club. These three segments are:

1. Levels of Speaking
2. Oration
3. Writing

This club has shown that it has boosted student confidence, motivating them to represent the school in intra-school competitions.

The MUN Club

This club is there to assist students in fostering a spirit of debate within themselves and teaches them how to present themselves in a formal debate. This club boosts the general knowledge and awareness of the students since they are required to know what is going on around them to present their points in the Mock United Nations (MUN) that is held at every club closure. It teaches students how to structure and convey their points in an easily understandable manner. The main focus of this club is to give the students a basis of debate from which they can easily tackle and win any MUN. Mahi Vijay, a student of  Grade 8, mentioned that this club had boosted her confidence, and taught her how to work in a team.

The Theater Club

This is a club that is perhaps the most well-received by the students. The main objective of this club is to break the stage fright of the students so that they may easily take part in plays and skits, whether they are on the annual day or in the assembly. It has shown that it helps in improving the expressions and emotions of the students. The main goal is to give the students the ability to easily change their perspective on problems when they arrive in the lives of the students. The sessions usually start with an ice breaker, followed by a session on voice projections, after which the students will dissect the character they are playing. Finally, before presenting the play, the students will go over the positions to give the most entertaining play. Apurajita Karna of grade 8 said that the Theater Club had given her a platform to display her skills while assisting her in her body language, and posture and in reducing her stage fear. Prisha Garg, a student of grade 7 had said that this club had added numerous opportunities for her while helping her out with her expressions. Another student in grade 7, Sarvani Gandi mentioned that this club had improved her stage confidence.

The Eco Club

This is a club that has allowed the students to learn how they can do what they do in their day-to-day lives while staying eco-friendly. For example, this year the students learned how to make their cosmetics from resources that are easy to access and eco-friendly along with household products that they sell during the club closure. This club promotes an eco-friendly life and teaches its students how to raise awareness of the problems around them. The head of this club said that the students of this club unlearn and learn new things, which in a nutshell means that the students are given better knowledge and opportunities regarding making their lives and the lives of those around them more eco-friendly.

The CSA Club

This is a club that is centered on teaching the students how to do the right things even if nobody is doing them. This is a club that has been shown to build character and patience within the students along with improving the decision-making skills of the students. It focuses on fostering a sense of self-service in the students. The skills learned in this club can easily be implemented in the day-to-day lives of the students. The students also learned about the importance of social service, which is something most of us tend to overlook. Dhruv Kandura, a student in grade 8, had mentioned that this club taught him about the importance of donations along with bettering his moral compass.

The SUPW Club

The SUPW or the Socially Useful Productive Works Club is the club in which the students are taught the most fundamental life skills such as stitching and the basics of domesticate skills. This club is a sort of merger of all basic skills where the students learn about stitching cooking and other such domesticated skills. This club also promotes gender equality by being open to both, boys and girls and teaching them both skills which were once believed to be the skills of only girls. It has boosted the creativity of the students and given them an appreciation for the fine arts. Srinidhi Aluru of grade 8 and Nadia Fathima of grade 8 both mentioned that this club helped them in their day-to-day lives.

The JDO Club

This is a club that has been recently introduced to the school. In this club, the students of grade 8 communicate with students from different countries such as Germany, and Rome. This club has fostered a sense of appreciation for the culture of different countries for the students. This club is a sort of culture exchange program where the students of Vista International School work together with the students of a different country to make a project that includes podcasts or presentations. This club has allowed the students to learn how to find common ground between different social groups and how to avoid conflicts. Neil Alxender Oommen, a student of grade 9, who was previously in the JDO club mentioned that this club gave him an appreciation for what he had; and Harini Tapsya of grade 9 mentioned that this club had bettered her communication skills and that it had boosted her knowledge.

A major feature of the ten CCA Clubs is that they boost the confidence of the students while making sure to give the students’ knowledge about skills that they could use throughout their lives. Hrieshita Vashishts, a grade 12 student mentioned that these clubs had fueled her creativity and taught her how to better implement those creativity skills in her school projects. Adya Goswani, a grade 9 student said that these clubs had taught her how to make art from readily available items and that these clubs had given her a new talent. Anirudh Thotha, a student in grade 11, mentioned that these clubs had taught him how to appreciate different art forms and taught him how to open up new ideas.

The principal, Ms. Mary Shanti Priya Ma’am had said that these clubs have given the students a platform besides academics to display their talents along with giving the students a hands-on experience. According to her, these clubs have taught the students how to use the objects they always have with them in new and exciting ways. She mentioned that these clubs have gifted the students with new experiences by allowing students to get a taste of the field that they prefer while aligning with the CBSE guidelines.

At the end of the CCA Clubs term, Vista International School conducts a “Club Closure” where students display what exactly they have learned throughout the term along with selling some items which students have made. Parents can also give their feedback on these clubs during the Club Closures, which ensures good parent engagement with Vista International School’s community.