EMERALD
Ishwarya Rajesh Shankar, Captain
(With Suryansh Bal as Vice-Captain and Pranav Dhillon as Prefect)
What led you to your post as Emerald House Captain today?
I'm pretty sure every student would want to be a part of the student council right. I joined Greenwood in year 6 and personally I've always loved to organize events and head a few. I've also had the skills required for it . So when I came here I realised the council is where the opportunity lies. The rest of the year was just for volunteering. So I wanted to really badly be a part of it since then.
And when the 11th grade came I did everything I could to be a reliable and good candidate. I had a lot of support from friends that I'm grateful for. This helped me reach out to younger and older grades and I guess, here I am. Oh and teachers honestly they were the best. They have known me for so many years that they were also confident in me.
So how has it been since you were elected? Captaincy I mean.
Well very exciting...the council is basically my friend group which made it more fun and exciting since we all got along really well. Every event that has happened pre corona...I was involved and been heading some too. I found it a bit hard to balance the IB course initially but I learned to delegate to my vice-captain and my prefect which made it so much more easier. I kind of got into an argument with my vice-captain and my prefect because they said I was doing all the work and not delegating but we sorted that out. This kinda freaked me out though because they were friends too and I didnt want them to think that way.
How did you deal with the disagreement?
Well they never came up to me about it at first. I realised they were mad at me and asked a few of my friends who told me to talk to them and when I did I realised what I had done...it was never my intention right so I talked to them and from then on I involved them too. I guess I got too caught up in my own interests.
What about your house? What are your plans for it?
Well this year not just me but other captains as well wanted to introduce more house wise competitions and events. This was suggested by many students every year and we wanted to meet that need. We have already organized around 4 - 5 events and it came out well.
For MY house in specific I wanted to give more students opportunities to participate. There is always bias and team favouritism when you get names for events. I've already had students who say they want to participate but don't have the right team. I really wanted to clear that problem. It seems to be the biggest issue yet.
How are you going abt it?
So in the 5 house events that happened so far, I tried to make sure people who have already turned up for other events did not do more. They could but I gave the opportunity to other students. This did get me into another argument with few juniors but I explained and they understood. As I said I wanted equal participation. Our house itself is over 120 - 150 students and I think everyone deserves a chance things there are so many events happening every year.
What events?
So far we have had a debate, innovate 2020, history treasure hunt, science quiz, MSP debate.( not sure if I covered all). They were spread across from 6th to 12th. We had so much more planned. Like a music show, dance battle etc but Corona.
How do you feel about all your plans being interrupted by the current situation?
As I said I have a huge passion for event planning and heading events. We even had bigger events like Ignite and GWHMUN but everything was interrupted by our current situation. I'm really disappointed because in just a few months I will be in 12th and my position will be given to a junior. So I haven't really used my title properly.
So what are you doing during lockdown? Any plans for your house? Or the council?
Since its lockdown and hard to reach out to our house participants, I and a fellow council member have planned out a summer event for all the students to help them maintain the competitive spirit. It's on the planning stage and will hopefully happen soon.
Since we’re in lockdown, I'm sure the dynamics of the council have changed. how do you think the council is viewed during these times? What's the reaction of the student body?
Right now due to conditions we and the student body are no different. We are all shocked by the sudden change and it has very much impacted as all. Saying that we are the council isn't really putting us in a different situation than the rest.
What about the previous council? what kind of space did they leave for you to fill?
The previous council is probably one of the most fun and creative councils I've ever seen. GWH MUN and Ignite 2019 wouldn't have been a huge success if not for them. They worked together so well and even delegated to non-council members making it very wholesome! Every council member now wants to try and achieve something more than they did. That's probably the one motivation we had when we had duties.
What abt your predecessor?
The previous captain was one of the best I've actually seen. She was really fun and joyful. Never got angry at us when we lost an event and always maintained the team spirit. I really wanna be like her too!
Today’s council is working in unprecedented times. you guys deal with a situation that, if all goes well, future councils might never have to weather. How would you like to be remembered for it?
Our lockdown situation has gotten all of us disappointed. Half our duties have been disrupted and I feel by the time everything gets over, our year to serve will be done too. "Remembered" will only happen when we all have done something outstanding despite the situation we are in. So hopefully the program my friend and I planned will be happening and successful! I would love it if our efforts were recognized.
RUBY
Ira Rasam, Captain
(With Meghana Reddy as Vice-Captain and Gourav Mittal as Prefect)
What led you to your post as Ruby House Captain today?
So since I joined Greenwood High I've always wanted to be part of the council and when I was finally in 11th grade I decided to run after a lot of consideration. I had a lot of competition and there were so many good candidates. It took an immense amount of hard work and a lot of campaigning to win this position. I ran for this particular position mainly because I really loved how Greenwood High established and induced strong team spirit in each house and I wanted to be part of that. I wanted to be able to strengthen that team spirit. I ran against Several other very good candidates but I'm really happy to be part of the Ruby House council department which is my team now. And both the Vice Captain and Prefect have helped me so very much.
So what do you want to do as the captain?
As I have previously said, what led me to run was the team spirit of my house. As captain, I intend to ensure that this team spirit is enhanced and encouraged in Ruby house. I aim to ensure that as a captain I am able to understand and help any and every individual in my house. I want to help build our house loyalty and help my house reach excellence in both cultural and athletic aspects of school life, as our motto says.
So there are boards assigned to each house. And we have already started working on our house board. And again we want to use that to motivate our house members. My aim is to help and motivate the members of my house. It won't always be that we win everything, but I want to give enough motivation to everyone in my house that it pushes them to excel in what they're doing.
How have your usual captain duties changed due to the unusual situation?
As the school had to shut down due to the pandemic, a lot of our planned work was cut off. Currently, as a council, we do have a plan to continue with inter-house competitions online but that is yet to happen. So far my role has just been limited as school was shut down but as our new plans are initiated I'll have a different set of duties.
Since we’re in lockdown, I'm sure the dynamics of the council have changed. how do you think the council is viewed during these times? What's the reaction of the student body? Where do you fit in?
Yes, the dynamics have changed and our role was minimized. In fact, we had several plans including a spring carnival which was cancelled because of the lockdown. As of now, our role is not large but we intend to organize an online page for our council which will cater to several aspects such as conducting online competitions to help students display and build their talents during this lockdown. These competitions would earn house points for the houses of the winners and contribute to the cultural cup which will be given at the end of this academic year. We are yet to see the reaction of the student body as they are not aware of this plan as of now but will be as we plan on launching soon. My role in this would be that I'll help coordinate and manage the competitions etc. Our duties will be more specified once our plan comes to action but in general, I'll probably be helping in conducting events and managing participants from my house.
Can you tell me about your predecessors? What kind of legacy did they leave for you?
My predecessors were all such amazing and strong house captains. In general, the past Ruby house council departments have been very efficient and have all led our house to success. With the help of our predecessors and the unity and hard work of our house as a whole, Ruby has won the house cup for 4 years (in the academic years 2015-16, 2016-17, 2018-19, 2019-20) and has won the march past cup last year (2019-20). Having such strong predecessors does mean that many have a lot of expectations from me and our department in general and we want to ensure that those expectations are met. We want to serve this house well and lead it to another success this year.
Today’s council is working in unprecedented times. You guys deal with a situation that, if all goes well, future councils will never have to weather. How would you like to be remembered for it?
Yes, our council is facing unusual circumstances and we're trying our best to mould our plans according to the situation. The school introduced a new cup- the cultural cup- this year in order to ensure that the student body thrives in all aspects. But due to the current situation, our plans to carry on the cultural competitions were interrupted. Thus, we're trying to conduct these competitions online. I think in general I'd like for us, as a council, to be remembered for how we made our way through the changing situation to fulfil our duties. I wish that our council will be remembered for being able to successfully establish an online presence in order to conduct our previous plans in a new and equally effective manner. I personally would like to be remembered for being an approachable and strong captain and bringing my house to another success, with the help of the Vice-captain and Prefect, despite these unusual times.
What is your message to future captains?
To future captains, I'd like to say- our house is a strong and well-bound house with many talented individuals and that each individual in it has contributed to its growth; please help this house grow as a whole by encouraging each and every student in it to strive for success; give all students positive attention and feedback and motivate them; always remember that the Ruby house department is a whole unit and the Vice-captain and Prefect are your biggest support system in all the challenges you face as captain- work as a team with them to help Ruby reach excellence.
TOPAZ
Tanvi Kuchimanchi, Captain
(With Vaishnavi Kumar as Vice-Captain and Varun Mittal as Prefect)
What led you to your post as Topaz House Captain today?
I've been a part of this school for 13 years now and I've been a part of this house and watched it grow from its beginnings. I watched all our previous leaders and all I could think about was how I wanted to lead the house like them one day and lead topaz with all my ability. It's been a dream and I have been fortunate to get so much support from both the student body and the teachers.
So what do you want to do as the captain?
So I think my main role is to represent all the students who are a part of this house. What I want to make sure is that I do that successfully. I want everyone who is part of topaz to be able to freely share their ideas with me and my team so that we can act as a connection between them and the authorities of the school. They have trusted me with the responsibility of being captain and I want to be able to fulfil and live up to their expectations by considering all their opinions and doing what is best for the house as a whole.
What are your plans for your term then? How do you plan to achieve this?
This pandemic, obviously, was very unexpected, and it did kind of derail our plans for the year, but we are working again to try and connect back with the students. Our entire council is working together to try and bring back a lot of the activities and events that were planned for the year, but virtually instead. While this planning requires coordination amongst the council, it also requires inputs from the student body. That's one way in which I plan on reaching out to the students of topaz house. That way I stay connected with them and also am able to take their suggestions and ideas just like I would have at school.
How have your usual captain duties changed due to the unusual situation?
At the moment, the only way to reach out to anyone is online. That definitely makes it much harder to connect with the students. Before this situation, I was able to go to their classes and talk to them, but now because it's online it's much harder. Another problem I face is reaching out to the younger grades, as we don't really have a means of communication with them now.
Since we’re in lockdown, I'm sure the dynamics of the council have changed. how do you think the council is viewed during these times? What's the reaction of the student body? Where do you fit in?
The dynamics of the council have definitely changed. We aren't able to do as much as we would have if we were physically present at school but we're still trying our best. I don't think the students view us as a council at the moment, because they haven't really seen us working or anything but that's what we're trying to change, I think, by introducing virtual events. Moreover, we can't really tell what the reaction of the student body is because it's much harder to reach out to them now. We don't really have a large social media connection either. So it's hard to tell exactly what they're thinking. But like I said before, we're still trying our best and are improving our means of staying connected with the students.
Can you tell me about your predecessors? What kind of legacy did they leave for you?
The previous council did an amazing job and it's definitely going to be really hard to keep up the standards and fulfil our duties to the best of our abilities like they did. For me, they are a major source of inspiration and I aim to do as much as they did or even more for the house. I've watched Kashish, Akhil and Sushanth handle every situation in the best way possible. They reached out to every student and helped them at all points of time. That's something I definitely need to make sure I do. The student body votes for us hoping they would get leaders who were as good as the ex-council. It's going to be hard to maintain those standards but I will definitely try my best.
Today’s council is working in unprecedented times. You guys deal with a situation that, if all goes well, future councils will never have to weather. How would you like to be remembered for it?
In the beginning, this unexpected situation slowed us down. We weren't as active as we would have been if we were at school, but we slowly adjusted to the entire situation and are trying to make the best out of everything we have available to us. The whole council is trying to stay as connected as possible, and we are also staying in contact with the school to try and get our future event proposals approved and get as many events functional virtually. I think the one thing I'd definitely want our council to be remembered for is our teamwork. These unprecedented times can cause a lot of chaos and in general, are very stressful to many, but the fact that we have remained strong, as a council, and are trying our best to keep things running, despite our differences, is something I would want our council to be remembered for.
What is your message to future captains?
The most important message I want to give the future captains is that, in my opinion, one of the most important things is working together. Things might not always work out the way they were supposed to but staying positive and believing in themselves, their house and their actions are something I find extremely important. I would also want them to remember that it's not always about the big things that we do and the big achievements we make, even the smallest of things that we do shows our dedication to our house. Just remember our motto "Thinking Positive," that in itself gives so much insight on what us and they should always remember to do.
SAPPHIRE
Avikaa Jalan, Captain
(With Aryan Dhar as Vice-Captain and Rishi Shah as Prefect)
What led you to your post as Sapphire House Captain today?
I joined this school in 7th grade and immediately became fascinated by the student council. By the responsibilities they held, their behaviour towards their peers, and the passion they had for their house. I wanted to experience this too and it really pushed me to stand for the student council despite my initial nervousness. Furthermore, sapphire had lost the house cup consistently in the last 5 years and knowing the potential of the house I really wanted to help people realise their talents and help us win this year.
What do you want to do to uplift your house?
I really hope to be an approachable captain to my peers so we can work as a team by incorporating their ideas as well. I want to encourage and support my house to participate in competitions and challenge themselves. Rather than have the same people participating in every event, I want to push people to come forward on their own.
I think that by having the entire house working in unity, we can definitely achieve our goals.
How have your usual captain duties changed due to the unusual situation?
The duties have reduced significantly but the student council has started thinking of new ways to keep the house spirit alive by conducting online competitions that will eventually contribute to the determination of the cultural cup winner. It will definitely be difficult to coordinate this amongst such a large group of students but it's a start.
Since we’re in lockdown, I'm sure the dynamics of the council have changed. how do you think the council is viewed during these times? What's the reaction of the student body? Where do you fit in?
To be honest I don't think the students have much of an opinion of the student council right now. In addition to being very new to the responsibilities when the lockdown started, we haven't had a chance to make a very strong impression on the student body. At this point, we're trying to be accessible to the students and project our roles as leaders. Although there is nothing we can do to shape their opinions of us at this moment, we are trying to make changes by shifting inter-house competitions online and such.
However, today’s council is working in unprecedented times. you guys deal with a situation that, if all goes well, future councils might never have to weather. How would you like to be remembered for it?
Do you mean as a house captain or as a part of the student council in general?
both!
Okay
Over the years, each student council has created its own identity and I hope that by the end of this year, we get the opportunity to do the same. The pandemic has made it very challenging but I am positive that as a team we will be able to pull off our attempts at shifting house events online and this itself will make us very memorable. However, as an individual, I hope to create my mark as an approachable, fun-loving person who will stress until her house reaches its true potential. I want to be remembered as an over-enthusiastic captain and friend dedicated to motivating her peers.
And what would you like to say to your successors?
I would just like to tell them to stay true to themselves and not forget the ideas that pushed them to stand for the council in the first place. Stay passionate about your roles and do it justice but don't forget to have a little fun in this journey to make a change. It's not about bossing over your peers but making friends out of them so they willingly come forward and participate in making a better house and school as a whole.
- Interview by Minal Shaik
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