Do fairy tales make you smart? 

The gift of fantasy is truly empowering. So, children are introduced to innovative tales early on. They simply build upon their imagination and come up with creative ideas throughout their life.

The Pre-primary Annual Appreciation Day of Apeejay School, Nerul in Navi Mumbai was based on a similar thought. The event was themed on a quote by the distinguished Theoretical Physicist, Albert Einstein. He once said, “If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.”

The ceremony was held at Vishnudas Bhave Natyagruha, Vashi with great elation and gusto. The Chief Guest of the day was Ms. Tejaswini Katdare, Principal of Apeejay School, Kharghar in Navi Mumbai.

The programme commenced with the ceremonial lighting of the lamp by the Chief Guest and Regional Director Academics – Apeejay Education, Mr. Rakesh Joshi. It was supplemented by a beautiful invocation dance by students. Their performance was dedicated to Goddess Saraswati.

The school’s Vice Principal Mrs. Preeti Gupta then addressed the gathering. In her speech, she focused on the need for holistic development in a competitive world. She further highlighted how Apeejay imparts value-based learning to its students and nurtures their core competencies. She concluded by quoting Polymath, Rabindranath Tagore, “Reach high, for stars lie hidden in you. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal.”

After this, tiny tots of the school shared their golden moments spent in the school eloquently. Shortly, Ms. Mrinalini Singh, the Pre-Primary coordinator, presented the annual report for the academic year 2022-23. She said, “Teaching at Apeejay is a two-way process: where the teachers first try and understand each child to provide them with easy and adaptable techniques. After which, they provide a conducive ambience for them to learn what is delivered.” In addition to this, she related the various feats by the children throughout the year. Multiple activities held in the school helped in building creative thinking and the skills needed to tackle the upcoming milestone in their school journey. She also picked a few names of the activities such as Puppet Show, Janmashtami, Navaratri, Gandhi Jayanti, Republic Day and Independence Day celebrations. Approaching the end of the speech, she shared words of gratitude for the parents who bestowed their faith and confidence upon the school unceasingly.

A prize distribution ceremony was also held during the programme. It recognised the efforts of the children who were rewarded by all the educationists and teachers present.

The next segment was entirely devoted to the ‘Magical World of Fairies’. It included the story of ‘Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs’ as a dance drama. Through it, children imparted many life lessons, one of the most important being the ‘danger of vanity.’ As per the story, the evil queen wishes death upon Snow White because she cannot accept that she is not the most beautiful woman in the kingdom. And, this vanity destroys her in the end.

Soon after, students emphasised upon the concept of real beauty which is showcased through the outer and the inner being of a person. The entire act reflected, “The truth is beauty, the beauty truth” and kept the audience glued onto the dance performances like Chand Pe Pariya, Shine Your Way, Down to Work, Heigh Ho Heigh Ho and finally the culmination dance. Children received a standing ovation from the audience for putting up an outstanding show. Needless to say, it was the outcome of hard work put in by students and teachers, who persistently, for over months, rehearsed.

Finally, the event concluded with a Vote of Thanks proposed by students of the school. They thanked the entire team of Pre-primary, Primary and Secondary volunteers along with student and teacher comperes, the technical and musical support for delineating an unperturbed kaleidoscopic display of talents. Ms. Singh thanked parents for their unconditional support to the school. The programme enthralled the onlookers and came out as a piece of perfection!