oe ines ew esThis summer, | went to the US with my team to participate in the First Tech Challenge World Championship 2015. The First tech challenge is an international robotics competition held every year for students of ages 14 to 18. We won the Indian Nationals in February and qualified to represent India at the World championship. We won the Enabler award at the World Championship and had lots of fun in the US!!! Here is my experience: We landed in Chicago 4 days before the competition(which was in St. Louis) and drove down to Louisville where my relatives live. This five hour road trip was full of music and bags of chips. There, we prepared our robot for the competition, checking all the wire connections, tightening all the screws and charging all the batteries. Two days later, we were off again to St. Louis. The first day of the competition dawned upon us, we and our robot headed to the location early in the morning. At the parking lot the sight of dozens of robots being moved met our eyes. They were surrounded by people like us, wearing colorful clothes and funny hats; laughing and smiling in high spirits. We then unloaded our robot and took it inside the venue where we were blasted by a wave of enthusiasm. Everyone was extremely kind and we made it to our pits with ease. We prepared our robot for the three days of fierce competition as all the other robots were looking extremely capable. There were a total of around 200 matches with 4 teams playing in each match competing for valuable league points so that they could finish at the top of the table and qualify for the finals. Over the course of the three days, we won 5 matches and lost 4. All our matches went extremely smoothly and we were nearing the top of the table until the third day. On this day we experiences many technical problems with our robot leading to two consecutive losses. Although we had these problems, we manged to finish 20th out of 64 other teams from all over the world! We did not make it to the finals, but it was a great and extremely rewarding experience. | got to meet many different people from different places, all brought together by a common passion for robotics. We met and learned a lot about other robots and the different ways to solve the same challenge. At the award ceremony, we were surprised to presented a special Judges Award called the Enabler Award which goes to the team that makes a great impact. This rewarded our efforts to help the visually challenged and physically challenged through projects such as the Smart Cane and the Hands-Free Mouse. . Ashwin A Kumar IBDP Year -1SCHOOL NE@S BY: AUGUSTUS SAGE BOS a ee CROs eta UR ea Rene ee Une ee) Ce RR Uni RUE ee aR ae oe RU eeu cnn Ce ie tae Recent Ry CIC um Oe a ea Re een OEE ee the famed First Tech Challenge or FTC for short; representing our country on an international stage. DIE aa SS ee ee er et ceed Athmika Senthilkumar, a former student of TIPS, were part of the team. The Technomancers, who had survived the trials of the regionals and the Nationals, flew down to St.Louis Missouri for the Ce ue aire CC RUC tinge iar eel C hurd Se ee ae ecu CTs Reece Meanwhile, Technomancers member Nishanth Kumar also took an initiative he calls the “Hands a Mem eu a Rule oR mel me Ren Ur aol ie Vea Oa au et reese esac Geni one ge De Om aCe S ae “The entire device can be easily manufactured for approximately 20 US Dollars”, he said in an CM eee eC eR aOR RU Clee Mu ely cost-reduction.” Nishanth has entered his device in the Google Global Science Fair as well’and is waiting for the eet SLT a acu aR ecm ene “Lreally hope that my device can make a difference to all the disabled children and adults out there ReesTRY UP aaa ke nea eee ad Der er ce nae cc Cn ecu eee at gat cy unc eR ee Rue RU ues oan were divided into multiple groups of 10 and sent with a teaching staff at Shri Prasanthi to tour the Cm en ec RU ee ey school provides for the benefit of the children. The Academy housed various facilities which help specially-abled children learn everyday life skills, like cooking.and personal hygiene and how to See a a Se ee Ree Ce cE ce com uC ka Re ea ee ha ite Leu kasd te “Some of our students are extremely interested in cooking”, said one of the instructors, “they even Pe ae ice a Rael econ ee RE i ices eee Rm et ue mt Pout eae es Soe a uu co aOR nar otk ae At the end of the visit, the students were gathered for an address by Mrs. Deepa, the founder and SOU ge et ce “Lam so lucky to have the pleasure to encounter and work with these kids every day of my life”, she said, “They are humans too, and they give you unconditional love when you give them a chance. I eee ca on een me aa Che eh please, in the future, if you encounter any specially-abled person, treat them normally, like a human Pee aac Us Ne r On the other hand this June also marked the entry of KG campus students into first grade and the Main TIPS campus. The first day for them was spent adapting to the new campus, starting off with Pee URLs ae Rn Rca eC en sem they were dropped off with their class teachers. This sequence was also followed by the teachers at lunch time, asthe teachers led the students to the dining hall and back again. At the end of the day SRR eh Sasuke Rese saw them off. This schedule was followed for about 2-4 days till the students got used to it and could handle it themselves. This June also marked the start of the 5th graders moving to 6th grade: graduating from PYP to MYP. In June the students received their new laptops and weré given an orientation by the teachers OT et ecu hie cue Ca Ut eee ke at Ry ue Meanwhile, our own school was brimming with energy as the students returned from their holidays, DICE sik cae eu Me Rr en oes ad year which is going to keep us entertained for a long time.Hi guys! | wonder if you've noticed that | haven't reviewed any mystery-thiller books till now. What's really surprising is that | realised it only today after ages since I've started reading (and writing, of course). So, to spice up my review column I thought of reviewing Dan Brown's “Angels and Demons”. Sounds interesting but before we make any quick judgment about this book, let's quickly dive into its explosive plot! Okay, 50 | kind of blurted out the crucial part of the book: explosions. Surprisingly, no one dies during the explosions; they die before it. Here's how it all starts. World-renowned symbolist Robert Langdon is called to a Swiss research centre to decipher an ancient symbol engraved on a murdered physicist. This can only mean one thing: the ancient secret brotherhood known as the Mluminati has come back to life and are determined to battle against its arch enemy: the Catholic Church. Simultaneously, they are informed that the Illuminati has hidden an invincible time bomb of antimatter deep inside the Vatican. Langdon teams up with ittoria, an Italian scientist in a frantic search for the bomb by going through a maze of sealed crypts, deserted cathedrals, and dangerous catacombs. A trail of ancient symbols leads to the destination where all the hope and power of the Vatican is ‘concentrated. In due course, four cardinals get assassinated in various places that have some connection with the Illuminati. Langdon and Vittoria race against the clock to understand these. ‘connections by following the chain of these assassinations only to unravel the darkest secrets held within the Vatican, Dan Brown has definitely shown his intelligence in his narration by writing a novel packed with many twists throughout while still managing to convince the readers with accurate and sensible reasoning to all the loopholes. | would call him a genius when it comes to linking facts with the events straight on. It was put across in such a way that people, in general, wouldn't find it boring and confusing. For example, there is a simplified explanation of antimatter, which Is actually very complicated to understand, He seems to have put in strenuous effort in doing his ‘own research on various topics related to history and science. The characterisation was good but it wouldn't be the trade mark of this novel. There was an adequate amount to allow the reader to build up a connection with the characters and understand their motives but there was little mystery In a few of them. | was really surprised when | found out who the true culprit was so all | can say Is that Brown provided just enough facts about the characters at the right time to fool his readers. | guess that's how most mystery books are. Little information is provided at first and then as the story builds up more information is given on all the suspects and not on the actual culprit, That deceives the reader and soon they start ignoring most of the other important facts. ‘Angels and Demons’ contains these traits of a well crafted mystery novel and it's obvious that |, as @ vulnerable reader had been misguided until the very climax. After reading the book; | thought of doing some research on the facts to check if they're true or not. Turns out that he had actually got some facts. wrong. For example, various locations in Rome were rather inaccurate and there was incorrect usage of Italian language. A few facts about antimatter were wrong too. | highly recommend this book as it's, definitely worth reading. It captures your interest from the first page and continues tll the very end. If you don't prefer reading about science or history then it may not be right for you but if you give it a shot then you probably might end up liking it:So guys, do give it a read through but make sure you don't depend on this book for acing your ‘science or history tests! eal VERDICT: NOT. TO EGG! 4.5/5 Reina Senda TOSivwwvie REVIE@ Behold everyone, for Gabriele Muccino brings to the big screen an Oscar-worthy Hollywood heartwarmer that guarantees buckets of tears and painful arrows at your heart during the pursuit of something so treasured, so foraged for only a few ever manage to get it - happiness. Starring Will Smith, Thandie Newton and Jaden Smith, The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) is sure to get everyone looking down in the dumps. San Francisco, 1981: Chris Gardner is a salesman selling bone density scanners, which are marginally better than the current technology, for double the price. Gifted with an amazing intelligence, persistence and diligence and an innate talent for selling, Gardner strives for a better career path and finally gets selected for an internship program at a prestigious brokerage firm. However, the internship pays no money and will select only one from 20 candidates. Meanwhile, his financial situation grows weaker: his wife leaves him, he is evicted from his apartment for not paying rent, loses the money in his bank account to the tax collector and is finally forced into the streets with his 5-year-old son, Christopher, and a broken bone density scanner (which could get them food for a month) and winds up sleeping in a ‘subway restroom. How Gardner survives the ranks of the homeless (if not the hopeless) with his 5-year-old while competing with Ivy Leaguers for a position in an esteemed brokerage firm with nothing but dignity, resolve, faith, love, independence and a lighthouse of optimism carves the rest of the story. The Pursuit of Happyness deals with the constitutional right to ‘pursue’ happiness rather than the right to be happy. Will Smith took on a new look in this movie: energetic, sincere, optimistic and loving as opposed to his action-flicks or slapstick comedy. He was exceptionally expressive - throughout the movie, he fervently maintained an optimistic, resolving, undefeated attitude. The performance Is so real and true that in one scene, when he can't stand it anymore and breaks down, you truly feel anguished. And Jaden Smi (Will's own son) was so endearing, he charmed Will Smith off the screen. His acting was perfect, ‘especially after considering how contrary it is to Jaden Smith's own life. The bond between Chris Gardner and Christopher comes very naturally, probably because itis real too. The climactic scene was very powerful felt, with absolutely truthful lines and flawless acting by Will Smith as he quivers with delight and content, a storm of happiness raging his face. Thandie Newton also put on a convincing act and effectively made me loathe her. Will Smith pestering a cleaner to correct the spelling of ‘happyness’ (hence the movie's name) outside his child's day-care centre, a homeless man assuming one of the bone density scanners to be a time machine, Will Smith running during most parts of the movie to retrieve a stolen scanner and Christopher's adorable knock-knock jokes certainly adds some chuckles to an otherwise gut-wrenching movie. Unexpectedly, the movie wasn't too cheesy and the technical aspects of the movie were just seamless: from the clothes to the lighting to the guitar-playing hippies. On the contrary, there were a few downsides to the film - I found the story a bit clichéd and the ending quite predictable — all movies end favouring the protagonist of course. An ostensible amount of time was spent seeing Will ‘Smith chasing thieves who stole the scanners. The movie wasn't captivating plot-wise too, which is why the actors ‘were needed to add some colour to an otherwise unadorned, transparent movie of raw emotion and truth. Chris Gardner's pursuit for happiness seems to be tightly interwoven with the pursuit for money — he did not only want a simple home to start with; he wanted luxurious mansions and sports cars too. | could see that Chris Gardner was too short-sighted: he assumes that only riches bring you happiness, forgetting that his own son does more than that. At ‘one point, he thinks, “They [the stock brokerage employees] all looked so happy. Why couldn't I look like that? This movie is a very moving, poignant portrayal of hard times, when all there is left is to smile, hope and have a ‘when-life-gives-you-lemons-make-lemonade attitude. | would say this rags-to-riches tale is truly worth a watch. “When people can't do something themselves, they're going to tell you that you can't do it,” says Will Smith, which is, beyond any doubt, the blatant truth. NIVETHA NARAPANANThe word “vacation” calls to mind visions of golden beaches and sparkling waves, of carefree relaxation and soft drinks. It is considered a time to just enjoy life. It is most likely not considered a time for any sort of non-scholastic learning. Iwill be deviating from my typical objectivity to write a passionate defense of museums. If you are the sort that finds cognitive activity stressful, it is advised that you cease reading now. Hf you are one of the brave few who dare venture into the depths of human experience, however, please continue. Point 1: Heat Vacations are usually uncomfortably warm. The combination of sunlight and humidity can be trying to the most intrepid of us. It is simply not feasible for humans to spend months in the water and not in the least healthy to live on popsicles and soft drinks (no matter what the adverts say). Also, air conditioning is expensive. Museums are the obviously affordable solution. They are entirely air-conditioned in the summer months, and are usually built of stone, which is excellent at preserving cold. Many of them allow guests to bring water bottles. Point 2: Video Reality Iwill not criticize those who spend hours hunched in front of a screen, with the curtains closed. To each, his own form of summer entertainment. But if not for your amusement, at least consider health. With the increasing prevalence of Wikipedia and Google, children are losing touch with the more tangible aspects of their history and culture. Going to museums with collections that appeal to your hobbies can give you a new appreciation for modernity. Itis one thing to look at a picture of ancient artwork and craftsmanship. It is another to see, up close, the gorgeous intricate detailing. Especially when you keep in mind that they did not have machines and lasers. Point 3: Boredom Itis my strongest sentiment that those who consider museums “boring” have never been to the right one. Museums are like books. You will not like them until you find the niche that fits you, Besides, | am sure that people can agree that nothing is more boring than the hours spent with nothing to do but binge on reruns (of the season you just finished). Some also have interactive exhibits, where visitors can actually touch certain displays. Aquariums are great at this. In conclusion, | believe that museums are one of the best places to spend a vacation. (For the more linguistically inclined, libraries are just as satisfying, with the added advantage that many are free!) Aaradhana NatrajanHello guys! This month, for the first article of the Talent Page, we will be scanning through A.G Naveen Kumar's achievements in the field of art and craft. Naveen was born on 9th March, 1999 and is currenth an IB DP student of our school. He initiated his training in the particular field in 2010, soon after visiting a training institute of arts. He then began attending art classes in an institute known as Chitrakalaparishath, in Bangalore — his hometown. Moreover, his aunt, being an artist, also tremendously inspired him into acquire skills in various kinds of art. Naveen engaged in learning various kinds of paintings, such as acrylic painting, water colour painting, oil iting, sand, bottle, pot and also glass paintings. He also began clay work, crafting in areas such as punch craft, and “manga”, which is a type of sketching. He was inspired to take up Manga, by another IB DP student named Akash Ramaswamy. Over the years Naveen pursued graffiti, and has almost mastered the skill as well. He was interviewed by the Sun news, Sun TV, Vendhar TV and Captain TV where he spoke about his numerous achievements and skills. In 2014 and 2015, he hosted art exhibitions in the city of his residence, Coimbatore, and received a multitude of positive and motivating reviews from the visitors. He desires to learn and master panel painting in the future, and is being strongly encouraged by his Parents, to continue his learning in the field of art and craft. Naveen's talent will serve him well in the future, as he aims to become an automobile designer. Sanchal Sanchayyan, 1.B D.P Year 1