“The most important part of education is to inculcate in the students the spirit of ‘We can do it”.    “Focus of the education system should be to train students to become autonomous learner.”     - Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.

Bangalore June 21, 2012: It was a red letter day for the students of Greenwood High who now have a memory to cherish for a lifetime. His Excellency, Former President of India Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam graced the school with his presence on the day and spent quality time with the students, addressing them and then fielding questions from the enthusiastic young minds.

Excitement was in the air. Students and staff alike literally counted the minutes till Dr. Kalam walked through the portals of their school. Their joy knew no bounds when Dr. Kalam came in cheerfully and made himself comfortable with the children. His very presence was a source of immense inspiration and joy.

Dr.Kalam was welcomed with the traditional Aarti and tika ceremony. He was then ushered into the school auditorium in a human chain. The formal part of the function was inaugurated with a prayer and a welcome song. Dr.Kalam then had the students mesmerized with his talk. He said that humility, modesty, respect and other such virtues comes naturally to a child. It is the responsibility of our education system to ensure that these values remain ingrained for life.”

The 45 minutes just flew by. When the floor was opened for questions, Dr.Kalam was greeted with a flurry of enthusiastic and curious minds.

As a tribute to his visit to the school, Dr.Kalam planted a sapling on the premises at the proposed site for the new IB building. For the staff and management of the school, the hope is that the sapling will grow to represent the truly strong nature of the proposed international school on its premises.

Mr. Bijay Agarwal, Director, Salarpuria Sattva said, “It was truly on honour to host and meet with Dr. Kalam. Both the children and the staff have many lessons for life to take away from his address to us.”

Greenwood High is a school “rooted in knowledge” and the emphasis has always been on the growth of rounded personalities and not just children well versed with their books. It has several

successes of students to be proud of, across the various boards of ICSE, IGSE and CIE and the IB program as well. Having a personality like Dr. Kalam interact with the children was the perfect way of adding to the experience the children take away with them from school.

Mrs Niru Agarwal, Director, Greenwood High says, “Dr. Kalam’s visit to our school has been like an affirmation to all the hard work that we have put into making this institution what it is. He is someone that children easily relate and open up to. To have him spend time with us was a wonderful experience for the students and staff.”

Following the Q & A session, Dr. Kalam was escorted with the human chain for some refreshments. He indulged in some of his favourite pakodas with child-like enthusiasm reaffirming his very affable personality. A photo session with the management of the school allowed for these memories to be cherished for future generations of students who will walk through these portals.