Academy Showcase Week – demonstrating ‘excellence in education’

The Academy campus came alive in March when it opened its doors to the public with displays of IB continuum expos, visual art, music concerts, academic projects, evening plays, service internships, career fairs, and so much more. Showcase Week launched with a curtain raiser event at Hi-Tech City on Tuesday 14^th March, featuring the Academy’s first curated art exhibition and an outdoor showing of a multilingual play by IB Middle Years students called ‘Mukoon’, adapted from a short story by prolific South Indian writer Vaikom Mohammad Basheer. It concluded with a thrilling swimming gala on Friday, ending the semester on a festive note. Click here to see media coverage of the launch event.

In between, visiting parents and guests were treated to a taste of what it is like to be an Academy student. From photography exhibits to adaptations of Macbeth under dusk skies at the amphitheatre; from international student stalls describing their cultures and countries to tabla recitals; every nook and corner of the Academy pulsated with the enthusiasm and excitement arising from student expressions of an enriching and holistic education. 

"Art is such a vital part of my life,” said Shaurya Marwah, grade 12 visual art student, standing in front of his sculptures at the annual Diploma Programme art exhibition. “Art is always there for me when no one else is. It has defined my life rather than impacted it and has shaped how I think. For example, during a movie with my friends, they were reacting to the characters while all I could think about were the colors, the light, the composition. This exhibition is the shining point of the last two years of IB."

The Academy Senior School Library metamorphosed into a musical arena with daily choir and instrumental performances for a riveted audience. “The Senior School Music Concert was an event where students got the opportunity to showcase their abilities and talents in different areas of music,” said Subhadip Sarkar, music teacher. “It enabled them to build their confidence and develop many important skills. They attended the practice sessions regularly and consistently showed hard work and perseverance. I am sure that our Music Department will be able to present something new and unique next time as well. Overall, I can proudly say that Showcase Week has been a grand success for all the creative arts departments at the Academy.”

Along with the creative arts, learning was also presented in specific subject areas including science, robotics, mathematics and Theory of Knowlegde (ToK). A unique IB ‘Continuum Expo’ demonstrated the strengths, achievements and linking of PYP, MYP and DP programmes through a shared theme of “making the world a better place.”

Exhibits from the best PYP Exhibition projects, MYP Personal Projects and DP Extended Essays represented the hallmarks of each learning segment.  “The IB journey is based on conceptual learning and process-driven inquiry,” explained Arpita Trivedi, English teacher. “IB education sets the foundation for critical and analytical thinking, through the lens of concepts and global context strands. The IB Continuum Expo served as a great platform for all departments to showcase their strengths and students worked very hard!”

The Academy hosted special guests during Showcase Week, including Mahbubnagar District Collector, Mr. Ronald Rose, along with his District Education Officer and 21 head teachers from his government schools. The result of a recent visit by the Admissions talent identification team who conducted assessments for 106 gifted government school girl students the week before, their main focus was classroom observation and assessment for learning. Interacting with our Head of Academy and the senior leadership team allowed them to develop a more in-depth view of the Academy education and started discussions as to how we might be able to support their teacher professional development in the future.

Contributors – Anahita Aman & Iman Rashid (grade 9), photography by Sazil Ramani & Nabil Patel (grade 10)