The Lessons of the Mountain
1. “ Hurrah for our Home in the mountains !
Hurrah for the Monarchs of Snow .”
For the land of the forests and fountains,
And the torrents that ever flow !
CHORUS
Toil up from the valley below ;
“Lift your heart” to the breeze and the glow ;
And our school on the hill
Here’s a cheer for it still ,
As onwards through life we go !
2. From the sweltering South and the Islands ,
From the plains where the hot winds blow .
We have met in the heart if the highlands
At fair India’s gates of snow .
As our school embraced the theme of “Nurturing Nature” as our annual theme for 2010 . I couldn’t help but connect the theme to the first two verses and the chorus of our school song that are reproduced above in italics .The song celebrates nature : the mountain ,the hill , the forests ,the fountains ,the torrents ,the valleys the breeze and the glow ,the South , the islands ,the plains and the highlands . Over the course of the year, as we mulled over global warming , pollution , deforestation ,recycling –reusing-reducing –refusing and all the attendant problems and possible solutions ,through our lessons and projects, to save our planet for the future generations ,the words of the “NP CHORUS” kept playing themselves back in my subconscious mind .
“Hurrah for our Home in the mountains!
Hurrah for the Monarchs of Snow.”
“Our school on the hill” and “Our Home in the Mountains” , I feel ,apart from evoking memories and nostalgic feelings in its scores of former pupils , holds out valuable lessons and challenges for us all . The mountain ,Kanchenjunga , in whose shadow Fr. Depelchin chose to build the institution , calls each North Pointer to look ever upwards; to contemplate the majesty , grandeur , symmetry and scale of this Monarch of Snow . It is with profound respect and reverence a North Pointer is to look upon the Mountain . From such deep- seated worship Nature appeals to our best sensibilities , causing all of us at N.P to Nurture Nature .We say, “as eternal as the snows,” in the painted peaks at sunset and in the drama of shadows, light and colours on its icy slopes one can see the immutability of the range .Unchanged from the dawn of time ,the constant face that greeted and bid adieu to over 120 years of North Pointers and more , reminds us of Him that does not change , Him that transcends space and time as the Alpha and the Omega –God Himself . It is little wonder then, that we have people who worship Nature in its different avatars .At North Point too, this year, more than at any other time perhaps, this reverence became a tangible thing .This sense of awe and wonder awakens in each of us, that which ennobles us and edifies us, it puts us in touch with our Maker, it stirs our souls and ignites our spirituality.
“Sursum Corda,” the motto of our school ,that is also subtly inserted in the Chorus in the words, “Lift your Heart” is another lesson of the mountain ,challenging all of us as we raise our eyes to the peaks ,to also raise our hopes , to strive for the higher , faster , stronger , better, in other words, to excel to the best of our potential to become winners surmounting our personal obstacles ,challenges or mountains . The mountain tells us too, to rise above the mundane , to supersede mediocrity ,to shun negativity to be enthusiastic , optimistic,courageous ,positive ,hopeful and to live life to the fullest, refusing to submit to things that belittle us or keep us from being all that we can be . It is a call to the Jesuit ideal of ‘Magis’ the more or the greater.
The mountain is a reality that is always there. In Darjeeling, many months of monsoon clouds often obscure the mountain from our view but we who know the vagaries of the weather, know without doubt, that the cloud will clear and the mountain will be there ever strong, serene, eternal . It is this faith of the North Pointer that enables him to take on all that life presents to him: the pain and the pleasure, the defeats and the victories, the failures and successes, the rain and the sunshine because he has the unwavering assurance that they have been ordained by Him who knows best .That the best is yet to come . That even when God seems invisible and absent in our lives ,He is there just behind that veil of cloud, which when it clears, will make the view all that more wonderful ….like on an October morning when we can see the “Gates of Snow” in its pristine magnificence . For us teachers of the Primary Department, the phenomenon of the mountain’s beauty being hidden from view is a maxim by which we function : for us ,each child is beautiful and is a special gift sent to us ,it is for us to see in the child the “Beauty Underneath”(as was so powerfully portrayed in the school major production this year, ‘Love Never Dies’)which is often not so easy to see at first . We therefore put the child at the centre of all we do .The child dictates the syllabus and the teaching methodology. The child urges us to meet his needs for love, security, socialization; also his physical, mental and psychological requirements. I am happy to say that the teachers of the Primary have really taken this calling to heart and have become second parents, in loco parentis , or adept mentors of their wards .In fact, I would go so far as to say that this is what sets education at North Point apart …it is the quality of individual care that enables each student to blossom to his full potential, to reveal, not unlike the Mountain, the beauty of the God within each of them.
It was with the best interests in the children’s all round growth and development that we undertook several activities to complement the regular teaching in the classroom. We wished at all times to foster growth in the four H’s ;namely the Head , the Heart , the Hand and the Holy and to see that they were adequately addressed and that opportunities were provided for their optimum development .If I could give another slant to the theme for the year then , “Nature” relates to the heredity or innate characteristics of the child which are endowed by his genes; “Nurture,” on the other hand ,is how the child is taught ,brought up ,cared for ,loved and also the environment he is exposed to ,at home and in school , for children learn what they live . Every individual is the product of heredity and the environment. At North Point it has been our endeavour to bring to the fore the innate, inherent potential of the child through providing the best nurturing environment we can. We have ,apart from exemplary teachers in the Primary, some of the best facilities in infrastructure anywhere in Asia and a diverse student body that provides another arena of learning when this mixed student body come together to enrich one another through their several interactions .
To this end then, we had most successfully the Parent /Teacher meeting on the 6th of March , thank you dear parents for making it a point to attend this meeting where we could share our expectations ,our vision and hopes for your sons and also glean from you your expectations of us . To further this goal, we also had the Choral and Individual Elocution , the Singing Contest , the Primary Concert ,the Spelling Bee , the Quiz Contests ,the Art ,Science and Environment Exhibitions ,the Carols and Christmas Pageant , the Drill Display and of course all the games: Athletics ,Swimming , Cricket and Football….we even had a Mini World Cup Football tournament to match the World Cup 2010 in Africa …we had the wuwuzelas and a replica of the Jules Rimet Trophy… .only Shakira was missing !!!
As I look back over the year that was lived in the shadow and embrace of the Mountain and on the Mountain’s terms, my heart is filled with a profound sense of gratitude for all that has transpired and for all the people that have contributed to making it what it was. I look with renewed hope and expectation to what the future holds, for the best is yet to come . I wish to place on record my sincere gratitude and appreciation on behalf of the Primary Division Family to Fr. Rector , Fr. Prefect and the Jesuit Community .Special thanks to Fr. Arun and the maintenance workers , Mr. Barua , Mr. Kevin and the kitchen staff ,Miss .Gulapi Sahu ,the P.D Matron, and Sister Binita our nurse, Br. Nelson , the office staff-Mr .Wangdi Sherpa , Mr. Julian Rudum , Mrs Helma Santiago and Mr Sajid Ahmed . Thank you Mr. Suraj Tamang , Mr. Sajid Ahmed, Mr. Noel Rai , Mr. Dibakar Dewan and the Rotary Club of Darjeeling who helped with our quizzes . Thank you to Mrs. Vijaya Nicholas who directed our play “Splash” with Mr. Warwick Roberts and all the P.D staff. Thank you to Mr. Alan Lepcha for all the help rendered, so willingly, in designing programmes and painting wonderful backdrops for our concerts .My gratitude goes out to the Senior school teachers, the P.D teachers ,the P.D boys , parents and all the coworkers and well-wishers .Thank you ever so much for your support ,cooperation and unstinting belief in us and all that we do . My humble thanks to Almighty God who has held us by the hand and carried us through this year.
As I close , I wish all the members of our North Point family and her extended family of parents, alumni, benefactors and well-wishers the constancy , strength , serenity, tranquility and endurance of the Mountain as you negotiate the storms in your life .May God continue to bless you with Mountain-Top experiences ….yes, I wish you Life in abundance .
Thank you all once again.
Andre Le Fevre
(Headmaster Primary Division)
