ISEO concludes: Crazy hats, awards and dance mark the end of the talent Olympiad

Loony hats, eager beavers and a huge round of applause marked the end of the ISEO.

KARACHI: Loony hats, eager beavers and a huge round of applause marked the end of the International Schools Education Olympiad (ISEO) on Wednesday. The sixth and final day of the fun-filled competition made the participating schools and their teachers melancholy about the finale, but anxious and excited about the results.

To lighten the ambiance after a marathon of contests, the closing ceremony began with the Looney Headgear Award and three girls of the PECHS Girls School won the award hands down. The winning hats included one with a scarecrow on it, another with a bunch of Coke cans and one that was a glittery nest.

For innovation, a special award was given to a Bahria College student who insisted that the spinach attached to his hat was real, along with the cheese and carrots.

The PECHS Girls School also won the Eager Beavers Award for making the most noise — they cheered for their school and created a ruckus in their ‘eagerness’ to win.

For their great sportsmanship, the Bahria College received the Sportsmanship Stars Award for giving PECHS a tough and dignified fight.

The Sugar and Spice Award was presented to the Mama Parsi Girls Secondary School to describe their delegation in the competition.

Institute of Business Administration (IBA) director Dr Ishrat Husain, who was the chief guest, said participating in such competitions was essential for networking in the real world. “This Olympiad is the manifestation of every student’s inner life. Make use of it and try to win on your own merit.”

A beautiful dance that was a synergy of classical and western genres was presented by students of the host Karachi High School.

PECHS Girls School, Beaconhouse School System, Bahria College and Aga Khan School were the ones who bagged most of the awards in almost all categories.

After the awards were distributed and the Olympiad ended, students skipped along to their winning friends, exchanged high-fives and snapped pictures of their moment of glory. Gloating students instantly uploaded the pictures on Facebook and tweeted their victory.

Among the grinning students were smiling teachers who were satisfied that even with glitches, the Olympiad was a success.

WINNERS

Art: St Michael’s Convent, Bahria College, Southshore

Chess (team): School of International Studies in Sciences and Arts, Lahore, St Patrick’s High School

Chess (individual): School of International Studies, British Overseas School

Cyber Fair: Beaconhouse

Debate: Beaconhouse

Classical dance (beginners & intermediate): Karachi Grammar School

Folk dance: Beaconhouse

Elocution: Happy Home School

Instrumental - guitar: Jaffar Public School

Instrumental - piano: Beaconhouse

Model display: Aga Khan School

Photography: Bahria College, Beaconhouse

Scrabble: St Patrick’s High School, Mama Parsi Girls Secondary School

Theatre: Happy Home School

Teachers open mike: Bahria College

Vocals: Karachi International School, Gulistan SAL Boys Secondary School

Published in The Express Tribune, February 3^rd,  2011.