Greenlawns as it is today

Today, the Greenlawns High School stands equipped with classrooms, teachers and is one of the most highly desirable location in Bombay. Its equipment is modern, its curriculum up-to-date with a high teacher-student ratio and has a cheerful and healthy atmosphere. In 1966, the School was made up of the ground plus three floors, then in 1976 another three floors were added and today the school has the ground plus six floors. The computer laboratory, Music room and the canteen on the ground floor of the school building. The terrace is used for dance classes and for rehearsals for any performance. A library both for reference and reading is maintained. Further improvements are still in progress to ensure its completed efficiency. We also have a well-equipped laboratory for Physics, Chemistry and Biology.

The school was recognized by the Department of Education, Maharashtra Government in Greenlawns High School is a non-denominational, co-educational school founded in 1959. It is a minority, unaided institute. The school affiliated to the Indian Certificate of School Examination Board based in Delhi since 1975.

The Mission Statement of the School states that we strive to create an institutional culture of value-based growth and excellence.

The aim of the school is to train children to lead full and useful lives, through a liberal education and a board curriculum. The course of the school studies is designed as preparation for the ‘Indian Certificate of Secondary Education&';(I.C.S.E) Examinations conducted by the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, New Delhi. These examinations are administered annually, in the tenth year of the student's high school tenure.

The School has three sections. 1. Pre-Primary which has the Play School, the Nursery, the Preparatory and the Kindergarten with three sections of each class. Each class has two teachers and maid assigned to it. The timings for this section is from 8.00 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. The lessons are planned on the basis of Multiple Intelligences. Field trips are arranged periodically, creativity is encouraged, “hands-on” teaching and learning is the methodology applied. The uniform worn by the children in this section is different from the one worn by children in Primary and Secondary sections of the School. Each of the classes have their own Concert on a different day at the end of the academic year. Similarly, the have a Fancy Dress Day. The sports day is common for all the children of the Pre-Primary Section, conducted at the Priyadarshani Grounds.
2. Primary section which covers Standard 1 to Standard 4. This section is supervised by Headmistress. We have had three in all these years. Beatrice was the first headmistress, followed by Irene D&';Souza and when she retired, Jaswinder Kaur has been the Headmistress since the last 12 years. The Headmistress has to report to the principal.
3. Secondary section made up of the classes from Standard Five to Standard Ten. This section has Heads for the different subjects who plan the syllabus, keep check on the work being done and submitted by the teachers in their department and report to the principle regarding the same.

The uniform has remained the same for all these years expect for two years in between when we tried out another uniform but had to revert to the earlier one, because the student wanted it so. Today the students get their set of books and their uniforms from the School without having to pay for them. The practice of giving them the books started when Greenlawns turned 50 years old and the uniform was given when the school at Breach candy turned 50.

Today, we have a different School Anthem from the one that was sung in 1956. This was composed and set to music by our, then, Music teacher, Austin Alphonso.
The School Song:

PUPILS
Today the strength is about 1400 pupils. There are 14 classes ranging from Pre-Nursery up to Std. X. Each of the classes has three sections. The number of children per class averages to about 38 to a class.

The teacher-student ratio is 1:18.

The school has English as its medium of instruction. The students are taught not just English Language but Literature as well. Hindi or Gujarati is taught as the Second language and the child learns Marathi as the Third Language which is taught for 4 years. We have, what is known as Environmental Studies, from Standard I right up to standard V. The syllabi in History, Geography and Science in this method are covered by a study of the environment through the Project Method of Teaching. Art, Craft, Physical Training, Value Education and Music both Western & Indian are other subjects included in the curriculum. Students of Std. III to V also learn Indian Dancing. Students of Std.IX and X have undertakes Socially Useful Productive Work.

Students doing exceptionally well in any of the subjects being taught are given certificates at one of the morning assemblies at the end of the academic year.

All candidates for the Board examination must sit for six subjects - namely English, a second language, History Civics and Geography and two of the subjects from choice of Mathematics, Science(Physics, Chemistry, Biology), Commercial Studies and Environmental Studies as well as any one subject from among Art, Technical Drawing, Physical Education and computer Science Application.

In addition to passing a written examination, these subjects are also externally assessed in addition to these, the candidates to whom the I.C.S.E. certificate is awarded, has to satisfactorily complete a course in Socially Useful Productive Work(S.U.P.W).

The School Leaving Examination results are excellent. All candidates taking the examination pass with flying colours and we note with justifiable pride that no child fails in any subject.

The students have done us proud. In 1986, Vishal Anand was the All-India Topper at the ICSE Examination.
In 1996-97, Neha Jain stood second in Mumbai and in 1997

Sahil Shah stood second in Mumbai in March 2014.

Farzan Bharucha was the topper in Mumbai and in second in India with a percentage of 99.2

The average percentage of the students taking the Examination at the ICSE Examination went up to _____ in 2019 from 42 in 1975. We have had any number of students getting perfect score of 100% from in many of the subjects at the Board Examination.

This year, in 2018 we have had of the candidates getting above 90% from a total of the candidates who took the Examination.

We have special Award Ceremony on August 15 every year, after the Flag Hosting ceremony, for the students who take the ICSE Examination. The Chief Guests are the parents of the students who scores the highest percentage at the Board Examination that year. Prizes are given in the following categories:

C.U. Shah Gold Medal for the student whose score is the highest at the school leaving ICSE Board Examination.

The Mohnot Trophy for the student who gets the second highest percentage at the same examination.

The Daphne Frazer Trophy for the All-Rounder.

The Lalit Gandhi Trophy for the All-Rounder but with academics also included

The Gyan Karma trophy for the students who is the most empathetic and is socially aware.

Prizes to all the students securing 90% and above in any subject

Certificates to those who get 90% or above in all the six subjects that the candidates appear for.

There are Trophies for students who secure the highest marks in Science, Mathematics, Computer Science or Geography.

Gradually trophies for the other subjects will also be instituted.

Even though we are working towards preparing our children for the I.C.S.E. Examination, as a basis for a career or a profession, the aim of the School is not to just make our students academically profession. The school has a broader aim which is to train children to lead full and useful lives through a liberal education and a broad curriculum. And so specialization is avoided as far as possible until Std. IX is reached, emphasis is not laid merely on intellectual education but on all moral and social habits. Every encouragement is given to students to enter fully into the various activities, to broaden their interests and to provide an opportunity to discover and develop latent talents, such activities play an important part in bringing students and Staff together outside the classrooms, and in forming a basis for the happy and harmonious mutual understanding so essential, both to student&';s healthy development as a person, and to his academic progress and success.

The extra-curricular activities in progress at present are dramatics, elocution, music, handicraft, art, athletics, swimming, yoga, calligraphy, cooking and home science, vegetable carving, chess, excursion and dancing. We also have the Interact Club, the Nature Clube and the Road Safety Patrol functioning smoothly and effectively. Since the school does not have a ground big enough for sports and games, the children go every morning to Priyadarshani grounds at Napean Sea Road every morning before coming to school. The school pays for the use of these grounds and the students are supervised and trained by the Game teachers of the School and special trainers.

We have a House System in which there are four House, i.e. Red, Blue, Green and Yellow House. Each house has its own motto -

Red House - Knowledge of power

Blue House - Service before Self

Green House - Truth prevails

Yellow House - Rights before might

Each of the four Houses have a Captain and a Vice Captain. The Head boy and Head girl are elected by the students of Standard 7 to Standard 10 while the Captains of the four Houses are elected by the students of Standard 6 to Standard 10 of their respective House. The students who want to offer their candidature for any of these posts have to fill in a Nomination form which is scrutinized by the teachers and one accepted, the candidates have to get the form signed by their parents. The Vice-captains and the two Sports Captains are nominated by the Sports Teachers and the House Mistresses. The Principle has to no role in either the elections or the nominations of the perfects.

Each term various competitions, 25 of them are every year, are held between the House and certificates and prizes are awarded to the winners. A record is maintained of the scores achieved by each House and the House with the highest score at the end of the academic year is declared the winning House. The students, too, maintains a record of the activities that he or she has participated in and the score achieved. The student with highest score gets the trophy for participation in co-curricular activities.

The Annual Sports (held either at the Priyadarshani grounds or the University grounds), the swimming Gala(held at the N.S.C.I. Club) and the Prize Giving Function or the Annual Day (held at the Nehru Auditorium in Worli) from an essential part of every year's programme.

We take active part in Inter School activities with encouraging results. The Students have brought back trophies in Inter-School debates, elocution, essay writing, athletics, swimming, music, dance and Science.

Social Service has been done by our School students in Homes for the Blind, Anand Kendra, Orphanages, visiting poor Schools and Distributing food packets to children there and to those in the huts in our vicinity. It will be interest that children are regularly collecting funds and material, now too, for the children of the tribal districts Maharashtra. Every alternate year the school invites about a hundred children from villages like Umbartha to stay with us and get to see Bombay. The interaction which ensures is remarkable.

Emphasis is laid on the need of discipline though no corporal punishment is allowed. The perfect help to maintain discipline daily thus teaching them responsibility. This has proved very successful. We also encourage a Student Board in which the members are encouraged to give us constructive criticism.

Aptitude and I.Q. Test and talks on Career Choices are conducted to help gauge the abilities of our students in choice of career to our students in Std. IX. The School has a qualified Counsellor whom the children are free to consult about anything and to approach for guidance.