Volume 1 Issue 6

Newsletter Date July - November 2015

The Messenger

Long Live Our

Beloved King

Birthday
Celebrations
of
His
Majesty, the Fourth Druk Gyelpo
November 11th was, indeed, a
culmination point at which various
activities that have been going on for a
year as part of dedication to His
Majesty, the Fourth King on his 60th
birth anniversary came to a conclusion.
With the Gewog administration
deciding to celebrate the occasion
along with the students and staff in our
school, we had a grand programme with
the presence of a large number of
people from the community. The days
programme began with a procession
carrying the portrait of the Fourth King
to the venue, the football ground. The
students and public presented various
programmes depicting their reverence
and gratitude to the king who has
selflessly worked all the time for the
betterment of their lives. His Majesty,
the Kings message for the day,
broadcast on the BBS, was made
available live to everyone present. The
programme
concluded
with
a
community lunch and the people
pledging
their
solidarity
and
commitment to their King and nation.

th
Our joy finds no bounds as we note here on the 11 November. It is a matter of

that we have been able to construct a

chorten, an epitome of our culture, in
dedication to His Majesty the Fourth druk
Gyelpo whose 60th birthday anniversary is
being extolled solemnly across the country
with great ceremonial splendour. Having
realized, like anyone in the country, that the
year is an occasion to show our obeisance,
gratitude and respect to the Druk Gyelpo
who has selflessly tried to ensure the
welfare of his people, the Choethuen
Tshogpa of the school came up with the
suggestion that a chorten be built in
dedication to His Majesty. The suggestion
was regarded appropriate and the initial
works began with the solemn blessings of
Yangpei Lopen in the month of March. It
is indeed the great benevolence of the
Buddha that the work which had a humble
beginning with the donations made by
students, teachers and generous public,
progressed steadily, making it possible to
have the consecration ceremony conducted

extreme happiness and pride to feel that we

are instrumental in facilitating such an
important symbol of our culture to the
school community as well as to the public so
as to acquire boundless merits.
Our joy will be incomplete if we dont
express our heartfelt gratitude to all those
who have stood by us throughout the
construction. So we would like to express
our sincere gratitude to Mr. Tshering ( AE ,
DOR Darla) Mr. Tenzin Wangdi
(Ngangalam Cement Factory) ,Mr. Lhanga
(Penden Cements), Mr.
Lhaba (Nima
constructions) and Aum Naki who have
been kind enough to sponsor various
construction materials. We are also thankful
to each and everyone who has generously
contributed to the realization of this noble
cause.

In This Issue:

Birth Anniversary
Celebrations of the fourth king
Consecration of the Chhorten
His Majestys Visit
Annual Marathon

Mock Drill

Workshop on Human Values

Vice Councillors Election
Dasho Dzongdahs Visit

Students
Articles

His Majestys visit

When we received the news that our school
also was one of the places that His Majesty
would visit as part of his tour to the
Dzongkhag, there was such an overwhelming
excitement that everyone in the school felt
that it was going to be one of the rarest of
rare occasions. So preparations went on for
many days on a war foot basis.
All
arrangements had been done accordingly and
even a rehearsal with regard to the seating of
students and staff and the particular practices
of etiquette to be followed were all practiced.
But owing to certain constraints as part of the extensive tour of the
Dzongkhag, His Majesty was not actually able to visit our school.
Nevertheless, the students had been taken to Rinchentse, a nearby
village, where all of them were fortunate enough to have an
audience with the King. Everyone was high in the spirits as they
listened to His Majestys encouraging words and received a
memento as a remembrance of the royal visit. Many of them
remarked that it was really a rarest of rare occasions

Dasho Dzongdahs Visit

Dasho Dzongdah visited our school and had an interaction
with the students and staff. While the main aim was to give
away His Majesty's Certificate of Appreciation to those who
excelled in their studies during the previous years, Dasho also
found time to hold a meeting with staff and sort out various
issues with regard to the general administration. Many
queries related to the profession and general rules were
clarified in the meeting. Earlier, attending the morning
assembly, Dasho called for the students honest commitment
to achieving their dreams and thereby becoming a part in the
nations progress in all aspects.

Mock Drill
The school conducted mock drill (as part of the nationwide
drills) to keep the stakeholders informed about the strategies
they must adopt in times of natural disasters to keep
themselves safe. As the warning siren went off, everybody
busied themselves carrying out the responsibilities assigned
to them with the singular objective of rescuing victims out of
danger. Later, the disaster committee observed that the drill
went as it should have and congratulated everybody for
assuming their roles sincerely.
Marathon
The annual school marathon was held on 19 th September. This
years theme was Run For Health.The run, conducted category
wise for boys and girls, found a tremendous increase in the
participants in comparison with the previous years. The winners
were awarded cash prizes and certificates n recognition of their
hard work and sportsmanship. The winners were Chitra Chetri
(Senior Boys), Rupa Ghalley(Senior Girls, Khush Maya (Junior
girls) and Lok Bahadur (Junior Boys)

Page 2

Workshop on Human Values

The staff members of our school had been fortunate enough
to have availed an opportunity to attend a three day workshop
on human values, facilitated by the faculty of Gedu college of
Business Studies. Having heard that such a workshop was
facilitated by the college, our vice principal , contacted the
institute and ensured their consent.
Subsequently,
arrangements had also been made, in consultation with the
authorities, to call off the classes and facilitate transportation.
As for the attempt to get approval for such a workshop, Dorji
Yangzom, the vice principal, said that it was her conviction
that the information on values gained from such an enriching
programme would prove to be useful in the individual life of
the teachers and benefit them professionally in dealing with
the students.

Vice Councilors Election

In accordance with the prevailing practice, vice councilors
election was held to select vice councilors to entrust with
various responsibilities in the second term. There were a total
of18 candidates, nominated by the teachers and other in charges
concerned. Time was facilitated for them to meet the voters and
talk to them their aspirations and pledges. The voting took
place on 28 August. Like in the previous years electronic
voting machines, facilitated by the Dzonkhag Election
Commission, were made use of for the voting. With the
practice getting strengthened year after year, we hope our
students will become exemplarily aware of the electoral process
involved in the democratic election of representatives and thus
contribute greatly to the future strengthening of the system in
our country
Annual Concert
Annual concert of the school was held on 28 and 29 of August.
Mr Kinley Tshering, Chief Security Officer at DGPC, graced
the occasion with his solemn presence as the chief guest. It
was an occasion for our students to present their artistic talents
in front of their fellow students, invited dignitaries and the
public and they obviously did it in an appreciable manner.
The returns from this years show were pledged to the purpose
of meeting the expenditure related to the construction of
chorten.
Like in the previous years, there was an overwhelming support
from the community members. The school remains ever
grateful to all its well wishers for the cooperation and support
extended to it from time to time.

Reading Week 2015

Reading Week is organized in our school every year
with the intent of helping our students understand the
importance of reading and the infinite benefits it
facilitates in their growth in academics as a student
and as a better human in their individual and social
life. In accordance with the plan set in the outset of
the academic year, it was organized from 7 to 12 of
September, 2015. This years theme was Read,
Lead and Succeed. During the week some special
reading activities were initiated so as to facilitate
opportunity for more students to take part in the
reading activities and thereby develop and inculcate
an interest of reading within them.
Readers Theatre
Readers theatre was conducted as a competition
item between the sections of grade PP-III. It was
interesting to see the tiny tots of our school
presenting themselves as little narrators and various
fanciful characters in their creative costumes and
attire as kings, queens, butterflies, birds etc. Their
babbling speeches and sing song narrations did
create an effective ambience and were appreciated
Page 3

by everyone. The presentations were evaluated

based on the creativity and coordination and prizes
were awarded accordingly.
Winners
PP A
IA
II A
IIIA & B

Random Reading
This reading activity was conducted for students of
classes VII X to check their ability to read
Dzongkha and English fluently and their
preparedness and confidence to speak before an
audience. They were instructed beforehand to be
ready with two passages, in English and Dzongkha,
and read it out as the coordinator of the day
randomly called out their roll numbers in the
assembly. The activity went well as we planned and
had the desired result.
Selected Reading
This activity was for the students from classes IV
VI. Some of the students who were identified by the
teachers concerned read out either pieces of news or
interesting information they wanted to share with
their fellow students in the assembly. This activity
was also successful though many of the students
who came forward couldnt be permitted to present
their reading due time constraint in the assembly.
Quiz
A mini quiz of two questions related to books and
reading was also initiated to evaluate the students
awareness of popular books, writers and some
common literary terms. And prizes were awarded

instantly to the winners.

Book Talk
As on every Friday, two students presented reviews
of an English and a Dzongkha book. The reviews
are helping the students to get acquainted with the
interesting books in the library and rouse their
curiosity to read them.
Mass Reading
To facilitate more time for general reading, an hour
was created, on Thursday, by deducting five minutes
from each period. So, after the instructional hours
all the students and teachers came out to the open,
settled in conducive places and read books of their
choice for an hour.
Page 4

We are very happy to note here that all the

activities we had envisaged went well, leading this
years Reading Week into a grand success. It is
hoped that our plans for such activities in the future
will also meet with the same grandeur and success.

Riddles
1. If you feed me I live but if you give me water
I die. Who am I?
2. There are five copycats. One jumped outside.
How many are left?
3. What goes up but never comes down?
4. What crawls on four legs in the beginning,
walk on two in the middle and on three in the
end?
5. What has a hundred limbs but cannot walk?
6. What falls in water but does not get wet?
Answers
1 Fire
2. No one
3. Age
4. Human
5. Tree
6. Water
Compiled by: Tshering Zam VI A

Dasho OCs Visit

As part of his effort to convince the students of the surrounding

schools about the general civilian laws, Dasho OC from the
Gedu police station visited our school on 18 August and
presented an orientation on the youth related crimes and their
impacts on the individual and society. The presentation kept the
students informed about the crimes that the youngsters are
easily falling prey to and the consequences they will face upon
their reckless involvement in them. Dasho pointed out instances
in which some of the youth from the locality are involved and
the difficult phase they are going through. He also found time
to interact with the students through a question-answer session
which was meticulously made use of by the students to get
clarified many issues that they think are illegal and the possible
remedies to them. Those who attended the program opined that
the awareness they gained through the presentation will remain
with them and help them to act positively. The school would
like to express its sincere gratitude to the Dasho for initiating
such an orientation program for our students.
A Noiseless, Patient Spider
-Walt Whitman

A noiseless patient spider,

I markd where on a little promontory it stood
isolated,
Markd how to explore the vacant vast surrounding,
It launchd forth filament, filament, filament out of
itself,
Ever unreeling them, ever tirelessly speeding them.

seek all of our lives to achieve the height of

enlightenment; trying to find the meaning of life, but
we get obstructed, tired, bogged down and bothered
so much by the world that surrounds us. We must
learn all kinds of super-perseverance from this creepy
creature.

This poem is not only about a spider; Whitman tells

us that spider is a metaphor for the human soul,
And you O my soul where you stand,
which also explores and tries to connect. Whitman
Surrounded, detached, in measureless oceans of
describes about the vulnerability of soul in this vast
space,
Ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing, seeking the realm of existence. He tries to find ways to
accommodate the soul and find a place for it amongst
spheres to connect them,
Till the bridge you will need be formd, till the ductile the rest of the soul-filled world, hence the bit about
anchor hold,
venturing, seeking, and connecting in this
Till the gossamer thread you fling catch somewhere, measureless ocean of space. With the use of lots of
O my soul.
imagery and figure of speech (metaphor), it portrays
a deeper human emotion.
This is one of my favorite poems. The poem is short
but it has multi-faceted meanings. The poem
describes a spider, which is noiseless, patient and
isolated (bother less) and it works on its web. Its
doing the most uncertain part of hard work: trying to
shoot out lots of little filaments ceaselessly, patiently
and tirelessly, and trying to get one of them to stick to
something. We too ceaselessly muse, venture, and
Page 5

The poem is about hard work, exploration, spirituality

and the man and the natural world. And is must read
poem.
Saacha Dorji (Tr)

Your mind has changed

Your mind has changed
Your otherwise charming look at me
Has changed!
The place where we met before
Is the place where you meet
Your new ones today
Whenever someone asks about me
With harsh words you say
That you dont know me
Your mind ha changed
Many things happened after you left
You never thought and realized about them
You always trusted others
You never asked me the truth
You believed liars
Your mind has changed!
Your innocent I have known
Has become dirty
Your mind has changed!!
Your mind has changed!!
Ganga Kharka VII C

Flowers
God created flowers for many reasons
It is mostly for its beauty.
People grow them
But there are other reasons
To keep them too.
We offer the flowers to God
Because they are pure
And also a symbol of human respect.
Some say that if we have a pure heart
Only we can care for flowers
Flowers are not only grown for decoration
But for many other special uses
Flowers make our mind clear,
Loving, peaceful and happy
So we should make good use of them
And take good care of them.
Bhagi Ghalley VIIIB

Did you know?

Humans blink every two to

ten seconds and each blink
takes about 0.3 seconds. This
means that you spend about
30 minutes every day with
your eyes shut.
Page 6

Some Interesting Idioms And their Origins

One reason that makes English a challenging language to learn is its illogical
and weird uses, especially associated with the colloquialism. On hearing such
uses, we might stop to ponder but they would never appear to make any sense
to anybody as they are rather confusing. On the other hand, learning them
and deliberately trying to use them in our communication will certainly help
us to cement such uses in our mind and thus lead us to the fun of learning
English.
Here are a few uses, their meanings and origins.
* Play it by ear
Meaning: when we play something by ear , we see how things go and
decide on a course of action as we go along rather than sticking to a
defined plan.
Eg. When shall we or ganize the match? Let s see how the weather
looks and play it by year.
Origin: This saying has its or igin in music as playing by something
by ear means to play music without reference to the notes on a page.
* Raining cats and dogs
Meaning: When its raining particularly heavily
Eg. Listen to that r ain. Its raining cats and dogs.
Origin: It may be a r efer ence to dead animals being washed thr ough
the streets by flood.
* Turn a blind eye
Meaning: To pr etend not have
Eg. He took my book but I tur ned a blind eye.
Origin: It is said to have ar isen as a r esult of the famous English
naval hero Admiral Horatio Nelson who, during the Battle of
Copenhagen in 1801, is alleged to have deliberately raised his
telescope to his blind eye in order to ignore the signal from his
superior giving him discretion to withdraw from the battle.
* Fat chance
Meaning: it is used to r efer to something that is incr edibly unlikely.
Contradictory to what one might expect, it simply means the same
as slim chance.
Eg. We might win the match fat chance.
Origin: Though the or igin is unclear , it isbelieved that the fat
might be a sarcastic version of slim
in slim chance.
* Mad as March hare
Meaning: it r efer s to someone who is completely cr azy.
Eg. You could ask him but he is mad as a Mar ch har e!
Origin: This comes fr om the behavior of har es dur ing the br eeding
season when they run and leap about the fields.
* Driving someone up the wall
Meaning: It is used when something or someone is causing extr eme
exasperation and annoyance.
Eg. The per sistent nagging of my wife is dr iving me up the wall.
Origin: It evokes someone tr ying exasper atedly to escape something
by climbing up the wall.
Know the ropes
Meaning: Someone who knows the r opes is exper ience at what they
are doing.
Eg. Ask my br other , he knows the r opes ar ound her e.
Origin: It has its or igin in the age of sailing when under standing
how to handle the ropes was necessary to operate a ship was an
essential skill.
Tomy Varghese(Tr)

The Message
You have forgotten who you are
You have neglected your responsibility
You have forgotten the devotion
You have forgotten your place
You have distorted your knowledge
You have forgotten your mother.
You have forgotten who you are
You have ravaged the exotic
You have poisoned the fragrance
You have polluted the blue
And changed the appearance of the green.
You have released toxins of all kinds
And polluted the whole world.
You have produced effluent and garbage
You have destroyed the flora and fauna.
You have caused global warming
You have invariably damaged me.
You have forgotten who you are.
The creatures living in me
Destroyed me instead of giving any help.
I lost my strength and hope
Nobody dares to help me
And there is nothing I can do
But just bear these humiliating actions.
Tshering Samdrup VIII B

Life
Life is so wonderful
But sometimes it makes
Me cry a lot.
Life is like a film
Where we are all actors and actresses.
I feel happy to have
Such a beautiful life
But sad that I cannot enjoy it.
Why am I sad?
I do not know this.
I hardly smile to others
For in the core of my heart
I am crying all the time.
No one understands me
I am in search of someone
Who can understand me
And make me happy.
All the time I pray to god
To help me
To send someone
Who can understand me
And make me happy
Hope in next generation at least
Ill have someone who will understand me!!
Arati Chhetri VIII B

To my old friends

To my best friends..
Missing you all
From my inner heart
Thinking about you all
Makes my eyes fill with tears
You all are the ones who gave me
A new experience
Remembering the moments
That we spent together
Makes me wish
To meet you all soon.
My love for you all will never end
It would remain the same forever.
You all are the ones who will be
My friends for ever.

Bandana Pradhan VII B

Did you know?

Each bird has its own special song.

Birds recognize each other by their
songs, just as humans recognize
friends by their voice.

Page 7

How to achieve my aim?

I sat under a tree
Attempting to count the stars
But unable!
A thought came to my mind,
Reminding me my aim
Which I should not let go
Like a wind.
I flip my page back and forth
And the time went by and away.
I knew the door to my aim is studies
Which I should keep up
I will study day and night
On and on without any rest.
I will achieve my aim
Then, I will rest
After reaching that destination.
Ugyen Choden VIII B

My best Friend
Friendship is hard to make but easy to break
What is meant by CF Boys?
Guess.
CFB means Cool Fighter Boys
We are the ones:
Monith is the best
Sometimes he acts like a pest
He always acts as half-crack
Because he hits us till our head cracks.
Lalit is our boss
But he is afraid of ghost
Soccer he likes the most
Hemant is our hero
The knowledge is zero
Fights much and suffers a lot
Pema Wangda Dorji is our role model
Sonam Tobgay is his photocopy
They are the ones who give protection to my life.
Hemant Mukhia VI A

Whose Garden was This?

Whose surrounding was this?
All with green grass!
Ive seen and heard the records
Of varied organisms buzzing in there.
Where have they gone?
I find none.
Who planted this beautiful tree?
I can see the picture of attractive fruits
Where have these trees gone?
I find none
Who preserved this clean spring?
You tell me people drank
Water from here?
Make it clearer
For I want to know
The surrounding were clean
Wild life were happy too!
Now, where are those happy times?
I just regret for arriving here too late
For I have lost the opportunity to see
The real properties of the earth as now.
Padam Singh Raika VIII B

Once She will leave us alone

Sometimes I wonder
Who a mother is!
Mother who took lot of pain
For nine months, and then
Giving love and care for us
Nothing can be compared to a mother
She gives us everything we need
Have we ever bothered about her feelings?
Page 8

How can I?
How Can I Say Goodbye to
Darla, the place where I have been
For a long time: from IV to VI
Can I say goodbye to Darla School?
I have been spending my childhood here
Far from parents and home
How can I say goodbye to it?
Staying here I have changed,
So many classes learned
Made so many sweet friends
So many teachers taught me so many things
How can I say goodbye to it?
Tashi Lhamo VI A

When we grow up,

And stand on our own feet later,
What we think of?
We forget all of them.
Nothing can be compared to a mother
She is the special and important person
In our life , so dont forget
To love her.
Dont hurt your mother
For, there is no substitute for her.
Purna Maya Samal IX A

Did you know..?

Scientists who study

volcanoes are called
volcanologists- after
Vulcan, the Roman god
of fire. This is also how
volcanoes got their name.

A Tribute to the teachers at Darla Middle Secondary School

Teachers hailing from various places
Gather together to bring new changes
They believe in students cooperation,
Impartial and so treats everyone equally.
The teachers stand united like a team
Fulfilling the students dream
They wish the students getting good position
By which life will be in a transition.
The teachers always encourage us to be informed
To help us to be transformed
Their teaching is so amazing
That makes every class very interesting
For us it is really energizing!
They are always after making our school better
Always beautiful and brighter
We are all grateful
So we love you teachers.

Oh Examinations
You demand concentration
English
- it is composition
Math -it is calculation
Geography
- it is population
History
-it is civilization
Economics
-it is production
Biology
- it si classification
Chemistry
it is preparation
O examination you are a botheration
To the younger generation
We will send an application
To the minister of education
To abolish examination.
Sejal Khapangi VI B

Bhawana Pradhan IX B

Reading
Reading is a life time companion
That never leaves me (nor can I !)
Reading is my true friend.
Reading is an unusual conversation:
We do not speak a word
But its our best conversation.
It is god gifted talent to everyone.
No one can steal it from you.
Reading makes go
Beyond our imagination
It takes us to the world of experiences
It helps us to negotiate with
Every situation and emotion.
I adore it
For being with me from childhood
In every sweet and bitter moment.
Its with whom I share
My dearest moments
With whom I smile every time
Reading tells me
To carry on with courage
To destination fixed with determination.
It is the window to the world,
Engine for learning
And one step towards success.
I place my faith and trust in it
I rely on it , I fight for it.
Its soul, its life
So keep reading, reading and reading
For it is magical, wonderful and fun.
Kencho Wangmo IX A

Parents
You are my parents
I think you are gods
Because you gave me birth
And opened my eyes to the earth
You are my sun
Shining but very near
You give me light
And it is very bright
You are my flower
Blooming out of seasons
You give me a beautiful life
Tek Bahadur VI A

Once She will leave us alone

Sometimes I wonder
Who a mother is!
Mother who took lot of pain
For nine months, and then
Giving love and care for us
Nothing can be compared to a mother
She gives us everything we need
Have we ever bothered about her feelings?
When we grow up, and stand on our own feet later,
What we think of?
We forget all of them.
Nothing can be compared to a mother
She is the special and important person
In our life , so dont forget
To love her.
Dont hurt your mother
For, there is no substitute for her.
Purna Maya Samal IX A

Page 9

60th Birth Anniversary of Fourth Druk Gyelpo and Reading

year

Leadership is not about being nice but its about being right
and strong. This unique quality of a leader is the cornerstone
of our Fourth Druk Gyelpos success. His Majesty has won
the hearts of many people and has proven to be a good leader.
His innate talents are not artificial.
One important activity being carried out as part of the His
Majestys 60th birth anniversary is National Reading Year.
This is an initiative to encourage students and teachers as
many books as possible. In our school also we are doing it
seriously and sincerely. Such an activity helps us to improve
our reading skills and gain a lot of knowledge. I always pray
for the good health of the king. Its is a nice feeling to see that
our king belongs to every Bhutanese family. When we read a
book this year, lets also remember our beloved king and pray
for his well being.
Sonam Dendup IX A

Have you ever asked yourself

Why?

Tires help a bike safely grip the road. Look

closely at a tire and you will see that it is
patterned. This pattern is called the tread.
In wet weather, water escapes from under
the tire though grooves in the tread which
keeps your bike from skidding.

Page 10

Why are there no dinosaurs on earth?

The dinosaurs lived on earth for millions of years.

Then, about 65 million years ago, they
became extinct- every single one of them
disappeared. No one really knows why but
one idea is that a massive meteorite hit the
earth and wiped them out.

60

Why do bikes have tires?

Why do hot air balloons float?

The air inside a hot-air balloon is heated by a

burner. When the air becomes warmer, it
starts to rise because it is lighter than cold
air. As the hot air rises, so does the balloon!

Why do I feel dizzy when I spin around?

In your ear, you have three loop-shaped tubes

with liquid in them. This swishes around
when you spin. Special nerves sense this
movement and tell your brain that you are
spinning. Even when you stop suddenly, the
liquid continues to swish briefly. Your brain
gets the wrong message and you feel dizzy.

Why do volcanoes blow their tops?

Deep beneath an active, violent volcano is a giant

chamber. Hot, runny rock and gases build
up there until they blast upward, under
immense pressure through cracks in earths
crust.
*
Why do whales sing?
Whales are talkative animals. They bellow,
grunt, yelp and make bubbling noises to find
other whales and send messages. Male
humpback whales sing long tunes, sometimes
repeating them for hours or even days. This
is probably to attract a mate.

Issue
Reports, Editing & Design
Dzongkha Editing
Photos
Publication coordinated by

Page 11

:
:
:
:
:

6
Tomy Varghese
Lop. Norbu
Saacha Dorji
English Literary Club