PATHWAYS ARAVALI REGION PROJECT

                                                              FIRST PHASE OF GRADE 12 ESS FIELD TRIP

DAY ONE: 8 September 2012

On the 8th of September, the EVSS students of Grade 12, Pathways World School Aravali and Pathways School, Gurgaon, commenced their coursework with the guidance of an organization called VISTAS. For the very first time Pathways has conducted its field works in the Aravali region named as PARP (PATHWAYS ARAVALI REGION PROJECT). At the induction to the project, we were introduced to the history of Aravali, the objectives of the coursework studying soil profile, analyzing soil samples collected, and the various tools to be used through a presentation by Dr. Prabhash Pandey. 

The first destination for us was in the wilderness of the Aravali, where we learned to use a topographic map, a GPS and also learnt about the various rocks and type of soil present in the region, along with the topography. Our next destination was Baas village, where we had a quick lunch and learnt how to use a compass and locate our position on a map. Finally, we headed to Aklimpur where we collected soil samples from two different horizons of the soil profile. These soil samples will be analyzed in the labs.

DAY TWO: 9 September 2012

On the 9th of September, the second day for the ESS fieldwork for Grade 12, the students started out yet again by being introduced to the task at hand by Dr.Prabhash Pandey. The objective for the day was to measure the Simpson diversity index of species of trees within a particular area. It was an interesting experience as we got to explore areas in the Aravali that we had never seen before despite our proximity to it. After a quick lunch at a Shiv temple nearby, we again got back into action, this time taking pictures of the vegetation at different altitudes to decide the zonation.

At 2 o'clock we got back to school to conduct experiments on the soil that we collected yesterday. We did experiments like pH test, texture analysis, conductivity level, moisture analysis, and phosphorus test with the aid of a group of four students from the Geology Department of the University of Delhi, who had volunteered for VISTAS.

In conclusion, this fieldwork trip has not only benefited us in doing our ESS lab-work but was also a learning experience for us. We realized the holistic and aesthetic value of the environment that sustains us. We can proudly say that in the 10 years of the history of Pathways school we are the first ESS batch has done its fieldwork in the Aravali region. 

               
SECOND PHASE OF GRADE 12 ESS FIELD TRIP

On 22 September 2012, the last day of the ESS fieldwork for Grade 12 began. The students started out by being introduced to the task by Dr. Prabhash Pandey. In the induction we were given a brief about ground water level and its importance to us as well as the people of the Aravali range.
We went to Lake Patauda for collecting our data. It was an interesting experience as we got to explore areas in the Aravali that we had never seen before despite our proximity to them. The students tested samples from Lake Patauda and conducted many experiments. After collecting the data we needed, we went back to school. Lydia Gholap and Ka Young Kang made boards with directions to Lake Patauda and they put these all the way to the lake so that other people can easily find their way there.

Back at school, we conducted experiments on the water that we had collected from 5different villages within the Aravali range. The experiments involved a Calcium test, hardness test, and chloride test, are were conducted with the aid of a group of students from the Geology Department of the University of Delhi, who had volunteered for VISTAS.

In conclusion, this fieldwork was not only beneficial for our ESS lab work but it was also an experience during which we developed new skills while conducting various experiments. It also made us aware of the environment which sustains us.

We would like to thank three of our energetic teachers Mr. K. Guru Charan Kumar & Mr. Praveen from Pathways, Aravali, and Ms.Chandra Kala from Pathways, Gurgaon, who helped with all the experiments for this ESS trip. We would also like to thank Ms.Bhagirathy Jhingran, the HOD of Humanities, and Mr.Arvind Chalasani, Principal, Senior School, who supported the entire ESS field trip.

Text: Paavni Mathur, Grade & Chitrangi Kakoti, Grade 12

Editing: Cathy Anubha Banerji, Drama & English Teacher/ Coordinator–School Journals

Photographs: K.Gurucharan Kumar, ESS Teacher, Pathways World School, Aravali