by Cl. Jerome Aruldass Edison sdb
DAKOR-GUJARAT, MAY 12, 2014: On April 1, Don Bosco Dakor organized a spoken English camp for the post tenth and post twelfth students. Fr. Isaac Arakaparambil sdb, was the camp chief who initiated the idea of the camp. His core team comprised of Mrs. Angela Gomes and her daughter Larissa Gomes with her friend Muriel from Mumbai, Sr. Bela and Br. Jerome and two other volunteers, Mrs. Pearl and Mr. Shawn who joined them on April 25. Fifty-two children participated in the camp. The students were basically from Dakor, Pandvania, Narukot, Kawant and Chotta Udaipur.
The camp classes were inbuilt with the formation development of students in grammar, comprehension, conversation, vocabulary, loud reading and various project works of word tests, writing biographies and autobiographies. Each day, the inmates in the camp, would end with something special like an action song or a game which would furbish their knowledge in English. The students were very responsive and receptive to the things taught to them.
Two beautiful plays were put up by the students of the camp on April 24. The plays were based on simple and profound classical comics, like, the Jungle Book of Mogli and the great Hansel and Gretel. It was a moment of great pride for the volunteers as well as the students for having staged two plays in English. The inspiration to host a play came from the drama staged by Don Bosco, Kapadvanj.
On May 2, they had a campfire which was integrated with lots of learning and fun. The campers themselves came forward, to perform action songs in English which were taught to them in the course of the camp. May 3, was the day of the conclusion for the Spoken English Camp. The certificates and prizes were distributed to the students with a felicitation programme for all the teachers, who played, a simple, yet an important role, in forming the English speaking skills of these students.