The Global School Awards ceremony is held annually to recognize the efforts of our students in areas spanning academics, sports, co-curricular and All Round Excellence. The trophy symbolizes an intrinsic journey of the students in achieving their goals and is hence a token of appreciation from our school for their efforts. With it, we seek to instill pragmatism and perseverance in the students and teach them how it leads on to a better future. It represents our endeavours towards holistic education at GIIS that aligns with the 9 GemsTM frameworks to nurture a well-rounded global citizen.

The prestige of the event was elevated with the presence of a special guest, Ms Vidya Balan, a renowned Bollywood actress, Guest of Honour, Dr Tanvi Gautam, CEO of Leadershift Inc and Mr Atul Temurnikar, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman at Global School Foundation, Singapore, and Prof. Ralph Tabberer, Board of International Studies.

The welcome address was given by Mr Rohit Ambekar, Director of Business and Strategy Singapore, where he elaborated on the need to acknowledge not just successes but also appreciate failures as only that allows individuals to grow.

Impressive Leadership Lecture Series by Vidya Balan 

Being special guest of the event Ms. Vidya Balan, mesmerized the audience with her enthusiasm and eloquent words. She as a part of GIIS Leadership Lecture Series, addressed the students on the topic of “Leadership & Creativity as a Pathway to Success”, explicated on the importance of not searching for validation from strangers, instead, she asked the audience to focus inwards and believe in themselves and find the leader that resides within them.

Ms. Balan reiterated the negative impact of social media in today’s world. She passionately explored how in the wired world of today, people desperately look to the outside world to be inspired on how to be a leader, when all that is required is to look inwards. She answered every question posed by the audience earnestly and animatedly. Her presence definitely left an indelible mark on the audience.

Highlights of Global School Awards 2017

This year, 207 awardees from CBSE, IGCSE and IBDP curriculums from both the East Coast and Queenstown campuses were felicitated for their achievements with awards such as Justice C S Dharmadhikari Award for co-curricular excellence, Chandrakant Borde Awards for sports excellence, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam GIIS award for academic proficiency and the GSF President’s award for all-round excellence.

Other special guests who graced the stage include Mr. Kaustubh Bodhankar, Deputy CEO, Global School Foundation; Mr. Sudan Wargantiwar, Member Governing Board, Global School Foundation; Commander Bharat Unercat, Director Infrastructure; Mr Prafulla Rout, Group Finance Controller; Mr Pramod Tripathi, Associate Director, Academic Quality Assurance; Ms Madhu Khanna, Principal of GIIS, Queenstown and Ms Melissa Maria, Principal East Coast Campus and few other members of GIIS management.

Commending the award recipients, Ms Balan said, "GIIS has provided many platforms for its students to develop the solid academic foundation, diverse skills and strong values needed to succeed in life. I am honoured to have witnessed today’s celebration of GIIS’ young talent, and am confident that they will blossom into global citizens." 

Dr Tanvi Gautam, Leadership Coach, Member of Board,ARTDO Adjunct Faculty, Singapore Management University and also CEO of Leadershift Inc said, "Since its establishment, GIIS has served as a place to nurture leadership qualities in its students through holistic education. From what I have seen today, the students of GIIS are promising, well-rounded individuals who will someday enact transformation on the global stage and forge a brighter future for all."

Finally, the student performances, in the form of song and dance added magic to the event, energizing the audience and forcing them to sway to their beats. It was definitely a sensational and memorable event.