Events at Walnut School

There are events in schools, and then there are events at Walnut School.

Why are events such a big deal at Walnut School?

What events are we talking about?

We have a ton of these, including small competitions such as poem recitation and story telling, as well as larger events like :

• Stem A-fairs
• Slumber parties
• Carnivals
• Fun Fairs
• Sports Days.

(Notice the plural mention in every competition? 🙂 )

This is just a preview of things! 🙂 You can find the complete list of events on the school’s events page.

Doesn’t every school do the same?

Not even close. Many schools have limited and exclusive events that only cater to a select group of students favored by teachers. Even when events are held, the process of preparation can be stressful for busy parents with confusing communication, last-minute instructions, costume preparation, and chart making. The result is often a mediocre arrangement and performance. It’s sad, we know. Isn’t it important for events to be accessible to all students with minimal stress on parents?

Of course it is! But somebody has to work hard for it. So, at Walnut School, the responsibility for event preparation is handled by the school, ensuring a stress-free experience for parents.

Why is it so hard to organize events for all students?

For a large school event, here are the things to consider:

• Number of students and parents (from KG to Std. 10)
• Logistics of their flow
• Crowd management
• Time spent in school
• Spaces that they would use
• The number of staff members in different categories available to handle the event
• And last but not the least, the weather.

As you can imagine, this now quickly becomes a complex management issue with many variables to consider. The challenge of creating a successful plan becomes overwhelming. No one wants to do all this hard work. And that’s where the genius of the Walnut team comes in.

So how do we do this?

Step 1: Planning

It starts with the Academic year planning itself. At Walnut, this is led by Dr. Arpita and involves allocating dates for exams as well as events. The planning team pays close attention to all variables, considers past experiences, and prepares a comprehensive plan using spreadsheets with multiple tabs and interlinked formulas. Planning is separated from execution to ensure the best use of different skillsets.

Step 2: Timetable

The secret to a successful academic year at Walnut is the timetable (prepared by Dr. Arpita Karkarey), which combines all the goodness together and combines the academics, activities, and events into a harmonious schedule.

Step 3: Execution

Next, this plan created by the planning team is reviewed by the execution team and modified based on feedback. The execution of the plan is closely monitored by the head office, with constant requests for details and data collection to ensure progress.

Step 4: Detailing

The devil lies in the details! We use in-house technology platforms and spreadsheet scripts to ensure all data is organized and tracked, working on multiple tasks, like:

• inclusion of all students
• material availability (such as costumes, jewellery, props, sports equipment etc.)
• communication strategy
• automated lists
• cross-checks
• duties and responsibilities assignments
• contingency plans for unexpected events (late entries, missing ID cards, crying students etc)
• micro-management of zones for seating since every parent deserves to see their child up close when performing

What about academics in time of events?

Despite the focus on events and planning, at this time, academics still remains our top priority. Special schedules are designed to accommodate event practices while academics continue without interruption, demonstrating the our commitment to both – again unlike any other school.

And the result?

Great memories, happy students and parents leading to a strong bond between the students and the school. Many of our student alumni make it a point to be at our events. In fact, at our carnival, a special “last act’ is planned specially for the alumni to enjoy. This, according to us, truly defines what we mean by a “Walnut Family”!