Social Ventures

A person is recognised by the values that he has inculcated and developed. Apart from giving good education, we at Summer Valley endeavor to give our students sound values that will stand them in good stead in life. The school believes in bringing up socially responsible citizens, therefore the school encourages the students to take up various social activities.

The School is fully aware of the fact that good education must lead to the development of a sense of social responsibility. Children must be helped not only to become good students but also good citizens. They must learn to understand that they must claim their rights but what is equally important is that must be conscious of their duty towards society to which they owe so much. They must learn the value of compassion for the under-privileged and the less empowered and contribute their mite to their up liftment and amelioration of their suffering.

To this end, the School collaborates with institutions such as Help Age India, Ryder-Cheshire and Cheshire Home, Orphanages, Leprosy Mission of India, S.O.S Villages etc. The students also contribute and render service voluntarily to causes such as natural calamities like earthquakes, floods and tsunami, welfare activities for the old and the infirm and handicapped, educational and other aid to underprivileged children in poor schools, treatment of illness of serious cases (including the premier hospitals of Delhi) and many more. Our School and The Doon School jointly took part in the building of a Check Dam after the disastrous Kutch Earthquake in Gujarat.

Activity Week

The school has come up with a unique way to introduce the school children to various arts and crafts of the country. In the days following the exams, the school organises a week that is full of exciting activities. Experts from various fields are called to the school and along with the school activity teachers, the children are taught under their guidance.

The children are taught music- instrumental and vocal, dramatics, cookery and baking, bamboo work, pottery, yoga, different styles of painting and sketching, various forms of crafts like tie and dye, block printing, different forms of dancing are introduced to the children. In the evenings there are performances by these artists; children also get to perform alongside the artists. The endeavor is to amalgamate the traditional with the modern, so that the students have a progressive perspective of life but also have their roots firmly enriched in the Indian traditions and cultures. During this whole week there is a food festival, which exposes children to various cuisines of the world.

Trips and Excursions

The school regularly organizes treks and midterm excursions for its students with a view to encourage them to go out and appreciate the beauty of nature and experience all its glory as well as develop an interest in adventure activities and learning life skills.

The focus is on encouraging students to have fun while, at the same time, acquainting themselves with the forest, wildlife, tourist destinations etc.

The School organizes treks in the Himalayas, to places of great natural beauty and historical and religious importance. It teaches the students to live and work together in a spirit of co-operation and brotherhood,roughing it out in the wild, away from the comforts and easy life at home in towns. It also brings them in touch with the life, culture, language of the local people and also the problems they face in their not so-easy life.

Rafting in the Ganga is another popular adventure activity in which our students participate regularly.

Spic Macay

The school has always been a centre for promoting activities that play a vital role in inculcating values, promoting Indian art and culture. In order to popularize and promote Indian arts world renowned artists perform under the aegis of Spic Macay.

The school holds many performances for the children every year, where they get chance to come face to face with the eminent artists and get a chance to interact with them at a personal level.

Creativity Festival

Every Year in the month of April, Inter house Creativity Day competition is organized where the children take part in various competitions like Rangoli making, flower arrangements, table display, pot painting, mehandi, face painting, fruit carving and display their outstanding creative abilities.

Music & Dance

Music is the essence of life and dance a form of expressing one's innermost feelings and emotions. Music and dance classes are added to the school curriculum and are also a spare time activity after school hours.

The school teaches both western music and Indian classical music to the students. The students are also taught various forms of Indian and western dances.

The children showcase their talent in the Inter house music and dance competition which is held annually in the school, with over four hundred students taking part in the exciting competition. The cultural programme at Founders day always leaves the audience spell bound with the beautiful dance performances of the children and the budding singers enthrall the audience with their melodious songs.

The children also perform songs and dances for all festivals and special occasions.

The following are some of the National and International figures who have performed in the School:

Debates

Debate is an important means to communicate one's opinion. The school organises Inter House Hindi and English debates for the middle and senior school to adjudge the best speakers and to expose children to various forms of debating styles.

In addition to internal competitions, the school hosts Inter School English and Hindi Debate Competitions. Very high level of debating is seen in these competitions with various schools from all over India taking part in the debates.

Dramatics

The school organises the Inter House English and Hindi play competitions every year. Play competition is the one of the most awaited activity in the school. The inter house play competitions are entirely the responsibility of the teacher in charge of the house and the students of the house.

They are responsible for the costumes, construction of sets, the script of the play, the sound lights. It brings out talent of the children at various levels.

The cultural programme at Founders Day is a multi stage light and sound show. The children from the junior and senior school display their immense talent in drama and put up a spectacular show each year.

Some of the Drama experts who have performed/held workshops in the School are:

1. Prof. & Mrs. Geidt, Dept. of Drama, Harvard University U.S.A.

2. Sisu Peroussion Ensemble from Sweden

3. Team from the National School of Drama, New Delhi, for workshops.

4. Shri Ulfat & Smt. Ulfat from Bombay for a week's Theatre Workshop for three years.

5. Our Drama Group is without doubt one of the best in the city.

Dramatics

The school encourages the students to participate in the Inter house English and Hindi Elocution Competitions held in the school. The children also recite poetry at special assemblies and at festivals that are celebrated in the school.

The school also hosts Inter School Hindi Elocution Competition annually in which various schools of Dehradun participate. In order to expose children to poetry and for them to appreciate it, Kavi Samelens are also held during the Activity week.