28th FOUNDER’S DAY – LYCEUM INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS, SRI LANKA

Reflections from the “THEATRON” As RIVERS OF KNOWLEDGE FLOW

Aristotle believed that educators must have a deep concern for the ethical and political. It follows education should instill what is good and right: not merely what is correct.

Before Lyceum became a part of my life; it had been a part of my environs. I remember passing an abandoned property, which nobody seemed willing to buy because the land was marshy and uninviting. The culvert which ran alongside was clogged with stagnant and dirty water. I remember a man wading through it in knee high rubber boots; cleaning it to facilitate the flow of water. This same man purchased that property and used his engineering skills and built ‘THE EUTERPESA’ on a floating foundation just as he had with the earlier building of ‘THE CALLIOPEN’.

To the founder of the Lyceum group of International Schools Dr. Mohan Lal Grero the impossible is the bedrock of the possible; stagnant waters will be cleared so rivers of knowledge flow. Humility will always be the hallmark of his selfless commitment to our nation. For it is through education that we can shape society and develop economic growth, not just of this nation but of the world.

1998 was a pivotal year to me when I joined this academic organization as a Drama Teacher. My passion to inculcate values and develop creativity and self- confidence through the medium of drama was fostered with what I’ve come to accept as parental care. Our workplace ‘THE THEATRON’ based on the structure of ancient Greek Theatre; was a gift to the students of Lyceum from our Founder and Coordinating Principal Dr. Mr. and Mrs. Mohan Lal Grero.

Since 2007 it has become a potter’s wheel in moulding the lives of many thousands of children, enabling them to be excellent players on the platform of life. Drama- a curricular subject- gives students the opportunity not just to hone their performance skills but to listen and live with a heart; thereby fulfilling the ethos of our mentor Aristotle- ‘Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all’. Annual productions, Inter-house drama competitions and seasonal performances are supported and facilitated by a hugely appreciative management. I’d like to endorse this with an early experience.

2007 saw my first musical production with students of the Junior School ‘POCAHONTAS’. Opening night brought on unmatchable elation in all those involved- but more so with our then Principal Dr. Mrs. Kumari Grero. The show was hours away and she was pacing restless, wondering how she could enable every member of the audience to view the performance perfectly. Then even at the eleventh hour, she suggested we construct raised boards to elevate the stage platform. We stood together monitoring this. Then, she suggested I go home and get suitably attired while she completed this ‘Mission made possible’. I know every performer and every member the audience will remember that night forever. And I know she does too with her signature smile.

Since 1998 our students have excelled and won National Awards at the British Festival for Performance Arts, Trinity College London Performance Exams and a range of all Island Drama Competitions. A series of Musical Productions from ‘POCAHONTAS’ in 2007 to an original musical of ‘JUNGLE BOOK’ in 2019 will forever be hallmarks in the lives of a great many of our students.

2020 saw the novel Corona Virus bring the world to a standstill. Carl Rogers said, ‘The only person who is educated is the one who has learned how to learn…. and change’. So it was the Lyceum Management powered by the Central Services harnessed different digital platforms until the best option was found for our students. Lyceum set the gears in adapting to the inevitability of change. Central Services with the Lyceum School Board became the pulse beat to upgrade the curriculum, to upskill the staff and exploit varied digital platforms to engage the students in a dynamic digital medium of instruction. Teachers were encouraged to remodel the dynamics of the lesson and harness the immensity the World Wide Web together with the magic of the screen to create a highly successful and inclusive means of education with no holds barred. Assemblies, Performances, Exams, Events and Festivals have all flowed seamlessly with the curriculum to give children the experience of ‘School’ while being ‘at home’.

Our founder Dr.Mohan Lal Grero has inevitably pioneered democratizing International School education. From humble beginnings in 1993 Lyceum has emerged leader in the field of education. Today, her strength is monolith with seven branch schools, a staff of nearly 3,000 and a student count of over 21,000. Yet numerics, accolades and facilities are negated by the strength of her Alumni.

Students of Lyceum have graduated from Universities in every corner of the world and whichever way the wind blows- so too the silver and blue will forever unfurl a trail of dedication, commitment, and excellence.

by Odile Melder (Head of Department of Speech & Drama)

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