GEMS Wellington Yearbook 2020

His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan His Highness Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum

A Message from the Founder GEMS Education continues to inspire generations of learners from across the globe, whose school successes give them the foundation to go on to achieve greatness and lead happy, fulfilling lives. The quality of our schools and the education they provide is a reflection of the individuals that lead and support them. These are passionate, dedicated educators who help change and improve the lives of thousands of children across the globe, and we hold firm to our belief that all children have the right to a quality education. We strongly believe that every child has talents and abilities that are as unique as their personality. We take pride in our inclusive ethos and in our commitment to helping every family find the right school for their child. GEMS is unique in the fact that we can offer choices that no other school operator can provide whether it be the American, English, Indian or IB curriculum. We are also proud to provide value-add programmes like GEMS Rewards, UniConnect, Student Employment and GEMS X exclusively to GEMS families, and we will continue to introduce new programmes in the future. I would like to thank you for entrusting us with your child’s education and assure you that at GEMS Education we are committed to bringing out the best in your child. Sunny Varkey Founder GEMS Education

Message from our HEAD BOY & HEAD GIRL 4 years ago, I was standing in front of 20 pupils doing a show ‘n tell speech and today I am performing to hundreds! I’m here saying my thankyou & goodbye to my second home, WPS! Greetings to all! We have come to learn as pupils of this great institution of learning that success can’t happen without the support of our loving parents, dedication of our hard-working teachers and of course the determination of the pupils themselves. This is what launches us into another level of the future. When I joined WPS, I was locked inside ‘the box’, (my comfort zone). Soon after, the school shaped me into a confident individual and it was all uphill from there. I still remember the adrenaline rushing through my veins when Mr. Flynn announced that I had earned the position of Head Boy. This position gave me the chance to take on responsibilities which shows that anybody can accomplish their desires with the strive of effort and hard work. Now came the real thinking outside ‘the box’ which was accomplished by introducing innovative ideas such as Sign Language, skits, riddles and fun facts in our weekly assemblies with my full of life partner Shreeya. Besides that, I helped new children settle in, judged competitions, hosted the ‘What If’ speech finale, and represented WPS at different events. Apart from running Head Boy duties, I enjoyed dressing up as Jack Sparrow and winning the best dressed award for Book Week, going all out in Science Week as the Ultimate Scientist, participating in interschool debate competitions and winning several medals and placing 2nd overall in writing at the Scholars Cup. My biggest accomplishment after Head Boy was as Horton the Elephant in the Seussical the Musical. My teachers took a risk with me as I had never sung before, but I was determined to make them proud. After our successful performance at school, I got an honorable mention by one of the judges for doing a phenomenal job when we sang in front of hundreds at ‘The Night at the Musicals’ at WEK. Head Boy I’m going to miss the smiles and waves in the hallway with my favorite teachers, and Mohsin Kanji (6C) that feeling of walking into school every morning knowing I was part of that close-knit community. I will forever be grateful to all the teachers who made an impact in my life, especially Ms. Brunton who taught me to love school, Mr Flynn for entrusting me and building my self-confidence, Mr Mellalieu for enriching us with knowledge and teaching us to do good for others, Ms Wafaa for teaching Arabic to us with so much love, Mr Baxendale and the music team for believing in me and last but not least, Mrs Greenall for her ever-lasting support. Most people say it’s easy to write about a journey through all the years you have Head Girl had in a school. But I can prove to everyone that this is the most difficult thing I Shreeya Makhija (6C) have ever done! Today truly is an ending, but who says endings have to be bad? It’s a good ending, it really is. From being a person in the crowd, I ended up being the leader of the crowd and that’s a big achievement for anyone! It’s a rollercoaster of emotions, of tears, laughter, sadness not because we’re upset or heartbroken but because we are in our final moments at WPS. This school has done the world of good for me and given me the opportunity to step foot in my next year’s school as an outstanding student. I am extremely grateful for all the teachers who have influenced me from FS1 to Y6. It was the greatest blessing to be nominated as Head Girl of WPS for 2018-2019. Being Head Girl has boosted my public speaking and given me the confidence on stage and in other social events. I am very fond of acting and musical theatre and have been given the opportunity to be in our school productions and other productions in Dubai. This year, we had our show Seussical and I stared as Mrs. Mayor. I also love sports, especially netball, swimming, rounders and badminton. I am so glad I could be in the netball and swim squad for 3 years and the rounders squad for 2. WPS has really brought the best out of me! I am going to miss it so much! I would like to say a big thank you to all the staff, Support staff, Mr. Mellalieu, Miss McKeever, Mr. Chynoweth, Mr. Kay, Mr. Flynn and Miss Emily for always believing in me and being extremely kind and understanding. I would also like to thank the best and most hard working group of people I have ever met, they always make me laugh and they can never not put a smile on your face! The P.E dept I will miss you all so much! In fact I will miss everybody so much! Thank you all for making me feel like this is my home! Congratulations to the next Head Girl and Boy. Enjoy this school while you can. The time you spend will go so quickly! I would like to finish with my favorite quote “Keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground” Good Bye WPS! You will always have a special place in my heart.

Our Year 6 Prefects were selected from last Year’s Head Boy and Head Girl elections. The final Prefects were majority girls, and so to balance out the team, we elected four boys to add to the team. Each were invited to give a short speech to their class explaining why they thought they would be good and what they would bring to the role. Throughout the year we have buddied up as ‘helpers’ to every year group from FS1 to Year 6, and had a key role in the planning for the redesign of the upstairs playground – which is still ongoing. We have behaved as fantastic role models to the rest of the school, and enjoyed being placed in such an important role at WPS. We would like to say a huge thank you to our Year 6 Prefects; Ollie (6B), Shahan (6C), Maira (6A), Anaida (6B), Ryla (6A), Zain (6C), Kritika (6C), Abeeha (6B), Prathmesh (6B), Anirudh (6B). Danielle Hall, Student Leadership Co-ordinator.