‘It is just three months since the school began and I feel that there are a lot of changes in my son, Abhishek. Though it is too early for me to comment on his academics, his knowledge of the subjects and English has improved, and he has learnt to live independently and show great respect to his elders. We are sure to see a lot more development in the future.

— Mrs Jayanti and Mr Anil (parents of Abhishek, Grade-7)

“The school is awesomely beautiful and good, both in terms of education and extra-curricular activities. It has a very homely environment with enthusiastic staff and a caring director. The architecture is fabulous and there are no words to describe it. I believe that this school believes in space and every child will succeed with flying colours.

—Mr Saba (parent of Zuwaina Najam, grade 6)

Perhaps these two testimonials sum up Amber Valley Residential School (AVRS) located in an extensive 45-acre school campus, situated on the outskirts of Chikmagalur town with the bio-diverse Western Ghats as the backdrop. The semi-rural, scenic location of the school is an integral part of the differentiation strategy vis-a-vis other schools as it bonds the students with nature. Understanding and living in harmony with the delicate yet bountiful eco-system becomes a part of the mindset of every AVRS student on the AVRS campus.

The AVRS is an autonomous privately funded institution offering only residential schooling for boys and girls from grades 1-12.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, School Executive Trustee Poornima Jairaj said that the school is affiliated to the CICSE (Council for Indian School Certificate Examination, New Delhi) Board. The ICSE affiliation was preferred since it prescribes the academic syllabus only for grades 9-12, giving greater scope to member schools to adapt the curriculum and teaching methodology. The ICSE education is aimed at enabling students to acquire comprehensive knowledge leading to improved performance in competitive examinations. It has a flexible evaluation method as well, she adds.

“The learner-centric curriculum framework for grades 1 to 8 has been designed by a core curriculum group comprising experienced educationists, psychologists, teachers and artists with inputs from international curricula for our students. This innovative curriculum has shown positive results amongst our students,” she said.

However, School Principal Mathew John opines that at AVRS, a complete learning experience is imparted to young individuals with a focus on self-development and self-affirmation. “This theme thread is consistently carried into the teaching-learning environment. Students are encouraged to co-relate academic information to contexts outside classrooms. This multi-angle aspect to learning allows them to understand and absorb lessons completely and apply them to real-life situations.”

Some of the techniques incorporated in the academics include strengthening the student’s proficiency in spoken and written English; Developing a strong programme for teaching of ESL – English as a Second Language – using audio-visual inputs; Having more laboratory-based teaching in the sciences and mathematics; More activity centered teaching in the languages and social studies; and more individualised instruction in performing arts (classical dance and music).

Besides, development of life-skills and ensuring students are being adequately prepared to meet the complex demands of living when they leave the school; for example, dealing with prejudice, with violence, with fear and with the forces of corruption.

For parents who have not been to a boarding themselves, the reality is difficult, often more difficult than for the children. Children are adaptable because nature has provided them with a very high capacity for learning and changing during their school years — learning through deep experiences such as taking responsibility for themselves and for their action or inaction. Quarrels with a friend, for example, cannot be brushed under the carpet as in the comfort of a loving home and doting parents, but should be sorted out in quick order before the negativity affects work and performance. Perhaps the school offers much more than one can expect.
Known for its verdant environment and coffee estates, Chickmagalur is a quiet, non-polluted town and is easily accessible from Mysore, Mangalore and Bangalore.

The school will be commencing PU course and ISC (that is, 11th std in ICSE syllabus) from this year itself and admissions are open.

Admissions are open for 2008/2009-ICSE (Grade 1 to Grade 9), ISC, PUC.