A kaleidoscope of talent

Nepal:ACE Higher Secondary School completed the tenth edition of its annual ‘Ace Inter School Festival: Kaleidoscope 2023’ at Hotel De L' Annapurna, Kathmandu on Saturday. One of the largest interschool festivals in Nepal, Kaleidoscope organises events on a wide range of competitive categories, including sports, literature, visual arts, gastronomy, digital development, wits and management games, fashion, dance, and music, among others.

                                                  photo:TKP

Kaleidoscope is an annual flagship event that Ace Higher Secondary School conceptualises and organises to invoke friendly rivalry between various schools in Kathmandu.

Teenage students packed the pavilion of the hotel and it literally looked like a kaleidoscope of youthful vigor, creativity, and artistic ability.

“This year, nearly 30 schools participated in the competition in 25 different categories.This event has been serving as a platform for all the students of +2 /A levels who wish to display their talent and creativity,” says Seema Sunuwar the Program Manager of the school’s Student Experience Department. Malpi Institute, Brihaspati Vidyasadan School, SOS Hermann Gmeiner School, Budhanilkantha School, and Saipal Academy are among the schools who participated in the event this year.

16-year-old Namami Shakya competed in the Group Dance Competition representing Ace Higher Secondary School. “Our group dance was an ode to all the victims of the recent airplane crash,” she says adding that she got to explore various genres of art, culture, science and commerce through the competition. “It is very rare that you find one event that has a competition catering to all of these interests. The competitions are also designed strategically to enhance students’ creative expression, analytical skills and athletic prowess.”

Participants in Kaleidescope are high school students who are excited to explore the many opportunities provided by the event. “The festival is a big celebration for us students who are just waiting for chances to perform on stage,” says Amrit Shahi from Brihaspati Vidyasadan school.

Airon Pandey, Parakram Rai and Binay Rai accompanied Shahi to participate in the Band Performance competition of Kaleidescope. They state that participating in the event has been a wonderful experience as students to experience something like Kaleidescope.

Pandey says, “We started preparing for this competition 3 months ago. Being able to perform my heart out in front of such a large audience gave me all the confidence boost I needed to put on an even better show next time.”

Inter-college festivals are great ways for students to catch up with their peers, network and have fun according to Pandey. He also shares the need for regular extra-curricular activities to boost the creative potential in students.

“There are very few events like Kaleidescope in Nepal where we get to compete with so many people close to our age. We also get to meet some of our idols which motivates us to perform better and have confidence in ourselves,” says Rai.

Kaleidoscope 2023 concluded with solo dance and singing competitions, group dance and band performances, and fashion shows, followed by the award ceremony. Suren Rai, Swapnil Sharma, Dev Rana, Vishma Maji and Rajbhai Suwal were the judges for all the competitions that took place on the final day of Kaleidescope.

This year, Ace Higher Secondary School took home the Best School Award. Jenny Yonjan of Sambriddhi School and Sidhhartha Tamang of Ace Higher Secondary won Miss Kaleidoscope and Mr Kaleidoscope, respectievely.