School: Lakshmipat Singhania Public School
    Jaykaypur, Rayagada, Odisha, India

24 students, ages 12-17 worked together to complete this CyberFair project on March 18, 2019. They have participated in CyberFair in the following year(s): 2018

Classes and Teachers: N Padmanabha Swamy

E-Mail contact:

Our School's Web Site: http://www.lspublicschooljk.com/

1. Description of Our Community

Jaykaypur, once a small hamlet has now grown to a well developed industrial area with the emergence of JK Paper Mills. Adjacent to the industrial town of Rayagada, it is a jewel in the crown along with the nearby industries like UTKAL Alumina, IMFA (Indian Metals and Ferro Alloys), and Vedanta Alumina etc. The peaceful atmosphere, the scenic beauty of this place, the ethnic tribes with their age old customs (The Dongria Kandha, Soura) attracts people from far and wide to witness heaven so closely that they are reluctant to leave this place. Moreover, the industrial culture of this place, railway connectivity to all the metro cities of India, has prompted this place to an edge of development and prosperity. Hence this place gives an opportunity to the young achievers to envision their dreams and realise them. It has so many diversities that the place may be called a Mini India. People from various regions of India live together united in one industrial neighbourhood This diverse community and their culture along-with an array of experienced teaching staff from different corners of India made Lakshmipat Singhania Public School, the best ever school of Rayagada District of Odisha.

2. Summary of Our Project

We the pupil of LAKSHMIPAT SINGHANIA PUBLIC SCHOOL aim to deliver wisdom about the waste management in our ambiance through this website. Today no community is backward, all are developing. And in such communities, industries are indispensable developers. But with the developing industries of developing communities, waste production is swelling with the expanding development. The enterprise JK Paper Mills has made every effort to minimize the influence of industrial wastes produced by it. Such an enterprise would surely be a sterilizer for the desolated environment. Wastes can be of solid, liquid, or gas and each type has different methods of disposal and management. Several wastes produced in the mill and the surrounding households are also disposed off properly which also add to the efforts of JK Paper mills and in turn to its good deeds. It is a matter of great pride to conduct a research on home-ground.

3. Our Computer and Internet Access

A. Percentage of students using the Internet at home:more than 50%

B. Number of workstations with Internet access in the classroom:4-6

C. Connection speed used in the classroom:dedicated connection

D. Number of years our classroom has been connected to the Internet:more than 6

4. Problems We Had To Overcome

The time to work on our project started to coincide with the period of our annual examination and so we had little time in our hand. As a result, we could not give our complete attention and effort towards this project. This was one of the major problems that we had to sort out. In addition to this, we could not get enough guidance from our teachers as they were also engaged in the evaluation of answer scripts of the examination. Also there was a limit to the number of computers having internet access which decelerated our task. Another obstacle in our process was we had no access to the machinery of JK Paper Mill due to the annual shutdown. But luckily we could have a visit to the sewage treatment plant of the company. As we were out of time we had to devote some extra time for our research work. And ‘struggle’ was the obvious word to get our success.

5. Our Project Sound Bite

Environment with waste is like a candle in water… To light the candle we need to dispose off the water. Similarly, if we want our mother earth to be clean and green we need to weed out all the virulent wastes. JK Paper Mills has left no stone unturned to diminish the consequences of generation of heaps of industrial waste. Our project can be a guiding source for the upcoming industries to implement proper waste management system. Moreover, gaining knowledge about waste management will be highly beneficial to many students and youngsters may be at present or in the future.

6. How did your activities and research for this CyberFair Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?

Our Cyberfair project addresses about the waste management in J.K. Paper mill which comes under the category of 'Environmental Awareness And Issues '.The standard focus of our project is : • Waste management of the sewage produced by the paper mill. • It helped us to know about new concepts, increase our thinking skills , how to work in groups ,how to do web designing , how to do research. • During this project juniors and seniors worked together with a good collaboration, there was a good exchange of ideas and interests and took a collective decision. • To understand specific ideas we interacted with each other, went to the waste management plant of the paper mill, had a talk with the workers and staff and we surfed on internet. • Project consists of various issues of pollution,types of pollution , how can we treat it, what type of toxic substances are produced by the paper industries ,etc. This was a supplement to our previous knowledge of environmental issues which we had learnt earlier in our subjects. • We are staying since long in this locality but we didn't know what type of waste was actually produced in the paper mill but due to this project we came to know about it and how to treat it. Also we came to know how to treat the waste produced in our locality. • To promote a sense of awareness among the locals and the students of our school we organized rallies, planted many saplings, started swachhta pakhwada or cleanliness week, etc. • Yes, it is very effective learning and teaching through internet as compared to traditional methods because it is not only confined to our school but entire world can know what are our ideas and views about the environment and how to prevent its degradation since years.

1) What information tools & technologies did you used to complete your CyberFair project?

We have used 4 computers, 3 laptops and smart phones for communicating, processing and transferring required information for designing the website. The computers used were from our school’s computer lab. 2 digital still cameras belonging to our school and smart phones of teachers and students were used to capture images and to record videos. Cam scanner was used to scan certain documents. Applications like MS office, Photoshop, Animaker for making animation, mobile apps for collage making, Whatsapp for communication were used. We also made our way to the school’s library to refer the quarterly magazine of JK PAPER Ltd i.e.“Reaching Out” and some other books like “Environmental Education” by Kalyani Publishers “Pradeep’s A Textbook of Biology”. Apart from all these artificial intelligence, it was the dedication, knowledge and creativity of the students under the guidance of our teachers which came up as the most important tool for the success of our project.

2) In what ways did you act as "ambassadors" and spokespersons for your CyberFair project both on-line and in person.

We had been ambassadors for cyber fair project during the precised time we had devoted to this. We represented our school, accomplished this project and contacted and talked to various people in the community through phone calls, emails and many times also had personal talks. We had a personal talk with “Shri Satyajit Mohanty, deputy general manager of JK paper mills” on our topic and were able to gather a lot of information which was completely out of our knowledge and was extremely valuable and became a priceless guide for us to reach our present platform. Once when we had been to the mills, we were curious to know about different processes and machines used in paper manufacturing, but unfortunately we were denied for this as it may be hazardous. But still it was a knowledgeable trip and built the foundation for our projects. Thanks to cyber fair organizers for organizing such interesting and conversant project.

3) What has been the impact of your project on your community?

Not long ago, waste management has been a major issue in our world environment. People are changing with fleeting times and are showing more and more curiosity towards environmental issues and their solutions. In such an evolutionary period, if knowledge is provided regarding waste management this would be definitely beneficial for both society and residents’ personal health. So, basing on this we have planned to take a step forward to initiate the rehabilitation of waste management. Our website will assist many people to be aware of waste management. Many people like managers of upcoming industries, other school students, etc have viewed our website and many such people are engaged in this. Before complete development of the website many people suggested us to make it more interactive by adding animated/ real time videos and of course we have implemented it. Our website has also created enough awareness among our society. We also hope that in the near future many people will band together to make our dream of a clean society come true.

4) How did your project involve other members of your community as helpers and volunteers?

We got a great guidance and encouragement from our teachers. Without their cooperation, it might be impossible for us to complete this project successfully. We are also grateful to our principal and management committee to put their hands together with us and for giving a golden opportunity to play a role in this project to achieve this success. Thanks to the Environment department of JK Paper Mills, especially Mr. Satyajit Mohanty, Deputy General Manager who gave us a clear idea about the project. Our parents too provided consent to us to play a role in this project and contributed to this project by giving valuable suggestion, whenever needed. We are also grateful to our friends for encouraging us along the path. Mr K R Muni and Mr G. Gowri the gardeners of our school stayed beyond their timing and extended their help to us.

5) Discoveries, Lessons and Surprises (Optional)

Discoveries are a part of every new attempt, so is with this project. It was truly grateful for us, as through this research we discovered so much from a simple topic, waste management about which we had been learning since classes. We came to know about different terms related to waste management like Fly ash, wood dust, ETP sludge, lime sludge, carbon monoxide, mercury, etc. Apart from this we also came to know that “None of us is as strong as all of us.” We also came to know about the infinite power of TEAM WORK.