Campus news
Maple Leaf International School visits Bata shoe factory

As part of Maple Leaf International School's Industrial familiarization programme, students of class IX went on a study tour to Bata Shoe Factory at Dhamrai on 28th May 2006 to see the different stages of production of shoe making.

The Bata Shoe Company is a Canadian oriented multinational company founded in 1894 by Thomas Bata who began his establishment in a small house in Zlin, Czechoslovakia with only 10 employees. Now the company has its establishment all over the world. In Bangladesh, the company was established in 1962 in Tongi. The Dhamrai factory was established in 1986.

On the morning of 28th May we left for Dhamrai with our teachers Wahid sir, Anwar sir and Ibrahim sir. Prior to that our class teacher, Shaheen Miss, who arranged the trip, briefed us. We reached Dhamrai and were received by the Plant Manager, Mr. Minhaj Ahmed Chowdhury and other officials. We were amazed to see the beautiful environment that Bata has been maintaining. The place is awesome with plants and trees all around. Long rows of flowers and plants on either side of the path leading to the factory, seemed to be greeting us. It seemed unbelievable that a factory is amidst such beautiful green surroundings.

After formal introductions, we were split into groups and taken to see the process of shoe-making. We saw many machines set there. There were tanning machines, splitting machines, shaving machines, spraying machines. We saw how leather has to go through different stages before one gets the finished product. When the upper part of the shoes is fitted on a dummy foot (last) many pincer like things come and work on it automatically. These looked straight from science fiction movies as they worked. There are toe-tightening machines, heel tightening machines etc. Then there are workers who cement the bottom of the shoe and then check them under an ultra violet light. Then the shoes are passed from one machine to another by a conveyor belt till the finished product is made. The shoes are tested again and again for their strength and durability. Now wonder people go for Bata Shoes!

There are approximately 1,500 workers in Bata and the company produces 85,000 pairs of shoes per day.

Another thing that impressed us was that Bata has an effluent treatment plant- very rare in Bangladesh - where the liquid waste and water is separated from solid waste. The water now treated is used for plants and trees in the premises. Nothing is wasted. The solid is recycled and used again. This shows that Bata is concerned about environment. We felt most firms should have these sorts of treatment plants instead of letting toxic wastes into our lakes and rivers!

After going round the factory we were taken to the canteen for refreshments.

We enjoyed our trip which was absolutely rewarding and would like to thank the Managing Director, Bata Shoe Company, Mr. J.D. Hearns for giving his permission to visit the factory and to the Vice Principal of our School, Mr. Ali Karam Reza, without whose patronization this trip would not have materialized.

By Shoaib Khan & Fahim Abrar Hussain

Recap: Welcome to RS High, the place where the teen scene is meaner than the jungle, where friendships are broken and reformed at the blink of an eyelid. See it through their diary entries as the people that populate this high school try figuring each other out and dealing with everyday issues. Last week, when Lamia seemed to get soft on Prianka, Sadia began to get insecure. Towards the end of her entry, we find that Prianka's boyfriend Saquib is cheating on her. Hang on to your seats for Lamia's exciting entry this week.

Dear Diary,
Afrida, Prianka, and even Sadia, have on many occasions, pointed out to me that I don't know many things that they do. That might be true, as much as it hurts to accept it, but I do know people…especially people I care about, and that includes Prianka. No matter what happened between us, I cannot forget that we grew up together, and were once best friends.

I remember this one incident when Pree and I were little girls. It was her birthday, and there was this huge party, with gifts, and balloons, and toys and a huge cake…but her parents were not there; they were probably off on some business trip together. Pree was laughing out loud, and pretending to be having a lot of fun, but she was very rude to this one girl whose mother fussed over her before dropping her off. I stayed over with Pree that night, and I noticed that she opened all her presents, except for the big shiny package left for her by her parents. That's the way she is…desperately needing her loved ones to love her back, and when they don't, she takes it out on people luckier in that respect than herself.

So when Sadia started complaining about Prianka being hard on her during basketball practice, I knew something was wrong. And when I saw Sadia smiling to herself as she changed for practice, I had this feeling that she knew what it was. Ever since the science tournament, when I went and hugged Pree, Sadi's been feeling slightly insecure about our relationship.

It all exploded towards the end of basketball practice. I'd just come out of Art class, and was waiting for Sadia. Pree said something mean about Sadi's jump shot, and Sadi shot back with 'You can't even manage your cheating boyfriend, and you expect to run a team?” I swear, everything went so quiet, you could hear your own heart beating. Prianka turned very white, and just swung around, and walked away. The other girls parted to let her pass, and no one said anything. Something burst inside me, and I ran behind her all the way into the dressing room and hugged her tight. She was shaking really hard, and at one point, she started crying hard. I started crying too. I couldn't help it.

Prianka confronted Saquib at break-time. He tried to deny it first, saying Pree was being paranoid, but when Sadia actually stood up for Prianka, he gave in and confessed. Pree dumped him on the spot, and Sadia apologised to her, which she accepted without a fuss. None of us could believe it.

Afrida heard about the whole thing during Physics class, where I guess some of the guys were probably ribbing Saquib about his loss. She came over and found Sadi and me sitting with a gloomy Pree, and invited us all over to lunch at her place.

So that's how we all came to be having a fantastic lunch together at Afrida's (her mother is an awesome cook)…and no one would believe it if they heard it, but it was fun!

Isn't life really funny sometimes?
Lamia

By The Girl Next Door

This is for all of you who are leaving for the United States or UK for undergraduate studies. We all know that the cost of studying in these two countries is terribly overwhelming, and for most of us, hardly affordable. Because of this, RS has scooped up a few scholarship opportunities that you can try out before leaving.

The Commonwealth Scholarship andDF Fellowship Plan. This grant is mainly for post graduate studies, but in very special circumstances, it may be given for undergraduate studies as well. The length of the scholarship varies from one to three years and mainly covers tuition, accommodation and living expenses. You can contact the Ministry of Education for further information.

The ID Shared Scholarship. This scheme is also for post graduate studies but at times is also given for undergraduate studies in development economics. A condition of this scheme is that successful candidates must return to their home countries after completion of the course in Britain. You can contact British Council for further information regarding this scholarship.

International organizations such as UNESCO and WHO may offer some grants or scholarships for studying abroad. You can contact the Ministry of Education, or the individual organizations concerned for further information.

For studies in the United States, you can look for scholarships in the College Board website (www.collegeboard.com). You can also check out www.inter national student.com and www.varsity admission .com for tons of other scholarship opportunities.

Go to www.internationalstudent. Com /loans for information on getting student loans for studying in the States. Apparently, if you have a relative, or a contact who is an American citizen, you can take out a student loan if that person is willing to be your cosigner.

You can contact American Center and British Council for information on more scholarships. And don't forget to check out if any scholarships are offered by your own universities abroad.

All information provided has been taken from the internet and Rising Stars takes no responsibility for the validity of the scholarships named in this article.

By Fahmina Rahman

There, the pendulum swings
It's ever so constant, it hypnotizes me
I devour into dreams, soothing dreams
I am flying! Can the birds see me?
I am walking on a thin string
I fear it will break
No it won't, she is with me
I am weightless, there's no gravity.
All intangible seem tangible
Yes, I am touching the ray of love
It's not warm, not cold
It's out of the world.
Oh! The pendulum rings!
All my thoughts still
I am awake! I am alive!
I smile, and I say,
Will I live another day
To see my dear pendulum sway?

By Masroor Hussain