“Lead Kindly Light”, funny how I find myself calm and comfortable when I think about Sunbeam. When I was in my 12th grade my maths teacher told us, “School is like a salt to your meal, you have a long way to go. Just don’t give up”. That moment what more can you expect from a bunch of teenagers who thought what they thought was the world. I in particular thought, “well yeah, if you say so, sir”. But the interesting fact is, I am 23 years old and I still believe my school days was the best thing that had ever happened to me so far. I do not remember my first day at school but I remember my special lunchtimes with my best friend who is still, in fact, my best friend, my first science experiment when I was in grade 4, sports days and festivals and in fact, Sunbeam helped me become a good singer, my Vice President made sure to make me sing the prayer song before any event, and of course a great opportunity I got to sing in the annual fest. We all carry memories logical and illogical ones and Sunbeam gave me both. If it wasn’t for Sunbeam, I wouldn’t feel unique today, I would have never understood the value of equality, and my school made me a better person. Sunbeam taught me to respect and value of life. Every festival was treated equal, every student was equal. Tiny sweet memories and bigger achievement are what was Sunbeam to me. A huge space just for me that is how every student felt, we were given numerous opportunities to shine and come out in flying colours. My teachers, in particular, let it be Rathish sir, Mudasir Sir, Ramu Sir or Logasundari ma’am or Sumathi ma’am they were all the light to our darkest days. No matter how many times I failed, my principal made sure I was fine and on the right path. Thinking about my school days, even exams were the best part, the adrenaline rush during simple monthly exams and midterms and I am lucky for the support and guidance I received from the teachers during my 10th and 12th public exams. I would love to have that same thrill again in my life just to be in that campus, to feel joy and happiness that they give me. Let it be the sincerity we had with the Interhouse Activity or assembly, every serious part of life was made fun to me. Sunbeam is in fact a place for happiness and sorrow, you have to be broken to bring out the better version of yourself, though there was pain, the happiness of life is long-lasting. School is a mix of emotions that every student gets to feel, and what Sunbeam gave me was something that would always burn alive in me. I would always long to sit in one more educomp class, or sit in the 5th-grade class in the main building at the second-floor corner, or those silent drizzles around 3 o clock making us all feel wonderful. Just one more visit to that library, to me it was one of the best days. Gave me a chance to understand the literature of life and the value of our purpose. As students we were never disconnected from our teachers to me they were with us with every pain and joy in our life. We always had Someone into our school to give a pep talk telling us how the sky is not the limit. A campus that felt like home and teachers who made me feel home. They never gave up on me. Sunbeam was not just about education it was ultimately about the purpose of life, the discipline of life and the growth of confidence. Maybe school wasn’t just a salt to a meal but just more than that. Sunbeam taught about the artistic view of the world, my correspondent and principal always made sure to talk with us on what we needed in life. But when I was in school, I couldn’t really connect with what they said or taught me, but they actually built the strongest foundation in my subconscious that I can still stand still through any storm by the world. Once you enter Sunbeam it is hard to leave because that was what sunbeam was to me. A safe haven that always is a memory that would never fade away. As old as I grow when there are hardest times of my life, I think about Sunbeam and my friends and teachers who never gave up on me. As I said, in the end, Sunbeam was never about just getting to be a doctor or engineer or a CEO. It was where you make your dreams happen. A campus that gives you the pride to call it as your own to mould yourself into the dreams you aim for the right place to understand a crucial world that awaits you, a school that gives you the physical and mental strength to achieve your impossibilities. We are always a child to our parents, and we are always a student to Sunbeam, a proud one and trust me, as years pass by you would have the same joy and happiness when you think about Sunbeam. Because we could be lousy or perfect teenagers in school but we only know the result of what we become only after when we let it go. That is what Sunbeam teaches you to be, a human with humanity, a little touch of attitude and fundamental simplicity of life with a great richness to the soul. The best thing about my experience in Sunbeam is that it was not just about my growth but also the growth of my school. I had the opportunity to see my far-out seniors making great achievements and being a great inspiration to me, many passed out teachers like Samuykta ma’am, Rachel ma’am from Nagaland who were great teachers leaving a mark in us because in a world like today we expect people to never forget us and Sunbeam made sure we remembered our teachers. I saw my school grow, the growth of both matriculation and CBSE and I was blessed to gain knowledge from both sides. Sunbeam gave me a lot of friends and knowledge and taught me the of not just education but what was school all about. I saw my school reach levels that brought joy and pride to me that is what Sunbeam does. It ever stops beaming. The school shined and made sure we shine with it too. That is why my experience in Sunbeam is a living memory till today and the love I have for my school will never degrade for what it gave me and made me. The perfect campus for an ordinary student to become extraordinary. The right campus to keep up with the motto and brings out the serene beauty from the darkest person. There is no other better foreground for my life than Sunbeam, where there is no discrimination or social borders, but an environment that feeds the freedom of life and the soul of knowledge. Written by, Ida Evangeline Sunbeam, My Safe Haven
