ICSE & ISC 2019-2020: Winter Camps, Preparations, Exams, Pandemic and Results

Shivani shares the trial, tribulation, joy and achievement for the ICSE and ISC batches of 2019-2020. The uncertainty due to the pandemic lockdown was put to rest with the declaration of results. An exclusive for Different Truths.  

December 2019: Mayo College Girls’ School and many other boarding schools host something called as winter camps every year for the students of class 10^th and 12^th, who would appear for the national board examination the next year. We also did it just like every batch, a lot of preparation, revisions, tests, learning and also a lot of fun. For this, the entire batch of 90 to 100 students live in a single house. Living in a single house with 100 other people going through the same pressure and walking down the same lines feels very comfortable and motivating and also it was the first time this was happening. We were really excited too.

Mayo College Girls’ School and many other boarding schools host something called winter camps every year for the students of class 10^th and 12^th, who would appear for the national board examination the next year. We also did it just like every batch, a lot of preparation, revisions, tests, learning and also a lot of fun. For this, the entire batch of 90 to 100 students live in a single house.

There were gossips rushing down the corridors, a scent of togetherness and comfort crowded the entire environment, the air used to be thick and cold and all of us were extremely pumped up for the preparations, classes till 5 in the evening, night tea and snacks, midday snacks and juices. Our school provided the best they could, with all facilities and comforts kept in mind, with the blowers in each dorm, with teachers and house staff trying to keep it the best way possible and they did.

Every night the air would be heavy with words learnt and unlearnt, people whispering, everybody giving their cent per cent for the worksheets, tests and assignments. All trying to make it before the deadline. Mornings were usually lazy, as we were woken up early and it would be really hard for us to get out of our rajais (quilts) because it was unbelievably cold and we were all a mess in the morning due to the late-night studies but we all made it. It was because of the extreme motivation within us.

It was great, the classes were very interactive and well explained, everything was going at a good pace. We would have nights where we would watch movies and just relax for a bit and some nights. We would put an alarm for five am and sleep at one am and still manage to wake up and give it all for the preparation. The hour after dinner used to be the best time in my opinion, as everybody would come back holding hands and walking cosy in each other’s arms

It was great, the classes were very interactive and well explained, everything was going at a good pace. We would have nights where we would watch movies and just relax for a bit and some nights. We would put an alarm for five am and sleep at one am and still manage to wake up and give it all for the preparation. The hour after dinner used to be the best time in my opinion, as everybody would come back holding hands and walking cosy in each other’s arms, wearing the warmest of mufflers to not almost freeze on the way to the mess or the dining hall.

Our house used to be the farthest from the dining hall so it used to be a great walk with shivers running down to our legs and cold air being stuck in our head every early morning and late night. Dinners used to be delicious, better than normal school days because as I mentioned earlier, the school provided their best to make us feel pumped up and comfortable at all costs. After dinner, we would all rush back to the houses, to get into warm cosy nightsuits and begin as early for the night routines. There would be chatters through the entire space, gossips of the day, cribbing about certain things, having fun with all those, who we never saw after 8:45 every night, just because we would be expected to be in our respective houses by then.

After dinner, we would all rush back to the houses, to get into warm cosy nightsuits and begin as early for the night routines. There would be chatters through the entire space, gossips of the day, cribbing about certain things, having fun with all those, who we never saw after 8:45 every night, just because we would be expected to be in our respective houses by then.

It was the best feeling living for a month with the entire batch and the best days of my life. If any of my teachers are reading this, I would like to thank them for making it so special and motivating us at every step to do a lot better and never discouraging us. Coming to my friends, thanks a lot for the days and all the memories we made during winter camps, including all the inside jokes, the dares, games, dance parties, the little horror things past midnight, dealing with rats in the dorms, playing with the newborn puppies on the school campus, late-night campus rounds, all the shared meals, all the shared junk, for all the things that you said when I would feel demotivated. For everything, for the guitar performance on Christmas balsabha for organising birthdays, for sharing night tea, for lending socks and mufflers and for all the other millions and trillions of things that we talked about.

February 2020: This was the time when the pressure was extremely high, the entire batch was scared, nobody really knew how would they deal with it. Days were passing by. There were calendars put up in each of our dormitories, us slashing off the days one by one, every midnight. Sitting in the study rooms till late night, solving maths problems or probably making a strategy for ourselves on how to go about it.

Each one of us worked hard, super hard as the days went closer by, we would be told every morning by the teachers on how we should be prepared enough by now, adding up to the pressure for those who were not so much. Our teachers would motivate us, thereafter, and would tell us to calm down.

Each one of us worked hard, super hard as the days went closer by, we would be told every morning by the teachers on how we should be prepared enough by now, adding up to the pressure for those who were not so much. Our teachers would motivate us, thereafter, and would tell us to calm down. The last five days, motivational speeches from seniors, everyone just waiting and every morning used to be a very shocking, scary realisation that we were one step closer. We would often kick it off by, ‘ho jayega’ but inside everyone had their guts in their mouths, even though we had studied enough.

The night before the exam of English language, we came back from dinner, changed up and there was an obvious air of nervousness through the entire batch. Everyone knew this is it, the next morning was the start of a very important yet extremely scary examination, to which families give more heat than anything else. It was the time to actually prove ourselves to the world looking down upon us that we are braver, stronger, more confident, hardworking and very ambitious. This was it.

That night we made plans to sleep as early and the next morning, take a shower and go to the mandir early before breakfast, and we did. Also, we promised ourselves to follow the same drill every day.  The breakfast before our first examination we were all extremely scared, cold sweat trickling down our foreheads, as soon as the meal got over.

That night we made plans to sleep as early and the next morning, take a shower and go to the mandir early before breakfast, and we did. Also, we promised ourselves to follow the same drill every day.  The breakfast before our first examination we were all extremely scared, cold sweat trickling down our foreheads, as soon as the meal got over. The captains announced on the mess microphone, wishing us all good luck, while our heartbeats paced up even though we hooted, out of excitement or fear.

Everyone knows the examinations happened, entering the hall was something none of us wanted to accept but we did it and all of us did really well, all of us put all-out hard work of months into those two to three hours. We would avoid discussing the questions papers after the examination because we would just be happy that it was finally over, especially the subjects we were not going to opt. for in the eleventh grade.

We would celebrate by screaming and shouting after coming back, we would play our music loud or do anything that helped us take all the stress out. The mornings of exams, on the religious and ritualistic end, had our house teachers put tika on our foreheads giving us their blessings and wishing us luck. All the examinations were taking place smoothly, properly, after one or two, even we got used to it. We were no longer as scared, with each examination we came out to be more confident.

Suddenly, due to the increasing cases of the yet so initially rising pandemic, the cases were rapidly increasing, and three of our examinations were left to be conducted. We were all very scared as none of us wanted them to get cancelled. The entire country was driven by this, there was a lot of panic all around. People had to shut down everything so suddenly, we were told to vacate the school as soon as possible.

Suddenly, due to the increasing cases of the yet so initially rising pandemic, the cases were rapidly increasing, and three of our examinations were left to be conducted. We were all very scared as none of us wanted them to get cancelled. The entire country was driven by this, there was a lot of panic all around. People had to shut down everything so suddenly, we were told to vacate the school as soon as possible. Everyone was oblivious of what was gonna happen to the examinations, all examinations including JEE, NEET, many entrances and competitive exams and boards were cancelled or so as called postponed for the moment.

It was a sight of disappointment but no one could really help it as we had to also keep ourselves safe, distant and isolated. Three months went by, nobody really studies because we had no updates. In June, CICSCE declared that the examinations would take place in the month of July, but still, we were ambiguous as the cases were increasing rapidly. We worked hard, schools conducted online classes for revision, we did everything, we were quite ready to face this but then on 25^th of June, five days before the exam it was declared cancelled.

Didn’t really know whether to feel happy or disappointed. The disappointment was obviously there and the tolerance of all the students all over the country had gone above their heads, everyone was quite blank about what to do next.

On July 10, 2020, the results came out for the ICSE and the ISC. Now, this goes to all those who struggled so much this year to get here, struggled with continuous ambiguity, fear, under confidence, doubts, but still, we made it.

On July 10, 2020, the results came out for the ICSE and the ISC. Now, this goes to all those who struggled so much this year to get here, struggled with continuous ambiguity, fear, under confidence, doubts, but still, we made it. This goes to all those who stayed up all night doing some of their projects in the past year; we made it. This is to all those, who thought they would have a mental breakdown during the exam; we made it. This is to all those who got headaches during the exams due to the running time; we made it. This to all those, who were ill or had fractures or any illness due to which writing the paper became far more difficult; we made it. This is to the tenth grade and twelfth grade batch of 2019-2020; we made it.

Whatever your results are, be happy, be satisfied, we are all very proud of each other and will continue to hold each other up in similar ways to once again prove the power of the youth to the nation. Congratulations, friends!

Photo from the Internet