Naveen Vidya Mandir High School

Down in Paloura, our school has been standing for a long time. It’s a high school, so we see the kids grow up from small children into young adults. The building is tucked away a bit, but the locals in Jammu know the way. Every morning, the sound of the assembly starts the day off. It’s usually pretty loud with all the voices joined together. We have a playground that gets quite muddy when it rains, so the kids end up with dirty shoes, which the teachers don't always like. The classrooms are basic, with wooden desks and blackboards that always need a good wipe. We don't have any of those fancy smart boards you see in the city schools, but the teachers here know how to explain things well enough. During the hot months, the fans are always humming at full speed. Sometimes the kids forget their lunch boxes and we have to call their parents. It’s just how things go here. We have a small office where the principal sits and handles all the paperwork, which seems to never end. People from the Paloura area trust us because we’ve been here through different generations of the same families. It’s a familiar place for everyone. The gate is always open a bit early for the staff who come in from further away. We just do our work day by day and try to keep things organized for the students.