New Minillium School

Ooty is a small place, and our school is tucked away here where the air is always a bit chilly in the mornings. You can see the mist hanging over the hills when the first bell rings. Most of the kids come in wrapped in thick sweaters because the classrooms take a while to warm up. We aren't a massive institution with a huge campus, just a local school where everyone knows each other’s names. The walk up the road can be a bit steep, but it keeps everyone fit. Parents usually stand around the gate for a bit after dropping their children off, chatting about the weather or local news. It’s quiet enough that you can hear the birds during lesson time. We’ve got some old wooden desks and the floors creak a little in the older parts of the building. It’s been this way for years. We don’t have fancy gadgets or anything, just books and teachers who have been here a long time. In the afternoons, the sun finally hits the playground and that’s when it gets lively. Then the clouds roll back in and it’s time for everyone to head home. It is a simple life up here in the Nilgiris. We just focus on getting through the books and making sure the kids are okay. It’s a neighborhood school through and through, and we like it that way. The rain can be heavy sometimes, so we just stay inside and wait it out.