Pinegrove School

If you're driving down Kasauli Road in Dharampur, you’ll see our gates tucked in among the trees. It’s a hilly area, so there’s a lot of walking up and down paths for both the teachers and the kids. The air is usually fresh, though it gets foggy during the monsoon months. We spend a lot of time making sure the uniforms are neat and the kids are getting to their meals on time. It's a boarding environment, so it feels more like a small village than just a school. Things start pretty early here with a bit of exercise or a walk before breakfast. We have different buildings for the older and younger ones, and keeping track of everyone takes a bit of effort. The playground gets a lot of use whenever it's dry enough. Most of us have been working here for years and we've seen a lot of classes come and go. It’s busy, especially when there are sports matches or visitors coming up from the plains. Sometimes the electricity goes out when the wind is high, but we just light some lamps and keep going. We don’t really go for anything flashy, just a solid day of work and study. The hills make for a nice backdrop, even if the climb is steep. We just keep our heads down and do the daily tasks that need doing.