By Ms Placida Nazareth for BISMumbai

The much-awaited Josephite Festival was held at St Joseph’s High School, Wadala, from 7 to 9 December 2023. The motive for organising the Josephite Festival right from its inception in 2017 when the school commemorated its centenary, is to nurture the intrinsic qualities of students and develop their personalities.

With over 7000 entries it hosted more than 70 events. St Joseph’s High School, with its magnetic appeal, drew students from across 81 schools in the city and its suburbs who participated with zest and exhibited their talents in the various competitions that were organized. The competition included a plethora of categories ranging from literature to art to computer science and technology that drew the attention of the onlookers. 

The participants were classified into four categories. The first category comprised pre-primary and Grade 1 students, while the second category included students belonging to Grades 2 to 4. The last two categories included students of the secondary section i.e. students of Std 5 to 10 . 

The Rector, Fr James Nigrel, welcomed the esteemed chief guests Fathers Rosario Vaz,  Charles Anthony and Franco Pereira, and the former Principal Ms Sangitha Bhattacharya. They expressed their happiness to be a part of the Josephite Festival. 

Fr Blaise Fernandes, the Principal, thanked the school management and those incharge of the event for the meticulous planning and execution of the Festival. He also extended his gratitude to the teachers, parents, alumni, and students for their ever-encouraging support and willingness to make the festival a grand success. He also thanked the contestants and teachers of the other schools for participating in the festival in huge numbers. 

The planning for the event had started three months prior. The various departments networked superbly to ensure a successful execution of the three-day programme. The staff and the students from all the participating schools enjoyed every minute of their time at the Josephite Festival, which fulfilled the purpose of celebrating talent of the students with love. The competition ended with the distribution of prizes for the various events. Participation certificates were handed over to every student who participated in various events.