By Tr Sunita Dsouza for BIS Mumbai

Brimming with enthusiasm, the amazing three - day Josephite Festival from November 20 to 22, 2025 at St Joseph's High School, Wadala from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., was a sight to behold! The incredible response from 38 schools, with students belonging to Categories I, II, III and IV, ranging from the K.G to Std. X, with a total of 5000 entries, in 69 competitions, made this event spectacular! New interesting competitions like Start-Up Entrepreneurship, Umbrella Painting, Skit, Hindi Elocution and Mehndi competition tapped the hidden potential of the talented students. The Mental Health Ted Talk for the parents in the basketball court was conducted by Dr Sonali Mahale, counsellor from Prafulta Counselling Services, based on the academic, behavioural and social issues faced by children in the session titled ‘Understanding and Addressing Parental Concerns in Raising Children’.

On November 20, the Chief Guest, Mr Jiten Nagda (1990 batch) and the Guest of Honour, Mr Harikrishna Kalyanasundaram (1991 batch), the Past- Pupils of St Joseph's were thrilled to see the Josephite Festival, which they were instrumental in creating, rise to glory, since the year of its inception in 2016! The Chief Guest, on November 21, the Principal of Don Bosco, Matunga, Fr Flovi D'Souza, the Provincial Delegate for Education in Mumbai province, was fascinated with the awesome stage performances of the prize winners in Folk Dance, Western Instrumental, English Story Telling and Percussion and stated, “I am happy to see so many students participating in the holistic education, St. Joseph's High School, Wadala, has to offer."

On November 22, 2025, the Chief Guest, the Provincial, Fr Ashley Miranda, shared his happiness to be present in Fr Jos Menezes Auditorium, his teacher, whom he reveres deeply. Remembering Fr Jos Menezes he said, “The school was a place where we felt loved. St. Joseph’s, run by the Don Bosco fathers, is a school committed to the values of equality, brotherhood, caring and most of all, love.” He was elated to witness the skills of the best performers on stage in Start – Up Entrepreneurship, English Elocution, Mono-Acting and Spell Wiz!

Certificates, trophies and medals were awarded to the winners in the prize distribution ceremony, bringing joy to the students, teachers and parents, making dreams come true! Trophies were awarded to the teacher co-ordinators from Little Angels High School, Canossa Convent, Sitaram Prakash, St Paul’s Convent Girls High School, Dadar Parsee Youth Assembly (D.P. Y. A) and two new entries from Fatima School, Vidyavihar and St Dominic Savio Vidhyalaya, Ghatkopar, for facilitating the overwhelming response witnessed at the Josephite Festival 2025. The ecstatic lucky draw winners were then awarded prizes. The Members of the Management, staff, parent and student volunteers, guided by the Principal, Fr Solomon Rapol, fostered healthy competition, making it a huge success, reflecting the magic of camaraderie, collaborative learning and innovation, celebrating the God-given talent of every student, who is the precious core of the Josephite Festival!