Much of the week, starting on the 24^th June, has been spent as “project hand over” from Elaine to me and this offered the opportunity for me to familiarise myself with the site and landscape, as well as meeting key people at The School. I am really impressed with what has been achieved so far on site and very much hope to be able to continue the good work.

I have been briefed on Elaine's designs for the residential courtyards, Zojila/Khardongla House (Courtyard 1) and Warila/Penzila House (Courtyard 3) and we have had a refresher meeting with Angdus to ensure these remain on the schedule of works for the next couple of months. The courtyards are easier to identify since the arrival of some rather smart signs in time for the opening of the Ladakh International Film Festival at the school.

It is a day to remember when India's constitution came into force on January 26, 1950, completing the country's transition toward becoming an independent republic.
Republic Day represents the true spirit of the independent India. Military parades, displays of military equipment and the national flag are important symbols on this date. India's national flag is a horizontal tricolor of deep saffron (kesaria) at the top, white in the middle and dark green at the bottom in equal proportion.
Thanks to the teachers and students for believing in yourself and giving their 100%. You all deserve it! I congratulate you all on behalf of our DPKS Family. Bravo and you guys nailed it. 1st position in march-past (parade) and 3rd position in cultural perfomance. Here is a glimpse of this very special day.

The school bid farewell to Principal Stanzin Kunzang, with gifts and speeches after her five-year tenure at DPKS.

Note of gratitude and adieu from The Principal's Desk:

These 5 years and 4 months of my association with DPKS have been the most fascinating period of my life time so far, I am overwhelmed and intensively emotive in my blood and veins. It has truly been days and years of Superlative team work and Inspiration. I could not have been luckier to have been loved and accepted as a young Principal {Five years back} just as a raw novice. Things at DPKS were extra ordinarily remarkable rewarding and hugely challenging at the same time, but the brightness in the eyes and the warmth in the voices of my loving students kept me going undeterred at all times. I am completely convinced as to why teachers are held at high pedestal of respect and love as timelessly ” Guru” " Teacher “ " the transformer" " the molder" " the shaper" and to larger extent producer of human of fine kinds. We the teachers are offered supreme Salutations and reverence….. it is but obvious because from times continued we have been considered the light which guides and brightens the life of our pupils. I have to state that my story of learning, unlearning and teaching will be a moment in time that I will shelf in the core of my heart and cherish it life time .Nothing so far has equaled the excitement, reward and exhilaration as at DPKS. Today I take this final opportunity to thank endless number of people for your love, support and unwavering faith in me. Each one in my story at DPKS has inspired my team and me to courageously and confidently set milestones and bench mark in the field of teaching and learning and with a clear vision in our eyes, equaling the passion in our hearts pushed beyond limits to better education in all possible realms. I am supremely thankful to all the Sponsors in individual and Collaborative capacity. Thank you all for your pure “unconditional” love and support in shaping and nurturing a precious human life through education. Thank you each who have been minor or majorly associated with Druk Padma and have rendered kind words or hand. Thank you dear parents of my students for your pillar support and belief in me and for going that extra mile……I am supremely humbled and intensely encouraged till eternity. An enormous Thank you to H. Holiness , Gyalwang Drukpa for envisaging this Gem in the desert called “Padma Karpo”. I have been exclusively fortunate to have had his support, blessings and love. Finally Thank you all my wonderful students, you keep the fire on in me !!! Whatever little I am today is entirely because of you all. To all my wonderful students in every corner….within or out of DPKS……I love you all and wish the best for each one of you. I am honored to have many of you visit me and encouraged my little work for life time. Remember, never stop learning as learning never stops.
A warm Julley !

The month of NOV is conclusive for the year long academic session and brings the most awaited Final Proclamation of the results, harbinging excitable new classes, teachers, books and everything in the school to bring life at strength twice as usual. This year too students overall splendiferous performance academically swelled the hearts of teachers and parents with joy and pride. The students were certified for their conspicuous virtues followed by distinction of the most progressive students of each class and of course the WISDOM house swept the Running Trophy and 10000/rs cash prize for the” Best House of the year” leaving all yearning for the next one in the advancing year. This red lettered day of DPKS was attended by the Deputy Chairman accompanied by the new members SMC and throng of parents.

Life changing Mantra! BUY the rumours SELL that facts!!

It’s a massive happiness to witness the young students of 4th B pick up such time needed, valuable Universal message and gospel to really and truly BUY the rumours and SELL the facts! The students consciously understanding this responsibility and the essence of their finely chosen topic expressed their fear and concern about how casual gossip mongering can be poisonous and obnoxious in every sphere of human existence. The students with the complete guidance of their class teacher most skillfully and appealingly transmitted their message of the brutality of rumours and how it is most apt and virtuous to not just abstain from rumours but from the sources of rumour mongering. They intensely propagated positive thought and positive speech….resulting in positive action!! Well done and cheers to the teachers and students of std 4th B ….. You were inspirational!

Each Eco-Shower building will have a high capacity evacuated glass tube solar water heater feeding water into shower cubicles and to taps where students will be able to draw warm water for washing. The building is heated passively by a trombe wall and ventilated via high level windows. The trombe wall has an outer timber framed glazed screen, with an inner mud brick wall. This system allows warm air to be trapped in the cavity, and released into the main space through radiation and via opening high level windows set into the mudbrick wall.

Eco-Shower building foundations and completed building:

In 2017 the Seismic Upgrade & Mudslide Repair programme started on one of the eight residential buildings. Four Eco-Shower buildings will also be built, one in each residential courtyard during the refurbishment as part of the school's Health & Wellbeing programme.  

The seismic risk in the area of the school is now thought by international seismic experts to be ten-times greater than the original estimates of risk.  

This refurbishment programme will make buildings more resilient in an earthquake by:         

➔Reducing the weight of the heavy roofs.

➔Tying all elements together, so that the building works as one.

➔Increasing the number and strength of the walls and bracing systems.

➔Enabling the walls and bracing to absorb energy.

The repair work involves replacing rotten columns and isolating columns from the ground to prevent future rot.

During the night of 5/6th August 2010 devastating mudslides hit the Leh and Shey areas of The Indus valley. One of these mudslides swept through the school depositing up to 1.5m of mud, boulders and debris across a large part of the campus. All the residential students and staff escaped across a raging torrent of mud in the pitch dark of the night.

In the following days the devastation was recorded in these photographs.

During the first few weeks following the mud and rock slide, the school received immediate help from many volunteers. The Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) sent a team of around 50 workers for three weeks to dig mud out of the buildings which was a tremendous help.

During this time the school received a visit from the Bollywood star Mr Aamir Khan, who filmed part of the hit film ”3 Idiots” at the school two years previously. Mr Khan was the guest of His Holiness Gyalwang Drukpa, the school's founder. This visit helped to cheer spirits amongst the devastation.

Oxfam kindly provided emergency latrines. Médecins Sans Frontières offered counselling to the staff and pupils.

Sir Anthony Bamford of JCB Excavators kindly donated a JCB to the school in Septemebr 2010 at the request of Drukpa Trust in the UK. The JCB has already been extremely useful in clearing rocks and debris from the school campus and is now being used to create a ditch, wall and earth mound protection.

The Construction Manager, Angdus, and his teams spent the months before the harsh winter set-in repairing and replacing the broken doors and windows that the mud and rocks had crashed into. Where the mud had been deposited, up to 1-1.5 m deep inside rooms, the lower sections of interior walls, made of mudbricks, had to be removed as the moisture from the mud caused them to deteriorate.

While classrooms were unusable, some lessons were held in tents. Gradually the classrooms were ready for temporary use without furniture.

Apart from the two science laboratories, classrooms and offices have wooden floors and there was concern that the floors might be ruined and need replacing - timber costs are high. Once the mud had been dug out, the floors were cleaned and left to thoroughly dry over the winter for review in the spring.

At the beginning of March 2011, the school resumed after the two and a half month winter break.

Thankfully the wooden floors have survived and have recently been sanded and re-varnished.

In the aftermath of the mudslide disaster, 78 displaced children who had lost their homes or a parent, were taken in by the school as residential pupils. This has left the school with the need for additional classroom and residential accommodation in addition to the planned expansion of the school.

Of paramount importance is to build a defensive structure to protect the school from future similar mud or rock slide events. A structural engineer from Arup, the architects and engineers of the school, is spending four months at the school working with the construction manager during the summer construction programme.

The landscape of the whole school site needs a lot of work because the resulting ground level is 1-1.5m higher than it used to be in many places.

The Construction Manager, Angdus, and his teams spent the months before the harsh winter set-in repairing and replacing the broken doors and windows that the mud and rocks had crashed into. Where the mud had been deposited, up to 1-1.5 m deep inside rooms, the lower sections of interior walls, made of mudbricks, had to be removed as the moisture from the mud caused them to deteriorate.

While classrooms were unusable, some lessons were held in tents. Gradually the classrooms were ready for temporary use without furniture.

Apart from the two science laboratories, classrooms and offices have wooden floors and there was concern that the floors might be ruined and need replacing - timber costs are high. Once the mud had been dug out, the floors were cleaned and left to thoroughly dry over the winter for review in the spring.

Before the school closed for the long winter break, lost equipment, resources and some furniture was replaced and the residential dormitories re-equipped using donated funds.