Kids Kicked Out For Booze Binge In Posh School

Std X and Std XII students were caught drinking, smoking in Pune boarding school, where Mumbai's rich send their children

Std X and Std XII students were caught drinking, smoking in Pune boarding school, where Mumbai's
rich send their children

Four students were expelled and six suspended from a posh boarding school in Pune for smoking and drinking alcohol in their dorm rooms. The principal confirmed the incident, which happened a fortnight ago, and added that some of the students were children from affluent families in Mumbai.

The RiverDale Inter-national Residential School has, however, had a change of heart since, and the students of Std X and XII have now been taken back, but on the condition that they undergo counselling and do not flout the school rules again.

AERIAL VIEW: RiverDale School, a residential school at Mulshi, near Pune, houses 260 students from Std III to XII. It offers students the ICSE and ISC curriculum.

Four students were expelled and six suspended from a posh boarding school in Pune for smoking and drinking alcohol in their dorm rooms.

The principal has confirmed the incident, which happened a fortnight ago, and added that some of the students were children of affluent families in Mumbai.

The RiverDale Inter-national Residential School has, however, had a change of heart since, and the students have now been taken back, but on the condition that they undergo counselling and do not break the school rules again.

The incident that took place on June 6 involved three Std XII students and seven Std X students who sneaked out of their dorm in the middle of the night and made their way to the shops at Mulshi, where the school is located.

They then purchased alcohol and cigarettes and came back to the dorm where they partied till 3 am.

The night supervisor found the alcohol bottles in the room in the morning and immediately brought it to
the principal's notice. When the students were called in to verify the incident, they confessed.

Zero tolerance

Principal Payam Shoghi told MiD DAY, "RiverDale International School adheres to high standards of discipline and the management has zero tolerance for major acts of misconduct and indiscipline.

Consequently, disciplinary action was initiated against the offending students resulting in the immediate expulsion of four students from school and suspension of six others.
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However considering that their board exams are this year, we have decided to give them another chance, but on the condition that their parents submit a written undertaking that their wards will not repeat such acts."
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He added that the school had also begun a mentoring program where the students would have to spend at least an hour with the counsellor every day.

About the school

RiverDale School is considered one of the bigger residential schools in Maharashtra and was started in 2003. It is situated at Mulshi, a taluka located half an hour from Pune city.
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The school houses 260 students from Std III to XII. It offers students the ICSE and ISC curriculum.

Shrink speak

Psychiatrist Anjali Chhabria chalks it down to increasing stress levels among students. "They are constantly eager to experiment and also receive insufficient counseling.

Immediate expulsion shouldn't have been the first step, though it's good that the school reversed its decision.
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Children need to direct their energies elsewhere like for example in physical play, so that they are not forced to channel their interests elsewhere."

Kids gone wild

>>u00a0A Std X student from Dhirubhai Ambani u00a0School at Bandra Kurla Complex was allegedly found in possession u00a0of a photograph of his classmates and u00a0seniors indulging in substance abuse in March. The children u00a0were made to see counsellors.

>> In February, a Std IX student from Lilavatibai Podar Senior Secondary School was found with a wad of cash believed to be amounting to Rs 1.25 lakh in his classroom. The boy had allegedly stolen the amount from his father's vault. The student also underwent counselling.

>> In 2007, three Std IX students from Bombay Scottish School made off for a weekend trip to Goa with one of the student's parent's Qualis. They funded their holiday by selling off an expensive gaming console.

2003
The year in which RiverDale School in Maharashtra started