Over 2,000 students, determined ones walk for happiness

Dubai - This is the fourth consecutive year of the Walk for Happiness.

With the aim of promoting the importance of living in harmony with family, friends and the society, over 2,000 students of Our Own High School Boys - Al Warqa took part in the Walk for Happiness on Thursday at Zaabeel Park along with students of determination.
Through the symbolic 2km walk around the park - which is in line with the Year of Tolerance - the students along with about 100 teachers as well as parents expressed their contentment, happiness and gratitude toward their parents, family, school and the UAE government for providing them with a wonderful environment.
This is the fourth consecutive year of the Walk for Happiness by the school and this time to incorporate the 'Year of Tolerance', the school also tied up with the Special Needs Foundation Development Centre that sent about 20 determined ones to walk with the school students. The dress code for the walk was colours of the UAE national flag.
A podium was set up outside the gate of the Zabeel Park from where the school principal Sanjeev Jolly welcomed all the participants, SNF students, teachers and parents before kicking off the walkathon by releasing some helium-filled balloons into the sky.
Jolly said: "The objective of this event is for students to realize the valuable gifts of life and be grateful for the same. The walk is our way of saying thank you to the leaders of this country for allowing us expats to stay here with respect and giving us an opportunity to grow. We are trying to inculcate a value system in our children through this endeavour which will create a lasting impact in their life making them empathetic, grateful, peaceful and happy humans.
Students from grade 1 to 8 marched for 2km around the park with smileys on their t-shirts, holding colourful banners and posters with messages of peace, happiness and tolerance. 
A choir of about 40 students from OOHS played their musical instruments and sang songs on different themes of harmony, peace, the culture, the land and its rulers appreciating them all and expressing their happiness on being part of the UAE.
Aarti S. Kanal, supervisor and peace and happiness coordinator at OOHS, said: "This year, we incorporated the 'Year of Tolerance' in our Walk for Happiness as I personally believe that tolerance is a value which is the root of every other value. If we inculcate 'tolerance', all other values of respect, compassion, empathy follow. This will indeed make our lives worthwhile and the world a happier place."
Grade 8 student Abhishek Girish Pai, who is the middle school leader for Peace and Happiness at OOHS, said: "The 'Walk for Happiness' has greatly impacted our opinions and views we have for the world around us. It has taught us to appreciate even the smallest of things in life. The primary objective for this event was to spread the message of peace and happiness and to develop a better perspective for ourselves."
The students completed the walk in about in an hour and were awarded gift bags with biscuits and pasta packs sponsored by Tiffany.
saman@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE
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