Another feather in the cap of R.D. Rajpal School is that it received the prestigious award of excellence from Microsoft Create to Inspire Programme which was initiated by the Department of Environment, Delhi Govt. Around 200 schools from all over Delhi and NCR participated in the project and very few selected schools got the Certificate of Excellence. The students’ work was duly appreciated on the basis of Best Creative Expression and the Best Community Outreach Programme.
The focus of the programme, conceptualized by Microsoft, was to build capacity and provide guidance to teachers on 5 themes namely Biodiversity, Urban Transportation, Energy, E-waste and Water. A set of 14 toolkits with exercises was provided to teachers which laid down the structure for engaging students on activities related to sustainable consumption and lifestyle. It helped in bringing about a change in the understanding of topics related to the environment and aid the creation of environmental campaigns. Through these campaigns, students were encouraged to enroll and inspire their peers, parents, relatives, and communities to evaluate and consider the environmental impacts from existing lifestyles. Most of the exercises were ‘step outside the classroom’ exercises which aimed to go beyond the formal textbook pedagogy approach and engage students more practically and creatively.
