ST. JOSEPH'S COLLEGE

On the morning of 9 September, a contingent of students from St. Joseph’s College proceeded to Excelsia 2026, the prestigious annual fest organised by St. John’s Academy, Prayagraj. The two-day extravaganza featured a vibrant array of competitions across Categories A and B, comprising Classes XI–XII and Classes IX–X, respectively. What unfolded over the next two days was a tale of spirit, determination and camaraderie that transcended institutional affiliations.

The first day began with the Verbal Quadrathlon for Category A, an event incorporating Dumb Charades, Pictionary, an Etymology Quiz and Spell Bee. The competition put to the test the participants’ quick thinking, knowledge, vocabulary and command over words and their connections to the English language.

Next came the Mitchell Memorial English Debates for Categories A and B, where critical thinking, articulation and resolve were tested under pressure and within strict time constraints. The topic for Category A was “Forgiveness should be considered a moral duty”, while Category B deliberated upon “Social Media is making Young People less critical in their thinking.”

These were followed by Versify: Poetry Writing, a competition testing literary creativity under the pressure of a time constraint. The topics for Categories A and B were “Footprints of Tomorrow” and “The Courage to Dream”, respectively.

Next came JAM (Just-A-Minute) and HAM (Half-A-Minute) for Categories A and B, respectively, testing presence of mind, spontaneity and fluent command of the spoken word. This was followed by the Group Discussion for Category A on the topic “Gen Z’s world is a new emerging challenge to the core Indian Education System”, with the objective of fostering dialogue, solidarity and cohesiveness in the pursuit of a shared goal.

Running concurrently was the Robo Race, an exhilarating event in which students demonstrated their knowledge of robotics and automation. The robots were required to traverse a track featuring obstacles and varying inclines without human intervention.

The day’s events came to a contemplative close with the Monologue, in which students enacted soliloquies from plays that have defined their times.

The next day began with an equally motivated assemblage. The first event was the General Quiz for Categories A and B, testing the participants’ knowledge, presence of mind and ability to perform under pressure. This was followed by the Collage Making and Poster Making Competitions for Categories B and A, respectively, where art and resourcefulness came together to create striking visual representations. The topics were “Screen Time vs Green Time” for Collage Making and “Emotion without Words” for Poster Making.

The Computer Programming Competition challenged participants to employ Java to create functional programmes. Next came the Verbal Quadrathlon for Category B, followed by the Mitchell Memorial Hindi Debates for Categories A and B. Here, students delivered impassioned speeches on the given topics: “आदर्शों से समझौता किए बिना व्यावहारिक जीवन संभव नहीं है।” for Category A and “साहित्य का समय के साथ बदलना आवश्यक होता है।” for Category B.

As Day 2 drew to a close, the SJC contingent emerged triumphant in Category A, securing first or second positions in all but one event, and proudly claiming the Overall Runners-Up Trophy.

As all journeys come to an end, so did this tale, replete with glory, perseverance and camaraderie, leaving behind memories that will linger long after the final applause has faded. The spirit of Semper Sursum shone through every performance, every challenge and every achievement. And, as William Wordsworth beautifully expressed in The Solitary Reaper:

“The music in my heart I bore,

Long after it was heard no more.”

So too will the music of Excelsia 2026 remain in the hearts of our young participants, long after the fest has ended and the echoes of competition have fallen silent.

A heartfelt congratulations to our young Josephites, whose talent, determination and indomitable spirit carried them to the Overall Runners-Up position. They have truly lived the spirit of Semper Sursum, always aiming high and rising to every challenge.

Results

Category A : Classes XI–XII

First Position

Versify (Poetry Writing): Yasharth Pratap Singh

General Quiz: Mohd. Jafar Sadiq and Abhimanyu Dixit

Mitchell Memorial English Debate: Raghav Mishra (Best Speaker) and Yasharth Pratap Singh (Best Speaker)

Computer Programming: Rajveer Singh Bagga and Aditya Jaiswal

Verbal Quadrathlon: Akshit Jaiswal, Mohd. Jafar Sadiq and Abhimanyu Dixit

Just-A-Minute: Daksh Abhishikt Lyall

Second Position

Poster Making: Akshit Jaiswal and Om Tripathi

Group Discussion: Raghav Mishra

Third Position

Mitchell Memorial Hindi Debate: Raghav Mishra and Yatharth Srivastava

Category B: Classes IX–X

First Position

Mitchell Memorial English Debate: Shreesh Dubey (Best Speaker) and Aditya Jai Singh (Best Speaker)

Third Position

Half-A-Minute: Shivansh Gaur

Monologue: Shreesh Dubey

Verbal Quadrathlon: Pranay Tripathi, Siddharth Gupta and Shivansh Gaur

Versify (Poetry Writing): Siddharth Gupta