09/10/2026
Interact Club chartered at Govt. Model High School, Sector 53, Chandigarh
Chandigarh, 9 October 2026: Rotary Club Chandigarh Horizon (RID 3080), in collaboration with Kaira Hope Foundation, today held the Charter Ceremony of the newly formed Interact Club of Govt. Model High School, Sector 53, Chandigarh. Forty students joined as Interactors, becoming part of a global network of more than 3,40,000 young people in nearly 15,000 Interact clubs across 145 countries.
Math teacher Mr. Kapil Mohan Sood welcomed the guests and anchored the programme. Science Mistress and Interact Club Coordinator Mrs. Rupinder Kaur explained why the club was formed.
Rtn. Avinash Taneja, President, Rotary Club Chandigarh Horizon, then addressed the students. He traced Rotary’s journey from its founding by Paul Harris in Chicago in 1905 to the first Interact club in Melbourne, Florida, in 1962. Explaining Rotary’s motto of “Service Above Self,” he cited the example of Interactors at a school in Bhakarpura who helped a sick classmate keep up with his studies. Recalling his own school days, he urged the students to revive the practice of doing at least one good deed every day.
“Leadership is not about a badge or a title. It is about the courage to say, ‘I will do it,’” he told the Interactors. He encouraged them to dream big, serve with their hearts and lead with a smile.
The names of all 40 members were read out, and the office bearers were introduced along with their roles: President Gaurav Sharma, Vice President Gurnoor Singh, Secretary Komal, Treasurer Saju Khatun, President-Elect (2027–28) Krishna, and Directors Palak, Ramesh, Tanush Katoch, Kapil, Kiran and Anshika.
Rtn. Avinash Taneja installed President Gaurav Sharma by placing the Interact collar on him, and the office bearers received their Interact pins. Rotary Club members presented the framed Certificate of Organization to Headmistress Mrs. Riya Arya and the club officers. On behalf of Kaira Hope Foundation, all officers and directors received tokens of appreciation.
President Gaurav Sharma and Vice President Gurnoor Singh spoke about their goals for the year ahead. Rtn. Taneja then administered Rotary’s Four-Way Test to the Interactors. Rtn. Rajpal Midha, Secretary, and Rtn. Shailender K. Bhandari also blessed the Interactors.
Headmistress Mrs. Riya Arya proposed the vote of thanks, and the formal proceedings concluded with the National Anthem. Also present were Mr. Jerry Bansal (Math Teacher), Mrs. Rachhpal Kaur (Punjabi Teacher) and Mrs. Inderpreet Kaur (Counsellor).
As their first act of service, the Interactors planted trees on the school campus.
