Welham Girls' School is a private boarding school for girls located in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India. History The school was established in 1957. Welham was named after the little Welsh village from where its founder, H.S. Oliphant hailed. A retired English headmistress, Oliphant started Welham Boys' School in 1937. She was struck by The Lawrence School, Sanawar and lack of schools of similar quality for the girls around Dehradun. She acquired a palatial estate called Nasreen adjacent to Welham Boys' School to start a small boarding school for girls. There were no funds, staff, or school buildings. Oliphant recruited another retired English woman, Grace Mary Linnel, to run the boarding school for girls. Linnel became the founder principal of Welham Girls School, which started in 1957. She was later awarded a Padma Shri for her contribution to education of girls. Welham Girls’ High School, as it was known then, established itself as a full-fledged boarding school. From its initial crop of 10 students, it has grown to over 550 students. Extracurricular activities The school hosts competitive events such as sports, craft, dramatics, music, dance and photography. Sports These include basketball, hockey, swimming, badminton, lawn tennis, athletics, table tennis, karate, shooting and aerobics. The basketball team has won numerous tournaments over the years and represented Uttrakhand at the national level. Several students have been chosen for the India camp as well. The Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme is a programme that the school offers to its students. Publications The school newspapers, News and Views in English and Kshitij in Hindi, are published every month, as well as a science magazine, Delphic. A technology-based publication, 'The Tech-Key' is also published 4 times a year. It is the newest addition in school, having started in April 2019. Two issues of the magazine The Wall are published each year. Additionally, the school publishes an English literary and art publication, Chrysalis, twice a term. The School Annual is published in summer each year. Notable alumnae Politics Meira Kumar, ex-presidential candidate and First Lady speaker of the Lok Sabha Brinda Karat, Member of Parliament, Communist Party of India (Marxist) Subhashini Ali, activist, president All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) Priyanka Gandhi, politician Malavika Rajkotia, lawyer and activist Neera Yadav, IAS officer Renuka Chowdhury, MP Rajya Sabha Pooja Elangbam, IAS Officer Film Nitya Mehra, director and screenwriter Kareena Kapoor Khan, actress Deepa Mehta, film director Advaita Kala ,