Saint Patrick's High School, Secunderabad
Encyclopedia
St. Patrick's High School is a boys' school located on Sebastian Road in Secunderabad
, Andhra Pradesh
, India. Established in 1911, the school was originally known as St.Patrick's European High School. It is a boys only school from kindergarten to 10th grade and follows the SSC curriculum.
The school had a humble beginning under the leadership of Fr. Colli with 35 students on role in 1911. In the month of April of the same year, the students were presented to Madras Middle Certificate Examination. The school was then under the supervision of the Inspector of European Schools. In 1916, standard VII was added and the strength increased to 102. In the year 1918, classes kindergarten was added. By 1936, the school was full fledged high school and celebrated its silver jubilee celebrations. The school was under the guidance of the Brothers of St. Gabriel from 1936 to 1956. They introduced the present house system among the students for healthy competition. The Archdiocese of Hyderabad took over the school in 1956 until 1973. In 1973, the administration was transferred to the Jesuit Fathers of Andhra Province, belonging to the Society of Jesus Founded by St.Ignatius of Loyola
. The Jesuits brought in many changes to the school. Parent visits on second Saturday of every month was introduced. The rank system was replaced by grade system. The old building was demolished and the playground was extended. A spacious and ventilated building was built for the Kindergarten and Elementary sections. The school celebrated its Platinum Jubilee in 1986. Computer education was introduced in 1989. In 1991, basketball, tennis, and staking courts were constructed. Remedial hour system was introduced in 1997. The St. Patrick's Old Boys Association was rejuvenated around the same time.
, Deputy Chairman of the Planning commission of India. It had the reputation of being one of the best schools in the city. It also charges the least tuition fee for a missionary school. The school has four houses, Gandhi, Loyola, Akbar and Ambedkar, each being represented by green, red, blue and yellow respectively. These four houses were also previously known as Davids, Patricks, Andrews & Gabriels.
words for virtue and hard work. The school emblem can be seen on the school belt, which is worn by all students.
or white coloured shorts, shirts, black coloured shoes and socks, tie with school colours of gold and green, and shoulder marks representing the four different houses. Students are required to wear pants starting from eighth standard. White shoes and socks are worn when wearing the white uniforms. Shoulder marks have marks on them representing the class of the student. Overall, the uniform has been designed such that it is easy to recognise what class a student belongs to by seeing what he is wearing.
patriotic song God Bless America
. The school anthem is almost similar to the song with only minor changes such as America being replaced by St. Patrick's. The lyrics are as follows:
The school is well known for its quality of education. It has produced several IITians and an International Mathematical Olympiad gold medalist.
, Deputy Chairman of the Planning commission of India. Cultural programmes, including welcome dance, ‘bhangra', dance drama and tribal dance were presented by students. Apart from felicitating former principals, superiors, community members and teachers, prizes were also distributed to the class toppers and winners in the competitions organised in connection with the celebrations.
, cricket
and tennis
team. It has a record of being the only school which always stands among the top 5 schools in any cricket or basketball tournament organized for various schools around the city. It also boasts about its cricket players who play for the Ranji trophy
every year.
Secunderabad
Secunderabad popularly known as the twin city of Hyderabad is located in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh north of Hyderabad. Named after Sikandar Jah, the third Nizam of the Asaf Jahi dynasty, Secunderabad was founded in 1806 AD as a British cantonment...
, Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
, India. Established in 1911, the school was originally known as St.Patrick's European High School. It is a boys only school from kindergarten to 10th grade and follows the SSC curriculum.
History
The school was established in 1911 by Fr. H. Colli. While the school is a Catholic educational institution, with the primary aim of providing education to the local Catholic boys, students of other faiths are also admitted. It is also believed that the school in its early days only admitted boys of fairer complexion, so that they mixed easily with Europeans and Anglo Indians.The school had a humble beginning under the leadership of Fr. Colli with 35 students on role in 1911. In the month of April of the same year, the students were presented to Madras Middle Certificate Examination. The school was then under the supervision of the Inspector of European Schools. In 1916, standard VII was added and the strength increased to 102. In the year 1918, classes kindergarten was added. By 1936, the school was full fledged high school and celebrated its silver jubilee celebrations. The school was under the guidance of the Brothers of St. Gabriel from 1936 to 1956. They introduced the present house system among the students for healthy competition. The Archdiocese of Hyderabad took over the school in 1956 until 1973. In 1973, the administration was transferred to the Jesuit Fathers of Andhra Province, belonging to the Society of Jesus Founded by St.Ignatius of Loyola
Ignatius of Loyola
Ignatius of Loyola was a Spanish knight from a Basque noble family, hermit, priest since 1537, and theologian, who founded the Society of Jesus and was its first Superior General. Ignatius emerged as a religious leader during the Counter-Reformation...
. The Jesuits brought in many changes to the school. Parent visits on second Saturday of every month was introduced. The rank system was replaced by grade system. The old building was demolished and the playground was extended. A spacious and ventilated building was built for the Kindergarten and Elementary sections. The school celebrated its Platinum Jubilee in 1986. Computer education was introduced in 1989. In 1991, basketball, tennis, and staking courts were constructed. Remedial hour system was introduced in 1997. The St. Patrick's Old Boys Association was rejuvenated around the same time.
Administration
Being a Catholic institution, it is governed by the article 30(1) of the Indian Constitution. The school has a current enrollment of 3,400 students. The number of staff members is around 100. Since its inception more than 30,000 students attended the school. It has an illustrious alumni of the likes of Montek Singh AhluwaliaMontek Singh Ahluwalia
Montek Singh Ahluwalia is an Indian economist and civil servant. He is currently the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission of the Republic of India. He was previously the first Director of the Independent Evaluation Office at the International Monetary Fund.-Early life and education:Montek...
, Deputy Chairman of the Planning commission of India. It had the reputation of being one of the best schools in the city. It also charges the least tuition fee for a missionary school. The school has four houses, Gandhi, Loyola, Akbar and Ambedkar, each being represented by green, red, blue and yellow respectively. These four houses were also previously known as Davids, Patricks, Andrews & Gabriels.
Emblem and Motto
The school emblem consists of a green shield inscribed two golden cross on the upper right hand corner and the lower left hand corner. A white belt runs across the shield with three golden shamrocks. The shamrocks are symbolic of the school's patron saint St. Patrick. The motto of the school is Virtus Et Labor, the LatinLatin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
words for virtue and hard work. The school emblem can be seen on the school belt, which is worn by all students.
Uniform
The school has uniforms of two different colours to be worn on different occasions. The Kakhi coloured shirts, shorts and pants are worn for regular classes from Tuesday through Saturday. White uniform is worn on Mondays (when assembly is held) and on special occasions such as Annual Days and other celebrations. The uniform consists of KhakiKhaki
This article is about the fabric. For the color, see Khaki . Kaki, another name for the persimmon, is often misspelled "Khaki".Khaki is a type of fabric or the color of such fabric...
or white coloured shorts, shirts, black coloured shoes and socks, tie with school colours of gold and green, and shoulder marks representing the four different houses. Students are required to wear pants starting from eighth standard. White shoes and socks are worn when wearing the white uniforms. Shoulder marks have marks on them representing the class of the student. Overall, the uniform has been designed such that it is easy to recognise what class a student belongs to by seeing what he is wearing.
Anthem
The music and words for the school anthem were borrowed from the popular AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
patriotic song God Bless America
God Bless America
"God Bless America" is an American patriotic song written by Irving Berlin in 1918 and revised by him in 1938. The later version has notably been recorded by Kate Smith, becoming her signature song ....
. The school anthem is almost similar to the song with only minor changes such as America being replaced by St. Patrick's. The lyrics are as follows:
- GodGodGod is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
bless St. Patrick's, - School that we love.
- Stand beside her, and guide her
- Through the night by the light from above.
- In the classrooms, On the playground,
- On the roadways, where we roam.
- God bless St. Patrick's, our school and home
- God bless St. Patrick's, our school and home.
Current Situation
It celebrates Nostalgia Day on the first Sunday of every year for its alumni. In addition to its educational focus, the school also provides many extra curricular activities like sports, competitions, etc. It also conducts an annual Inter-School basketball tournament oragnised by the alumni association named after their former principal, the late Father Devasia.The school is well known for its quality of education. It has produced several IITians and an International Mathematical Olympiad gold medalist.
Centenary Celebrations
The school recently celebrated its centenary celebrations. The celebrations were kicked on in the year 2010 with various events being held during the year. The valedictory function for the centenary celebrations was held on 12 Feb 2011. The chief guest was Montek Singh AhluwaliaMontek Singh Ahluwalia
Montek Singh Ahluwalia is an Indian economist and civil servant. He is currently the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission of the Republic of India. He was previously the first Director of the Independent Evaluation Office at the International Monetary Fund.-Early life and education:Montek...
, Deputy Chairman of the Planning commission of India. Cultural programmes, including welcome dance, ‘bhangra', dance drama and tribal dance were presented by students. Apart from felicitating former principals, superiors, community members and teachers, prizes were also distributed to the class toppers and winners in the competitions organised in connection with the celebrations.
Sports
The school has a very good football, basketballBasketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
and tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
team. It has a record of being the only school which always stands among the top 5 schools in any cricket or basketball tournament organized for various schools around the city. It also boasts about its cricket players who play for the Ranji trophy
Ranji Trophy
The Ranji Trophy is a domestic first-class cricket championship played in India between different city and state sides, equivalent to the County Championship in England and the Sheffield Shield in Australia...
every year.
Famous alumni
- Montek Singh AhluwaliaMontek Singh AhluwaliaMontek Singh Ahluwalia is an Indian economist and civil servant. He is currently the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission of the Republic of India. He was previously the first Director of the Independent Evaluation Office at the International Monetary Fund.-Early life and education:Montek...
- Deputy Chairman of the planning commission, Govt of India - Mohd. Rizwan - Former Indian Basketball Team Captain
- P. S. R. Anjaneylu, I.P.S. - Commissioner of Police, Vijayawada
- Abbas Iqbal Lasania - First International Speed Skater from Andhra Pradesh.
- Sekhar KammulaSekhar KammulaSekhar Kammula is an award-winning Indian Film director, writer and producer from Telugu cinema.-Early life:Sekhar was schooled at St. Patrick's High School, Secunderabad. He completed his intermediate studies from St...
- Renowned Telugu film-maker.