Bishop Cotton Girls' School

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bishop Cotton Girls' School
Motto Nec Dextrorsum Nec Sinistrorsum
(Neither to the Right Nor to the Left)
Established 1865
Type Public School, Boarding School
Religious affiliation Non-Denominational
Principal Mrs. Princess Franklyn
Chairman & Deputy Moderator Rt. Rev. S. VasanthKumar, Karnataka Central Diocese
Founders Rev. S.T.Pettigrew,Rev. J.Gordon and Rev. R.Firth[1]
Location Bangalore
Karnataka
IndiaFlag of India
Staff 150 (approx.)
Gender Girls
Houses Barton, Foley, Elmes, Maiden, Waller, Millington
School colours Green and Gold         
Publication The Cottonian
Website http://www.cottongirls.com/

Bishop Cotton Girls' School, also known as BCGS, is a boarding school for girls in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. It is known for its rigorous curriculum, house system, organized games and school sports, and the prefect system. The school alos offers numerous academic scholarships, which aid students from lower income backgrounds to afford tuition and boarding fees. It has been awarded the International School award by the British Council, and is regarded as one of Asia's leading academic institutions.

Contents

[edit] History

Founded in 1865, it is one of the oldest established boarding schools in Asia. {cn}

The school was named after Bishop George Edward Lynch Cotton, the son of an Army Captain, who died leading his Regiment in battle. He was a scholar of Westminster School, and a graduate of Cambridge. In 1836 he was appointed Assistant Master at Rugby by Doctor Thomas Arnold, o­ne of the founders of the British Public School System.

Situated in Bangalore City, the school originated from a co-educational system, until its split from Bishop Cotton Boys School in the nineteenth century. It is based on the ICSE format of education, and has teaching facilities from Kindergarten, 1 to 10 (ICSE) as well as 11 and 12 (ISC).

Bishop Cotton Girls School has many extra-curricular activities, such as sports, debates, creative writing, dramatics, declamation, verse speaking and choir. Over 140 years old, it has been visited by eminent personalities, including former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.[citation needed] It is affiliated with Bishop Cotton Boys School, which is situated nearby on St. Marks Road. It is also affiliated with the Bishop Cotton School in Shimla.

[edit] The School Song and Founder's Hymn

The Bishop Cotton school song was penned by Rev. H. Pakenham-Walsh, of the Brotherhood of St. Peter, Warden of the school from 1907 to 1913, later to become Bishop. The words were set to music by N.M. Saunders, Esq.. With its refrain "On, Straight, On", it follows the spirit of the School Motto, "Nec Dextrorsum Nec Sinistrorsum", Latin for "Neither to the Right Nor to the Left". The verses to the song are:

On! Straight on!
 On, Cottonians, On!
 Muster on the side of right,
 March like warriors to the fight,
 Mark the foe, and strike with might,
 Nec dextrosum Nec Sinistrorsum.
 On! Straight on!
 On, Cottonians, On!
 Keen alike in work and play,
 Keen right through the hottest day.
 Keen until your hair turns grey.
 (Chorus)
 Driving through the foaming main,
 Buffetted by storm and rain,
 Answering to the helm again,
 (Chorus)
 When you leave the good old school
 Be no coward, knave, nor fool;
 Yours be still the grand old rule,
 (Chorus)
 See this motto on your scroll
 Point you to a heavenly goal,
 Seek it body, mind and soul,

Nec dextrosum Nec Sinistrorsum.[2]


The honored tradition of singing the school song and the Founder's Hymn in the Chapel or in assemblies held in the School Auditorium continues to this day. A few verses of the Founder's Hymn are:

We build our School on Thee, O Lord;
 To Thee we bring our common need;
 The loving heart, the helpful word,
 The tender thought, the kindly deed
 With these we pray
 Thy Spirit may
 Enrich and bless our school alway.
 ....
 We change but Thou art still the same,
 The same good Master, Teacher, Friend,
 We change, but, Lord, we bear Thy name,
 To journey with it to the end;
 And so we pray
 Thy spirit may

Be present in our school alway.[3]

[edit] Old Cottonians

The Alma Mater of Old Cottonians is Bishop Cottons School, in Bangalore, India. The abbreviation OC is used frequently. The Old Girls' Association (OGA) Members President is Mrs. Girija Shankar. Old Girls, a term commonly used in most public schools, refers to former school pupils and alumnae.
Some Famous Old Cottonians are:

[edit] References

  1. ^ A History of Bishop Cotton Girls' School, Bangalore
  2. ^ The School Song
  3. ^ The Founder's Hymn