St. Aloysius' College (Galle)

St. Aloysius' College (Galle)
Location
Galle
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka
Coordinates 6°2′9″N 80°12′44″E / 6.03583°N 80.21222°ECoordinates: 6°2′9″N 80°12′44″E / 6.03583°N 80.21222°E
Information
Type Started as a Private Catholic, Currently State Run
Motto Latin: Certa Viriliter
("Strive Manfully”)
Established 1895
Founder Jesuit Fathers
Principal Mr. Ranjith thilakarathna
Grades 1–13
Number of students 4000
Color(s) Green and Gold
        

St. Aloysius' College is a leading High School for boys located in Galle, the capital city of Southern Province in Sri Lanka. The school was established in 1895 by recently arrived Belgian Jesuit missionaries, led by fr:Joseph Van Reeth, first bishop of Galle. St. Aloysius' College is a national school, which provides primary and secondary education. In 2012 it has 4000 students on its roll.

The school takes the pride of producing world's one of the most renowned scientists, Late Prof. Cyril Ponnamperuma.[1]

History

St. Aloysius' College is situated on Mount Calvery, neighbouring St. Mary's Cathedral on one side and Sacred Heart Convent on the other. The college was established in 1895 by Belgian Jesuit fathers and was named after the Jesuit Saint, Saint Aloysius Gonzaga (born on 9 March 1568). Saint Aloysius' is regarded as the 'Patron Saint of the Youth' by the Jesuits because of the heroic acts that he had performed when he was a young Jesuit helping Plague victims in Rome, Italy in 1587. After a few years helping plague victims, young Saint Aloysius died on 21 June 1591 at the age of 23 when he himself contracted the disease. St. Aloysius' College, Galle, is one of many schools named after Saint Aloysius, and many exist all around the world including schools in Glasgow-Scotland, Sydney-Australia, Bangalore-India, Malta, London-England etc.(See List).

Until the Sri Lankan government brought legislation for nationalisation of schools in the island (with an exception of only a few schools), St. Aloysius' College was run by Jesuit Fathers and the medium of instruction was English. The first Buddhist Principal was appointed in the year 1971 and subsequently the medium of instruction was changed to Sinhala.

College Today

The college today provides education to 4000 students from grade 1 to grade 13 and it is regarded as one of the leading boys' schools in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka. The students of the school fall into diverse religious groups where over 90 percent of students are Buddhists and the others are Christian (or Catholic) and Muslism. The school has earned its reputation in the areas of academic excellence as well as in sports.

College Crest's Elements

Center:IHS - Name of Jesus (Iesous)
1.Elephant – Strength
2.Lilies – Purity
3.Torch – Light
4.Rooster – Symbol of Galle

College Houses

Students represent five houses that are named after Jesuit Fathers who were pioneers in developing the school in its early days. Students are divide in to houses according to their admission number.

Sports

Sport is a major part of St.Aloysius College, with over 21 different sports played. Taking center stage of the annual sporting calendar are the St.Aloysius-Rahula (Big Match), Richmond College vs. St. Aloysius' College Annual Rugby Big Match. Other sports played at St.Aloysius include;

  • Athletics
  • Boxing
  • Badminton
  • Basketball
  • Chess
  • Cricket
  • Cycling
  • Gymnastics
  • Football
  • Hockey
  • Rugby Football
  • Soccer
  • Swimming/Diving
  • Billiard/Snooker

Clubs and societies

List of Clubs and Associations in SAC|List of Clubs and Associations of Saint Aloysius College.

  • Board of Prefects
  • Art Society
  • Buddhist Society
  • Commerce Society
  • Computer Society
  • English Literary Association
  • First Aid Unit
  • Environment Society
  • Islam Society
  • Mass Media Unit
  • Oriental Music Group
  • Photographic Society
  • Science Society
  • Scouts Troop
  • Sinhala Debating Team
  • Sinhala Literary Association
  • Western Music Band

Principals

Main Hall
Period Details
1910 – 1921 Rev. Fr. Dionysius Murphy S.J
1921 – 1925 Rev. Fr. John Delaney S.J
1925 – 1949 Rev. Fr. Ernest Gaspard S.J
1949 – 1962 Rev. Fr. Paul N. Peiris S.J
1963 – 1968 Rev. Fr. Caspersz S.J
1968 – 1970 Rev. Fr. Stephen Fernando S.J (Acting)
1970 – 1971 Rev. Fr. Caspersz S.J
13 June 1971 – 1 April 1972 Mr B.K. Silva
1 April 1972 – 28 February 1973 Mr Dunstan Fernando
28 February 1973 – 3 August 1973 Mr J.B. Varnakulasingham (Acting)
3 August 1973 – 22 December 1975 Mr L.D.P. Jayasinghe
22 December 1975 – 25 May 1976 Mr A.B.J.L. Fernando (Acting)
25 May 1976 – 7 January 1987 Mr D.Y. Wijewickrama
7 January 1987 – 1996 Mr A.V. Illeperuma
1996 – 2004 Mr N.K. Ariyawansa
2004 –2004 Mr. Nandasena Pathirana (Acting)
2004 – 2014 Mr D.P.L.S. Gunasekara
2014 - 2014 Mr. Piyasiri (Acting)
2014 to present Mr. Ranjith Thilakarathne

Old Boys' Associations (OBA's)

There are a few branches of OBA's located all around the world.

Notable Aloysians

Director - Citrus Leisure PLC, Colombo Land and Development PLC,Jt. Managing Director - Triad (Pvt) Ltd

News

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~lkawgw/cyrilp.htm
  2. ↑ http://www.dssoba.net/Home/DssCollege/tabid/78/Default.aspx

External links