St. John's School, Varanasi

St. John's School is a private school in Varanasi, India affiliated to the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), New Delhi. It was established in 1964 and imparts education to over 8,400 students.

Administration

St. John's is administered by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Varanasi, which is a registered charitable society. The religious congregation of the Queen of Apostles^[1] is actively involved in its administration. The school is under the religious jurisdiction of the Catholic Bishop of Varanasi.

St. John's School has three branches in Varanasi:

• St. John's School, DLW
• St. John's School, Marhauli
• St. John's School, Ledupur

St. John's School, DLW

St. John's School, DLW is one of the best educational institution in Varanasi and was established in the year 1964, at the behest of Diesel locomotive works management, to provide quality education to its wards in the school. St. John's has emerged as premier educational institution in the glorious years of its existence. The dynamic educationalists like Rev. Fr. Aurelious, Mr. Xavier Pinto, Fr. Joseph, Fr. Peter, Fr. Jacob, Fr. Lawrence and Fr. David have rendered their valuable service in the past years. St. John's, along with imparting knowledge tries to foster innovation, cultivate values, create creativity, build character, instill self-discipline and en-kindle wisdom in the lives of the students which in turn has brought forth change and transformation in the lives of people of Varanasi as well as in the whole of Eastern Uttar Pradesh.^[2] The school is administered by the Catholic Diocese of Varanasi, a registered charitable society. It is under the religious jurisdiction of the Bishop of the Diocese of Varanasi. The religious congregation of the Queen of the Apostles and Sisters of Our Lady of Providence of GAP are actively involved in its administration.^[3]

The school also houses a church at the edge of the campus.

The school is affiliated to the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, New Delhi with 'No Objection' certificate from U.P. Government. It prepares students for the ICSE and ISC. The council's examination curriculum includes English, Hindi, Sanskrit, Environmental Education, History, Civics, Geography, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Economics, Commerce, Accountancy, Computer Studies, Computer Applications and Commercial Applications. Hindi is taught from LKG onwards. English is the medium of instruction, communication and examination in this institution.

In the month of November, the school conducts class wise picnics for the students. It is to promote unity and co-operation among them. It is compulsory for the students to participate. All the class teachers along with a supervisor, which is usually a Father or a Sister, accompany the group.

St. John's School is a centre of national integration as it has children from almost all the states of India. The School compares favorably with most modern schools in the state. It believes that a sound moral, physical and cultural training is as important as academic and scholastic instruction in preparing students for their role in life. Hence great importance is attached to games, sports and physical exercises. Dramatics, debates, social work, extramural lectures by experts, general knowledge and quiz competitions keep the students mentally alert and abreast of the time.

The school, through various activities, inculcates in students a positive inclination towards upholding social and economic justice, dignity of the individual irrespective of caste and creed, appreciation of our cultural heritage and concern for the environment. The School believes : Education alone can bring about human development – development of the whole person.

The current principal of the school is Fr. Susai Raj.^[4]

House System

There are four houses in school - Red, Blue, Green and Yellow. Each Student, on admission, is placed in one of these houses. Each house is headed by one boy and one girl known as House Captain, supported by vice-captains. A member of the staff assisted by several other teachers help the House Captains in fulfilling their duties pro-actively. Points are awarded to students throughout the year for co-curricular activities, games and sports. At the end of the year, the House gaining the highest number of points is awarded the best House trophy. Every outstanding student is given a certificate.

'Duty first' is the motto of the school.

Exhibition

Every year an exhibition or annual function is held. Students from all classes participate and contribute to various subjects which include : Hindi, English, Maths and Chemistry.

Facilities

St. John's School has hi-tech modern facilities for an interactive way of learning. The school has collaborated with TeachNext^[5] solutions for an interactive next generation learning experience. School premises are also under CCTV surveillance to make sure the students are given proper attention. With TeachNext, every class is equipped with latest smart board facilities. Using state of the art projectors and stereo speakers, the classes can easily be turned into next generation learning environments supporting the latest paradigms in quick, efficient and all round learning.

Sports

The school conducts various athletic tournaments, where the winners are awarded with medals. There are also tournaments for cricket and football in which all the four houses compete for a podium finish. There are also sports like discus throw, javelin throw and shot put. At the end, all the houses are given points based on their performance in these tournaments. The house with the highest number of points gets to be the champion.

References

1. ↑ http://queenofapostlessociety.org
2. ↑ http://www.st-johns-dlw.com/about.htm
3. ↑ http://www.st-johns-dlw.com/about.htm
4. ↑ http://www.st-johns-dlw.com/pm.htm
5. ↑ http://teachnext.com/

External links

• St. John's School, DLW's website
• St. John's School, Marhauli's website
• St. John's School, Ledhupur's website