St. Michael's School, Kannur

St. Michael’s School, Kannur
Location
Kannur, Kerala, India
Information
Type	Jesuit, Catholic
Denomination	All faiths
Established	1865 (1865)
Rector	Domic Madathaniyil, SJ
Principal	John Francis, SJ
Headmaster	Gracious, SJ[1]
Staff	85 teachers
Gender	Coeducational
Enrollment	2,000
Website	StMichaelKannur

St. Michael’s School, Kannur, India, was founded by the Christian Brothers in 1865 and administered by the Society of Jesus since 1887. It admits all castes and creeds but gives preference to Catholics.

History

Oral tradition tells of St Michael’s roots in a Malayalam-medium school attached to Holy Trinity Church, Kannur in the late 1850s. The Christian Brothers came in 1862, introduced English, and erected a new building in 1865, from which its present history is now traced. When these Brothers departed in 1887 the Jesuit priests who ran the parish took over the school. In 1907 the Jesuits made it a European-style middle school, and in 1936 a high school under the Anglo-Indian code. In 1974, for need of financial assistance, the school came under the Kerala Education Rules,^[2] as an Anglo-Indian Higher Secondary School.

Noise from a nearby textile mill in Burnacherry caused efforts to relocate over a period of years. The new campus somewhat to the north was purchased gradually, with the Coelho Building going up in 1956. A Jesuit residence at the present location was built in 1973. The PTA helped build a mini-stadium in 1994 and the first stage of the present block was built in 1996, with the higher secondary building added in 2000. The central block with a stage on the ground floor and offices on the first floor opened in 2000. Soon after, the new Jesuit residence and St. Michael’s statue were added.^[3]

St. Michael's has been ranked among the best schools in India.^[4]

Crest

The school crest has a cross over a shield encircled by laurels. The crown signifies the sovereignty of St. Michael the Archangel. Fortitude is a cardinal virtue and the fort signifies security in life that we find in the cross, our victory over difficulties. The wreath of laurels signifies St. Michael's conquest over all evil. "Cedat Voluptas Labori" reminds us that our search for pleasure should yield to hard work.^[5]

Facilities

Facilities include two computer labs, along with laboratories for chemistry, physics, zoology, and botany. The audio-visual room seats 300. There are special rooms for music and for arts.^[6] The two libraries together hold fourteen thousand books. There are four staff rooms. An auditorium is under construction.^[3]

Activities

Clubs and organizations

Clubs cover the areas of arts, health, science, math, environmentalism, tourism, media, philately, interactivity, karate, language, police, and quizzes.^[7]

National Service Scheme involves about 100 students in personality development through community service and special seminars. Current service programmes include helping the poor and destitute, and tending to the appearance and cleanliness of the campus and of some public places.

The naval branch of the National Cadet Corps includes about 100 cadets in its two-year training programme.

About 25 students comprise three Scout patrols which are known for their help with school activities. There is also a chapter of the Junior Red Cross.^[8]

The musical groups involves veena, jazz, keyboard, lead guitar, base guitar, and rhythm pad; they merited a grade A in the state youth festival in 2011. Singers from the school have also done well in state level competitions.^[9]

Sports

Sports sponsored by the school include track, football, cricket, table tennis, basketball, volleyball, wrestling, and martial arts.^[10]

Publications

Publications include an annual with news of activities of the year along with student literary works. A second magazine Mozhi carries creative writings by the students.^[11]

Empowerment programmes

Student empowerment programmes are devised to give students more self-confidence. All students attend a life guidance and leadership camp between the ninth and tenth grades. Some clubs and organizations also conduct their own camps.^[12] Remedial coaching and tutorials are conducted for students who need help.

In an outreach programme, students are taken to homes for the elderly and to orphanages, to foster a sense of compassion.^[13]

Two or three times a year all students are involved in an eco-awareness programme, during which they clean up the campus and plant trees.^[14]

Jesuit scholars and educators from outside the school hold in-service sessions for teachers, as well as an orientation programme for new teachers.^[12]

References

Coordinates: 11°51′55.96″N 75°21′52.06″E / 11.8655444°N 75.3644611°E / 11.8655444; 75.3644611