St. Servatius' College

St. Servatius College

Crest of the College
Location
Matara
Sri Lanka
Information
Type Boys government school
Motto Be a Man
Established 1897
Principal M. Rathnasekara
Grades 1–13
Number of students Over 2500
Color(s) Green and white         
Website https://servatiuscollege.wordpress.com/home/

St. Servatius' College is an all-boys school located in Matara, Sri Lanka. Initially founded by a group of Jesuit fathers in 1897, the high school was nationalised in the 1960s, and is now run as a government school.

History

St. Servatius' College was founded when the Bishop of Galle, Joseph Van Reeth(in French), wanted to create an educational infrastructure in the newly-established diocese, and called on the Belgian Jesuits for help.[1] Father Augustus Standaert, among others, arrived in Galle in 1896, and on 2 November 1897, the priests opened an English medium school on a small plot of land on the banks of the River Nilwala in Pallimulla, Matara. The school opened with five students in 1896, and within two years it had grown to accommodate 54 students.

In August 1898, a new structure was erected for the school. As the construction funds came from the St. Servatius Jesuit school of Liège, Belgium, the Matara school adopted the name of this patron saint: St. Servatius, a 4th-century Belgian missionary, and one of the first bishops in the area around Tongeren, Maastricht, and Liège.

After some years the school was moved to its present location in Kotuwegoda, Matara. In 1961, as part of a government program to take over private schools, the school was adopted by the Ministry of Education, although it remained administered by Roman Catholic fathers until 1965.

Currently, over 2,500 students are enrolled at St. Servatius' College. The school employs over one hundred staff, led by Principal M. Rathnasekara. It was made a Sri Lankan national school in 1993.[2]

Principals

  Name Period
01. Rev. Fr. Augustus Standaert 18971901
02. Rev. Fr. Adolph Closset 19011905
03. Rev. Fr. Anthony Weapon 1905
04. Rev. Fr. W. Wickramasinghe 19051910
05. Rev. Fr. A. Beernaert 1910
06. Samson Costa unknown
07. Rev. Fr. E. Frutsaert 1922
08. Rev. Fr. Olivier Feron 19221930
09. Rev. Fr. S. G. Perera unknown
10. Rev. Fr. S. Crubg unknown
11. Rev. Fr. E. Bastineer unknown
12. Rev. Fr. Terrence de Silva 19301933
13. Rev. Fr. Mark Anthony Fernando unknown
14. Rev. Fr. P. M. Baguet 19421945
15. Rev. Fr. Angia 1945
16. Rev. Fr. Alles 1945
17. Rev. Fr. C. Guida 19451947
18. Rev. Fr. Rajapakse 19471966
19. S. E. Munaweera 19671968
20. J. Shelton De Silva 19681970
21. S. K. H. Jayawardena 19701971
22. G. L. Galappaththi 19711985
23. K. A. Dharmadasa 19851986
24. M. J. Gunasekera 19871997
25. A. H. N. Jayaweera 1997
26. M. G. R. M. Wijesinghe 19971998
27. D. Jayaweera 19982000
28. W. Somawantha 20002001
29. Kodippili 20012002
30. D. Vidanapathirana 20022008
31. Nimalsiri Wanigabadhu 20082012
32. Ashoka Kumara 2012 April 2013
33. K. Ranasinha April 2013 October 2014
34. M. Rathnasekara October 2014 present

College houses

College house names are listed in alphabetical order.

St. Thomas'–St. Servatius Cricket Encounter

The St. Thomas'–St. Servatius Cricket Encounter, known as the Battle of the Blues, is the annual cricket match played between St. Servatius' College and St. Thomas' College, Matara. The match has been played since 1900, and is the second-oldest school cricket series in Sri Lanka.

Notable alumni

Name Notability Reference
Jayasuriya, SanathSanath Jayasuriya International cricket player (19912007), Member of Parliament for Matara (20102015) [3]
Palliyaguruge, RuchiraRuchira Palliyaguruge First-class cricketer (19892008), ODI cricket umpire (20112016) [4]
Rajitha, KasunKasun Rajitha Twenty20 International cricketer (2016present) [5]

References

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