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 | 1897–1901 |
02. | Rev. Fr. Adolph Closset | 1901–1905 |
03. | Rev. Fr. Anthony Weapon | 1905 |
04. | Rev. Fr. W. Wickramasinghe | 1905–1910 |
05. | Rev. Fr. A. Beernaert | 1910 |
06. | Samson Costa | unknown |
07. | Rev. Fr. E. Frutsaert | 1922 |
08. | Rev. Fr. Olivier Feron | 1922–1930 |
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 | 1930–1933 |
13. | Rev. Fr. Mark Anthony Fernando | unknown |
14. | Rev. Fr. P. M. Baguet | 1942–1945 |
15. | Rev. Fr. Angia | 1945 |
16. | Rev. Fr. Alles | 1945 |
17. | Rev. Fr. C. Guida | 1945–1947 |
18. | Rev. Fr. Rajapakse | 1947–1966 |
19. | S. E. Munaweera | 1967–1968 |
20. | J. Shelton De Silva | 1968–1970 |
21. | S. K. H. Jayawardena | 1970–1971 |
22. | G. L. Galappaththi | 1971–1985 |
23. | K. A. Dharmadasa | 1985–1986 |
24. | M. J. Gunasekera | 1987–1997 |
25. | A. H. N. Jayaweera | 1997 |
26. | M. G. R. M. Wijesinghe | 1997–1998 |
27. | D. Jayaweera | 1998–2000 |
28. | W. Somawantha | 2000–2001 |
29. | Kodippili | 2001–2002 |
30. | D. Vidanapathirana | 2002–2008 |
31. | Nimalsiri Wanigabadhu | 2008–2012 |
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.
- Adolfast: green
- Bearnard: yellow
- Standart: red
- Walter: blue
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 (1991–2007), Member of Parliament for Matara (2010–2015) | [3] |
Palliyaguruge, RuchiraRuchira Palliyaguruge | First-class cricketer (1989–2008), ODI cricket umpire (2011–2016) | [4] |
Rajitha, KasunKasun Rajitha | Twenty20 International cricketer (2016–present) | [5] |
References
- ↑ "The history of St. Servatius College".
- ↑ "The College History and the Present". Wordpress. Retrieved 28 April 2017.
- ↑ St. Servatius Matara is in the process of team building, The Sunday Times
- ↑ St. Thomas’ have the edge over St. Servatius, The Sunday Times
- ↑ Kasun Rajitha profile in ESPNcricinfo, Cricinfo