S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia

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"S. Thomas' College" redirects here. For other uses, see Saint Thomas.
S. Thomas' College
S Thomas College ML crest.png
St. Thomas' College 2.jpg
S. Thomas' College from the quadrangle
Location
Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap
Mount Lavinia, Colombo

Sri Lanka
Coordinates6°50′14.64″N 79°51′54.12″E / 6.8374000°N 79.8650333°E / 6.8374000; 79.8650333
Information
TypePrivate School
MottoEsto Perpetua Prodeo et Eclisias
(Be thou forever For God and For Church!)
Established3 February 1851; 170 years ago (3 February 1851)
FounderJames Chapman
PrincipalMarc Billimoria
Grades1-13
GenderBoys
Colour(s)Dark Blue and Black    
SongCollege Song
AffiliationAnglican
Former pupilsOld Thomians
Websitestcmount.edu.lk

S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia, is an Anglican selective entry boys' private school in Sri Lanka. Started as a private school by Rt. Rev. James Chapman, the first Anglican Bishop of Colombo, in 1851, it was founded as a college and cathedral for the new Diocese of Colombo of the Church of Ceylon, modelled on British Public school tradition. An old boy of Eton College, Bishop Chapman founded the college on the Etonian model, the school's motto of Esto Perpetua being derived from that of Eton College.

Following the public school tradition, S. Thomas' College is a partial boarding school, with some pupils living at the school seven days a week, and others residing in Day houses. Having been founded in 1851, it is among the oldest schools in Sri Lanka. With a student body of approximately 2800, S. Thomas' is considered as the most prestigious school in Sri Lanka. A factor leading to its competitive rivalry with Royal College, Colombo. This rivalry has led to a Royal–Thomian tradition with the annual Royal-Thomian Rugby Encounter and the Royal Thomian Regatta.

The college has educated prime ministers, world leaders, sportsmen and Booker Prize winners. Alumni of S. Thomas' College are referred to as Old Thomians, and include D. S. Senanayake, the Head Mudaliyar of Ceylon, Solomon Dias Bandaranaike, and three other Prime ministers. Many of the prominent leaders of the independence movement in the early twentieth century were educated at the college. These include Leslie Goonewardene, who founded Sri Lanka's first political party, the Lanka Sama Samaja Party and N. M. Perera, who served as leader of the opposition and the first Trotskyist to become a cabinet minister.

College[]

Location[]

S. Thomas’ College is situated in a quiet suburb approximately half an hour from the southern limits of the City of Colombo.[1] The school's entrance is characterised by the Chapel of the Transfiguration.[2] Built in 1923 and designed by P.A. Adams, the chapel, at 130 feet long and 39 feet high, had its foundation stone lain by Rt. Rev. Earnest Arthur Copleston, Bishop of Colombo.[3]

The main school body is modelled on that of the British public school model, comprising the primary Quadrangle, the College Hall, main buildings and library. The school's grounds reach the city of Mount Lavinia.[4]

Administration[]

Having been managed by a board of governors since 1927, S. Thomas’ College is chaired by the Anglican Bishop of Colombo as ‘Visitor to the College’.[5] The school's administration remains deeply rooted in Anglicanism, with a further chaplaincy for the aforementioned Chapel of the Transfiguration. The administration of the College itself is headed by a warden.[6] Admission to the college is at the sole discretion of the warden.

The college is divided into the primary (grades 1–5), lower secondary (grades 6–9) and upper secondary schools (grades 10 and 11), followed by the senior school. These combined sectors amount to the college's student body of approximately 2800 – stemming from varied faiths and ethnicities.

History[]

Mutwal[]

The Rt. Rev. James Chapman

S. Thomas’ College was founded by the first Bishop of Colombo, the Rt. Rev. James Chapman, who had been educated at Eton and King's College, Cambridge.[7] Chapman's vision included building as a college and cathedral for the new Diocese of Colombo of the Church of Ceylon, modelled on the British Public School system he was accustomed to.[8] An old boy of Eton College, Bishop Chapman founded the college on the Etonian model, and even borrowed the school motto, Esto Perpetuas, from Eton.[9]

Chapman's objective was to train a Christian clergy and to make children good citizens under the discipline and supervision of Christianity.[10][11][12][13][14][15][16] In 1852 Bishop Chapman laid the foundation stone of the college chapel on a hill in the school grounds. The chapel became Christ Church Cathedral of the Colombo Diocese of the Church of Ceylon when it was dedicated on 21 September 1854.[17]

Mount Lavinia[]

S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia

In 1918, the school moved away from the "dusty environs" of Mutwal, which was near the Colombo harbour, to a more picturesque location near the sea in Mount Lavinia.[16] Here, on 13 October 1923, the foundation stone for what would become was laid by the Bishop of Colombo, Rt. Rev. Ernest Arthur Copleston, and the chapel was completed on 12 February 1927, when it was consecrated by the Rt. Rev. Mark Carpenter-Garnier, Bishop of Colombo.[17] In 1968, David Paynter, the noted Sri Lankan painter, completed his mural of the Transfiguration of Jesus upon the interior of the East wall of the chapel, which included a then unusual "beardless Christ".[17][18] In 1951, S. Thomas' became a private fee-levying school.[16]

Houses[]

There are five houses at the college, four of which are "day houses", for those who do not live in the Boarding House. From the college's inception, boarders were admitted under a dormitory system, under which each dormitory had a master after whom the dormitory was named. Around 1900, it was proposed that the college have a permanent house system introduced, however this was rejected. The shift to a permanent house system was only to take place with the move to Mount Lavinia. The houses were named Claughton, Chapman, Read, Copleston and Miller. There was also a small, rather short-lived Winchester House. At the time, Miller and Copleston were senior houses.[19]

An organised house system was introduced following the school's founding by Warden K. C. McPherson, with the aims to encourage boys to take part in extracurricular activities.[20] In 1926, the day boys were divided first into 5 houses, namely Wood, Buck, Stone, De Saram, and Miller-Copleston.[21] Boys were allotted in them according to the location of their residences. Wood house consisted of boys from Ratmalana, further south and from Nugegoda and Borella. Stone and Buck housed children from Mount Lavinia, the former consisting of those whose surnames starts from A to M, while the latter of the rest. Baly housed boys who lived in Wellawatte and Bambalapitiya. Children who were from Dehiwala, Slave Island & Fort were allotted in Jermyn House. This system was not found successful, and by 1932, the boarding house system of two senior houses and two junior houses was discarded in favour of an alternative system.

De Saram House[]

  • Colours : Green, Black   
  • Motto : Strive, Achieve, Preserve

Wood House[]

  • Colours : Sky Blue, Maroon   
  • Motto : Fulfillment of Prophecy

Buck House[]

  • Colours : Sky Blue, Silver Grey   
  • Motto : Mens Sana in Copore Sano (Sound in mind & body)

Stone House[]

  • Colours : Maroon, Silver Grey   
  • Motto : Sauitier in modo; Fortiter in re (Gentle in manner, Brave in action)

Boarding House[]

  • Colours: Maroon, White   
  • Motto: Omnia Vincit Durus labor (Hard Work Conquers Every Thing)

Sports[]

The most prominent sports are those classified as the "Royal-Thomian". These sports take precedence because of the importance given to the clash between S. Thomas' oldest rival, the Royal College, Colombo.

A cricket match between these colleges takes place in the first term of Lent every year.[22] As the rains begin in Michaelmas Term, the rugby season has kicked off and the main encounter is the Royal-Thomian Rugby match. As the year ends with the term of Yuletide, the highlights are the Royal Thomian Regatta and the Boat Race for the oarsmen of the two Colleges and simultaneously the two leg Water Polo matches for the R.L. Hayman trophy.[23]

Royal-Thomian cricket match[]

Main article: Royal-Thomian
A Thomian flag at the 129th Royal Thomian

The Royal-Thomian, is the annual cricket match between the Royal College, Colombo and S Thomas' College, Mt Lavinia is the second longest uninterrupted cricket match series in the world and, first and oldest in Sri Lanka, even older than the Ashes, having been played for more than 130 years continuously.[24] The original match was played between the Colombo Academy and S. Thomas' College, Mutwal[25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35] in 1879, with schoolmasters participating as well as schoolboys. From 1880 onwards, only schoolboys were allowed to play in the match. The match is played for the D.S. Senanayake Memorial Shield, which was first presented in 1928. From 1979 matches were played for 3 days except in 1985 which was a 2-day match. A limited overs match (50 overs) was introduced in 1975 and is played for Mustangs Trophy.

[24]

Royal-Thomian rugby match[]

The Royal-Thomian rugby match held annually in the Michaelmas Term of S. Thomas. and between the two sessions of Bradby Shield Encounter of Royal since 1955. It is played for the Michael Gunaratne Trophy.[citation needed]

Royal-Thomian rowing regatta[]

Main article: Royal Thomian Regatta

The Royal-Thomian Regatta (or Boat Race) is the annual rowing race between Royal College, Colombo and S. Thomas' College, Mt Lavinia, having begun in 1962 the event has evolved into the Royal Thomian Regatta or The Regatta in 1966 and now is made up of 8 events which carry points and 3 exhibition events. The races are rowed over a distance of 1000 yards and take place on the Beira Lake in Colombo. The regatta takes place in the month of October and is usually held on the last Saturday of the month at the Colombo Rowing Club. The Royal Thomian Regatta is the oldest inter-mural rowing regatta in Sri Lanka.[citation needed]

Royal-Thomian tennis match[]

The Royal Thomian Tennis is the annual tennis tournament between Royal College and S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia. The victor is awarded the E F C Pereira memorial trophy.[36]

Dr. R.L. Hayman Trophy Royal-Thomian water polo matches[]

The Dr. R.L. Hayman Trophy is the annual 2 leg Water Polo fixture between Royal College, Colombo and S. Thomas' College, Mt Lavinia.[37] While Water Polo matches between the two schools have been held on and off through the annals of the two schools shared histories, the matches were made a permanent fixture as part of the two schools sporting calendars in 1992 as the Dr. R. L. Hayman Trophy Royal-Thomian Water Polo matches. The event was initially played in two legs much like the Bradby Shield in home and away pools. However, while it is still a two leg event, for the past several years it has been held at the Sugathadasa Stadium Swimming Pool allowing for much larger participation and making it the best patronised Water Polo matches in Sri Lanka and Asia. As of 2019 the tally stands at S.Thomas' winning 16, Royal winning 8 and 3 matches drawn.

Alumni[]

Main article: List of St. Thomas' College alumni

Past students of S. Thomas' are referred to as Old Thomians, and include many distinguished figures. The school produced the first Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, D. S. Senanayake, the Head Mudaliyar of Ceylon, Sir Solomon Dias Bandaranaike, and three other Prime ministers; Dudley Senanayake, Solomon Bandaranaike and Wijeyananda Dahanayake.[38][39]

Many of the prominent leaders of the independence movement in the early twentieth century were educated at the college. These include Leslie Goonewardene, who founded Sri Lanka's first political party, the Lanka Sama Samaja Party and N. M. Perera, who served as leader of the opposition and the first Trotskyist to become a cabinet minister.[40][41]

Wardens of S. Thomas' College[]

  1. Cyril William Wood (1851 - 1853)
  2. Joseph Baly (1854 - 1860)
  3. George Bennet (1863 - 1866)
  4. James Bacon (1871 - 1877)
  5. Edward Miller (1878 - 1891)
  6. Philip Read (1892 - 1895)
  7. W. Armstrong Buck (1896 - 1901)
  8. William Arthur Stone (1901 - 1924)
  9. Kenneth C. McPherson (1925 - 1931) Archdeacon Emeritus of Bombay
  10. Reginald Stewart de Saram (1932 - 1958) first Ceylonese and Old Boy Warden
  11. Charles Henry Lambert Davidson (1959 - 11964) first Lay Warden
  12. Anton John Chandiah Selvaratnam (1965 - 1970)
  13. Samuel James Anandanayagam (1970 - 1977)
  14. Michael Llewelyn Christopher Ilangakoon (1977 - 1982)
  15. Wilfred Michael Neville de Alwis (1983 - 1998)
  16. David Arjunan Ponniah (2001 - 2008)
  17. John Charles Puddefoot (2009 - 2011)
  18. Indra De Soysa (2012 - 2014)
  19. Marc Billimoria (2014 - present)

See also[]

  • List of schools in Sri Lanka
  • Big Match
  • Battle of the Blues

Branches[]

References[]

  1. ^ Lanka, Coconut Research Institute of Sri (1935). Report.
  2. ^ Medis, Frederick (1995). The Church of Ceylon: A History, 1945-1995. Diocese of Colombo. ISBN 978-955-9411-00-0.
  3. ^ Joseph, Dishan. "The STC chapel: A radiant gem of spiritual blessings". Daily News. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
  4. ^ Ceylon News Letter. The Embassy. 1971.
  5. ^ Court, Ceylon Supreme (1863). A Digest of the Decisions of the Supreme Court Delivered in the Year 1859. J. Campbell, printer.
  6. ^ Keble, W. T. (1937). A History of St. Thomas' College, Colombo. Colombo Apothecaries.
  7. ^ Debrett (1865). Debrett's Illustrated Peerage of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland ... Bosworth.
  8. ^ The Ceylon Historical Journal. Tisara Prakasakayo. 1968.
  9. ^ "The Arms and Motto - Eton College". www.etoncollege.com.
  10. ^ Reminiscences of a teacher Archived 2005-08-28 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ Hundred and twenty fifth anniversary : St. James Church, Mutwal Archived 2004-10-27 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ Romancing Gurutalawa
  13. ^ The Cathedral of the Diocese of Colombo Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ "The Sunday Times News Section". www.sundaytimes.lk.
  15. ^ "The Sunday Leader Online". www.thesundayleader.lk.
  16. ^ Jump up to: a b c http://www.stcmount.edu.lk/index.php/college-history.html
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b c http://www.stcmount.edu.lk/index.php/about-chapel.html
  18. ^ Souvenir on the Occasion of the 5th Non-Aligned Summit Conference Held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, 9-20 August 1976 in Conjunction with an Exhibition of Paintings and Sculpture of Sri Lanka at the Colombo Art Gallery ... Department of Cultural Affairs in collaboration with the Cultural Council of Sri Lanka Panel on Painting and Sculpture. 1976.
  19. ^ Keble, W. T. (1937). A History of St. Thomas' College, Colombo. Colombo Apothecaries.
  20. ^ Keble, W. T. (1937). A History of St. Thomas' College, Colombo. Colombo Apothecaries.
  21. ^ F.J. & G. De Saram, 1841-2001: 160 Year Practice of a Law Firm in Its Historical Setting. Vijitha Yapa Publications. 2001. ISBN 978-955-8095-04-1.
  22. ^ Fairclough, Gordon (2015-03-16). "For Sri Lanka's Elite, High-School Cricket Match Is More Than a Game". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
  23. ^ "Thomian win Dr. R. L. Hayman Trophy19th Royal - Thomian water-polo annual encounter". stc62group.org. Retrieved 2014-04-10.
  24. ^ Jump up to: a b "134 unbroken years: The historical Royal-Thomian encounter (2013) :: The largest library of cricket videos". cricketcrowd.com.
  25. ^ "The Island". www.island.lk.
  26. ^ "Funday Times". www.sundaytimes.lk.
  27. ^ "Battle of the Blues".
  28. ^ S. Thomas' College
  29. ^ "sports04". www.island.lk.
  30. ^ "A Tribute to C.E.L. ("Kalla") De Silva on his 100th Birth Anniversary".
  31. ^ "Ranjan Madugalle, A fine Cricketing Ambassador".
  32. ^ So, Royal really lost 1885 match to S. Thomas' Archived 2011-06-05 at the Wayback Machine
  33. ^ "The College History". Archived from the original on 2013-05-08. Retrieved 2013-05-28.
  34. ^ "OBA History". Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2013-05-28.
  35. ^ "The Royal – Thomian - 130 Years on". www.sundaytimes.lk.
  36. ^ "Royal-Thomian tennis match - Google Search". www.google.com. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
  37. ^ "PressReader.com - Your favorite newspapers and magazines". www.pressreader.com. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
  38. ^ Jayasuriya, Karu (22 March 2021). "Rt. Hon. D.S. Senanayake – The First Prime Minister of Sri Lanka". The Island. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  39. ^ "DS Senanayake Vs SWRD Bandaranaike: Battle for Control". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
  40. ^ Abeynaike, H. B. W.; Ameratunga, H. P. (1970). Parliament of Ceylon, 1970. Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited.
  41. ^ Billimoria, N. M. P. (1993). 75 Years at Mount: A History of S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia, 1918-1993. The College.

External links[]

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