Loyola School, Thiruvananthapuram

Loyola School, Thiruvananthapuram
Crest of Loyola School, Thiruvananthapuram
Location
Sreekariyam, Thiruvananthapuram 695017, Kerala India
Coordinates	8.5413°N 76.9113°E / 8.5413; 76.9113
Information
School type	Jesuit, Private, All boys
Motto	Ad majorem Dei gloriam
Patron saint(s)	Ignatius of Loyola
Founded	1961
School district	Thiruvananthapuram
Principal	Fr. Devassy Paul, SJ
Classes offered	UKG to Standard XII
Language	English
Campus size	8 acres (32,000 m2)
Campus type	Suburban
Houses	Apollo Pioneers    Gemini Giants    Jupiter Jetsetters    Sputnik Spacemen
Colour(s)	Black and       White
Song	Cheer Loyola's Sons
Sports	Basketball, cricket, football, table tennis
Publication	The Loyolite, Loyola School Newsletter, Loyola English News Service (LENS)
Yearbook	The Loyolite
Affiliation	CISCE, CBSE, SCERT
Website	loyolaschooltrivandrum.com

Loyola School, Thiruvananthapuram is a private Jesuit school for boys situated in a large, leafy campus in the suburb of Sreekariyam in Thiruvananthapuram (formerly, Trivandrum) city, in the Indian state of Kerala. The school serves students from upper kindergarten to higher secondary level. Students of Loyola are called Loyolites.

Organization

Founded in 1961, Loyola is owned by the Kerala province of the Society of Jesus. The nominal head of the school has always been a Jesuit priest with the title of 'Rector'. Often the Rector is also the Principal of the Loyola College of Social Sciences, a post-graduate college that shares a common campus with the school. The executive head of the school has always been a Jesuit priest with the title of 'Principal'. The Principal manages the day-to-day activities of the school and is assisted by two Vice-Principals. The Rector and Principal of Loyola report to the Provincial (a senior Jesuit priest) of the Kerala province of the Society of Jesus.

Courses

ICSE and ISC

Loyola has been affiliated to the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), New Delhi since its founding. Initially, the school offered only the higher secondary level Indian School Certificate, Class XI up to year 1976 and thereafter Class XII] (ISC) examination course. The Indian School Certificate (both Class XI until 1976 and Class XII thereafter) are recognized by University of Kerala and many Indian universities as equivalent to Senior High School Certificate or Pre-Degree Certificate or Higher Secondary School Certificate for admission to University studies. In 1991, Loyola began the secondary level (ICSE) examination course, with the first ICSE batch graduating in 1993. Typically, only those students who opted for the ICSE course in high school were placed in the ISC program after passing the ICSE examination, though exceptions were made for outstanding students from the SSLC stream as well as from other schools.

SSLC and HSC

In the 1970s, Loyola began offering high school students the option of choosing the syllabus of the Government of Kerala in preparation for the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examination. When the Government of Kerala abolished the university affiliated Pre-Degree Course (PDC) and replaced it with the State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT) affiliated Higher Secondary Course (HSC), Loyola also adopted the newly introduced course as a higher secondary level option for students. Typically, those students who opted for the SSLC course in high school were automatically placed in the HSC program after passing the SSLC examination. In 2008, Loyola started phasing out the SSLC course, starting with the eighth standard. LENS, Loyola's student newsletter reported that poor demand was the reason for the phasing out of the SSLC course.

CBSE

In the decade after 2000, Loyola started a separate Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) affiliated section in the same campus. Initially, only the secondary level CBSE course was offered, with the first tenth standard CBSE batch graduating in 2007. In 2008, Loyola added the higher secondary level CBSE course to its offerings, with the first twelfth standard CBSE batch graduating in 2010.

Cultural activities

Quiz

Every year, the school management selects a quiz squad from the students. The quiz squad works under the guidance of a high school teacher. The squad conducts quiz competitions in the school. Inter-class quiz competitions begin in junior school.

The Hindu Young World Quiz

Ever since the inception of The Hindu Young World Quiz (a nationwide quiz competition for school students) in 2000, successive teams from Loyola have performed remarkably well at the regional level, and somewhat less frequently, at the national level. In 2000, 2011 and 2012, Loyolites were victorious at the national level of the competition. Runners-up finishes in 2001 and 2002, and a third place finish in 2003, capped their achievements at the national level. In the Thiruvananthapuram leg of the Hindu Young World quiz competition, Loyolites maintained a winning streak from 2000 to 2007, finished third in 2009 and 2010, and were victorious again in 2011 and 2012.

Other quiz competitions

In 2008, Loyolites won the Kerala leg of the TCS IT Wiz, were runners-up in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2009, and finalists in 2010. In 2006, Loyolites won the inaugural edition of the National Aerospace Olympiad conducted by the Aeronautical Society of India in Chandigarh, winning both the quiz rounds in the process. From 1999 to 2003 Loyolites maintained a winning streak in both the ICSE and ISC Kerala state level quizzes. In 2006, teams from Loyola won the Kerala state level ICSE and ISC quizzes and both teams went on to be crowned national champions. In 2006, Loyolites were the national champions at the inaugural edition of T.I.M.E. Aqua Regia,a national level science quiz. In 2002, a team from Loyola was one of the three national finalists in the ESPN School Quiz, after having topped both the south zone finals and one of the two national semi-finals of the competition.

LA Fest

Since 1996, the higher secondary students have organized a talent show called LA Fest (abbreviation for Life and Arts Festival). This single day event has attracted participation from other schools in Kerala. The nineteenth edition was held on June 28, 2014. Unlike many other high school talent shows in Kerala, LA Fest is organized entirely by students on a shoe-string budget provided by the school. The students of Loyola School have been promoting the event through social media like Facebook and YouTube. They have also released a Trivandrum version of "Happy" by Pharrell Williams.

Awards are presented for the winners and runners up of each event. The award for the overall champions is decided on the performance in five on-stage events and two off-stage event. The on-stage events are:

• 'Harmony' - Group song
• 'LA Persona' - Personality event
• 'Block N Tangles' - Language and acting skills event
• 'Dance O Mania' - Dance event
• 'Enquesta' - Quiz Event

The off-stage events are:

• 'Shoot @ Sight' - Photography event
• New event (Different every year)

The students emerging as winners of LA Persona are awarded individually and are given the title of Master and Miss La Fest. The award for the overall champions of the show is the statue of Nataraja.

Youth Festival

The school conducts an intraschool youth festival, with competitions organised between the four houses. Individual and group events are organised in the School Youth festival, mainly in the areas of song, dance, poetry, and drama. Competitions are held in three categories namely, Juniors, Pre-Seniors and Seniors. In addition to the performing arts, competitions are held in drawing, painting and writing also. A personality contest called "Groom 'em Young" for the students of grades 10th and 11th is organised during the youth festival.

The winners of the youth festival competitions, in addition to certificates, win points for their houses. Houses securing maximum points in each of the three categories, and the house winning the overall competition is announced at the end of the event. The winning houses are awarded trophies for their achievement. The youth festival is organised mainly by the students of the 11th standard of the school.

Festivals

The school celebrates important days and festivals, like Onam, Independence Day, St. Ignatius Day, and Christmas. The day is marked by an assembly addressed by an eminent personality, followed by cultural events. As the festivals themselves are usually holidays, the assembly is held before the actual festival. The school celebrates Teachers' day, with the older students taking over the teaching of the younger classes.

Sports

Basketball

Basketball is considered the school's official game, and enjoyed most popularity among students until the late 1990s. The annual Loyola Junior Invitation Basketball Tournament, with participation from several schools in Thiruvananthapuram, has been a fixture in Loyola's calendar over several decades. In the past, the school basketball team has won laurels at various competitions, such as the St. Thomas Cup, Christ Nagar Cup, and has also participated in league games which happen in the city. There has also been a few noted state level players from the school.

Cricket

Though Loyola used to have cricket teams up to the early 1980s, the game lost official patronage in the 1980s and the 1990s. Coinciding with the declining popularity of basketball, cricket experienced a resurgence in official patronage from the turn of the century. Loyola now has a cricket training academy called Loyola Cricket Academy (LCA). The LCA team participates in regional cricket tournaments. Trainees of the academy have been part of regional and national level junior cricket teams. Cricket teams from the school have toured Sri Lanka and in turn hosted tours from that country. Over the years Loyola has produced some promising cricketers. Although basketball is the school game, Loyolites show a special interest towards cricket.

Football

Football enjoys popularity at Loyola. During lunch breaks, the main football ground in Loyola is the scene of several football games. Football coaching began in the summer vacation of 2003. In November 2003, Loyola's football team entered the semi-finals of the sports festival held at the Christ Nagar School. In 2008, Loyola became Thiruvananthapuram district's high school football champions. In 2008, Loyola also won the St. Thomas football trophy. In 2007,the Loyola football team won the Shri. Sasidhara Kurup Memorial Interschool Football Tournament in Thiruvananthapuram.

Athletics

Loyola School conducts an annual athletic meet (Sports Day) every year in November. The meet is mainly a competition in athletic events between the four houses of the school. The event begins with an opening march and ends with a closing march past, both led by the School leader and General Captain. The march past has the General Captain carry the school flag, leading the four houses through a march along the periphery of the school ground. The house captains lead their respective houses in the march,carrying the corresponding house flags. Other than track and field events, many other events like an aerobics display, a karate display etc. are staged. There is also a tug of war competition between present and old students of the school, with the winner receiving a banana cluster.

School symbols

The shield of Oñaz-Loyola

School crest

The Loyola crest is in the form of a red shield with seven red bars on the top, a Nilavilakku in the center and the christogram IHS at the bottom. The seven red bars at the top are from the shield of Oñaz-Loyola, the family of Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus. The Nilavilakku, a traditional lamp used in Kerala is meant to symbolize the culture of Kerala, where the school is located, and also light, wisdom, and education. The christogram IHS (actually, ΙΗΣ, or iota-eta-sigma) denotes the first three letters of the holy name of Jesus when written in Greek. Taken as a whole, the school crest means: Loyola School where Jesuits are serving the people of Kerala in education. The renowned architect Laurie Baker, whose son Tilak studied in Loyola, designed the crest.

School flag

School flag

The flag is the school crest emblazoned on rectangular bands of white and blue. The use of the school flag is reserved for ceremonial occasions, like weekly school assemblies where it is hoisted, preceding the singing of the school song, and at the head of the march past of houses during the annual Sports Day.

School song

Cheer Loyola's sons is the school song of Loyola. It is written as a hymn with three verses. When sung, each verse is followed by a refrain.

Verse 1:
Cheer Loyola's sons!
Cheer till day is done,
Till the game is won,
For our school.
As her banners soar,
Let the echoes roar
Round the golden shore
Of India's rule.

Refrain:
Virtue shielding us,
Knowledge for our weapon
Onward, on, Loyola’s sons.
Let us march asinging,
Send the echoes ringing
Giving our best till the game is won.

Verse 2:
Loyola’s sons, acclaim,
Brave Loyola’s fame,
Proud to bear the name,
O’er the field.
Always brave and true,
Pledge each day anew,
Aye to dare and do,
Ne’er to yield.
(Repeat refrain)

Verse 3:
Oh, thou God of all,
Hear us when we call,
Help us one and all,
By Thy grace.
When life’s game is done,
And the victory won,
May we wear the crown
Of joy and grace.
(Repeat refrain)

The music and parts of lyrics of the song are adapted from Sound the battle cry, a hymn written and composed by William Fiske Sherwin, a nineteenth-century American composer. The lyrics of Cheer Loyola's sons are replete with sport imagery and call on Loyolites to cheer till the "game is won" for the school. This imagery is a legacy of the original song (Sound the battle cry), written in the form of a battle hymn connoting spiritual warfare.

Publications

The Loyolite cover - 2007 edition

The Loyolite

Loyola publishes an annual magazine named The Loyolite to communicate about events in the previous academic year to the Loyola community (management, teachers, students, parents and alumni), and to provide students with an avenue to get their literary works published. Feature include the principal's annual report, group photographs of all classes, photographs of office bearers and major events, and English, Malayalam and Hindi language articles written by students, teachers and alumni. The editorial board of the magazine comprises around 10 teachers, and is headed by the most senior English language teacher in the school. The editorial board is assisted by a handful of student editors.

LENS

Loyola English News Service is a periodical brought out by the senior students of Loyola covering events on the campus. It is a wall magazine and is available on the internet.

Alumni

Alumni of Loyola are called ex-Loyolites or Loyola old boys. The school has an alumni association called Loyola Old Boys' Association (LOBA) that is part of the World Union of Jesuit Alumni(ae).

Notable Alumni

• Karan Bilimoria (1971)
• Santosh Sivan (1976)
• Pulickel Ajayan (1977)
• Rajesh Gopakumar (1984)
• Sreenath Sreenivasan (1987)
• Sangeeth Sivan
• Rajeev Nath
• Mithun Ramesh

External links

• News and pictures on Loyola School