St. Aloysius' College, Galle
| St. Aloysius' College, Galle | |
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 the current crest of the College | |
| Location | |
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| Coordinates | 6°2′9″N 80°12′44″E / 6.03583°N 80.21222°E |
| Information | |
| Type | Started as a Private Catholic, Currently State Run |
| Motto | Template:Lang-la ("Strive Manfully”) |
| Established | 1895 |
| Founder | Jesuit Fathers |
| Principal | Mr. Ranjith thilakarathna |
| Grades | 1–13 |
| Number of students | 4000 |
| Color(s) | Green and Gold |
| Website | http://www.sacgalle.sch.lk |
St. Aloysius' College is a leading High School for boys located in Galle, the capital city of Southern Province in Sri Lanka. The school was established in 1895 by recently arrived Belgian Jesuit missionaries, led by fr:Joseph Van Reeth, first bishop of Galle. St. Aloysius' College is a national school, which provides primary and secondary education. In 2012 it has 4000 students on its roll.
The school takes the pride of producing world's one of the most renowned scientists, Late Prof. Cyril Ponnamperuma.[1]
History
St. Aloysius' College is situated on Mount Calvery, neighbouring St. Mary's Cathedral on one side and Sacred Heart Convent on the other. The college was established in 1895 by Belgian Jesuit fathers and was named after the Jesuit Saint, Saint Aloysius Gonzaga (born on 9 March 1568). Saint Aloysius' is regarded as the 'Patron Saint of the Youth' by the Jesuits because of the heroic acts that he had performed when he was a young Jesuit helping Plague victims in Rome, Italy in 1587. After a few years helping plague victims, young Saint Aloysius died on 21 June 1591 at the age of 23 when he himself contracted the disease. St. Aloysius' College, Galle, is one of many schools named after Saint Aloysius, and many exist all around the world including schools in Glasgow-Scotland, Sydney-Australia, Bangalore-India, Malta, London-England etc.(See List).
Until the Sri Lankan government brought legislation for nationalisation of schools in the island (with an exception of only a few schools), St. Aloysius' College was run by Jesuit Fathers and the medium of instruction was English. The first Buddhist Principal was appointed in the year 1971 and subsequently the medium of instruction was changed to Sinhala.
College Today
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The college today provides education to 4000 students from grade 1 to grade 13 and it is regarded as one of the leading boys' schools in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka. The students of the school fall into diverse religious groups where over 90 percent of students are Buddhists and the others are Christian (or Catholic) and Muslism. The school has earned its reputation in the areas of academic excellence as well as in sports.
College Crest's Elements
Center:IHS - Name of Jesus (Iesous)
1.Elephant – Represents Sri Lanka (Ceylon)
2.Lilies – Purity of conscience
3.Torch – Torch of learning
4.Rooster – Symbol of Galle
College Houses
Students represent five houses that are named after Jesuit Fathers who were pioneers in developing the school in its early days. Students are divide in to houses according to their admission number.
- -Cooreman
- -Murphy
- -Neut
- -Standaert
- -Vanreeth
Sports
Sport is a major part of St.Aloysius College, with over 21 different sports played. Taking center stage of the annual sporting calendar are the St.Aloysius-Rahula (Big Match), Richmond College vs. St. Aloysius' College Annual Rugby Big Match. Other sports played at St.Aloysius include;
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- Archery
- Baseball
- Karate
- Rifle Shooting
Clubs and societies
List of Clubs and Associations in SAC|List of Clubs and Associations of Saint Aloysius College.
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- General knowledge society
- New Inventer's Society
Principals
| Period | Details |
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| 1910 – 1921 | Rev. Fr. Dionysius Murphy S.J |
| 1921 – 1925 | Rev. Fr. John Delaney S.J |
| 1925 – 1949 | Rev. Fr. Ernest Gaspard S.J |
| 1949 – 1962 | Rev. Fr. Paul N. Peiris S.J |
| 1963 – 1968 | Rev. Fr. Caspersz S.J |
| 1968 – 1970 | Rev. Fr. Stephen Fernando S.J (Acting) |
| 1970 – 1971 | Rev. Fr. Caspersz S.J |
| 13 June 1971 – 1 April 1972 | Mr B.K. Silva |
| 1 April 1972 – 28 February 1973 | Mr Dunstan Fernando |
| 28 February 1973 – 3 August 1973 | Mr J.B. Varnakulasingham (Acting) |
| 3 August 1973 – 22 December 1975 | Mr L.D.P. Jayasinghe |
| 22 December 1975 – 25 May 1976 | Mr A.B.J.L. Fernando (Acting) |
| 25 May 1976 – 7 January 1987 | Mr D.Y. Wijewickrama |
| 7 January 1987 – 1996 | Mr A.V. Illeperuma |
| 1996 – 2004 | Mr N.K. Ariyawansa |
| 2004 –2004 | Mr. Nandasena Pathirana (Acting) |
| 2004 – 2014 | Mr D.P.L.S. Gunasekara |
| 2014 - 2014 | Mr. Piyasiri (Acting) |
| 2014 to present | Mr. Ranjith Thilakarathne |
Old Boys' Associations (OBA's)
There are a few branches of OBA's located all around the world.
- Old Boys' Association - Galle - Parent Body
- Old Boys' Association - Colombo Branch
- Old Boys' Association - Melbourne
- Old Boys' Association - London
- Old Boys' Association - New Zealand
Notable Aloysians
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News
- Jesuit Day on Wednesday 5 November 2008 organised by OBA Galle
- Annual Dinner Dance: South of the Border organised by OBA Colombo on 29 November '08 at Hotel Galadari, Colombo, Sri Lanka
- OBA Colombo AGM at Hotel Sapphire, Wellawatta on 5 October 2008
- St.Aloysius' Ambulance Cadet Division Celebrates 75th Anniversary 5 October 2008
- Big Match Starting March 2011
