St. Mary's College (Sinhala: සාන්ත මරියා විදුහල) is a multi-faith school located in Kegalle, Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka. Established in 1867, it is the oldest boys' school in the city. In 2023 it had approximately 3,000 students and 135 teaching staff.[1]
| St. Mary's College | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Main Building of the School | |
| Address | |
 | |
Main Street, , , 71000 | |
| Coordinates | 7°15′9″N 80°20′17″E / 7.25250°N 80.33806°E |
| Information | |
| Type | National school |
| Motto | Latin: Non Sibi Sed Patriae (Not for Self but for Country) |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Roman Catholic |
| Established | 1 March 1867 |
| Founder | Rev. Fr. Domenico Singolani |
| School code | SMC |
| Principal | Gamini Karunaruwan |
| Teaching staff | 135 |
| Grades | 1 to 13 |
| Gender | Boys |
| Age | 6 to 19 |
| Enrolment | 3,000 |
| Language | Sinhala, English and Tamil |
| Colour(s) | Red and gold |
| Affiliation | Ministry of Education |
| Alumni name | Old Marians |
| Website | St. Mary's College, Kegalle |
History
editSt. Mary's College was established on 1 March 1867, the fifth Catholic school in the country established by the Benedictine Missionaries.[2][3][4] The school was founded as a vernacular English school in 1867 by Rev. Fr. Domenico Pingulani, a Benedictine missionary, in connection with St. Mary's Church.[2] It initially had 22 students and one teacher.
The Jesuit Missionaries took over the running of the school in 1893.[4] In 1902 Lucian van Langenberg was appointed the school's principal. In 1921 Rev. Fr. Berneart took over the administration of the school and by 1922 it had 110 students enrolled.[2] In 1933 Rev. Fr. P. M. Baguet was appointed as principal. In 1947 St. Mary's College was elevated to a secondary school, with classes in English, Sinhala and Tamil. The same year the house system was re-introduced to the school, with the houses named after colours: Red, Blue, Green and Gold.[2] In 1960 it was changed to a government school with 688 students enrolled and 36 staff.[4] The school was elevated to a national school in 1995.[2]
Notable alumni
edit- Jayanath Colombage - Admiral, Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy (2012–14)[5]
- Tharanga Paranavitana - Test Cricket Player (2009–12)
- Chaminda Bandara - Sri Lankan Cricket Player (2016)
- Tharaka Balasuriya - Member of Sri Lankan Parliament
- Kandiah Thirugnansampandapillai Francis - Test Cricket Umpire[6]
- Bandu Samarasinghe - Sri Lankan Actor
- Edward Jayakody - Sri Lankan Music artist
- Sir. Edwin Wijeyeratne - Sri Lankan Lawyer, politician and diplomat
- Buddhadasa Vithanarachchi - Sri Lankan Actor
- Premakumar Gunaratnam - Sri Lankan Political activist
- Asoka Handagama - Sri Lankan Film maker
- Rookantha Gunathilake - Sri Lankan Singer and musician
Houses
editThe Students are divided into four Houses:
- – Nilwala
- – Mahaweli
- – Kelani
- – Walawe
External links
editReferences
edit- ^ "Principal's Message". St. Mary’s College. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Subasinghe, S. A. N. B. (2 March 2017). "St Marys College Kegalle celebrates its 150th Anniversary". The Daily Mirror. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
- ^ "Kegalle St. Mary's College 150th anniversary". Sunday Observer. 5 February 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
- ^ a b c Miranda, Sujitha (4 October 2015). "St Mary's College Kegalle wins awards in studies, chess and sports". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
- ^ "Kegalle St Mary's College felicitates Navy Chief". The Daily Mirror. 3 December 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
- ^ Nagahawattte, Ravi (12 January 2003). "K. T. Francis: the most respected Sri Lankan Cricket umpire". Retrieved 29 March 2019.