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S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia

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For other uses, see Saint Thomas § Sri Lanka.

S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia (abbreviated as STC), is a fee-levying Anglican selective entry boys' private school in Sri Lanka. Started as a private school by 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.

S. Thomas' College
College Quadrangle
Location
Map
Hotel Road, Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

Colombo
,
Western Province

Sri Lanka
Coordinates6°50′14.64″N 79°51′54.12″E / 6.8374000°N 79.8650333°E / 6.8374000; 79.8650333
Information
Former namesCollege of St. Thomas the Apostle
S. Thomas' College, Mutwal
TypePrivate
MottoLatin: Esto perpetua
(Be Thou Forever)
Religious affiliation(s)Christianity
DenominationAnglican
Patron saint(s)St. Thomas
Established3 February 1851; 173 years ago (3 February 1851)
FounderJames Chapman
Visitor to the CollegeDushantha Lakshman Rodrigo
WardenMarc Billimoria
Sub-WardenAsanka Perera
ChaplainSamuel Ponniah
Grades1 - 14
(including a nursery for children of Old Boys)
GenderMale
Age2 to 19
Enrollment2,800
Education systemNational Education System
Pearson Edexcel
LanguageEnglish, Sinhala, Tamil
Hours in school day07:25 - 13:30
Campus typeSuburban
Colour(s)Blue and black
  
SongThomian Song
AthleticsYes
SportsYes
NicknameThora
NewspaperThe Ternion
YearbookThe College Magazine
AffiliationAnglican Church of Ceylon
Brother schools
Former pupilsOld Thomians
Websitestcmount.edu.lk

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 2,800, S. Thomas' is considered as one of the most prestigious schools in Sri Lanka;[according to whom?] 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 Big Match, the Royal-Thomian Rugby Match, the Royal-Thomian Water Polo Matches, 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 first prime minister of Ceylon, S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike and two 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

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Location

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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 40 m (130 ft) long and 12 m (39 ft) high, had its foundation stone lain by 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

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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 2,800 – stemming from varied faiths and ethnicities.

Mutwal

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The Rt. Rev. James Chapman

S. Thomas’ College was founded by the first Bishop of Colombo, 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

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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] On 13 October 1923, the foundation stone for what would become the Chapel of the Transfiguration was laid by the Bishop of Colombo, Ernest Arthur Copleston, and the chapel was completed on 12 February 1927, when it was consecrated by the Bishop of Colombo Mark Carpenter-Garnier.[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]

 
The Chapel of the Transfiguration

Song

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The "Thomian Song" was first introduced in the April issue of the College Magazine in 1916.[19] The lyrics of the College Song were written by Mr. Edmund de Livera, a Royalist; and music was composed by Revd. W. A. Stone, 8th Warden of the College. The 5th line of the 2nd verse was amended in the time of Warden M. L. C. Illangakoon on a suggestion made by the late Mr. Mervyn Casie-Chetty, and ‘King’ was replaced by ‘State’.

Houses

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There are five houses at the college,[20] 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 (although the present Primary School boarding facility is still known by this name). At the time, Miller and Copleston were senior houses.[21]

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.[22] In 1926, the day boys were divided first into 5 houses, namely Wood, Buck, Stone, Jermyn, and Baly. [23] 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 because there were insufficient numbers to divide fairly and equally among five day houses. By the end of the year, Jermyn and Baly houses were discontinued and the boys were reassigned into the remaining houses according to their form. The same happened to the boarding houses, and Read house was also discontinued.

In 1932, the boarding house system of two senior houses and two junior houses was discarded in favour of an alternative system.

Current Houses of the College [24]
House Name House Motto House Colours Year Established
De Saram Strive, Achieve, Preserve Green and black

  

1958
Buck Mens Sana in Copore Sano (A sound mind in a sound body) Blue and silver

  

1926
Wood Fulfilment of Prophecy Blue and maroon

  

1926
Stone Sauitier in modo; Fortiter in re (Gentle in manner, Brave in action) Maroon and silver

  

1926
Boarding Miller-Chapman: Omnia Vincit Durus labor (We lead, others follow)

Copleston and Claughton: Determined, Dared and Done

Maroon and white

  

Sports

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The Big Club Grounds of the College

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.[25] 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.[26]

Royal-Thomian Cricket Match

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

The Royal-Thomian is the annual cricket match between Royal College, Colombo, and S. Thomas' College, Mt Lavinia. It is the second longest uninterrupted cricket match series in the world and the first and oldest in Sri Lanka, even older than the Ashes, having been played for more than 140 years continuously.[27] The original match was played between the Colombo Academy and S. Thomas' College, Mutwal,[28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38] 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 the Mustangs Trophy.[27]

Royal-Thomian Rugby Match

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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.[39]

Royal-Thomian Rowing Regatta

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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.[40]

Royal-Thomian Tennis Match

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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.[41]

Royal-Thomian Water Polo Matches

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The Dr. R.L. Hayman Trophy is awarded to the winner of the annual two leg Water Polo fixture between Royal College, Colombo, and S. Thomas' College, Mt Lavinia.[42] 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 home and away swimming 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.

Wardens

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The Warden of S. Thomas' College is appointed by the Board of Governors to run the day-to-day activities of the College.[20][24] Shown below is the list of Wardens who have served the College:

Wardens of S. Thomas' College [24][43]
No. Name From To Special Notes
Mutwal
1. Cyril William Wood 1851 1853 First Warden of the College at Mutwal
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. William Armstrong Buck 1896 1901
8. William Arthur Stone 1901 1918
Mount Lavinia
1. William Arthur Stone 1918 1924 First Warden of the College at Mount Lavinia
2. Kenneth C. McPherson 1925 1930 Archdeacon Emeritus of Bombay
3. Reginald Stewart de Saram 1932 1958 First Ceylonese and Old Boy Warden
4. Charles Henry Lambert Davidson 1959 1964 First Lay Warden
5. Anton John Chandiah Selvaratnam 1965 1969
6. Samuel James Anandanayagam 1969 1977
7. Michael Llewelyn Christopher 1977 1982
8. Wilfred Michael Neville de Alwis 1983 1998
9. David Arjunan Ponniah 2001 2008
10. John Charles Puddefoot 2009 2011
11. Indra De Soysa 2012 2014
12. Marc Billimoria 2014 Present Incumbent Warden

In the early days of the College, acting Wardens served during interregnum periods whilst new Wardens were being chosen back in the United Kingdom, under whom Ceylon was a colony at the time.[21]

Alumni

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Main article: List of S. 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.[44][45]

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.[46][43][24]

See also

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Branches

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References

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  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 1 April 2021.
  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
  14. ^ "The Sunday Times News Section". www.sundaytimes.lk.
  15. ^ "The Sunday Leader Online". www.thesundayleader.lk.
  16. ^ a b c "College History | S. Thomas' College". www.stcmount.edu.lk. Archived from the original on 17 November 2013.[non-primary source needed]
  17. ^ a b c "ABOUT CHAPEL". www.stcmount.edu.lk. Archived from the original on 17 November 2013.[non-primary source needed]
  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. ^ "College Song – S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia". Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  20. ^ a b "The College Handbook". 2022.[non-primary source needed]
  21. ^ a b Keble, W. T. (1937). A History of St. Thomas' College, Colombo. Colombo Apothecaries.
  22. ^ Keble, W. T. (1937). A History of St. Thomas' College, Colombo. Colombo Apothecaries.
  23. ^ 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.
  24. ^ a b c d Billimoria, N. M. P (2018). 100 Years at Mount. Sri Lanka: Vijitha Yapa. ISBN 9789553525000.
  25. ^ Fairclough, Gordon (16 March 2015). "For Sri Lanka's Elite, High-School Cricket Match Is More Than a Game". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  26. ^ "Thomian win Dr. R. L. Hayman Trophy19th Royal - Thomian water-polo annual encounter". stc62group.org. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  27. ^ a b "134 unbroken years: The historical Royal-Thomian encounter (2013) :: The largest library of cricket videos". cricketcrowd.com.
  28. ^ "The Island". www.island.lk.
  29. ^ "Funday Times". www.sundaytimes.lk.
  30. ^ "Battle of the Blues".
  31. ^ S. Thomas' College
  32. ^ "sports04". www.island.lk.
  33. ^ "A Tribute to C.E.L. ("Kalla") De Silva on his 100th Birth Anniversary".
  34. ^ "Ranjan Madugalle, A fine Cricketing Ambassador".
  35. ^ So, Royal really lost 1885 match to S. Thomas'
  36. ^ "The College History". Archived from the original on 8 May 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2013.[non-primary source needed]
  37. ^ "OBA History". Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2013.[non-primary source needed]
  38. ^ "The Royal – Thomian - 130 Years on". www.sundaytimes.lk.
  39. ^ Amit, M. Shamil (11 March 2019). "Gunaratne Trophy Rugby encounter Royal-Thomian clash should be a thriller".
  40. ^ "History of S Thomas' College Rowing Crew".
  41. ^ "Royal-Thomian tennis match - Google Search". www.google.com. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  42. ^ "Royal-thomian water polo encounter today". Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 28 September 2019. Archived from the original on 5 June 2023. Retrieved 5 June 2023 – via PressReader.
  43. ^ a b Billimoria, N. M. P. (1993). 75 Years at Mount: A History of S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia, 1918-1993. The College.
  44. ^ Jayasuriya, Karu (22 March 2021). "Rt. Hon. D.S. Senanayake – The First Prime Minister of Sri Lanka". The Island. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  45. ^ "DS Senanayake Vs SWRD Bandaranaike: Battle for Control". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  46. ^ Abeynaike, H. B. W.; Ameratunga, H. P. (1970). Parliament of Ceylon, 1970. Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited.
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