St. Xavier's Collegiate School

St. Xavier's Collegiate School (informally SXCS) is an independent Catholic private day school for boys run by the Society of Jesus in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It was founded in 1860 by the Jesuits under the supervision of Rev.Fr.Henri Depelchin, and it is named after Francis Xavier, a 16th-century Jesuit missionary to India. The school completed its sesquicentennial year in 2010.

St. Xavier's Collegiate School (SXCS)
Location
30,Mother Teresa Sarani

,
India
Information
TypePrivate
MottoNihil Ultra
(Nothing Beyond)
Religious affiliation(s)Roman Catholic (Jesuit)
Established16 January 1860 (16 January 1860)
SessionApril–March
RectorJeyaraj Veluswamy
PrincipalM. Thamacin Arulappan
HeadmasterProbal Gomes
Faculty83
GenderMale
Number of students2300
ClassesPreparatory to Class 12
Average class size40
Education systemUnit Test (15 marks), Discipline and Classwork(5 marks) and Block Tests (80 marks)
CampusUrban
HousesBerchmans (yellow), Britto (red), Gonzaga (green), Loyola (blue)
Colour(s)  Blue
  White
SloganDo You See What I See?
I see SXC!
SongProud of Our School(composed by Mr.D'Abrew in 1970)
AthleticsTrack and Field
SportsBasketball, volleyball, football, cricket, rowing, table tennis
NicknameXaverian
YearbookThe Xaverian
AffiliationsICSE and ISC
AlumniAlumnorum Societas (ALSOC)
Medium of instructionEnglish
School ClubsLTS, nature, quiz, social service, science, writers, photography, debate, nature club, commerce club
Websitewww.sxcs.edu.in

History

The school was founded in 1860 by the Society of Jesus, an all-male Catholic religious order. The school is named after Francis Xavier, a Spanish Jesuit saint. The founder of the school is Fr. Henri Depelchin,[1] who oversaw most of the groundwork during the early years.[2]

San Souci theatre

The San Souci theatre at 30 Park Street (now Mother Teresa Sarani), Kolkata-700016, was burned to the ground in 1843. The property was purchased by Jesuits from Belgium and became the present campus.[2]

Foundation years

The motto Nihil ultra along with the crest of the college date to the rectorship of Jesuit Fr. O"Neill, 1904–1913.[3]

The present imposing five-storied building was built from 1934 to 1940 at a cost of Rs 9 lakhs, which was collected partly from the public of Calcutta, assistance from Belgium, and the huge rental received from the American army that occupied the building during the second World War.[1][4] Expansion of the school has been a long effort, with a campus slated for Salt Lake City, Kolkata and a second boys' hostel not far from the existing one.

A commemorative stamp was issued by the Indian Post Office on 12 April 1985 depicting the campus and in its commentary recognising the school's contribution to society.[1] In 2019,the foundation stone was laid for a new kindergarten section.

Programs

Students have excelled on the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education exam.[5] In 2015, a student secured the highest marks in the ICSE examination while in 2017 a student scored the highest marks, in the Indian School Certificate examination.[6][7] In 2013 Xavier was ranked by Digital Learning as the top school in West Bengal.[8]

The school is divided into houses namely Berchmans, Britto, Gonzaga and Loyola, all trained in synchronized marching.[9] The tertiary section extended to coeducational Honors Arts and Science programs and Teacher Training while still on the high school campus.[1]

In 2011 Xavier was judged the best eco-initiative school in Kolkata City for its preparation of compost manure for organic gardening.[10] The school won a football tournament organized to promote outdoor exercise (so that youth do not become addicted to staying indoors with their computers).[11] The traveling cricket team in 2016 secured the first place in a tournament in Leicester, England.[12] In September 2016 the school hosted an exhibition of about 90 paintings of Mother Teresa to commemorate her canonization that month.

Steps toward university

Xavier is expanding into tertiary education in collaboration with other groups, as with the Jesuit Xavier School of Management in Jamshedpur, on a new 17-acre campus in Rajarhat near New Town, Kolkata. A research centre with post-graduate courses is also planned. While schools of engineering and medicine are being considered, plans are progressing slowly to assure that fees will remain low and a wide range of students will be able to afford the education.[13]

Notable alumni

References

  1. indianpost.com Commemorative stamp, retrieved on 4 February 2008
  2. India, St. Xavier's Collegiate School, Kolkata. "St. Xavier's Collegiate School for Boys Kolkata Calcutta India". www.sxcs.edu.in. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  3. "St. Xavier's College (Autonomous), Kolkata". www.sxccal.edu. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  4. sxccal.edu history Archived 19 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 6 February 2008
  5. "Kolkata's Saugata Chowdhury tops ICSE with 99.20% | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis". dna. 18 May 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  6. "Bengaluru boy tops ICSE exam with 99.4%". SahilOnline | Reflection of the Truth. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  7. "ISC results 2017". 29 May 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  8. "Top Schools in West Bengal". digitallearning.eletsonline.com. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  9. sxcseduvideo (21 January 2011), St. Xavier's Collegiate School, Kolkata - Sports Day 2010, retrieved 22 August 2017
  10. "Organic gardening: St Xavier's Collegiate School, Kolkata leads the way | Ecology and Jesuits in Communication". www.ecojesuit.com. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  11. "Kolkata students shine in inter-school football tournament". The Hindu. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  12. "St Xaviers win Goodwill Cricket Tournament 2016". Cricket World. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  13. "St Xavier's plans new school, newer courses". The Indian Express. 29 October 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  14. "St Xaviers win Goodwill Cricket Tournament 2016". Cricket World. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  15. LU, Editor. "DIPANKAR P. GUPTA | Lawyers Update". Retrieved 15 June 2019.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  16. Quizmaster Derek O'Brien, an ex-student of St Xavier's School... The Times of India, 25 January 2005.
  17. Rosalie Murphy, Contemporary poets of the English language (St. James Press, 1970)

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