St. Lawrence High School, Kolkata
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2018}}
{{Infobox school
| name = St. Lawrence High School
| native_name =
| former_name = St. John Chrysostom School
| logo = StLawrenceKolkata.png
| logo_size = 160px
| image = Kolkata, St Lawrence High School.JPG
| image_size = 270px
| alt =
| caption = St. Lawrence High School, Kolkata, in 2017
| motto = For God and Country
| streetaddress = 27 Pramathesh Barua Sarani
(formerly Ballygunge Circular Road)
| city = Kolkata-700019
| state = West Bengal
| province =
| country = India
| coordinates = {{Coord|22|31|43.39|N|88|21|20.88|E|display=title,inline|region:IN-WB_type:edu}}
| type = Private primary and secondary school
| patron = Lawrence of Rome
| denomination = Jesuits
| religion = Catholicism
| established = {{Start date and age|1937|01}}
| founder = Fr. Lawrence Rodrigues, S.J.
| session = April–March
| status =
| closed =
| district = Kolkata
| category =
| oversight =
| chairman =
| dean =
| administrator =
| rector = Fr. Julian S Das, S.J.
| principal = Fr. M Benny Thomas S.J.
| campus_director =
| head =
| chaplain =
| staff =
| faculty =
| teaching_staff = 84
| grades = 1-12
| avg_class_size = 40
| gender = Boys
| enrollment = 1600+
| medium of language = English
| hours_in_day = 5:50
| colours =
| athletics = Football, cricket, basketball
| mascot =
| nickname = Lawrencians; SLHS
| rival =
| accreditation =
| national_ranking = 19
| test_name =
| test_average =
| yearbook = The Lawrencian
| affiliations = Indian Council of Secondary Education
West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education
| website = {{url|stlawrencehighschool.edu.in/}}
| footnotes =
| picture =
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| affiliation =
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| president =
| chairman_label =
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| officer_in_charge =
| grades_label =
| campus = {{convert|7|acre|ha}}
| houses = {{ubl|{{colorbox|blue}} Loyola|{{colorbox|green}} Xavier|{{colorbox|red}} Kalam (formerly Britto)|{{colorbox|yellow}} Tagore (formerly Aloysius)}}
| student_union =
}}
St. Lawrence High School is a private Catholic primary and secondary school for boys, located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The school was founded in 1810 and run by the Jesuits, initially in Baithakhana, Sealdah, as an elementary school which came to be known as St. John Chrysostom School. It was renamed in January 1937 by Fr. Lawrence Rodriques, S.J. as St. Lawrence High School. The school caters for approximately 1600 students.
History
St.Lawrence High School traces its roots to an elementary school at the Church of Our Lady of Dolours at Baithakkhana, Sealdah, in 1810. In 1855 it was known as St. John Chrysostom's School and prepared students for the Lower Primary Examination. In 1902 it became the site of St. Ann’s Orphanage and included Upper Primary School; teaching was in Bengali but instruction in English was included. In 1913 teaching turned to English and boys were prepared for the Junior Cambridge Course. In 1920 the University of Calcutta recognized Chrysostom as a high school, with its first graduation in 1922. At that time the school at 126 Bow Bazar Street occupied one floor of a building that had a printery on the ground floor and the top floor housed boarders; it had no playground. In the 1930s Fr. Lawrence Rodriques S.J. held Sunday raffles to purchase St. Xavier's College land at Ballygunge. In January 1937 he was able to open a large new school there, featuring tall eucalyptus trees, a flower garden, and playground. Rodrigues rechristened the school after his namesake, Lawrence of Rome.{{Cite web|url=http://stlawrencehighschool.edu.in/historyoftheschool|title=History|website=stlawrencehighschool.edu.in|access-date=2017-08-23}}
The school maintains as a goal to uplift the poor, to show equal respect for all castes, creeds, and social strata, and to promote unity in diversity. It would implement the Jesuit ideal of forming "persons for and with others."{{Cite web|url=http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/men-for-others.html|title=Men for Others|website=onlineministries.creighton.edu|access-date=2017-08-23}}
Programmes
St. Lawrence is an unaided, primary through higher secondary school for boys, with English as the medium of instruction. It has about 28 teachers and 22 classrooms at the secondary level,{{Cite web|url=http://stlawrencehighschool.edu.in/teachingstaff|title=Teaching staff|website=stlawrencehighschool.edu.in|access-date=2017-08-23}} with computer-aided learning.{{Cite web|url=http://www.icbse.com/schools/st-lawrence-high-school/19170107220|title=St. Lawrence High School, Ward-69, Kolkata - West Bengal|website=iCBSE|language=en|access-date=2017-08-23}} Students are organized into four "houses" which integrate primary and high school students.{{Cite web|url=http://stlawrencehighschool.edu.in/abouthousedetails|title=houses|website=stlawrencehighschool.edu.in|access-date=2017-08-23}}
In 2017, St. Lawrence High celebrated in a big way the United Nations International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (6 April) and, along with its alumni association,{{Cite web|url=https://www.sportanddev.org/en/article/news/expression-2017-report|title=Expression 2017 - A report {{!}} sportanddev.org|website=www.sportanddev.org|access-date=2017-08-23}} sponsored an art contest for Jesuit schools worldwide on the theme of Olympic Games and Peace.{{Cite news|url=https://www.educatemagis.org/blogs/international-day-sport-development-peace-observed-st-lawrence-high-school/|title=International Day of Sport for Development and Peace observed by St. Lawrence High School - Educate Magis|work=Educate Magis|access-date=2017-08-23|language=en-US}} In 2016 a group of students enjoyed a one-week, educational trip to China hosted by the Chinese Consul General His Excellency Mr. Ma Zhanwu.{{Cite web|url=http://stlawrencehighschool.edu.in/chineseexchangeprogramme|title=Trip to China|website=stlawrencehighschool.edu.in|access-date=2017-08-23}}
Cricket, soccer, and basketball are the main school sports.{{Cite web|url=http://stlawrencehighschool.edu.in/gamesandsports|title=Sports|website=stlawrencehighschool.edu.in|access-date=2017-08-23}} The school has also had a championship rowing team.{{Cite web|url=http://stlawrencehighschool.edu.in/rowingchampionship2015|title=Rowing 2014, 2015: Bengal and All India K.C. Mahindra Invitational|website=stlawrencehighschool.edu.in|access-date=2017-08-23}} Extracurricular activities include speech and debate, drama, music, and choir.{{Cite web|url=http://stlawrencehighschool.edu.in/Infrastructure|title=Activities|website=stlawrencehighschool.edu.in|access-date=2017-08-23}} Dozens of videos of student activities are available on the web, as well as a tour of the facility.{{Cite web|url=http://stlawrencehighschool.edu.in/|title=Shots on campus|website=stlawrencehighschool.edu.in|access-date=2017-08-23}}{{Cite web|url=http://stlawrencehighschool.edu.in/infrastructuredevelopment|title=Picture tour|website=stlawrencehighschool.edu.in|access-date=2017-08-23}}
Notable alumni
- Aniruddha Bose, Hon’ble Justice of the Supreme Court of India
- Ranadeb Bose, an Indian first class cricketer
- Suman Chakraborty, Professor of Mechanical engineering at IIT Kharagpur{{cite web |last1=Danita |first1=Yadav |title=IT Kharagpur Professor Dr Suman Chakraborty wins Infosys Prize 2022 for Engineering and Computer Science |url=https://www.timesnownews.com/education/iit-kharagpur-professor-dr-suman-chakraborty-wins-infosys-prize-2022-for-engineering-and-computer-science-article-96915557 |publisher=TimesNow |access-date=3 April 2023 |date=11 January 2023}}
- Rahul Peter Das, emeritus professor of South Asian studies at the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, former president of the German Association for Asian Studies ({{Interlanguage link|Deutsche Gesellschaft für Asienkunde|de}}), and recipient of the Hind Rattan and Nav Rattan awards.{{cn|date=March 2025}}
- Abhik Ghosh, chemist and winner of the Hans Fischer Career Award (2022) for lifetime contributions{{Cite web |title=Society of Porphyrins & Phthalocyanines |url=http://www.icpp-spp.org/icpp10/general/awards.php |access-date=2022-04-16 |website=www.icpp-spp.org}}
- Ashok Jhunjhunwala, an Indian academic, awarded Padma Shri, India, 2002: distinguished service in science and engineering, telecommunications
- Kamaleshwar Mukherjee, film director, theatre artist, doctor
- Kharaj Mukherjee, an Indian actor
- Saugata Roy, an Indian politician and a member of parliament in the Lok Sabha of the Indian Parliament
- Tathagata Roy, an Indian politician, former Governor of Tripura (2015–2018), former Governor of Meghalaya (2018–2020)
- Kabir Suman, an Indian Politician, music director, singer, composer, politician, former journalist and former Member of Lok Sabha of the Indian Parliament
See also
{{stack|{{portal|Schools|Catholicism|India}}}}
References
{{reflist|2}}
{{Jesuit Schools of India|state=collapsed}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Lawrence High School}}
Category:Jesuit secondary schools in India
Category:Jesuit primary schools in India
Category:Boys' schools in India
Category:Christian schools in West Bengal
Category:Primary schools in West Bengal
Category:High schools and secondary schools in Kolkata
Category:Educational institutions established in 1937