St. Michael's College National School
St. Michael's College National School (SMC; Tamil: புனித மிக்கேல் கல்லூரி தேசியப் பாடசாலை; known as St. Michael's College) is a national school in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka.
| St. Michael's College National School புனித மிக்கேல் கல்லூரி தேசியப் பாடசாலை | |
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| Address | |
Father Webber Street , , 30000 | |
| Coordinates | 7°42′41.30″N 81°41′45.70″E |
| Information | |
| School type | Public national 1AB |
| Motto | Quis ut Deus (Who is like God) |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Christianity |
| Denomination | Roman Catholicism |
| Founded | 1873 |
| Founder | Ferdinand Bonnel, Jesuit |
| Status | Nationalized in 1961 |
| School district | Batticaloa Education Zone |
| Authority | Ministry of Education |
| Principal | Pius Anantharajah |
| Grades | 1-13 |
| Gender | Boys |
| Age range | 5-19 |
| Enrollment | 3,000+ |
| Language | English, Tamil |
| Houses | Bonnel, Marian, Miller, Crowther |
| Slogan | A College second to none |
| Song | Sons of Bless'd St.Michael |
| Sports | Basketball, Cricket, Tennis |
| Yearbook | Paadumeen |
| Website | smc |
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History
St. Michael's College National School is a national school in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka. It was founded in 1873 as a private school and nationalised in mid 1970s. The school's founder and architect was French Jesuit[1] missionary, Ferdinand Bonnel. The school was originally located in the heart of Batticaloa town, but it was moved to its present location in 1903. The new school building was designed by architect, J. W. C. Ward.
In the early years, the school was exclusively for boys. However, in 1909, a girls' section was added. The girls' section was later renamed St. Joseph's Convent. St. Michael's College has been affected by the civil war in Sri Lanka. In 1990, the school was closed for two years due to security concerns. However, it reopened in 1992 and has continued to operate since then[2] [3][4]
Sports
The St. Michael's College is famous for basketball and has won several all island basketball championships.[5] Their victories made the school popular and were dubbed as The Invincibles.[6] Jesuit missionaries introduced basketball to Batticaloa, and installed the first basketball court within the school premises.[7] There were several Jesuit priests who played basketball and were good at it. Fr. Hamilton, Fr. Ralph Riemen, Fr. Eugene John Hebert, and Fr. Harold J. Weber were among the best contributors.[7]
References
- "List of national schools" (PDF). Retrieved 2022-09-12.
- Canagaratnam, S. O. (1921). Monograph of the Batticaloa District of the Eastern Province, Ceylon. H. R. Cottle. p. 41.
- "History of St. Michael's College". Retrieved 12 September 2022.
- "History of St.Michael's College, Batticaloa". Retrieved 12 September 2022.
- "Rev Fr. Eugene Herbert's loss should result in breaking down societal imbalances". Retrieved 12 September 2022.
- LTD, Lankacom PVT. "The Island" (PDF). www.island.lk.
- Canagaretnam, Ignatius T. (19 April 2012). "The Golden Era of Basketball in Batticaloa". Daily Mirror. Wijeya Newspapers. Retrieved 13 September 2022 – via PressReader.