Burn Hall School
| Burn Hall Higher Secondary School, Srinagar | |
|---|---|
|
Industria Floremus - “In toil we shall flourish” | |
| Address | |
|
Gupkar Road, Sonwar Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India | |
| Coordinates | 34°04′27″N 74°49′59″E / 34.074195°N 74.832928°ECoordinates: 34°04′27″N 74°49′59″E / 34.074195°N 74.832928°E |
| Information | |
| Type | Private school |
| Established | 1956 (originally in 1942) |
| Founder | Fr. J. Boerkamp (Mill Hill Missionaries London) |
| Sister school | Presentation Convent Higher Secondary School |
| Principal | Rev. Fr Sebastian |
| Gender | Boys |
| Classes offered | L.K.G to 12th |
| Medium of language | English |
| Campus | Urban |
| Houses | Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Keats, Milton |
| Color(s) | Navy blue |
| Nickname | "The Hallians" |
| Rivals | Tyndale Biscoe School |
| Publication | Burn Hall Flame |
| Yearbook | Burn Hall Blaze |
| Affiliation | J&K State Board |
| Website |
www |
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Burn Hall School is an elite missionary school for boys which was established by the Mill Hill Missionaries of London in 1942 in undivided India, in Srinagar, Kashmir. Its motto is "Industria Floremus - In Toil We Flourish". It is one of the oldest and most prestigious schools of the valley, producing a line of distinguished alumni. Later on, in 1948, some missionaries also went to Abbottabad, Pakistan, and opened a branch there, later taken over by the Pakistan Army in 1977 (which is now called Army Burn Hall College).[1]
History
Meanwhile, the Srinagar branch closed down temporarily for some time; and it was restarted on 17 April 1956 with its first principal Father J. Boerkamp. As the founding father and the first principal of the school, Fr. Boerkamp rendered yeomen service to the cause of education in the valley. It was at the request of Msgr. Shanks, that Fr. Boerkamp came to Srinagar from Abottabad in 1956.[2] Msgr. Shanks had already rented a building "The Willows" as it was known then, from Mr. M. N. Koul, parliamentary secretary in Delhi at that time. He had interviewed two teachers who had agreed to join the school, Mr. Omkarnath Koul and Mr. Prahalad. On 19 March 1956, Msgr. Shanks and Fr. Boerkamp took possession of "the Willows" and preparations began at once to make the bungalow fit for a school. Mr. Ghulam Shah Naqashbandi was employed to assist Fr. Boerkamp. The necessary repairs were done and the school started on 17 April 1956. After fairly protracted negotiations with Misereor of Germany and Cebemo of the Netherlands, financial support came in. It took months of correspondence with the German and Dutch welfare organizations to mobilize the finance to build the monumental Burn Hall School of today. The Mill Hill Missionaries managed the institution from 1956 to 1977. In 1977, the charge of the school was handed over to the Capuchin Fathers. Fr. J.C. Hugh became the first principal in 1977. In 1989, a group of sisters of the Apostolic Carmel from the western province came to Burn Hall School at the invitation of the then principal Fr. Dominic. They were part and parcel of Burn Hall School for 7 years. In 1989, at the request of the then Bishop Rt. Rev. Dr. Hippolytus Kunnunkal, the Montfort Brothers of Saint Gabriel, Yercaud came to Burn Hall School. In March 1990, the brothers took charge of the school under a contract for a period of 12 years. At the end of the 12 years contract, the brothers handed over the institution to the diocese in December 2001.[3]
Present form
Today Burn Hall School is an elite Christian Missionary Institution for boys and falls under the management of the Catholic Diocese of Jammu – Srinagar. It is directed by the Education Society of Jammu- Srinagar Diocese and is registered as Charitable Society and affiliated with J&K State Board of School Education and recognized by the Education Department of the Government of Jammu and Kashmir. Classes range from L.K.G. to XII. The higher secondary division was opened during its Golden Jubilee celebration in 2006. Today, Burn Hall School stands tall in the minds of the society and is well known for its academic excellence that has been its hallmark. The school now boasts of top bureaucrats, efficient civil servants, illuminated politicians, eminent academicians and responsible citizens on its roll of Ex-students. The school is equipped with numerous surveillance camera's which monitor all the activities both inside and outside the building. The school is also employing a new method of learning using projectors in each classroom.[4][5]
Location
Burn Hall School is located in Sonwar, Srinagar. It is located at the foothills of Shankaracharya Mountain. It is neighbored by Ziarat Sharief Hazrat Syed Yaqoob Sahib (RA)and Sher-i-Kashmir Cricket Stadium.
Medium
Being an English medium, the school lays special emphasis on the usage of English language in student-teacher and student-student interaction. This helps students to get a good hold on the English language.
Houses
The school has four houses, named after four scholars of English literature:
- Keats House: Yellow
- Milton House: Green
- Shakespeare House: Red
- Wordsworth House: Blue
Sports
Burn Hall School's football, basketball and cricket teams are famous teams in Jammu and Kashmir. The teams have played in the premier Subrato tournaments. Other sports available are badminton and lawn tennis. District Srinagar Handball team players are all Burn Hallians. The school organizes hill races, cross country run and camps.
School Anthem
“What is the leaf in your armour, my brother?”
Like a leaf, So’s my life:
Budding forth in my spring:
“lost in the numberless foliage of summer,
Giving greatness and strength
To the mighty chinar”
“Little yet great is my life like, a leaf.
Swept away by the wind
“In the fall-who knows where?”
“What is the round in your armour, my brother?”
And the gold lines within
Rising up to the light?”
These are the shapes of our letters and learning
“Of the search of our mind
For who’s beauty and truth”
“Circle and sine make up science and its ways
“Move the world and its wheels
Work our factories and fields”
Therefore, “In toil we shall Flourish”, Oh brothers
As the leaf provides food
And fresh air to the worlds
We too spread life and new strength all around us
Doing humbly our task
To seek Knowledge and light,
Little yet great is my life, like a leaf,
Giving glory and strength
To a mighty chinar.
Alumni group
Burn Hall School Alumni group
Notable alumni
- Amitabh Mattoo
- Agha Shahid Ali
- Haseeb Drabu
- Mirwaiz Umar Farooq
- Omar Abdullah
- Rohit Bal
- Sajjad Lone
- Sanjay Suri
- Riyazat durrani