Rockvale Academy
| Rockvale Academy | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
|
Kalimpong, West Bengal India | |
| Information | |
| Type | Educational institution |
| Motto | "Optima Thule" |
| Established | 1984 |
| Founder | Lt. Mr. B.B. Pradhan |
| School district | Darjeeling |
| Principal | Capt. Prakash Mani Pradhan |
| Affiliation | CISCE |
| Website | |
Rockvale Academy is a coeducational boarding school located in the hill town of Kalimpong in the district of Darjeeling, West Bengal, India. It was founded by the late Mr. B.B. Pradhan in 1984 and celebrated its silver jubilee in 2009. English is used as the medium of instruction.
Rockvale Academy is affiliated to the I.C.S.E. and I.S.C. Board, New Delhi,[1] and offers prescribed course in Arts and Commerce at the +2 level. It has classes from nursery to XII. It is a member of the AHLIS (Association of Heads of Listed ICSE Schools of Darjeeling District) which has a strength of 28 schools from the district of Darjeeling and neighbouring Sikkim.
Rockvale opened an affiliated tertiary education institution, the B.B.Pradhan College of Management Studies, in 2003.
Students come from as far away as Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan[2] and Thailand.
History
The institution was established in 1984 by the late Mr. Bhanu Bhakta Pradhan (born 1938). He discovered a plot of land for sale in the 9th mile area of Kalimpong. His initial plan was to set up a hotel.[3] This is apparent from the small size of some rooms in the main building. However, he was persuaded by his closest friends to set up an educational institution. The core group of friends included Mr. Ganga Raj Tamang, Mr. David Washington, Mr. Rajendra Choudhary, Mr. Dasgupta and Mr. P.Dutta. The school opened on 11 March 1984 with just over 30 students.
The school was granted permanent affiliation to the ICSE Board in 1992 and became an examination centre in 1998. It was the first privately owned school in Kalimpong to be awarded the permanent affiliation.
The school introduced the +2 level in 1997. The B.B. Pradhan Management College was established in 2003. It is affiliated to Sikkim Manipal University and offers courses in B.B.A., B.C.A, B.H.M and B.Sc (IT).
In 2008, Rockvale Academy was chosen as an IELTS centre by the British Council.
The school's founder, Bhanu Bhakta Pradhan, held the post of Director of Rockvale Academy until his death in 2002. He was awarded the prestigious ‘Bharat Excellence Award’[4] in 1997 for his services to the society. He is also the recipient of the Glory of India and Gold Medal Award from the Friendship Forum of India, New Delhi. He also was a recipient of the International Order of Merit,[5] the first Indian citizen to receive this honor.
School motto and song
The motto of the school is ‘Optima Thule’ which stands for "Aim for the Highest".
The school song is titled ‘Wings of an Eagle’. It was composed by Mr. S.Rasaily and Mr. Y. Ghatani. The Nepali version is titled ‘Gyaan Ko Batti’. It was written by Mr. B.B. Pradhan and the tune was given by Mr. Gyan Lopchan.
ENGLISH SCHOOL SONG
Wings of an Eagle
Optima thule! Optima thule!
Oh! Rockvalites, go flying high
To touch the bright blue sky
Let’s try and try to touch the sky
Like an eagle soaring high.
Optima thule! Optima thule!
CHORUS:
Let’s go with love
Be like the dove
To spread the word of peace
In every race and every place
And bring joy to every face.
REPEAT CHORUS
Optima thule! Optima thule!(2)
Let’s spread the light
To make it bright
Every hour of night and day
Let’s and try to bring the light
To drive the darkness away
REPEAT
Optima thule! Optima thule!(2)
Oh! Rockvalites, go flying high
To touch the bright blue sky
Let’s try and try to touch the sky
Like an eagle soaring high.(3)
NEPALI SCHOOL SONG
“GYAN KO BATTI”
STAHI:
Gyan-ko bat-ti baa-lay-ra, ha-mi ag-ha-ri ba-rd-nay chau
Bidh-ya-ko jyoti pau-na-lai, ha-mi kshi-tiz-ma poug-nay chau
REPEAT STAHI: Gyan-ko bat-ti baa-lay-ra
ANTARA:
Per-na ha-mi lak-shya-ma poug-nay dhya-ya-lai rakh-nay chau (2)
Sam-jha-na ham-ro sa-kar hu-nay bidh-ya-lai rakh-nay chau (2)
Gyan-ko bat-ti baa-lay-ra
Bha-wishy a ham-ro u-jya-lo gar-nay hey-tu-lai li-ye-ra (2)
Ba-lak ha-mi bish-wa-ka ta-ra ek din bann-nay chau (2)
REPEAT STAHI AND END
Inter-house competitions
Rockvale has four houses that engage in inter-house competitions in sports such as volleyball, table tennis, basketball and badminton, as well as co-curricular activities such as elocution, debates, quizzes, spelling bee and extempore. The house that collects the most points at the end of the academic session is declared the "champion house" for that year.
Infrastructure
Apart from the main building at 9th mile, Kalimpong, the school is constructing a Sports Complex and Rockvale International Hostel at Chiboo Busty, Kalimpong.
School officers
Mrs. Carol Freese was the founding principal of the school. Capt. Prakash Mani Pradhan is the headmaster of the school. He has held that post since 1997.
References
- ↑ Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, listing in database, accessed May 29, 2010
- ↑ Darjeeling Impasse, Bhutan Times, June 18, 2008
- ↑ Close Encounters with Col. Hamilton, Rockvale Digest, 1997, page 13 of 120.
- ↑ Congratulations to our Director, Rockvale Digest, 1997, page 7 of 120.
- ↑ An extract from the book, Rockvale Digest, 2002, page 18 of 102.