St. Xavier's Collegiate School

St. Xaviers's Collegiate School (SXCS)

Nihil Ultra (Latin)
Location
30, Park Street
Kolkata – 700016
India
(Map)
Information
Type Private, day school
Religious affiliation(s) Roman Catholic
Established 16 January 1860
Session April–March
Headmaster Benny Thomas, S.J.
Faculty 83
Gender Male
Number of students 2300
Classes Preparatory to Class 12
Average class size 40
Education system Unit Test (20 marks) and Block Tests (80 marks)
Medium of language English
Hours in school day 5:30
Campus Urban
Colour(s)

Blue and White

         
Slogan Nihil Ultra (Nothing Beyond)
or
Do You See What I See?
I see SXC!
Song Proud of Our School
Athletics Track and Field
Sports Basketball, Cricket, Football, Volleyball, Table Tennis, Rowing
Nickname Sunny, Xaverian
Yearbook The Xaverian
Communities served LTS, Nature Club, X-quizite, Social Service
Affiliations ICSE and ISC
Alumni Alumnorum Societas (ALSOC)
Nobel laureates Rabindranath Tagore
Website SXCS.edu.in

St. Xavier's Collegiate School (informally SXCS) is a boys-only independent day school in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It was founded in 1860 by the Jesuits, and it is named after St. Francis Xavier, a Jesuit saint of the 16th century, who traveled to India. The school completed its sesquicentennial year in 2010.

The school houses roughly 2300 pupils ages 5 to 18. Admission is based on a form shortlist and an interview. Every year in April, the school admits pupils age 4+ in Preparatory and age 5+ in Grade 1. SXCS pupils take the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education in tenth and twelfth grades. Pupils are offered a choice between Humanities, Commerce or Science subjects in eleventh and twelfth grades. The school offered the Madhyamik but it does not offer it because of diminishing interest among pupils. Many of the school's pupils are children of alumni.

History

The school was founded in 1860 by the Jesuits, an all-male Catholic religious order formed by Saint Ignatius of Loyola. The school is named after Francis Xavier, the 16th century Spanish Jesuit saint. The founder of the school is Fr. Henri Depelchin. He oversaw most of the groundwork, during the early years.[1]

San Souci theatre

30 Park Street (now Mother Teresa Sarani), Kolkata-700016, is where the San Souci theatre was. A fire broke out in 1843, leaving nothing but ashes. This same address was later bought by seven Jesuits, who had arrived from Belgium. This is where the present day campus stands.[2]

Foundation years

The present 30 Park Street address is an amalgamation of numbers 10 and 11 of Park Street. Premise number 11 was bought for Rs 45,000.00, by Fr. Depelchen. These funds were made possible with the generous donations of the Anglo-Indians and with help from the home Province of Belgium. Park Street is in the heart of Kolkata and is a landmark in the city, a melting pot of its diverse cultural, culinary, social and intellectual milieu.

The very first class had as few as 40 students. Today, it has more than 2300.

The Goethals library deserves a special mention in the history of the institution.

However, there was a paucity of funds for expansion work in classrooms and to accommodate the Jesuits fathers. The rector appealed to the public of Calcutta in newspapers for generous assistance and was responded with magnanimity by well-wishers in 1864. Besides Fr Depelchin and his assistant and Br. Koppes, the builder went around collecting funds.

The present imposing five-storied building was built in six years, 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.[3][4] Expansion of the school has been a ceaseless effort, with a campus slated to come up in Salt Lake City, Kolkata and a second boys' hostel not far from the existing one.

Goethals library

The Goethals library, which is above the campus chapel, houses some of the oldest periodicals, journals and books. The treasures were inherited by the Jesuit Fathers in 1908 from the then Archbishop of Calcutta, Paul Goethals, S.J. Today, the treasures are well preserved and the library has become a spot of historical significance.

Postal stamp

A commemorative stamp was issued by the Indian Post on 12 April 1985 depicting the campus, thus recognising the school's contribution to society.[3]

Infrastructure

There are two school buildings separated by a street: one for the Primary School (grades K-5) and the other for the Secondary School (grades 6-12). The secondary school building shares the campus with the St. Xavier's College building and one of the college hostels. The institutions were established by the same Christian order but have independent administrations.

Religious affiliation

The school was established for the education of Catholic boys. However, it has long admitted students of any religious belief. In fact, most classes (with the exception of Kindergarten) are made up of primarily non-Christian students.

Academic affiliation

The school is affiliated to the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (which conducts the ICSE and ISC exams in classes 10 and 12 respectively) as well as the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (which holds the Madhyamik exams after grade 10). The students are given a choice of following either board up to standard 10 but must follow the Indian Council's board for classes 11 and 12. However, due to a lower number of students opting for the West Bengal board, classes are held only for ICSE board, and the ISC board for the 11th and 12th standard.

School session

The school session is from April to March. Saturday is the normal weekly holiday (in addition to Sunday).

Uniform

The primary school uniform is dark grey shorts and white shirt; secondary school students wear white shorts/trousers with white shirt. A coloured monogram on the shirt pocket was introduced in April 2011. During winter months a dark blue pullover is permitted in both schools. Secondary school students have the option of wearing a blue blazer.

A metal badge which shows the house name and colours is worn by the students on the top left side of the shirt. The house captains and vice-captains have badges that denote their designations along with the house colours.

Footwear is black leather shoes with laces. On days when students have physical training in school, they wear white canvas sport shoes, along with the vests of their respective house colours: blue for Loyola, green for Gonzaga, yellow for Berchmans, and yed for Britto.

The school tie is dark blue with white slanting stripes. It is not compulsory every day but required for important events.

Student exchange programmes

St. Xavier's Collegiate School is the one of the very few schools in India which hosts two annual international student exchange programmes.

The exchange programme with Belvedere College, Dublin, Ireland, has run over 17 years and is open to students of classes 9-10. Fifteen Xaverian boys go to Dublin during the summer vacation in May, whereas the Irish students visit St. Xavier's Collegiate School in November.

The second exchange programme is with China, open to the boys of 11-12 (those who have not been a part of the Dublin exchange programme). St. Xavier's Collegiate School was the first in India to have a student exchange programme with China at this level. The first successful exchange took place in May 2011, led by Jesuit Frs. Jerome and Sebastian when the Xaverians visited Shida Fuzhong High School, Kunming, and the Chinese students visited St. Xavier's in November 2011.

Curriculum

Students may choose to follow either the ICSE or Madhyamik curriculum till class 10. In classes 11 and 12, they must follow the ISC curriculum, but may choose to study Science (physics, chemistry, maths and biology/computer science), Commerce (commerce, accounts, economics and maths), or Humanities (sociology, history, political science with maths). An Indian language is optional in classes 11 and 12.

House system

The secondary school students are grouped into four houses named after Jesuit saints. The primary section had a house system, which was discontinued for a couple of years. It was reinstated from academic year 2011-12. The houses are:

Each house has a house captain and vice captain — generally students of grades 12 and 11 respectively. Reporting to them are the house representatives — one for each of the other grades. These executive members are selected by voting amongst the students belonging to each house.

The houses compete against each other in sports and academics. On the annual sports day, the winning house is declared on the basis of points earned by its students throughout the year.

Other clubs

SXCS has many active clubs, which are aimed at building leadership qualities. The clubs comprise:

Notable alumni

Movies & Music

Politics & Government

Sports

Writers & Thinkers

Scientists

Business

Others

References

  1. ↑ SXCS
  2. ↑ History of the institution
  3. 1 2 indianpost.com commemorative stamp Retrieved on 4 February 2008
  4. ↑ sxccal.edu history Retrieved on 6 February 2008
  5. ↑ Rosalie Murphy, Contemporary poets of the English language (St. James Press, 1970)
  6. ↑ Quizmaster Derek O'Brien, an ex-student of St Xavier's School... The Times of India, 25 January 2005.

External links

SXCS.edu.in Coordinates: 22°32′54″N 88°21′21″E / 22.54837°N 88.35596°E / 22.54837; 88.35596

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