The Lawrence School, Lovedale | |
---|---|
Location | |
, , 643003 India | |
Coordinates | 11°22′45″N 76°41′57″E / 11.379191°N 76.699258°E |
Information | |
Former names | The Ootacamund Lawrence Asylum, Lawrence Memorial Royal Military School (L.M.R.M.S.) |
Type | Public school |
Motto | "Never Give In" |
Established | 6 September 1858 |
Founder | Major General Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence |
School board | Central Board of Secondary Education (C.B.S.E.) |
School district | Nilgiris |
Chairman | Keshav N Desiraju |
Headmaster | K Prabhakaran Nair |
Number of pupils | 700 (approx.) |
Language | English |
Website | www |
The Lawrence School, Lovedale (formerly known as Lawrence Memorial Royal Military School), the namesake of its founder Brigadier-General Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence KCB, is a co-educational boarding school located at Lovedale, which is a little town on the Nilgiri Mountains in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu.[1]
Lawrence had mooted the idea of establishing a chain of British Raj military-style boarding schools at the hill stations of India to educate the children of the deceased and serving members of the British Indian Army.[2] Although Lawrence was killed at The Residency, Lucknow during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 his dream took shape and four such schools, known as the Lawrence Military Asylums, were established: at Sanawar in 1847, and at Mount Abu in 1856, both during his lifetime; then at Lovedale, Ootacamund in 1858 and at Ghora Gali, Murree, in present-day Pakistan in 1860.
In 1913, the name of the school was changed from The Ootacamund Lawrence Asylum to Lawrence Memorial School. After being accorded royal patronage in 1922, the name of the school was changed to the Lawrence Memorial Royal Military School in 1925. In 1949, soon after Indian Independence, the school was handed over to the civilian authorities of the Government of India; subsequently, the name of the school was changed to The Lawrence School, as it is known today. As the school is located in Lovedale, the school is also simply referred to as "Lovedale".
The school's motto is "Never Give In" as that of its sister schools.
The school's logo is an armorial achievement with a historical heraldic blazon:
ARMS: Ermine, on a cross raguly gules and eastern crown or; on a chief azure two swords in saltire proper, pommels and hilts gold, between as many leopards' heads argent.
CREST: Out of an eastern crown or, a cubit arm entwined by a wreath of laurel and holding a dagger all proper.
The Lawrence School, Lovedale has its campus on 750 acres leased from the Ministry of Defence[3] in Lovedale, which is 6 kilometres (3.7 miles) from Ootacamund. Located at a height of 7200 feet above mean sea level, it is slightly lower than the Dodabetta peak (altitude: 8650 feet), which is the highest peak of the Nilgiris mountain range.
The school campus is divided into Preparatory School (classes 5 ), Junior School (classes 6–8) and Senior School (classes 9–12). Some of the classrooms and dormitories of the schools are together in their respective buildings, whereas the girls of class (5-8) are accommodated in the Preparatory School building and the girls of classes (9-12) are accommodated in a separate residential building called Girls School. Therefore, the girls of class 5 attend classes in the Preparatory School, girls of classes (6-8) attend classes in Junior School and girls of classes (9-12) attend classes in the Senior School building.
Many notable personalities, such as former Prime Ministers and Presidents of India Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Zail Singh, Pranab Mukherjee, APJ Abdul Kalam, and others such as Sam Manekshaw and Kiran Bedi, have visited this campus to grace the school's Founder's day and other special occasions.[4][5]
The Senior School (often referred to as Boys' School) is housed in a magnificent two-story building with a towering campanile of 130 feet, built in Italian Gothic style and designed by Architect Robert Chisholm.
On May 31, 1988, a commemorative postage stamp was issued by India Post to commemorate 130 years of its existence with an image displaying the towering campanile section.[6]
The student body is from all over India and overseas, and is led by prefects headed by a head girl and head boy.[7] The school also has a 40 percent reservation of seats and a 20 percent fee subsidy for children of Indian Defence personnel.
The school is governed by an autonomous body, the Board of Governors, which is appointed by the Ministry of Human Resources Development, Government of India, and is managed operationally by the headmaster or headmistress, who is an ex officio member of the Board as well as the Member Secretary. Additionally, the General Officer Commanding - South India (GOC) Indian Army is also an ex officio member of the Board. The Board also has representation from a member of the Old Lawrencians Association (OLA), a member of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA), and any other nominees of the Ministry of Education, Government of India.
The school's alumni association, the Old Lawrencians Association, has chapters and branches in several major Indian and international cities. This body is registered under the Tamil Nadu Societies Act and is run by a Managing Committee consisting of an elected team drawn from the registered alumni of the association.
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