Baldwin Boys' High School (abbreviated BBHS, informally referred to as Baldwins) is a private boys school for boarders and

day scholar A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...

, founded in 1880 in

Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

, India. The school is run by

Methodist Church in India Methodist Church in India is a Protestant Christian denomination of India. The Methodist Church in India's roots originate in American Methodist missionary activity in India, as opposed to the British and Australian conferences of the Methodi ...

under the chairmanship of a

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

. The school is located in Richmond Town, in the downtown area of the city and prepares students for the ICSE. It is one of the largest and oldest schools in the region and counts multiple personalities of eminence in the public sphere among its alumni. Sister school Baldwin Girl's High School is a five-minute walk away down Alexandria Street.

History

Among prominent personalities in the school's history are Bishop and Mrs. Williams F. Oldham, Rev. John Edward Robinson, Rev. Ira A. Richards, Rev. T.R. Toussaint, Rev. J.B. Buttrick, Mr. C.N. Weston and Mr. Pfeiffer. Bishop and Mrs. William F. Oldham, surveyors, started a school at their residence on Alexandria Street. Their aim was to provide schooling for English-speaking Methodist children. When the Oldhams left India for theological studies in the United States, the school was transferred to the vestry of the Richmond Town Methodist Church and placed under then Pastor, Rev. John Edward Robinson, elected Missionary Bishop in 1904. Prior to this, John Baldwin, a wealthy American businessman and theologist, founded the Oldhams' school on a large scale and gave it its name. The first Principal, Rev. Marion B. Kirk from East Ohio Conference served in all capacities at the school as house-holder, administrator, teacher, gamester and musician. After six months, Rev. Kirk was transferred to Kolar's Orphanage and Mission.

Layout

The school had several heritage buildings on its huge campus, many of which have made way for modern concrete structures with improved facilities. Notable edifices on campus include the Bishop Elia Peter High School Block, the Centenary Block for primary school, the Methodist Block and the Gokul Kavi Kindergarten Block. The school's administrative offices are housed in a separate building. The Hollister Block also encloses the 500-seat E. A. Seamands Concert Hall which is used for major socio-cultural events. It is complemented by the 350-seat Lincoln Hall which hosts school assemblies and chapel services.

Academics

The school curriculum is based on the ICSE format of education, and has teaching facilities from Kindergarten and 1 to 10 (ICSE). The school, administered along the lines of Junior, Middle and Senior School, works through three school terms, each ending with examinations. Students of Class X appear for the ICSE exams by the beginning of March. Languages taught in Baldwins at the ICSE level include

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, several Indian languages including

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

and

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

alongside some foreign languages like French,

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

. Main subjects include

History History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

Civics Civics is the study of the rights and obligations of citizens in society. The term derives from the Latin word ''civicus'', meaning "relating to a citizen". The term relates to behavior affecting other citizens, particularly in the context of u ...

Geography Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...

Mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

Physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

Chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

and

Biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

. Ninth-grade students are offered a choice of stream between

Science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

and

Environmental Science Environmental science is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physics, biology, and geography (including ecology, chemistry, plant science, zoology, mineralogy, oceanography, limnology, soil science, geology and physical geograp ...

along with a mandatory extra subject from among Commercial Applications,

Computer Applications A computer is a machine that can be programmed to carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (computation) automatically. Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as programs. These progra ...

Physical Education Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explorati ...

School life

The school's motto is ''"Reverentia Jehovae est Caput Sapientiae" – "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom"'' ''(Proverbs 9:10)''. The watchwords of the institution are ''"Integritas et Veritas"'', meaning Righteousness and Truth. In the 1920s, all boarders attended morning and evening prayers daily, and Sunday Divine Service, morning and evening, as well as Sunday School; also a young people's meeting was held once during the week. The school sought to foster the physical development of boys. To this end,

gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shou ...

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

hockey Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...

, and

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

were supported. Later

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

was added. A Sports Day was held annually to encourage athletics. A Unit of the Auxiliary Force, India, was maintained, in which the older boys enrolled.

Boy Scouts Boy Scouts may refer to: * Boy Scout, a participant in the Boy Scout Movement. * Scouting, also known as the Boy Scout Movement. * An organisation in the Scouting Movement, although many of these organizations also have female members. There are ...

troops and a Cub Pack for the younger boys also existed. Progress of students was tested with term examinations. A report showing the results of these examinations, together with a statement as to the conduct, applications, and progress of the students was forwarded to the parents or guardians at the end of every quarter.

The Present

The school provides hostel facilities for a large number of students. The junior and senior dorms are housed in different buildings. Due to the large number of out-station and foreign students, the facilities have been upgraded and expanded. Earlier, junior and senior dorms were in the same building: Oldham Hall.

Clubs and co-curricular activities

National Cadet Corps National Cadet Corps may refer to: *Bangladesh National Cadet Corps * National Cadet Corps (Ghana) *National Cadet Corps (India) * National Cadet Corps (Pakistan) *National Cadet Corps (Singapore) *National Cadet Corps (Sri Lanka) The Nation ...

(NCC) * Model United Nations Club *

Elocution Elocution is the study of formal speaking in pronunciation, grammar, style, and tone as well as the idea and practice of effective speech and its forms. It stems from the idea that while communication is symbolic, sounds are final and compelli ...

Literary Society A literary society is a group of people interested in literature. In the modern sense, this refers to a society that wants to promote one genre of writing or a specific author. Modern literary societies typically promote research, publish newsle ...

Debate Club Debate is a process that involves formal discourse on a particular topic, often including a moderator and audience. In a debate, arguments are put forward for often opposing viewpoints. Debates have historically occurred in public meetings, a ...

* School Choir * Brass Band *

Rock Band A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two guita ...

*Scripture Union

Houses

The school follows a

House System The house system is a traditional feature of schools in the United Kingdom. The practice has since spread to Commonwealth countries and the United States. The school is divided into subunits called "houses" and each student is allocated to o ...

, commonly used in Christian-run public schools in India and modeled after a similar system in England. The seven houses are named after previous Principals or people who have played a part in the formation of the school. Each house is represented by a colour which matches the first letter of the house. For boarders, separate parts of the dormitories are allotted for each House. * Richard – Red * Oldham – Orange * Buttrick – Blue * Toussaint – Turquoise * Pfeiffer – Purple * Weston – White * Andersen – Auburn Oldham House is named for the Oldhams, founder of the school and Richard House for Rev. Ira Richards, the third principal. Weston house is named after Mr. C.N. Weston, the principal during the inter-war years, who was instrumental in extricating the school from financial difficulty and saving it from dissolution. His memory is also preserved in Weston House and in Weston Day, an annual sports holiday devoted to competitions in swimming and athletic pursuits. Pfeiffer House is named after a wealthy American banker who worked alongside Mr. Weston and helped turn around the school's fortune during his tenure. Buttrick, Toussaint and Anderson houses are also named after former principals and administrators. The houses compete with one another in academics, games, track and field sports, aquatics, and in fine arts competitions.

Sports

The school has a large multipurpose stadium on campus, called the Pfeiffer Memorial Stadium. The stadium can accommodate 3,600 spectators at full capacity and is used for both major sports tournaments as well as a general playground for students. The field area consists of a 95x55m FieldTurf pitch for

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

and

surrounded by a 400m, six-lane, all-weather

Tartan Tartan ( gd, breacan ) is a patterned cloth consisting of criss-crossed, horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours. Tartans originated in woven wool, but now they are made in other materials. Tartan is particularly associated with Sc ...

running track An all-weather running track is a rubberized, artificial running surface for track and field athletics. It provides a consistent surface for competitors to test their athletic ability unencumbered by adverse weather conditions. Historically, v ...

for track athletics. The ground is surrounded by two covered all-seater stands. The main South-End

Grandstand A grandstand is a normally permanent structure for seating spectators. This includes both auto racing and horse racing. The grandstand is in essence like a single section of a stadium, but differs from a stadium in that it does not wrap a ...

, fondly referred to by students as the ''Pavilion'', stands three tiers tall and can host up to 1,800 spectators. A physical

scoreboard A scoreboard is a large board for publicly displaying the score in a game. Most levels of sport from high school and above use at least one scoreboard for keeping score, measuring time, and displaying statistics. Scoreboards in the past used ...

is perched atop the East Wall. The single-tier North Stand lies opposite to the South-End grandstand and can seat up to 400 spectators. The stadium is the

home ground In sports, home is the place and venue identified with a team sport. Most professional teams are named for, and marketed to, particular metropolitan areas; amateur teams may be drawn from a particular region, or from institutions such as sch ...

of Baldwin Boys' Under-14 and Under-16 football and hockey teams. The school was one of the first in the city to provide swimming facilities, doing so in 1896. The massive, state-of-the-art Weston Swimming Complex is attached to the Pfeiffer Memorial Stadium and hosts multiple aquatic events of significance, like the inter-house swimming competitions on Sports Day and the inter-school Weston Memorial Swimming Competition. ''The Baldwin Shield'' is a trophy awarded to the winning team of an inter-school football tournament for schools of old Bangalore, hosted by the school. Hockey and Football are strongholds of the school. The junior team has won the Annual Hockey Tournament conducted by St. Joseph's Boys' High School, Bangalore several times.

Cultural activities

''Odyssey'', an inter-school literary and cultural fest, started in the 1990s, providing students opportunities to exhibit their talents and spirit of competition. Due to protests by parents, this event was cancelled. When it resumed in 2005, it failed to reignite the enthusiasm of the 1990s.

Alumni Association

The Old Baldwin Association (OBA) organizes alumni events. There is a program where older members can volunteer to mentor younger members. The OBA celebrates Andersen Day to foster camaraderie among its students. The current President of the OBA is Mr. Shakeel Abdul Rehman.

Notable Educators and Principals at Baldwins

*Rev. M.B. Kirk 1880 *Rev. I.A. Richards 1881 – 1885 *Rev. B.T. Eddy 1885 – 1886 *Rev. W. Bowser 1886 *Rev. Homer Stuntz 1887 – 1888 *Rev. W.L. King 1888 – 1889 *Rev. W.H. Hollister 1890 – 1891 *Rev. T.R. Toussaint 1892 – 1898 *Rev. C.W. Ross DeSouza 1899 – 1902 *Rev. P.V. Roberts 1902 – 1910 *Rev. J.B. Buttrick (Principal) 1910 – 1913 *Rev. A.B. Coates (Headmaster) *Rev. A.B. Coates (Principal) 1914 *Rev. J.W. Simmons 1914 – 1917 *Rev. E.J. Guest 1917 – 1920 *Rev. H.F. Hilmer (Principal) 1920 *Rev. E.A. Seamands (Headmaster) *Rev. A.E. Cook 1921 *Rev. Z.A. Olson 1922 – 1927 (April) *Mr. C.N. Weston 1927 – 1932 *Mr. R.A.B. Andersen 1932 (Acting) *Mr. C.N. Weston 1933 – 1936 *Mr. R.A.B. Andersen 1936 (Acting) *Mr. C.N. Weston 1937 – 1941 *Mr. R.A.B. Andersen 1942 – 1945 (Acting) (Mr. C. N. Weston was in the

British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...

from 1942–1945) *Mr. C.N. Weston 1946 – 1947 *Mr. R.A.B. Andersen *Rev. Fred Gokavi *Mr. S.D. Samuel- Principal *Mr. J.S. Williams- Principal *Mr. P.K. Das- Principal *Mr. Mohan Murthy , Principal (2002 - 2003) *Dr. Karunakaran , Principal (2004 - 2006) *Mr. Dinakar Wilson , Principal (2007 - 2017) *Mr. Augustine Charles , Principal (2017) *Mrs. Lydia Samuel , Principal (2017 - 2018) *Dr. Antony D'Souza , Principal (2018 - 2019) * *Mrs. Leena Daniel , Principal (2019 - Present)

Notable alumni

Arts

* Rahman – South Indian film actor. *

Shelley Malil Shelley Mathew Malil (; born December 23, 1964) is an Indian-American actor. Malil emigrated to the United States in 1974. He appeared in a number of television shows and films, including ''The 40-Year-Old Virgin'' (2005). In 2010, Malil was co ...

– American Actor. *

Mahesh Dattani Mahesh Dattani (born 7 August 1958) is an Indian director, actor, playwright and writer. He wrote such plays as ''Final Solutions'', ''Dance Like a Man'', ''Bravely Fought the Queen'', ''On a Muggy Night in Mumbai'', ''Tara'', ''Thirty Days in ...

– Indian director, actor, Playwright, dramatist. *

Saad Khan Saad Khan is an Indian director, screenwriter and acting teacher and Improv comedian who works in films and web series. He is the founder and creative head of FirstAction Studios that recently merged with Mumbai-based media conglomerate Rainsh ...

- Indian Film Director *

Dhruva Sarja Dhruva Sarja (born 6 October 1988), is an Indian actor who appears in Kannada films. He made his acting debut in the 2012 film, '' Addhuri''. Career Sarja debuted in films with the 2012 film '' Addhuri''. His portrayal of Arjun as the male lea ...

- Kannada Film Actor * Chiranjeevi Sarja - Kannada Film Actor * Aravinnd Singh - Cinematographer, Film producer *

Sandeep Chowta Sandeep Chowta is an Indian music director who primarily works in Bollywood and Telugu cinema. He is also the head of Columbia Records in India. He has also sung some of his songs. In 2003, he produced an anti substance abuse documentary, titl ...

- Music director and president of Columbia Records India

Entrepreneurs, businessmen and corporate professionals

* Giri Balasubramanium - quiz master and CEO of Greycaps * Swami Sukhabodhananda - Corporate analyst and motivational speaker, nicknamed the 'Corporate Guru' * Robin Paul - former athlete and founder of Breakthrough India

Sports

* Henry Rebello - triple-jumper who represented India at the 1948 Olympic Games in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

* A.P. Ramaswamy - member of the Indian

relay team A relay race is a racing competition where members of a team take turns completing parts of racecourse or performing a certain action. Relay races take the form of professional races and amateur games. Relay races are common in running, orient ...

that won the bronze medal at the

1970 Asian Games The 6th Asian Games () were held from 9 to 20 December 1970 in Bangkok, Thailand.- - Seoul, South Korea, had been selected to host the 6th Games but it declined due to both financial reasons and security threats from neighboring North Korea. (T ...

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

* Mohammed Aiman Ahmed - represented India and won the Gold Medal at the Commonwealth Taekwondo Championship, 2011

References

External links

Official website
{{Bangalore topics Boys' schools in India Methodist schools in India Christian schools in Karnataka Boarding schools in Karnataka High schools and secondary schools in Bangalore Educational institutions established in 1880 1880 establishments in British India

History

Layout

Academics

School life

The Present

Clubs and co-curricular activities

Houses

Sports

Cultural activities

Alumni Association

Notable Educators and Principals at Baldwins

Notable alumni

Arts

Entrepreneurs, businessmen and corporate professionals

Sports

See also

References

External links