St John's College is a school in

Panadura Panadura ( si, පානදුර, translit=Pānadura; ta, பாணந்துறை, translit=Pāṇantuṟai) is a city in Kalutara District, Western Province in Sri Lanka. It is located approximately south of Colombo and is surrounded on a ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

, that was founded in 1876. It is a National school with a student population of 2500 and staff of about 100.

History

St. John's College was initially known as 'Primary State English School' which had existed from about the middle of the 19th century. In 1876 it received endowments from Wasala Mudliyar Susew de Soysa (1809–1881) as well as Sir

Charles Henry de Soysa Charles Henry de Soysa Dharmagunawardana Vipula Jayasuriya Karunaratna Disanayaka popularly known as Charles Henry de Soysa, Justice of the peace#Sri Lanka, JP (3 March 1836 – 29 September 1890) was a Demographics of Sri Lanka, Ceylonese entrepr ...

and was named 'St. John's College' by the

Anglican Bishop of Colombo The Anglican Bishop of Colombo is the ecclesiastical head of the Anglican Diocese of Colombo, a diocese in the Church of Ceylon which is part of the Anglican Communion. The Anglican Diocese of Colombo was founded in 1845, as the diocese of the C ...

Reginald Stephen Copleston Reginald Stephen Copleston (26 December 1845 – 19 April 1925) was an Anglican priest and author who served as a bishop in India for more than 30 years. Biography Copleston was born in Barnes, London, the son of Rev. R. E. Copleston, Fellow of ...

. It was ceremonially opened by the

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

William Henry Gregory Sir William Henry Gregory PC (Ire) KCMG (13 July 1816 – 6 March 1892) was an Anglo-Irish writer and politician, who is now less remembered than his wife Augusta, Lady Gregory, the playwright, co-founder and Director of Dublin's Abbey Theatre, ...

on 14 June 1876 (along with the

Prince of Wales' College, Moratuwa Prince of Wales' College ( Sinhala: වේල්ස් කුමර විද්‍යාලය ''Wels Kumara Vidyalaya'', Tamil: பிரின்ஸ் ஆஃப் வேல்ஸ் கல்லூரி) is a selective entry boys' school s ...

). In 1882, the headmaster, Cyril Arnold Jansz, was appointed as the first principal by the Bishop of Colombo of the

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

church, at the request of the people of

and has rendered an immense service for the upliftment of the school. Starting with 75 students the numbers raised gradually and in 1885 classes for girls began at St John's started by Mrs Jansz. The school celebrated the 125th anniversary during the year 2000.

Big match

The annual big match is played between St. John's College and Panadura Royal College. It is known as the ''Battle of the Greens'' and ''Battle of Panadura''.

Notable alumni

The alumni of St. John's College are known as ''Old Johnians''. Alumni include:

References

External links

St. John's College Official Web Site
* Read this article in Sinhala
Map in St. John's College
* * * {{coord, 6, 43, 22, N, 79, 54, 50, E, type:edu_region:LK, display=title 1876 establishments in Ceylon Educational institutions established in 1876 Schools in Panadura