Lourdes Public School and Junior College is an English medium co-educational institution recognized by

Central Board of Secondary Education The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is a national level board of education in India for public and private schools, controlled and managed by the Government of India. Established in 1929 by a resolution of the government, the Board ...

, established in 1996 by Lourdes Educational Trust on behalf of the Lourdes Forane Church of the Archdiocese of

Changanacherry Changanassery or Changanacherry is a municipal town in Kottayam district in the state of Kerala, India. History The first recorded history on the origin of Changanacherry is obtained from Sangam period literature. According to Sangam era d ...

. The school is located in the heart of

Kottayam Kottayam () is a municipal town in the Indian state of Kerala. Flanked by the Western Ghats on the east and the Vembanad Lake and paddy fields of Kuttanad on the west. It is the district headquarters of Kottayam district, located in south- ...

town, opposite the District Headquarters in the state of

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

, India.

Administration

The archbishop of

is its patron and the vicar of Lourdes Forane Church is the manager. The manager together with the trustees of the church manages the day-to-day running of the school. The academic head is the Principal. The present patron is Mar

Joseph Perumthottam Mar Joseph Perumthottam (born 5 July 1948) is a prelate of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church. Since 2007 he as served as the Archbishop of Changanassery. Education He was educated in St. Joseph's High School in Punnathura and St. Berchmans ...

, Archbishop of Changanacherry and the manager is Rev. Fr. Dr. Joseph Manakalam. The current principal is Rev. Fr. Manoj K. Mathew (Karukayil).

History

Lourdes School had its first batch of students attending the AISSE examination of

in 2002. Initially the school provided only primary and secondary education. The higher secondary education was started in 2004 with institution of Junior College and the first batch wrote AISSCE examination in 2006. The school was awarded minority status by the National Minorities Commission in 2012.

Cultural activities and sports

Apart from academic activities, the school also provides training in co-curricular activities. The school imparts training in cultural activities, such as vocal music, dance, painting and crafts, instrumental music and cooking. The school also participates in the CBSE youth festivals held under the banner of Sahodaya Association. Various clubs are organized and conduct debates, exhibitions, quizzes and study tours. In 2020, students won prizes in a quiz contest organized by the Department of Consumer Affairs and ''The Hindu''. In 2014, students participated in a celebration of the Indian Space Research Organisation. The Students' Literary Association is held every week to provide opportunity to develop student talents. Every year elections to the school parliament are held to inculcate democratic values in students. The school celebrates important days and festivals, like

Onam Onam ( ) is an annual Indian harvest festival celebrated predominantly by the Hindus of Kerala. A major annual event for Keralites, it is the official festival of the state and includes a spectrum of cultural events. Onam commemorates Vamana ...

, Independence Day and

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

. The school also celebrates Teachers' day, with the older students taking over the teaching of the younger classes. Other important days in an academic year include Literary Association Inauguration, School Day celebration, Sports Day, and Arts Festival. The school conducts an annual All Kerala School Basketball tournament for the Lourdean Trophy since 2003. The Physical Education Department also organizes various outdoor programs.

Publications

The school has published an annual magazine titled ''Lourdean'' since 2001. The magazine includes literary works of the students and teachers. The ''Lourdean Voice'' is a newsletter to keep parents informed about day-to-day activities of the school and gives the students a chance to display their literary skills.

Scholarships

* Fr. A.M. Mathew Munduvalayil Scholarship: The annual interest of rs.10,000/ given as a cash scholarships to the top scorer in the AISSE examination of the CBSE. * Mar Joseph Powathil Scholarship: A cash scholarship for the student who scores the highest aggregate irrespective of the stream in the AISSCE Examination, in remembrance of the pastoral visit on 11 December 2005. * Rev. Mani Puthiyidom Scholarship: For the top scores in the I - IX classes, instituted in honor of the dedicated services rendered by former Manager Rev. Dr. Mani Puthiyidom. * Fr. Joseph M. Cheruvelil Scholarship: For the top scores in X, XI, XII classes, instituted in honor of the dedicated services rendered by Rev. Fr. Joseph M. Cheruvelil as the principal.

Facilities

The school provides science labs, a

computer lab A computer lab is a space where computer services are provided to a defined community. These are typically public libraries and academic institution Academic institution is an educational institution dedicated to education and research, which ...

, a language lab, a

library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...

, and guidance and counseling wings. The school ground has facilities for

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

, football, volleyball, shuttle, badminton, long jump, high jump, shot put, and other activities.

Rankings

Lourdes Public School was ranked 1st among the Co-ed day schools in Kottayam, 2nd in Kerala and 99th in India in the Indian Day Schools League Table by Education World for 2013.

References

External links

* http://www.lourdespublicschool.com/home.php * https://web.archive.org/web/20120716071753/http://www.lourdesforanechurch.com/school.php {{Christianity in Kerala Catholic schools in India Central Board of Secondary Education Christian schools in Kerala Primary schools in Kerala High schools and secondary schools in Kerala Schools in Kottayam district Educational institutions established in 1996 1996 establishments in Kerala