St. Paul's High School is a private, co-educational school established in 1954. It is a missionary

educational institution An educational institution is a place where people of different ages gain an education, including preschools, childcare, primary-elementary schools, secondary-high schools, and universities. They provide a large variety of learning environments a ...

based in

Hyderabad, India Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

and has classes from lower

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

to the 10th-grade level.

History

The history of St. Paul's High School began in year 1954, coinciding with the centenary celebrations of All Saints High School, Hyderabad. It was during this celebratory period that Rev. Bro. John of God, the

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

at the time, envisioned the creation of a new educational institution. With the acquisition of a building on King Koti Road in Hyderabad, the foundation for St. Paul's High School was laid. Named in tribute to Bro. John of God's most revered saint, St. Paul's High School embarked on its educational journey, marking a significant chapter in the history of schooling in the region. SPHS was lauded as the best school in the twin cities and one of the ten best schools in India according to a survey conducted by Outlook magazine (2001 - 2002 & 2002 - 2003) consecutively. The school has also been ranked consistently among the ten best schools in India. The school was rated as the country's second best school for excellence in computer education by the Government of India and the award was received by Rev. Bro. Franky Noronha from then president Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam in an official ceremony. Alumni include,

Arshad Ayub Arshad Ayub (born 2 August 1958) is a former Indian cricketer who played in 13 Test matches and 32 One Day Internationals from 1987 to 1997. In January 2010, he became the manager for the Indian Cricket team for the series held in Banglades ...

, Speaker of the Telangana Legislative Assembly, Suresh Reddy, Mithin Aachi, Dr. Mohd. Faheemuddin,

Pullela Gopichand Pullela Gopichand (born 16 November 1973) is an Indian former badminton player. Currently, he is the Chief National Coach for the India national badminton team. He won the All England Open Badminton Championships in 2001, becoming the second ...

Arvind Chenji, former Governor of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana E.S.L. Narasimhan and

Nandamuri Balakrishna Nandamuri Balakrishna (born 10 June 1960), also known as Balayya or NBK, is an Indian actor, film producer, politician and philanthropist known for his works in Telugu cinema. Balakrishna is an elected member of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative A ...

Admissions

Though the school is a Catholic Minority Institution, admission is open to all students regardless of caste, creed, religion or gender. For admission into kindergarten, the school follows a joint admission policy with

Little Flower High School, Hyderabad Little Flower High School is a missionary educational institution based in Hyderabad, India. It teaches students from lower Kindergarten up to 10th grade level. History Little Flower High School (LFHS) was established in July 1953 by the Montf ...

and All Saints High School, Hyderabad, both of which are also run by the Montfort Brothers of St. Gabriel. Every year in January, one of the three schools conducts the admissions procedure for kindergarten, involving an interview of student and parents. The number of students who apply for admission far exceeds the number of positions available and hence it is a very competitive process. Students are allowed to state their choice among the three schools but their choice is not guaranteed. A twenty-percent quota is generally reserved for economically disadvantaged students.

Divisions

The school has four academic divisions- pre-primary, primary, middle and senior. The pre-primary division has five sections each of lower and upper

Kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...

. The primary division has five sections each of Classes I to IV (Class IV is equivalent to the

Fourth Grade Fourth grade (also 4th Grade or Grade 4) is the fourth year of formal or compulsory education. It is the fourth year of primary school. Children in fourth grade are usually 9–10 years old. Argentina's equivalent In Argentina, the minimum age ...

as it is called in the USA, Canada and some other parts of the world. Note that the word "Class" is used instead of "Grade" and the year is written in

Roman Numeral Roman numerals are a numeral system that originated in ancient Rome and remained the usual way of writing numbers throughout Europe well into the Late Middle Ages. Numbers are written with combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet, ea ...

). The pre-primary and primary divisions are housed in one campus, commonly called the "Primary School" or "Montfort Preparatory School". The middle school has five sections each of Classes V to VII and the high school has five sections each of Classes VIII to X. Both the middle school and high school are housed in another building, commonly called the "High School Campus". The high school campus and the primary campus are located on the same road.

Exams

The academic year starts in mid-June and ends in early April and is divided into three quarters. Examinations are held at the end of every quarter and every month. At the end of Class X, the students take the State Government administered

Secondary School Certificate Secondary School Certificate (SSC), Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) or Matriculation examination, is a public examination in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Maldives and Nepal conducted by educational boards for the successful completi ...

Examination.

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 of Nations, Commonwealth countries. The school is divided into units called "houses" and each student is allocated to on ...

. The student body is split into four houses with an aim to promote competition among the students. The houses are: * Bro. Montfort House (yellow) - named after

St. Louis de Montfort Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort, SMM (; 31 January 1673 – 28 April 1716) was a French Catholic priest known for his influence on Catholic Mariology. He wrote a number of books that went on to become classic Catholic titles, including '' Secret ...

, the Patron Saint of the school * Bro. Stanislaus House (blue) - named after Bro. Stanislaus who captained the school for 18 years * Saint Gabriel House (green)- named after St. Gabriel * John of God House (red) - named after Bro. John of God, the founder of the school

Facilities

Infrastructure * Library – high school campus * Library – primary school campus * Two auditoriums * Science laboratories * Computer laboratories * Auditorium * Dining hall (girls) * Digital Library – high school campus *Alphonsa Hall *All classes are equipped with a touch screen-enabled smart board Sports facilities * Basketball court * Table tennis rooms * Badminton courts (indoor) * Volleyball Clubs *Subject clubs *Ecology and Environmental club *HAM or

Amateur radio Amateur radio, also known as ham radio, is the use of the radio frequency radio spectrum, spectrum for purposes of non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, private recreation, radiosport, contesting, and emer ...

*Interact club for social service *

NCC NCC may refer to: Biology *Neural correlates of consciousness, neuronal events and mechanisms relating to perception phenomena *Sodium-chloride symporter, abbreviated as NCC Companies * National Certification Corporation, a nursing specialty ce ...

*Dance *Music *Drama *Drawing *Robotics *Scouts and guides *English language

Ceremonies and traditions

St. Paul's Feast Day *

St. Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

's Feast Day is observed in a solemn ceremony on 29 June every year. The Principal leads a prayer service with a reading from the scriptures and a brief message for the staff remembering the life and message of St. Paul, the patron Saint of the school. Investiture ceremony * At the start of each academic year, the newly elected School Cabinet and Class leaders take the oath of office in a colourful

Investiture Investiture (from the Latin preposition ''in'' and verb ''vestire'', "dress" from ''vestis'' "robe") is a formal installation or ceremony that a person undergoes, often related to membership in Christian religious institutes as well as Christian kn ...

ceremony. All students wear the colours of their houses and cheer as their newly elected leaders march past the dais. The

Head Boy The two Senior Prefects, individually called Head Boy (for the male), and Head Girl (for the female) are students who carry leadership roles and are responsible for representing the school's entire student body. Although mostly out of use, in some ...

and the

Head Girl The two Senior Prefects, individually called Head Boy (for the male), and Head Girl (for the female) are students who carry leadership roles and are responsible for representing the school's entire student body. Although mostly out of use, in some ...

make their maiden speech on this occasion. Teachers Day * 5 September of every year is celebrated as Teachers' Day all over India in the memory of former President Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. In what is probably the most festive celebration of the year, students show their appreciation to their teachers. Sports and games are held for the teachers and prizes are given away. Every classroom has an individual celebration for about an hour before the whole school assembles to celebrate the event. The organization of the event in its entirety is taken up by the School Cabinet and the Class Leaders. :Teacher's Day is also marked as "Back to School Day" by the alumni of the school who make it a point to visit the school and greet their teachers. Retired teachers are also reunited on this occasion. Independence Day * Independence Day is celebrated very grandly. There are inter-house cultural competitions and each house is given a topic to perform – usually related to India – and winners are declared. This is the day for the Cabinet to show off their abilities. Monfort Literary, Cultural and Sports competitions *The Monfort Literary and Cultural Festival (also known as the Mo-Li-Cul Fest) and the Monfort Sports Festivals are held on alternating years. The competitions are held between all the Monfortian schools. Annual Day The annual day is a very colourful and enthusiastic event. It is also called the prize night. The parents of the school, head boy, and head girl are invited as the guests of honour. The event starts with the prayer song by the school choir followed by a welcome dance. The head boy and head girl, along with the other school cabinet, present the annual report. Prizes in various fields are given to the students: *''Academic Excellence'': those at the top of the class *''General Proficiency'': extraordinary participation in various competitions besides good performance in academics *''Young Achievers'': students who won various competitions in various fields outside school and brought glory to the school. *''Best outgoing student'': excellent participation in inter-school competitions *''Best Science Student'': student of ninth standard who secured highest marks in science among all the sections *''Best Student'': a gold medal sponsored by Justice Subhashan Reddy is bestowed on two students (a boy and a girl) selected by the school principal.

Principals

* Bro. John of God - Founder * Bro. John of the Sacred Heart - 1954-55 * Bro. Martialis - 1956-57 * Bro. Stanislaus - 1958-76 * Bro. Dominic Mary - 1976-78 * Bro. John de Britto - 1978-79 * Bro. N. C. Mathew - 1979-85 * Bro. P. K. Joseph - 1985-89 * Bro. Thomas Reddy - 1989-95 * Bro. Lawrence D’Souza - 1995-2001 * Bro. P. T. Joseph - 2001-03 * Bro. Show Reddy - 2003-2010 * Bro. Sudhakar Reddy - 2010-2016 * Bro. Rayappa Reddy - 2016-2022 * Bro. Sudhakar Reddy - 2022- The school

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

won the carol singing competition held by Little Flower High School continuously for ten years under Sir John W Geiles.

Notable alumni

K. Srinath Reddy K. Srinath Reddy is an Indian physician and the Founder President of the Public Health Foundation of India and formerly headed the Department of Cardiology at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). Career Reddy is the Founder (Past) ...

- President,

Public Health Foundation of India The Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) is a not for profit public private initiative working towards a healthier India. A national consultation, convened by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in September 2004, recommended a ...

and former Head of the Department of

Cardiology Cardiology () is the study of the heart. Cardiology is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery di ...

AIIMS The All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is a group of autonomous government public medical universities of higher education under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. These institutes ha ...

. Recipient of the Queen Elizabeth Medal by the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health. *

- All England Open Badminton Champion for 2001, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Awardee,

Arjuna Award The Arjuna Award, officially known as Arjuna Awards given for Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games, is the second-highest sporting honour of India, the highest being the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. The award is named after Arjun ...

. J. Cornelius Nandyal, India Olympic Badminton Team. * Ahmed bin Abdullah Balala *

George Reddy George Reddy (15 January 1947 – 14 April 1972) was an Indian student leader and social activist. He was a Gold medallist (PhD) in nuclear physics at Osmania University, Hyderabad. His untimely death led to the formation of the Progressive D ...

M.Sc(Physics) Gold medalist, Osmania University.
Mohammad Moazam Khan
* Stephen Raveendra
Rahul Bojja
* AK Khan
Justice Abhishek ReddyJustice Vijaysen Reddy
* Amjedullah Khan

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Paul's High School, Hyderabad Brothers of Christian Instruction of St Gabriel schools Catholic secondary schools in India Christian schools in Telangana High schools and secondary schools in Hyderabad, India Educational institutions established in 1954 1954 establishments in India