Cathedral and John Connon School

Cathedral and John Connon School
Location
Map
South Mumbai
,
Maharashtra

India
Coordinates18°56′10″N 72°49′58″E / 18.936178°N 72.832825°E / 18.936178; 72.832825
Information
TypeCathedral School
Private school
Motto'Clarum Efficiunt Studia'
('Studies Achieves Renown')
Established14 November 1860; 164 years ago (14 November 1860)
FounderSt. Thomas Cathedral, Bombay
DeanSonal Parmar[1]
PrincipalSonal Parmar
GradesPre-Primary - 12 and International Baccalaureate
GenderCo-educational
Number of students3,000
Colour(s)Purple & Black
SongPrima in Indis
AthleticsDSO, MSSA, Anglo-Scottish
School fees₹1.2 lakh annually (CISCE)
₹6.7 lakh annually (IBDP)
AffiliationCISCE, IGCSE, IBDP
HousesBarham, Palmer, Savage, Wilson
Websitewww.cathedral-school.com
The middle school building
The senior school building lit up for the 150th foundation day celebrations, 2010

The Cathedral and John Connon School is a co-educational private school founded in 1860 and located in Fort, Mumbai, Maharashtra.[2] The school is widely considered to be amongst the best and most prestigious schools in India, housing five sections: Pre-Primary, Infant, Junior, Middle and Senior Schools.[3][4][5][6][7]

The school also controls the 300-year-old St. Thomas Cathedral. CAJCS was founded to provide choristers to the Church.

History

In 1860, Bishop Harding and the Cathedral Chaplain opened a grammar school within the walled city of Bombay along with a smaller establishment for girls. These were the first of many strands that have joined to form the Cathedral and John Connon School.[8][9]

A Choir School was established in 1875 with the objective of providing choristers for the St. Thomas Cathedral, Mumbai, the first Anglican Church in the city. Meanwhile, the Bombay Scottish Education Society was founded in 1866. The society put up a building on the Esplanade, and named it for John Connon (then Chief Registrar of Bombay).

In 1878, a high school in Byculla, set up by the Bombay Diocesan Society, was merged with the Choir School to form the Cathedral High School. The present Senior School building, a blend of Indian and Gothic architecture, was erected in 1896. A girls' school had been started in 1880.

In 1922, in a public meeting held at the Town Hall, the present Asiatic Society of Bombay library, the principal of the Cathedral Boys' School suggested that the Cathedral Schools and the Scottish School work together, instead of competing; this prompted the formation of the Anglo-Scottish Education Society. The schools were re-organized into the Cathedral Boys' School, the Cathedral Girls' School, and the John Connon School.

Today the old boys' school is used as the Senior School; the old girls' school is the Middle School; and the John Connon School is the Junior School. The Infant School, located at Malabar Hill, was set up in 1965.[10] The Senior School also serves as the main administrative office for all the sections of the school.

The IB arm of the school, set up in 2015, planned to move to the Deutsche Bank Building (formerly Tata Palace) by 2018.[11] However, a later decision by the Dean, Dr. Sonal Parmar converted the building into a section for the 11th and 12th standard of both the IB and ISC curricula. The building is located in the same vicinity (Fort) as the school, next to Sterling Theatre.

In 2022, Meera Isaacs, the first woman principal of the Cathedral School, retired after 26 years.[12][13]

School badge

In 1923 the Cathedral Schools and the Scottish School were amalgamated to form The Anglo-Scottish Education Society. Miss Whitfield, the Principal of the Girls' School, wanted a badge which was representative of both elements of the Society: Anglican and Scottish. A badge was designed in which the Bishop's Mitre represented the Anglican side, while the Scottish neighbours were symbolised by the white diagonal cross of St. Andrew.

Academics and curriculum

The Cathedral & John Connon School is affiliated with the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations[14] (CISCE), and its students appear for the council's ISC, IB (Grade 12) and IGCSE, ICSE (Grade 10) examinations. English is the medium of instruction. Hindi is taught as a second language, and Marathi or Sanskrit are taught as third languages.

A Hindustan Times report of 2013 ranked it as the best ICSE and ISC school in the country. It now offers the IBDP programme and IGCSE programme, as well.[15]

Cathedral Model United Nations (Symposium)

The Cathedral Model United Nations is run entirely by the school's student body over a period of three days, where students assume the roles of delegates representing countries.[16] From a start in 1996 - the first CMUN had only one committee (Asia and Pacific Council), it has grown into an event with over 700 delegates attending.[17] CMUN 2007 was the first to have delegates from outside Mumbai. Schools like Mayo College, La Martiniere Calcutta, St. James' School, Doon School, Modern School Barakhamba Road, and others attended the conference. 2011 featured the first international delegates from Rato Bangala School from Nepal and Aitchinson College, Pakistan.[citation needed]

Clubs

The Cathedral and John Connon School has [4] clubs for students to enrol in. Enrolment in a club is required for all students in the Senior school (8th - 12th grade, for both curricula).

  1. International Award for Young People (IAYP) - Cambridge International's way of offering the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award to students in Indian schools. The Cathedral and John Connon School offers a variety of trips and camps to suburbs of Mumbai city which often include multiple hikes and other adventures. No application is required to join this club, any student of the school may join.
  2. Full Steam Ahead (FSA) - A STEAM club for scientifically inclined students involving a variety of engaging science experiences including visits[18] to the Nehru Science Centre in Mumbai as well as a series of lectures by scientific professionals after school. Additionally, the school's science departments organize engaging experiments and scientific demonstrations for students.[19] This club requires students to complete an application and offers a limited number of seats.
  3. Symposium - The club responsible for organizing CMUN, it also allows the school to partake in various other Model United Nations across the country and the world. Delegates have been sent for the Harvard Model United Nations[20] in Dubai as well as Cambridge. Students of the school must undergo a series of interviews by the club's administration, which consists of twelfth grade students.[21]
  4. Nature Club - The Nature Club is a student organization that fosters a connection with the natural world through various activities. The club aims to educate students about the significance of environmental protection and inspire them to participate in efforts to restore damaged ecosystems.[22] All students are permitted to join the club, no application is required to join.

House system

There are four houses in the school - Barham, Palmer, Savage and Wilson - named after Barham (A. Canon), James Palmer (Bishop in Bombay), Arthur Savage and Percival Wilson, the founders of the Cathedral School and the John Connon School. The House System serves as the centre of school life, with students from the houses competing at sports, games and other co-curricular activities, primarily divided into 2 categories- Cultural and Sports which include a plethora of activities.

There was also another house, that was brown in color, called Kuruvilla that was later disbanded and students were distributed amongst the houses available since it made more sense to have four houses in order to keep competitions easier.[23]

Notable alumni

See also

References

  1. ^ Devidayal, Namita. "Meera Isaacs, iconic principal of Mumbai's Cathedral school, to retire after 44 years | Mumbai News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  2. ^ [1] Archived 20 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "School Profile – Cathedral School".
  4. ^ PTI (15 September 2022). "Cathedral & John Connon, Bombay Scottish schools rank among best in Mumbai, survey says". ThePrint. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  5. ^ "Cathedral & John Connon School, Mumbai". EducationWorld. 19 August 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  6. ^ "Three Mumbai schools among top 50 offering ISC, ICSE - Hindustan Times". 25 July 2013. Archived from the original on 25 July 2013. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  7. ^ "Cathedral & John Connon School 6th best school in India-6, Purshottam Das Thakur Das Marg Fort Mumbai City-400 001". bestschool.net.in. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  8. ^ Adapted from the 125th Anniversary Souvenir
  9. ^ Adapted from the School Diary
  10. ^ [2] Archived 12 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ "Cathedral IB arm moving to Deutsche Bank bldg? - Mumbai Mirror -". Mumbai Mirror. Retrieved 6 January 2017.
  12. ^ "Almost 150 years, and counting". Hindustan Times. 16 November 2009. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  13. ^ "From a glorious career to new beginnings: Mumbai's Cathedral school principal, Meera Isaacs, set to retire after over 40 years". Free Press Journal. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  14. ^ [3] Archived 26 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ "Three Mumbai schools among top 50 offering ISC, ICSE | mumbai". Hindustan Times. 24 July 2013. Archived from the original on 25 July 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  16. ^ [4] Archived 12 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  17. ^ "Model UNs a hit with schools". The Times of India. 23 August 2011. Archived from the original on 26 September 2012.
  18. ^ "Full STEAM Ahead (FSA) – Cathedral School". Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  19. ^ "About Us". cathedralfsa.com. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  20. ^ "HMUN – Cathedral School". Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  21. ^ "Symposium – Cathedral School". Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  22. ^ "Nature – Cathedral School". Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  23. ^ [5] Archived 30 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  24. ^ ""MBA in North America," an iMahal Interview with Dr. Srikant Datar, Senior Associate Dean of Harvard Business School". www.imahal.com. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  25. ^ "Educational Qualifications of Kiara Advani: Here's How Much She Has". 9 August 2022.
  26. ^ "BIG Synergy : About Us : Board of Directors". Bigsynergy.tv. 28 December 1954. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  27. ^ a b c "Cathedral & John Connon opens in Lonavala". The Economic Times. 30 May 2008.
  28. ^ "Homi Jehangir Bhabha - Biography, Facts and Pictures". Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  29. ^ "Famous Cathedral And John Connon School Alumni". Ranker. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  30. ^ Jagyasi, DrPrem (12 April 2019). "Most famous Schools and their famous Alumni". InstaBlogs - Global Community Viewpoint and Opinion. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  31. ^ Sharif, Azizullah. "Karachi: Restoration of Church Mission School ordered" (Archive). Dawn. 20 February 2010. Retrieved 26 May 2014. "Taking notice of the highly dilapidated and bad condition of the Church Mission School (CMS) where Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah had studied,[...]"
  32. ^ "IB Schools in Pune - The Cathedral Vidya School Lonavala". Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  33. ^ "Did you know former top cop Rakesh Maria studied at this popular school in Bandra?". mid-day. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  34. ^ Khalid Mohamed (3 September 2011). "The timeless poster boy of Hindi cinema". Asian Age. Archived from the original on 17 October 2011.
  35. ^ a b "Alumni celebrate Fort school's 150 years of excellence in 360-page book". 14 November 2010.
  36. ^ "Jehangir Sabavala: A painter & gentleman bows out". The Times of India. 3 September 2011. Archived from the original on 8 December 2011.
  37. ^ "Iconic journalists like Rajdeep Sardesai are generated through value oriented Media education – Edugenius Blog". 14 March 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  38. ^ Muthalaly, Shonali (30 October 2009). "Best of three worlds". The Hindu. Retrieved 24 February 2014.