Lawrence School, Lovedale
The Lawrence School, Lovedale is an educational institution in Lovedale, located near Ootacamund, Tamil Nadu, India, and named for its founder, Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence.[1] Lawrence had mooted the idea about the establishment of a chain of schools to provide education to the children of the deceased and serving soldiers and officers of the British army.
The Lawrence School, Lovedale | |
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Location | |
Lovedale , | |
Coordinates | 11.379191°N 76.699258°E |
Information | |
Type | Public school |
Motto | "Never Give In" |
Established | 6 September 1858 |
Founded | Major General Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence |
Chairman | Keshav N Desiraju |
Headmaster | K Prabhakaran Nair |
Number of pupils | 700 (approx.) |
Website | www |
Lawrence was killed in Indian rebellion of 1857. His dream took shape and four such schools, known as Lawrence Asylum, were established: at Sanawar in 1847, and at Mount Abu in 1856, both during his lifetime; then at Lovedale, Ootacamund in 1858 and at Ghora Gali, Murree, in present-day Pakistan in 1860.
Name, emblem and motto
In 1913 the name of the school was changed from Lawrence Asylum to Maj Gen Sir Henry Lawrence Memorial School. On being accorded royal patronage in 1922 the name of the school was changed in 1925 to the Lawrence Memorial Royal Military School. In 1949, soon after Indian independence, the school was handed over to the civilian authorities of the Government of India; subsequently, the name of the school was changed to The Lawrence School, as it is known today. As the school is located in Lovedale, the school is also simply referred to as "Lovedale".
The school's motto is "Never Give In".
Many notable personalities including former presidents of India Pranab Mukherjee and APJ Abdul Kalam have visited Lovedale to grace the school's founder's days.[2]
On May 31, 1988, a commemorative postage stamp was issued by India Post to commemorate 130 years of its existence.[3]
The campus
The Lawrence School, Lovedale, campus of 750 acres (750 acres), in Lovedale, is 6 kilometres (3.7 miles) from Ootacamund. Located at a height of 7200 feet above sea level, it is slightly lower than the Dodabetta peak (altitude: 8650 feet), the highest peak of the Nilgiris mountain range. The school campus is divided into Preparatory School (classes 5 ), Junior school (classes 6 – 8) and Senior School (classes 9 – 12). The classrooms and dormitories of the schools are housed in their respective buildings. The girls are housed in the Girls School and go to the respective schools for classes. Adequate facilities exist for sports & extra-curricular activities at the school.
Management
The school is governed by a Board of Governors, appointed by the Ministry of Human Resources Development, Government of India, and is managed operationally by the headmaster or headmistress, who is an ex officio member of the Board.
Alumni Association
The school's alumni association, the Old Lawrencian Association (OLA), has chapters and branches in several major Indian and international cities. Alumni are generally referred to as 'OLs'.
Notable Alumni
- Anjolie Ela Menon, Artist
- Akshaye Khanna, Actor
- Alphonse Putharen, film director, actor
- Amish Tripathi, author
- Anand Mahindra, Chairman & MD, Mahindra Group, Mahindra & Mahindra
- Arun M. Kumar, Chairman and CEO, KPMG, India
- Arundhati Roy, Writer
- Aryama Sundaram, Senior Lawyer, Supreme Court, India
- Fahad Fazil, Actor
- Tashi and Nungshi Malik, mountain climbers and first siblings/twins to climb Seven Summits, Adventurers Grand Slam (Last Degree) and Three Poles Challenge. World's Youngest persons and first South Asians to complete the last two. 2015 Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Awardees
- Pratap K. Pothen, actor, film director, producer
- Ram Charan, Actor
- Sanaya Irani, Actor
- Sashi Reddi, serial entrepreneur, venture capitalist, angel investor, technologist, philanthropist
- Vijay Menon, Director, Actor
- Gul Panag, Actor
- Abhilash Tomy, first Indian to circumnavigate the globe
- C Vijayakumar, CEO HCL Technologies
- M. M. Murugappan, Executive Chairman, Murugappa Group
- K. V. L. Narayan Rao, Former CEO, NDTV
Affiliations
- The school is affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education, New Delhi.
- Member of IPSC
- Aegis of the HRD Ministry.
- Member of Round Square International
See also
- St. Joseph's Higher Secondary School, Ooty
- St. Joseph's Boys School, Coonoor
- Breeks Memorial School, Ooty
- Hebron School, Ooty
- The Laidlaw Memorial School and Junior College, Ketti, Ooty
- Woodside School, Ooty
- Stanes Hr.Sec. School, Coonoor
- Good Shepherd International School, Ooty
- Lawrence School, Ghora Gali
- The Lawrence School, Sanawar
- Montfort School, Yercaud
References
- Ramadas, Rati (5 May 2008). "Lawrence School Lovedale celebrates 150 years". NDTV. Retrieved 20 July 2009.
- Ravichandran, B. "Ooty Lawrence school rolls out red carpet to President". Deccan Chronicle.
- "A commemorative postage stamp on the 130th anniversary of the Lawrence School". iStampGallery. Retrieved 28 April 2019.