St. Xavier's Boys' Academy, Mumbai
St. Xavier’s Boys’ Academy, Mumbai (SXBA), India, was established by the Jesuits in 1957. It is an unaided private SSC Board English medium school with students enrolled from Jr Kg through 10.[1] It is accredited by the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary Education to prepare students for their Secondary School Certificate Examination.[2] SXBA accepts boys of all communities, castes, or creeds.[1] There are four houses: Kabir (yellow), Tagore (green), Nehru (red), and Tilak (blue). There is a theme every year on which all festivals and programs are based on. There is a School Discipline Policy which is followed in this school in order to maintain discipline.
| St. Xavier’s Boys’ Academy Mumbai | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
| Information | |
| Type | English medium |
| Motto | Tenebris illuminare et vias dirigere: To enlighten darkness and direct paths |
| Established | 1957 |
| Administrator | Fr. Blaise D’Souza |
| Principal | Preema Noronha |
| Teaching staff | (total) 37 |
| Grades | Jr Kg through 10 |
| Gender | A Boys School |
| Enrollment | 478 boys |
| Colour(s) | |
| Nickname | SXBA |
| Yearbook | Academy Boys' Chronicle (magazine) |
| Affiliation | Jesuit, Catholic |
| Website | St. Xavier's Boys' Academy |
History (chronological order)
Following are the years and all the 1st events in S.X.B.A. that took place in that year (Reference- The school magazine of the year 2016-17 'Academy Boys' Chronicle') :
- June 1957 - St. Xavier's Boys' Academy school was established. The founder of this school was Fr. Angel Sologran SJ and the first principal was Fr. Edward Palomera.
- 6 December 1957 - 1st inspection of the academy by Inspector Save.
- 10 December 1957 - 1st picnic to the National park by train.
- 22 December 1957 - 1st Christmas party on the terrace of the Academy with fancy dress, games, refreshments, gifts, etc.
- 5 March 1958 - 1st Annual Sports Day at Brabourne Stadium.
- 8 and 9 March 1958 - 1st Parents Day Celebrations (then called as the Academy Day).
- 4 March 1958 - The Academy's 1st long excursion to Kashmir and North India.
- 6 August 1958 - The lift starts functioning, but not for the boys.
- 17 January 1959 - 1st Social Gathering for parents, teachers and students in 3 groups, according to standards.
- 26 September 1959 - 1st 'Dress As You Like Day' introduced in the school. One day in a month set aside for this.
- 12 March 1960 - The Academy is recognised as a full-fledged High school for standards 5th to 11th.
- 29 August 1960 - 1st Mediacal Inspection in the Academy - strong advice of the doctor,
- 23 December 1960 - Standards 9 introduces the Christmas Tableau - moving scenes of the Nativity of Jesus.
- 4 January 1961 - 1st farewell party of the first batch of S.S.C. students.
- 5 June 1961 - 1st S.S.C. results received by the Academy. All the students in the English medium were declared successful and in the first grade.
- 15 July 1961 - Fr. Palomera says, "It is Election Day - for the first time in the Academy, Captains and Vice Captains are elected in a truly democratic manner."
- September 1961 - The Drama and Music club combine to broadcast in All India Radio, the half-hour show on the Wonderland Programme.
- 11 October 1961 - The Academy joins the Harris Shield Cricket Tournament.
- 1 September 1962 - 1st quiz for the Higher classes on current events and general knowledge.
- 20 July 1963 - A Swimming Club started functioning.
- 1975-1976 - 1st and the last H.S.C. batches of Science and Commerce. Fr. Netto said,
- 1984 - After the S.S.C. students exams, a batch of S.S.C. students went an adventure led by Pramod Kasliwal and trekked to the Himalayas.
Managers
Following is the list of managers in S.X.B.A. :
1 Fr. Edmund Carasco sj - 2001-2002 (Manager and Principal)
2 Fr. Herman Castelino sj - June 2007 - June 2008
3 Fr. Joe Saldanha sj - June 2008 - August 2009
4 Fr. Lawrie Ferrao sj - August 2009 - May 2010
5 Fr. John Misquitta sj - June 2010 - June 2012
6 Fr. Blaise DSouza sj - June 2011 - Onwards
Events in the Academy
- Awards Day - The boys who scored well in a particular subject get award by the school. Some scholarships too are given to students. Non-academic Awards such as 'Man for Others', 'leadership', 'Studiousness', 'All Rounder Student', 'Gentlemanliness' are given to students for encouragement of their good behavior. This event takes place at the start of the academic year.
- Investiture Ceremony - The new student council takes charge on this day. They get batches for their particular post. It is also held at the beginning of the school year.
- Independence Day - This day is celebrated on 15th August. This day is started with Flag hosting and by singing the National Anthem. This is the day when we all remember the sacrifice of all Freedom fighters for the Independence of India.
- Teachers' Day - This day is important because it is teachers day. The people who teach various things to students must be expressed gratitude for their work.
- Christmas Party - A Christmas party is organized in school. This event is full of enjoyment.
- Republic Day - This day is celebrated on 26 January. This day too starts with Flag hosting and by singing the National Anthem. This is the day when we all remember the efforts that were taken to build up the Indian Constitution after the Independence of India.
- Farewell of the 10th standard - The 10th standard students are given farewell by the 9th standard. That day is an emotional day. The 10th standards understand the importance of school life.
- Annual Athletic Sports meet - The Sports day is generally held in month of February . There is a march past performed by the all students of their particular house. There is intense competition between the houses. The school with the most points wins the Shield.
- Maharashtra Day - The Maharashtra Divas/Day is celebrated on 1st of May. This day too starts with flag hosting and by singing the National Anthem. This is day when we remember the efforts taken to form Maharashtra. Importance of the language and culture, a marathi group song and a video which outlined the rich culture and historical background of Maharashtra. As 1st May is International Labor's Day too, the boys of the Academy make speechs for the same to highlight the importance of Labors.
School Houses (House system) and Student council
All students from standards 5th to 10th are assigned into various houses. This is a part of the House system. There are four houses: Kabir (yellow), Tagore (green), Nehru (red), and Tilak (blue).
- Kabir house (yellow) - named after - Kabir, a hindu saint.
- Tagore house (green) - named after - Rabindranath Tagore, an Indian poet, writer and freedom fighter.
- Nehru house (red) - named after - Jawaharlal Nehru, India's 1st prime minister and a freedom fighter.
- Tilak house (blue) - named after - Balgangadhar Tilak, an Indian freedom fighter and a teacher.
The houses are given to boys, once they reach 5th standard and the house remains same until 10th standard.
The following are the posts of student council :
- School Captain
- School Vice-Captain
- Sports Co-ordinator
- Assistant Sports Co-ordinator
- House Captains (for all houses mentioned above)
- House Vice-Captains (for all houses mentioned above)
- House Junior-Captains (for all houses mentioned above)
All the captains are elected from 10th standard, vice-captains from 9th and junior-captains from 7th standard.
References
- "St. Xavier's Boys' Academy". www.sxba.org. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
- "St. Xavier's Boys Academy, Marine Lines - Indian(CBSE) School in Mumbai - MyPrivateTutor.com". www.myprivatetutor.com. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
4. The Academy Boys' Chronicle magazine of the year 2016-17