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St. Thomas' College, Matale[2][3] (Sinhala: මාතලේ ශාන්ත තෝමස් විද්යාලය), or (STC), is a secondary school for only boys; located in Matale, Sri Lanka, [4][5][6][7]
| St.Thomas' College, Matale | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
 | |
| Coordinates | 7°28′13″N 80°37′28″E / 7.4703°N 80.6244°E |
| Information | |
| Type | Public |
| Motto | Animo Et Fide (Courage & Faith) |
| Established | 10 August 1873 |
| Founder | Catholic Church |
| Principal | Dhammika Hewawasam [1] |
| Staff | 140+ |
| Grades | Class 6 – 13 |
| Gender | Male |
| Age | 11 to 19 |
| Enrollment | 2,000+ |
| Colour(s) | Gold and double blue |
| Alumni | Old Thomians |
| Website | www |
History edit
The school was established in 1873 under the verandah of a small mud-and-wattle church. The first class of students included 75 boys and 12 girls. In 1876, the school was split into separate boys and girls schools by Rev. Fr. Aloysius J. M. Marrer. The headmaster of the boys' school was Leo de Silva, and the leader of the girls' school was Rosa Perera. The girls' school was named St. Agnes Convent School, which is now known as St. Thomas Girls' School.
In January 1880, a secular priest (also known as a diocesan priest), Rev. Fr. Pius Fernando, from Negombo, arrived at the school. Fernando spent half a century of his priestly life in Matale and died in 1930.[8]
In 1901, the Robinson Memorial Hall was built on land donated by John Croos of Negombo. In 1904, Joseph Gregory Perera, a former student of the school, joined as a pupil-teacher and retired in 1946. He was popularly known as “Joseph Master”. During that time the headmasters were J. M. Direckse, A. S. Scharnignivel, L. D’w. Jayasighe, C. J. Rodrigo and Charles Robinson. Robinson was appointed as headmaster on 1 September 1923, retiring in 1958.
Cadet Platoon (Junior) was inaugurated on 10 December 1938 under the charge of J. B. Madasekara. E. A. Perusinghe, who was a Lieutenant, took over cadeting.[9] The Scout Troop 3rd Matale was inaugurated in 1935 with F. de S. Gunawardena as Scout Master and S. B. Pamunuwa as his assistant.
When Robinson retired, he was succeeded by George Denlow, who left the school after a short stint and was replaced by B. J. Perera.
Education edit
There are more than 2,000 students studying in the college (July 2014). They have many facilities of studying leading to qualifications such as grade 5 scholarship exams, O/L and A/L.[10]
Past principals edit
| Name | Entered office | Departed office |
|---|---|---|
| Charles Robinson | 1923
|
1958
|
| Rev. Fr. D. Aidan de Silva | 1958
|
1962
|
| W. B. Gopallawa | 1962
|
1965
|
| A. J. Wijesinghe | 1965
|
1985
|
| Upali Weragama | 1988
|
1996
|
| J. H. M. W. Ranjith | 1997
|
2000
|
| E. M. P. Ekanayake | 2001
|
2005
|
| Dampiya Wanasinghe | 2005
|
2016
|
| K. A. J. Kulasuriya | 2016
|
2018
|
| D. M. G. B. Dissanayake | 2019
|
2020
|
| Dhammika Hewawasam | 2020
|
present
|
Houses edit
- Austin -
- Bede -
- Clement -
- Pius -
Competition edit
The school's main rival is the Science College, Matale. Matches between the two are often called the "Battle of the Golds".[11]
Notable alumni edit
The school has produced many notable persons who are well known throughout the country.
| Name | Notability | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Don Spater Senanayake | entrepreneur and philanthropist | [citation needed] |
| Kingsley Jayasekera | Actor, singer | |
| Lakdasa Kodituwakku | Inspector General of Police (1998 – 2002) | [12] |
| Dayan Witharana | Singer, photographer (1982 – present) | [13] |
| Shavendra Silva | Commander of the Army (Sri Lanka) (2019 – 2022) Chief of Defence Staff (2022 – present) |
[14] |
| Anura Dissanayaka | Secretary, Ministry of Mahaweli Development (2019– present) | [15] |
| Chanaka Welegedara | Test cricket player (2007 – 2014) | [16] |
| Sanath Wimalasiri | Actor, Dramatist (1994 – present) | [17] |
| Hemal Ranasinghe | Model, actor (2009 – present) | [18] |
| Lahiru Madushanka | ODI, T20I cricket player (2017–present) | [19][20][21] |
| Damith Wijayathunga | Model, actor (2015 – present) | [22] |
| Ruwantha Kellepotha | First-class cricketer | [23][24] |
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Matale Thomians move into cricketing future". sundayobserver.lk. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
- ^ "Other Places Of Our School". St.Thomas' College Matale ICT society. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
- ^ "Photo - ST'THOMAS COLLEGE - MATALE - Pictures Of Matale, Central, Sri Lanka - Travel Photos :: AllTravels :: Anywhere You Want To Go ::". AllTravels. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
- ^ Bowlers help Matale Thomians to win
- ^ Matale Thomians-Under 19 hockey champions
- ^ No decision at Matale
- ^ Kingswood stun Matale Thomians
- ^ "Our History". St.Thomas' College Matale ICT society. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
- ^ "st Thomas college matale history - Google Search". www.google.lk. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
- ^ "St.Thomas College Matale | University Directory". www.university-directory.eu. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
- ^ "Leaders meet in Matale Cricket Rebellion". Silumina. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
- ^ "Death of IGP Lucky Kodituwakku". The Island. 2002. Retrieved 29 August 2002.
- ^ "I have been in love with Vasanthi since I was a child". Silumina. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
- ^ "Acting Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Army". SL Army. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- ^ "Dissanayake Mudiyanselage Anura Ranaweera Bandara Dissanayake". Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Archived from the original on 30 November 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
- ^ "Player profile". Cricinfo. Retrieved 4 April 2008.
- ^ "Thomians' Nite 2015". motacolombo. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
- ^ "Features". Sundayobserver.lk. 6 March 2011. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- ^ "Madusanka produces best bowling figures of tournament | Sri Lanka | Cricket". Islandcricket.lk. 22 August 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- ^ "Sri Lanka U19 beat Afghanistan to win plate championship | Sri Lanka | Cricket". Islandcricket.lk. 24 August 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- ^ "Ceylon Today | Madushanka heroics set Bloomfield win". www.ceylontoday.lk. Archived from the original on 14 April 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ "Ravindra Sir of Hadawathe Kathawa". Saaravita. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
- ^ "Kellepatha of St. Thomas' Matale reaches milestone with 100 scalps". www.sundaytimes.lk. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
- ^ "Ruwantha joins 100 Club". archives.sundayobserver.lk. Retrieved 26 November 2022.