St. Thomas' College, Matale

St. Thomas' College, Matale[1][2] (Sinhala: මාතලේ ශාන්ත තෝමස් විද්‍යාලය), or (STC), is a secondary school for only boys; located in Matale, Sri Lanka.[3][4][5][6]

St.Thomas' College, Matale
Location
Matale

Sri Lanka
Coordinates7°28′14″N 80°21′34″E
Information
TypePublic
MottoAnimo Et Fide
(Courage & Faith)
Established1873 (1873)
PrincipalDhammika Hewawasam
Staff140+
GradesClass 6 – 13
GenderMale
Age11 to 19
Enrollment2,000+
Colour(s)Gold and Double Blue    
AlumniOld Thomians
Websitewww.stcmatale.lk

History

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.[7]

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.[8] 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

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.[9]

Past principals
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
  • Austin -  
  • Bede -  
  • Clement -  
  • Pius -  
School playground and sports building.

Competition

The school's main rival is the Science College, Matale. Matches between the two are often called the "Battle of the Golds".

Notable alumni

The school has produced many notable persons who are well known throughout the country.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.
Name Notability Reference
Kingsley Jayasekera Actor, singer
Lakdasa Kodituwakku Inspector General of Police (1998 – 2002) [10]
Dayan Witharana Singer, photographer (1982 – present) [11]
Shavendra Silva Commander of the Army (Sri Lanka) (2019 – present) [12]
Chanaka Welegedara international test cricket player (2007 – 2014) [13]
Sanath Wimalasiri Actor, Dramatist (1994 – present) [14]
Hemal Ranasinghe Model, actor (2009 – present) [15]
Lahiru Madushanka ODI, T20I cricket player (2017–present) [16][17][18]
Damith Wijayathunga Model, actor (2015 – present) [19]

See also
  • List of schools in Sri Lanka

References
  1. "Other Places Of Our School". St.Thomas' College Matale ICT society. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  2. "Photo - ST'THOMAS COLLEGE - MATALE - Pictures Of Matale, Central, Sri Lanka - Travel Photos :: AllTravels :: Anywhere You Want To Go ::". AllTravels. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  3. Bowlers help Matale Thomians to win
  4. Matale Thomians-Under 19 hockey champions
  5. No decision at Matale
  6. Kingswood stun Matale Thomians
  7. "Our History". St.Thomas' College Matale ICT society. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  8. "st Thomas college matale history - Google Search". www.google.lk. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  9. "St.Thomas College Matale | University Directory". www.university-directory.eu. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  10. "Death of IGP Lucky Kodituwakku". The Island. 2002. Retrieved 29 August 2002.
  11. "I have been in love with Vasanthi since I was a child". Silumina. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  12. "Acting Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Army". SL Army. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  13. "Player profile". Cricinfo. Retrieved 4 April 2008.
  14. "Thomians' Nite 2015". motacolombo. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
  15. "Features". Sundayobserver.lk. 6 March 2011. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  16. "Madusanka produces best bowling figures of tournament | Sri Lanka | Cricket". Islandcricket.lk. 22 August 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  17. "Sri Lanka U19 beat Afghanistan to win plate championship | Sri Lanka | Cricket". Islandcricket.lk. 24 August 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  19. "Ravindra Sir of Hadawathe Kathawa". Saaravita. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
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