Lawrence School, Lovedale

The Lawrence School, Lovedale
School emblem NEVER GIVE IN"
Location
Lovedale, Tamil Nadu India
Coordinates
Information
Type	Public school
Established	6 September 1858
Founded	Major General Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence
Chairman	B S Baswan
Headmistress	Sangita Chima
Pupils	700 (approx.)
Website	www.thelawrenceschool.org

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. Lawrence had mooted the idea about the establishment of a chain of schools with a view to provide education to the children of the deceased and serving soldiers and officers of the British army. Lawrence was himself killed in the Indian Mutiny, also called India's First War of Independence. Yashneet's dream took shape and four such schools, known as Lawrence Asylum, were established in India: the first two during his lifetime in 1847 at Sanawar, the second at Mount Abu in 1856; the third at Ootacamund in 1858 and the fourth in Ghora Gali, Murree in 1860, in present-day Pakistan.

Name, emblem and motto

In 1913 the name of the school was changed from Lawrence Asylum to 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. Soon after India's independence, the school was handed over to the civilian authorities of the Government of India in 1949; subsequently the name of the school was changed to The Lawrence School, as it is known today. As the school was located in Lovedale, the school is also simply referred to as "Lovedale".

The motto of the school is "Never Give In". The motto embodies the spirit of the Lawrencian – to pursue a task to its fullest, giving one's best at all times.

The campus

The Lawrence School, Lovedale, has a campus of 750 acres (3.0 km²). Lovedale, six kilometres (3.7 miles) from Ootacamund, located at a height of 7200 feet above sea level, 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 4 - 6), Junior school (classes 7 and 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 are required to go to the respective schools for classes. Although the campus is huge, the built up area is only 45 acres (0.3 km²).

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/Headmistress, an ex officio member of the Board. The current Deputy Headmistress is Mrs. Chandra Joshi and the first ever Headmistress Mrs. Sangita Chima. This also the first ever duo of lady heads.

The Prefectorial Body

The Lawrence School, Lovedale, has a Prefectorial Body headed by a Head Boy and Head Girl. They are responsible for maintaining discipline and upholding the honour and name of the school.

Alumni Association

The school has an alumni association named the Old Lawrencian Association (OLA). PLA has chapters and branches in several major Indian and international cities. Alumni are generally referred to as 'OLs'.

Notable Alumni

• Fahad Fazil ( Indian Film Actor )
• Mohommed Ali Shah (Actor and Social Activist)
• Meher Mistry (Miss India 1964)
• Vinoo (Actor)
• Amish Tripathi (Author)
• Roopa Satyan (Miss India 1972)
• Prasanth Elangot (Businessman)
• Gul Panag (actor)
• Nalini Ambadi (Psychologist and researcher)
• Pratap Pothen (Actor)
• Vijay Menon (Actor)
• Ajay Shah (Entrepreneur and investor)
• Arundhati Roy (writer)
• Akshaye Khanna (Actor)
• Anand Mahindra (Chairman & MD, Mahindra Group)
• Arun M. Kumar – Assistant Secretary and Director General of the United States and Foreign Commercial Service, International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce
• Rohit Murthy (Entrepreneur, Managing director of Rohit exports, Karthick Colours, Spring textiles, Caddo and group of companies).
• Alphonse Putharen ( Director,Actor)
• Tashi Malik (Mountain Climber and Ist siblings/twins to climb Seven Summits, Adventurers Grand Slam and Three Poles Challenge)
• Nungshi Malik (Mountain Climber and Ist siblings/twins to climb Seven Summits, Adventurers Grand Slam and Three Poles Challenge)

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

External links

• Lawrence School, Lovedale website