OUR HISTORY

St.Mary's Higher Secondary School, Jharsuguda, Orissa, India is a Catholic Institution established in 1959 and managed by the "Shehadeepti Province" of the " Association of the Handmaids of Mary". The objective of this institution is to impart to young boys and girls a sound education under the care of the Sisters and teachers who regard it as a most sacred duty. Their aim is not only to train the mind but also to mould the character, promote leadership and prepare them to shoulder responsibilities, maintaining a high standard of honour in private and public life. It aims at building up a better nation of people who will love to face the challenges of life and it also promotes the all-around development, spiritual, moral, intellectual, physical and social development.

In carrying out its aims, the school as a minority institution reserves for itself its inherent and Constitutionally recognized rights of management and administration. Since the medium of instruction is English, students attending the school are expected to speak only English especially when they are within the campus.

The school year begins in April and ends in March. The course of study follows the pattern of the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (10-year course) and the Indian School Certificate Examination (12-year course) conducted by the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination, New Delhi. At present, there are 1500 students on the roll from nursery to class XII and with 70 teaching and non-teaching staff.

The school had a very humble beginning on the varandha of Mrs.Ann Dawson in the year 1959. And travelled a long journey of 50 yrs with God as her prime mover. He had a dream for the people of Jsg and the Almighty had worked marvels for them. Unlike other schools, our first students from class I to V were distributed and educated in the lap of nature instead of being confined in the four walls of present-day classrooms on account of lack of space. In spite of the many hurdles that she went through, today there are three gigantic buildings with all the infrastructure in which the children keep singing the praises of the Lord, speaking of their own history.

Over the last 50 years, there have been many initiatives to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of teaching by means of seminars, educational tours, extracurricular activities etc.

It is heartening to note that St.Mary's students are all over the globe, treading successfully on the vicissitude and challenging walks of life.

According to Dr Radhakrishna, true education should aim at the opening of the heart, rather than the mind. It can be done only through the living, loving and inspiring touch which should permeate today's education. This is what St.Mary's has been trying to do for the last 50 yrs. It has not only excelled in its academic record, but the students have also imbibed a love for the underprivileged and downtrodden and have generously contributed towards their upliftments. It has certainly produced men and women of calibre who in turn give their mites to remove the darkness from their surroundings.

Today my heart is filled with joy and gratitude to God for allowing me to be a part of the golden year and I stand with folded hands before the Almighty God, for the indelible impact of the pioneers, during the initial stages of the institution. I must gratefully acknowledge the untiring and selfless service of the administration right from 1959 till date, the hard work and cooperation of the teaching and non-teaching staff have brought the school up to this stage. As St.Mary's is turning from silver into the gold we pray to God that it may continue to be a torch which will dispel the darkness of ignorance and shine out steadily to many who will step into this temple of learning.