Dannish Volunteers

We have had the privilege of getting the services of volunteers from Denmark to teach English at our school through the kind coordination of Service Civil International - Sri Lanka.  We are very thankful to Mr. Gunadasa Jayawickrema for assisting us on this project.  This project was coordinated by Mr. Sujeeva Wijeratne, the Deputy Principal of the school.

Introduction

St. Anthony’s High School, Wasalakotte, established in 1825, by late Rev. Father Jeranimo Michael, an Italian missionary priest, is a unique school with an enviable reputation.  Although the school was handed over to government administration in 1961, the close relationship with the nearby church, the National Shrine of St. Anthony, has not been affected.  Today, the school is attached to Galewela Education Office of the Central Province. 

There are about 400 students in classes from Grade 1 to 13.  In the Advanced Level classes only arts and commerce subjects are taught.  The majority of the students are Catholics from Wasalakotte, and the majority of the teachers are Buddhists from the neighboring villages. Most students come from farming families.  There is a large number of students whose mothers work abroad.  Also there are students who come from the orphanage attached to the shrine.  The staff consists of a principal, a deputy principal, 28 teachers, a financial assistant and an office assistant.

The facilities include a science laboratory, a computer unit, a library and an English Books Only library.  Although there are facilities for athletics, basketball, volleyball and netball only handball is taken seriously and dedicatedly by the students.  As a result, the school has been able to rock the school sports in Sri Lanka by winning many handball championships in 2012.

English Day

English Day 2012 of the school was celebrated on January 26, 2012.   Mr. A.H.M.H.A. Herath, Zonal Director of Education, Galewela  and Mrs. R.K.H. Ranasinghe, Assistant Director of Education for English, Galewela  graced the occasion as guests.  It was a day full of fun and activities – singing, dancing, acting etc. - for students.  Those who had performed well the previous year received certificates.  Mr. Sujeeva Wijeratne, the Deputy Principal organized this event with the assistance of Mrs. Janaki De Silva and Miss  M.G.N.D. Udayanganie, the English Teachers.

     

Mission

St. Anthony’s High School is a Roman Catholic school rooted in the seraphic principle "Get wisdom.  Get understanding." (Holy Bible) Our mission is to give every student an equal opportunity for his/her wholesome growth with a quality and creative education.  Such a growth which is evidently physical will also be intellectual, spiritual, formative and instructive to make them more useful members of society with proper moral values, motivated to serve society.

To this we commit ourselves:

• To produce patriotic, self-disciplined and committed citizens, free from prejudices and discrimination based on sex, religion, caste or status, and characterized by respect for the dignity of each other.
• To strive to help meet the demands of our national goals and aspirations through the national academic curriculum balanced by co and extra-curricular activities, geared towards the current needs of the nation and grow into selfless and responsive agents of change, when required, for the uplift of the quality of human life.
• To promote leadership by encouraging students to see issues from a variety of viewpoints and to make mature choices based on justice and selflessness.
• To assist with the building and enriching of a spirit of dedicated service among the staff members, students and parents.
• To ensure that the staff exercises a unique role and have a special responsibility in the success of each student.
• To regularly meet and dialogue with the parents, thus communicating our education program to them and seek their active involvement.

New Year

Christmas

Vesak

Although almost 100% of the students of St. Anthony's High School are Catholics, Vesak Day was celebrated by the school in a grand manner in 2012.  The school premises was colorfully decorated with Vesak lanterns made by the students.  This gesture of brotherhood was highly appreciated by the Buddhist teachers of the school and the education officials of the Zone.