St. Joseph's Convent High School, Patna Explained

St. Joseph's Convent High School
Motto:"Nisi Dominus Frustr"
Motto Translation:"Without God nothing prospers"
Location:Bankipur
Streetaddress:Ashok Rajpath
City:Patna
State:Bihar
Postalcode:800004
Country:India
Coordinates:25.6203°N 85.1542°W
Pushpin Map:India, Patna
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Patna, India
Schooltype:Girls
Fundingtype:Private
Religious Affiliation:Roman Catholic
Patron:Saint Joseph
Founder:Anastasius Hartmann[1]
Status:Active
Schoolboard:
District:Patna
Session:April–March
School Code:BI004 (ICSE)[2]
Principal:Sr. Josephine CJ
Head:Sr. Vijaya CJ
Head Label:Provincial Superior
Gender:Girls School
Enrollment:3000
Avg Class Size:55-60
Language:English, Hindi
Schedtyp:Morning
Hours In Day:5-6 hrs
Classrooms:Well-Equipped
Campuses:Bankipur, Patna
Campus:Urban
Houses:Ruby, Topaz, Emerald, Sapphire
Sports:Basketball, martial arts, table-tennis, carom, chess, throw ball, karate, badminton
Affiliations:ICSE, BSEB

St. Joseph's Convent High School, Patna, is a private, girls high school in Bankipur neighborhood of Patna, Bihar, India. It is a Catholic Missionary educational institution established in 1853, currently managed by Sisters of Congregation of Jesus.[3] It has two sections, one is affiliated to the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, New Delhi and another is affiliated to Bihar School Examination Board. It is one of the oldest schools in the state of Bihar[4] and was founded by the first Bishop of Patna, Anastasius Hartmann.[5] The current principal of the school is Sr. Josephine CJ.[6] The school's guiding principle are the teachings of Mary Ward.

History

In 1849, Bishop Anastasius Hartmann, who was responsible for the Patna-Bettiah section of the North India Mission, acquired a sizable piece of land (about five acres) in Bankipore where he laid the foundation of a chapel on September 23, 1849.[7] The Roman Catholic Church, St. Joseph's, was opened in 1850.[8]

In 1852, on invitation of Bishop Anastasius Hartmann, the Apostolic Vicar of Patna, a group of five Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary Sisters from Munich Province in Germany came to India. These five sisters were Sisters Maria Groeppner, Angela Hoffman, Aloysia Maher, Antonia Feth and Catherine Schreibman. The sisters landed in Bombay by ship and then set out for Patna. They traveled from Bombay to Patna by bullock cart through the thick jungles. They left Bombay in early September 1852 and reached Patna around February 1853. They established the first IBVM House in Bankipore in 1853, on the bank of River Ganges. The house and school bear the name of Saint Joseph. Bankipore, as the first foundation, was considered the mother house of the Institute in India. St. Joseph's was the only convent between Calcutta and Agra at that time.[9]

Initially, in addition to the boarding and day school, there were two orphanages on the school campus. One for native girls and another for European and Eurasian girls. More buildings were added and the institution gradually grew over time. A Hindi section was founded in 1950.[10] Currently the school is affiliated to ICSE as well as Bihar State Board. It has a 100% pass percentage in ICSE examination board results for many years and also produced several state and city toppers.[11] [12] [13] [14]

Campus and infrastructure

The school is situated at Ashok Rajpath road, on the banks of river Ganges in Bankipur neighborhood of Patna.[15]

The central building complex houses classrooms, administrative offices and an auditorium. The auditorium is well equipped with PA System and has a stage for plays and performances. The auditorium is also used for annual gatherings and debate competitions.

The School has well equipped laboratories for course related practical work. There are four laboratories within the School - Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Computer.[16] The school has Basketball Court and also includes Martial Arts for girls in its curriculum.[17] The library is well equipped with reference books and caters to students of all grades. The school also offers private, city-wide transportation services for students and faculty through private bus service company.

Academic

Affiliation

The school is affiliated to the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, New Delhi. There is another Hindi section of the school which is affiliated with the Bihar School Examination Board. The school prepares the students for Indian Certificate of Secondary Education and the Indian School Certificate examinations for Class X and Class XII respectively.

Subjects

Below subjects are taught in the school for classes as per the ICSE curriculum.[18]

Medium of instruction

School follows English medium of instruction for its ICSE affiliated section. Another Hindi section affiliated with the Bihar Board uses Hindi as medium of instruction to teach students.

School session

The school year is from April to March. Days are divided into nine -periods with summer and winter timings. The order in which the classes meet varies from day to day.

Uniform

Girls

On the days of Physical Training:White divided skirt (knee length), white shirt(half sleeves), white shoes and white socks

Motto and houses

The motto of the institution is Latin: Nisi Dominus Frustra (Latin), which means Without god, nothing prospers.The four school houses are:

Student groups

Student council

The Student Council is a body of student representatives, headed by the Head Girl. It is made up of the captains of the teams and representatives from other co-curricular activities along with elected and nominated students of each class from grade VI through X. Parliamentary procedure is used at meetings and the main purpose of this group is to assist the Principal, Vice-Principal, staff, and students in fulfilling their responsibilities. The student members help maintain order in the school during the Assembly and breaks, in between classes, and also on important occasions like the Annual Day.

Tarumitra

See main article: Tarumitra. Tarumitra is a student forum promoting ecological sensitivity.[19]

LTS

L.T.S stands for Leadership Training for Service is a social movement. Its motto is “For God and country – let your light shine”. St. Joseph's Convent High School Patna was the first school in Patna to start this movement in the year 1974 with Sr. Genevieve as its guide. LTS promoter Fr. With S.J was invited to give an orientation to class X. Since 1994 it has been working under the guidance of Mrs. Shubhra Roy. The children are motivated and inspired to develop social awareness, love for humanity, social service, self-sacrifice, simplicity, truthfulness and purity at heart.[20]

Notable alumni

See also

Notes and References

  1. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/Bishop-Hartmann-remembered/articleshow/51959665.cms Bishop Hartmann remembered
  2. http://www.cisce.org/locate-search.aspx?country=2&state=8&dist=249&city=0&location=&schooltype=&cve=&isc=&icse=&schoolclassi=&school=&search=locate St. Joseph's Convent High School - ICSE School Code
  3. http://www.cjallahabad.org/History-CJs-India.aspx History of CJs in India
  4. https://books.google.com/books?id=mCZuAAAAMAAJ&q=st.+joseph%27s+convent Book:History of freedom movement in Bihar
  5. https://books.google.com/books?id=g4hvDQAAQBAJ&dq=anastasius+hartmann+st+joseph%27s+convent+patna&pg=PT195 Patna: A Paradise Lost
  6. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/dismiss-classes-up-to-viii-by-12-noon-dm-to-schools/articleshow/58404035.cms Dismiss classes up to VIII by 12 noon: DM to schools
  7. http://www.bihareebabu.com/christian.htm Christianity in Bihar
  8. https://books.google.com/books?id=4RMmAQAAIAAJ&dq=st.+joseph%27s+convent+patna+oldest+school&pg=PA182 Bengal District Gazetteers, Volume 41, Part 1
  9. http://www.cjallahabad.org/History-CJs-India.aspx A Brief History of the Congregation of Jesus in India
  10. http://www.sjccjpatna.org/principal/ St. Joseph's Convent High School - Principal
  11. http://www.hindustantimes.com/patna/patna-schools-post-95-pass-in-icse-cisce-exams/story-p7Dj6CDnLAewSRxJdB9ZhN.html Patna schools post 95 % pass in ICSE, CISCE exams
  12. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/ICSE-result-Omar-Srishti-score-97-6-to-top-in-Patna/articleshow/35446392.cms ICSE result: Omar, Srishti score 97.6% to top in Patna
  13. http://www.hindustantimes.com/education/isc-results-2016-bhagalpur-s-shruti-priya-tops-in-bihar/story-pQT3lMoKEt8clVYXAX3jDP.html ISC results 2016: Bhagalpur’s Shruti Priya tops in Bihar
  14. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/Patna-students-score-up-to-97-25-in-ICSE-ISC-exams/articleshow/20114130.cms Patna students score up to 97.25% in ICSE, ISC exams
  15. https://www.telegraphindia.com/1170418/jsp/bihar/story_146873.jsp Call to celebrate diversity
  16. http://www.sjccjpatna.org/labs/ St. Joseph's Convent High School - Labs
  17. http://www.sjccjpatna.org/sports/ St. Joseph's Convent High School - Sports
  18. http://www.cisce.org/icse_x_syllabus.aspx ICSE Curriculum/Syllabus
  19. http://www.sjccjpatna.org/student-organisations/tarumitra/ St Joseph's Convent High School - Tarumitra
  20. http://www.sjccjpatna.org/student-organisations/lts/ St Joseph's Convent High School - LTS
  21. https://www.telegraphindia.com/1111015/jsp/bihar/story_14624453.jsp Convent wins debate event
  22. https://www.telegraphindia.com/1151002/jsp/bihar/story_45699.jsp Patna Roundup