At a Glance

History of St. Paul's

St. Paul's completes fifty fruitful years of its life. As you sit down to trace its history, a thousand pictures, a thousand memories flood into your mind, each vying with the other to be written down, to be recorded and you cannot decide where to start.

The year was 1954, a very eventful year because All Saints' High School completed a century of service to society. On this momentous occasion, Rev. Bro. John of God, the Rector of the school, deemed it very fitting to start a new school and so a building was hired at King Koti Road to accommodate this new school which was christened St. Paul's, after his favourite saint. Some of the best students of All Saints' along with a few teachers from nursery to seventh class were sent to the school, under the stewardship of Bro. John of the Sacred Heart. Bro. Robert too was on the staff for a short period. At its inception it was a Boys' Middle School working as a branch of All Saints' High School. A year later, in 1955, it was shifted to the present premises, which again was a rented building. Bro. Joachim shouldered the responsibility of the school for two years followed by Bro. Martialis. By then the school had one section each from nursery to class 7, with 300 students. But a couple of years after its birth, it was strongly felt that it was time to wean the infant St. Pauls's from its parent institution. Accordingly, in 1958, St. Paul's was made autonomous and Rev. Bro. Stanislaus was appointed the Principal. Under his stewardship there was no looking back and the school made a meteoric rise within the first few years. The first batch of X class students was sent up for the board examinations in 1959.

When we speak of St. Paul's, we inevitably think of Bro. Stanislaus who guided the destiny of St. Paul's for eighteen years and took it to great heights. The imposing structures that we see on either side of the road today owe their existence to Bro. Stanislaus. He devoted much of his time and also his energy and ingenuity in designing and supervising the work of construction besides collecting funds to finance this project. Soon the school gained popularity and became a much sought after institution and the strength of the school took a massive leap from 300 to over 2000 and now over 3000. Thanks to the unusually remarkable foresight of this exceptional man, the school has been able to accommodate the rising numbers because of the spacious and well-equipped buildings. He was very conscious of the needs of the students and therefore added conveniences like Auditorium, Libraries and Laboratories.

In the early years, the school had no play ground worth the name. Therefore, its budding sportsmen used the Gagan Mahal Grounds for their practice. It was here in the year 1966 that St. Paul's carried the day at one of the four Quadrangular Meets - a regular feature conducted by the sister schools - All Saints, Little Flower and St. Paul's. During Bro. Stanislaus tenure, the school attained the name of being one of the best schools in the twin cities, winning laurels in academics including state ranks. He himself was honoured with the National Award for Best Teacher in the year 1970-71, by the then President of India Late Sri V. V. Giri.

Ever on the look out to expand, Bro. Stanislaus acquired land on the other side of the road in 1971, to house the Primary Section. He dedicated the building to the Blessed Alphonsa and named it 'Alphonsa Villa'. But fate had decreed it otherwise. Soon after the completion of the building Bro. Stanislaus passed away on May 12, 1976 and Alphonsa Villa was renamed 'Bro. Stanislaus Memorial Building' in honour of the Chief Architect of St. Paul's, who through his pioneering efforts raised these massive structures which today stand tall, silhouetted against the backdrop of the sky.

Thousands of students who have passed through his hands remember this great person with deep affection. He was a perfectionist. His exacting standards caused the best to come to the fore in both the staff and the students. He was also a very humane person who could not only just sympathize but also empathize. At this point one is reminded of the familiar strain from one of Tennyson's poems,

'For men may come and men may go, but I go on forever'.

So it was and it will be with St. Paul's. The mantle now fell on Rev. Bro. Dominic's shoulder.

Rev. Bro. Dominic, was a soft-spoken and a very courteous man with a penchant for English classical music and photography. He was a very systematic administrator and with the co-operation of the staff trained by Bro. Stanislaus, he was able to carry on very efficiently. In the two years of his tenure he followed in the footsteps of his predecessor in many ways. He was very supportive and gave the staff the respect due to them and encouraged the students also, at every opportunity, to do likewise. Rev. Bro. John de Britto took over from Bro. Dominic for a year, in 1978. A very humble, soft spoken person, he was a very good administrator. He added two more storeys to Bro. Stanislaus Building.

In 1979 Rev. Bro. N. C. Mathew became the Principal. He set high standards of discipline and academic efficiency, which was welcomed by parents, pupils and staff. Being a man of vision and gifted with organizational skills, he took the responsibility of planning and executing the monumental task of extending the school building. The Central Block, the existing Administrative Block, consisting of all modern amenities like spacious Staff rooms, Library, Computer lab., Physical Science lab., Conference Hall, Monfort Hall, Reading Room, Table Tennis Hall, Brothers' quarters etc. owes its existence to him. Academic standards were further improved and extra and co-curricular activities were given a lot of importance for the all-round development of the students. During his tenure, in the year 1980, the school celebrated its Silver Jubilee.

Bro. Mathew was at the helm of the school for six years and after him Bro. P. K. Joseph took over the reins. He also, was a man of exceptional organizational skills. Deeply appreciative of the staff for their sincerity and hard work, he never failed to get their whole-hearted cooperation. A number of projects, shows (especially the magnificent 'Sound and Light' show on the life of Saint Montfort) and exhibitions were taken up on a large scale and the students and staff put in a lot of effort ungrudgingly. Bro. P. K. Joseph served the institution for four years and strove to take it to greater heights.

In 1989, Bro. Thomas Reddy took over. By nature a very quiet and a gentle person, he could be very firm whenever the occasion demanded it of him. He had immense faith in the abilities of his staff and students. Computer Science was introduced as an optional subject in 1991 and then was made a compulsory subject in 1993. After serving St. Paul's for six years, in 1995 he was elevated to the distinguished position of Provincial Superior.

Rev. Bro. Lawrence D'souza, who was no stranger to St. Paul's as he had already served as the Vice Principal, took up the responsibility to head the institution in the year 1995. He had the zeal, the enthusiasm and the determination of youth and was ever eager to put his ideas into action. Vibrant and dynamic, he was not content with just allocating work but would energetically involve himself in all the activities of the school. He enjoyed a very good rapport with the staff as well as the students. It was during his tenure that another storey was added to the Primary Block and is known as Gabriel Hall, and the Cellar was constructed for parking space in the high school block. He renovated the Montfort Hall, Alphonsa Hall, and the Table Tennis Hall, giving them the present modern look. He improved the facilities in the computer lab of the high school and started a new computer lab. in the primary block. St. Paul's Table Tennis Academy, which was the brainchild of Bro. Lawrence, under the able guidance of Mr Ibrahim Khan and Mr Nagender Reddy, was inaugurated, on December 11, 1996. Computer Science was made a compulsory subject now even in the primary school. It was during his period, in 1996, that the school opened its portals to girls. Girls were now admitted into this, till then, all boys' school. In 2001, the Amateur Radio Club of Hyderabad selected 50 boys from our school, to provide training to them, to operate HAM Radio. Mr Denzil Atkinson, (Member of Parliament) inaugurated the HAM Radio Station in the school premises, in October 2001.

Bro. Lawrence was succeeded by Rev. Bro P. T. Joseph, in the year 2001. He carved a niche for himself among the staff and students. It was during his term that Montfort Centenary Celebrations and Montfort Literary and Cultural competitions were conducted with great enthusiasm and efficiency.

The present Principal Rev. Bro. Show Reddy took over the charge of St. Paul's in the year 2003. He does not leave any stone unturned in taking St. Paul's forward to the next milestone. Being an able administrator he has looked into every aspect of school administration admirably well. He is a strict disciplinarian and is whole-heartedly dedicated to his work. We were fortunate in having him at the helm of affairs when we celebrated our Golden Jubilee in the most befitting manner. He has with him Rev. Bro. Bala Reddy who infuses fervour in all activities and Rev. Bro. Robert who is the sobering influence of the old school of thought, to keep the balance.

With the Golden Jubilee, the school has covered yet another milestone and it is heartening to note that the school has carved for itself an eminent place in the field of education. St. Paul's fully endorses the ideal 'Education is the harmonious development of all our faculties' and works feverishly to achieve this aim. Education should give the young the right direction. One can declare proudly that St. Paul's has not lagged behind in fulfilling this invaluable aim of education. The quality of its alumni speaks of the school's high moral and academic standards and thousands of students who have passed through the portals of this great institution will bear testimony that their Alma Mater has made men out of them men who could rise to any occasion and face any challenge. The school, as in the past, will continue to build and strengthen character that will not crumble when tested in the crucible of time.

History has its own moments of truth. Moments when we stand and look back in awe, with a spirit of thanks giving to the one above who guided us through the last fifty years. The school crosses yet another mile stone due to the unstinting commitment of all those stalwarts who have been guiding its destiny through the years. We salute each one of them.