Sri & Smt. M. K. Menon, parents of our students and friends,
The Annual Prize Distribution Day has come round again, and it is my pleasure and privilege to welcome you this evening and place before you a brief report of the activities and achievements of our school during the year 1973–74.
We are happy to have Sri & Smt. M. K. Menon with us this evening, particularly so because they are the parents of one of our own students. Mr. Menon, Divisional Engineer, Telephones, obtained his graduate and post-graduate degrees from the Madras University and then entered public service. He has served the public for many years and in almost all parts of India. With his vast experience of men and matters, he is now endeavouring to give his best to our own city as Divisional Engineer, Telephones, Mangalore. We extend to you, Sir, and to you, Mrs. Menon, a very cordial welcome.
Let me now proceed with the report.
Strength: We had 1705 students in the entire school — 456 in Standards I to IV; 526 in Standards V to VII; and 725 in Standards VIII to X.
Staff: Rev. S. F. Vas, S.J., Rector of the Institution from 1972–74, was transferred to St. Joseph’s College, Bangalore, to assume the responsibility of Rector there. We are grateful to him for the keen interest he took in the welfare of the school and its activities. His place has been taken by an equally efficient man, Rev. L. F. Rasquinha, S.J., who is now both Rector and Principal.
As to the teaching staff, Rev. Isidore Pinto, S.J., has come in place of Rev. D. D’Souza, S.J., while Sri L. Fernandes and Sri N. Upadhyaya filled the two leave vacancies caused by the absence of Sri F. J. Menezes and Sri V. Saldanha respectively. Miss Lizzie D’Souza has left us to better her prospects abroad.
Miss D. D’Souza, Headmistress of the Primary School, retired after a meritorious service of 36 years. Sri B. Monteiro and Sri B. L. Lobo, secondary grade assistants, retired after more than 30 years of useful service. The management is grateful to these teachers for the valuable guidance they have given to our boys. Miss H. Machado has taken over as Headmistress of the Primary Section.
It is with deep sorrow that I have to record the sudden demise of Sri Jerome Saldanha, Laboratory Assistant, who passed away at the young age of 35, having worked for more than 19 years in our school. May the good Lord grant him eternal rest.
Results: If academic results are any criterion of standard, the school has succeeded in maintaining them. The performance of our students in the VII Std. as well as in the school final examination has been excellent. 161 out of 172 in VII and 203 out of 219 in X came out successful, giving us 93.6% and 92.7% respectively.
We are proud of Jimmy Antony, who brought us a rank in the S.S.L.C., being the 11th rank in the State. We hope Jimmy’s example will be followed by the other bright boys too.
Sports & Games: The annual school sports meet came off in November as part of the Aloysian Day festivities. In general, our boys did not fare well in tournaments and athletic events during the 1973–74 season. We won only four trophies — Senior Hockey, Basketball, Badminton, and Intermediate Volleyball.
N.C.C. & Scouting: Thanks to the keen interest taken by the officers — Sri Kairanna, Sri Manjappayya, and Sri D’Leema — the three wings of the N.C.C. (Army, Navy and Air) have been commended by the higher officers for their smartness.
After many years of dedicated service to the Loyola Scout Troop, Sri S. S. Aithala handed over charge to Rev. Mathew Rodrigues. The Cub Pack consisting of recruits from classes V–VII is ably handled by Sri Ralph D’Cunha.
Science Club and UNESCO Club: Sri V. Saldanha played a key role in the activities of the Science Club, whose students won high honours at the S. K. District Inter-School Science Fair.
Anant Agarwal and Kevin Saldanha attended the All India Children’s Science Fair in New Delhi. Anant also secured a special certificate at the State-level Inter-School Science Fair in Bangalore.
The UNESCO Club, under Rev. Lawrence D’Souza, conducted an Inter-School General Knowledge competition with 15 schools participating, along with seminars, sports, and elocution competitions for students of the Ranipura Higher Primary School.
Other Activities: Our boys participated in drawing, music, acting, elocution, and gymnastics displays, including a notable performance at Nehru Maidan on Republic Day 1974.
P.T.A.: The Annual General Body Meeting of the P.T.A. was held on January 13, 1974, with Dr. Miss Olinda Pereira as the guest of honour. The PTA’s cooperation has been invaluable in the education of our boys.
Scholarships and prizes were instituted through generous donations, including a Rs. 300/- scholarship by the Very Rev. Mgr. Piedade Saldanha and a Social Studies prize founded by Sri S. I. Saldanha.
Conclusion: I express my sincere gratitude to God, our staff, students, parents, benefactors, and well-wishers for their continued support. Special thanks are due to Sri & Smt. Menon for presiding over this evening’s function.
May the good Lord bless our school, its staff, students, parents, friends, and well-wishers.
D. Rasquinha, S.J.
Headmaster