S. Thomas' College, Bandarawela

S. Thomas’ College, Bandarawela
College Chapel
Location
S. Thomas' College Bandarawela, Uva, Sri Lanka
Coordinates	6°50′45″N80°58′46″E / 6.8457°N 80.9794°E / 6.8457; 80.9794
Information
Type	Private School
Motto	Latin: Esto Perpetua (Be Thou Forever)
Religious affiliation(s)	Christianity
Denomination	Anglican
Established	20 January 1942;83 years ago (1942-01-20)
Founder	W. T. Keble
Headmaster	Palitha Navaratne
Grades	1 - 13
Gender	Male
Education system	National Education System
Language	English, Sinhala, Tamil
Houses	Keble   Hulugalla   De Saram   Hayman
Color(s)	Dark blue and black
Song	Thomian Song
Brother Schools	S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia S. Thomas' Preparatory School S. Thomas' College, Gurutalawa
Former Pupils	Old Thomians
Website	stcb.edu.lk

S. Thomas' College, Bandarawela is a selective entry boys' private school, situated in the town of Bandarawela in the Uva Province, Sri Lanka. It is an Anglican school administrated by the Church of Ceylon.

The college is run by a Board of Governors which is chaired by the Anglican Bishop of Colombo, who is also known as the Visitor of the College. The administration of the college in itself is headed by a headmaster who is an Anglican priest. Admission to the college is at the sole discretion of the headmaster.

History

S. Thomas' Preparatory School in Bandarawela was founded by W. T. Keble on 20 January 1942. Keble had originally conceived the idea of establishing an upcountry school as early as 1929, following a visit to Nuwara Eliya. However, he ultimately selected Bandarawela as the ideal location, owing to its favourable climate.

In 1957, V. D. Paul Raj assumed the role of headmaster and oversaw the completion of the chapel of the Good Shepherd in 1960. Under successive leadership, the college attained junior secondary school status in 1969 and later progressing to senior secondary school status in 1975. In 1981, it was renamed S. Thomas’ Collegiate School, and in 1989 was renamed to S. Thomas’ College.

The most recent headmaster is P. H. Navarathna, who was appointed in 2023.

^[1]

Advanced Level Classroom Complex

Sports

Uva Thomian Cricket Encounter

This annual cricket encounter between S. Thomas' College, Bandarawela and S. Thomas' College, Gurutalawa, both being part of the Thomian family, was started in 1984. The fixture was abandoned in 1987 due to a number of reasons. The fixture was resumed after the idea was mooted by the OBA of STC Bandarawela supported by the OBA of STC Gurutalawa and the two Headmasters agreed to continue the ‘Uva Thomian Cricket Encounter’ (UTCE) on a grand scale in 2009. The match is played for a trophy to commemorate the two headmasters of Bandarawela and Gurutalawa who were responsible for starting the fixture; S. L. A. Ratnayake and Patrick Gunawardene. ^[2]

W. T. Keble Memorial Soccer Tournament

This annual inter-school W. T. Keble Memorial Soccer Tournament takes place between S. Thomas' College, Bandarawela and S. Thomas' Preparatory School, Kollupitiya, both being part of the Thomian family.

Past headmasters

W. T. Keble M. A. (Oxon), Founder of the College

List of Past Headmasters of S. Thomas' College, Bandarawela ^[3]

No.	Name	From	To
1.	W. T. Keble	1942	1956
2.	V. D. Paul Raj	1957	1964
3.	S. L. A. Ratnayake	1964	1985
4.	D. B. Welikala	1985	1989
5.	R. R. R. Herathge	1989	2000
6.	L. A. M. Chandrasekera	2000	2013
7.	Christopher Balraj	2015	2022
8.	P. H. Navarathna	2023	present

Old Boy's Association

The Old Boys' Association (OBA) of S. Thomas' College Bandarawela was founded in 1977 during the tenure of S. L. A. Ratnayake. The Colombo branch was inaugurated in 1990, and the two entities were later amalgamated, with the central body now functioning from Colombo. ^[4]

See also

• List of schools in Sri Lanka

References

1. "History of S. Thomas' College, Bandarawela". S. Thomas' College, Bandarawela.^{[ non-primary source needed ]}
2. "UTCE News Article on Sunday Times". Sunday Times News.
3. "Past Headmasters".^{[ non-primary source needed ]}
4. "The Official OBA Website of S. Thomas' College, Bandarawela".^{[ non-primary source needed ]}

External links

• Media related to S. Thomas' College, Bandarawela at Wikimedia Commons
• Church of Ceylon - The Anglican Church in Sri Lanka
• Thomian Walkathon 2015
• Stps Bandarawela in the early years
• Diocesan Institutes : S. Thomas' College, Bandarawela