St. Mary's High School, Peshawar

Last updated
St. Mary's High School, Peshawar
Address
Khyber Road

,
Pakistan
Information
Former nameSt. Mary's PAF Cambridge School
Type Private primary and secondary school
Religious affiliation(s) Catholicism
Denomination Marist Brothers
Established1957;68 years ago (1957)
Oversight Catholic Board of Education
PrincipalFr.Zeeshan Francisco
Staff85
Gender Boys
Age4to 16
Enrollment1,500
LanguageEnglish
Houses
  •    Jahangir
  •    Babar
  •    Akbar
SportsAthletics, badminton, basketball, cricket, football, badminton gymnastics, hockey, lawn tennis, squash, table tennis, gymnasium
Affiliations Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Peshawar
Website https://stmarypeshawar.edu.pk/

St. Mary's High School is a private Catholic primary and secondary school for boys, located in Peshawar Cantonment, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. [1] Founded in 1957, the school has been run by the Marist Brothers since 1970.

Contents

Administration

The school is run by the Diocesan Board of Education of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Islamabad-Rawalpindi. The Bishop of the diocese is the chairman of the board. The school is administered by the Marist Brothers, who took over the administration in 1970.

Academics

The school conducts classes from Prep to Class 10 (Secondary School Certificate of the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Peshawar). The medium of instruction is English. [2]

History

The school was opened in 1957 in the presbytery of St. Michael's Church on Mall Road, Peshawar Cantonment with fourteen boys who had passed Standard III from Presentation Convent School located next door to St. Michael's Church. Fr. Thyssen was the founder and first principal. The other teachers were Fr. Pingstern and Fr. Heideman. All three were Dutch citizens belonging to the Catholic order of Mill Hill Fathers (London). Before his transfer to Peshawar, Fr. Thyssen was at Burn Hall, Abbottabad and before the Great Partition, he had served in Kashmir.

In 1958, the school moved to Air Force Barracks, on Roberts Road, as St. Mary's PAF Cambridge School. Classes available at the time ranged from Prep to Standard V. Fr.Joseph Beemster from Holland joined the teaching staff around this time

In 1962, the first batch of ten students sat for the Matriculation (SSC) Examination and the success rate was 100%. In the same year, five of its students qualified for GCE 'O' Level of Cambridge University (three in First Division).

The present site of St.Mary's High School was acquired for the school by Fr. Michael Grant, an Irishman and the second principal of the school and the foundation stone laid by Lt. Gen. Altaf Qadir on 29 October 1963. Many parents contributed to the construction of the school by donating a truckload of bricks. In 1970, the Marist Brothers took over the administration of St. Mary's from the Mill Hill Fathers. Br. Patrick Faulkner took over as the first Marist principal.

In 1977, Br. Francis Sales Fernando became the school's tenth principal. During his tenure as principal, many new buildings were added. The fully equipped auditorium, library, squash courts, hall for indoor games, children's park and mini zoo are some of those additions. Technical education was also introduced, with fully equipped workshops, around this time.

In 1993, Br. Charles Fernando took over as the principal. He was replaced by Br. Shanthi Liyanage who led the school until September 2005. During his tenure, a new spacious staff room was added to St. Mary's.

In 2005, students of St. Mary's secured the first position, third position and sixth position in the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education SSC examination.

Golden Jubilee

On 29 March 2007, the school celebrated the Golden Jubilee of its foundation. At the time, the principal was Br. Devasiri Fernando FMS. The school had 1,302 students and 70 academic and administrative staff. [3]

Notable Alumni

1 Bohemia (rapper)

Past Principals

Sr NoName of PrincipalPictureFromTo
1Rev. Father H.P.M. Thyseen (Founder)April 1957Jan 1959
2Rev. Father M. Grant.M.HM.Jan 1959Jan 1965
3Rev. Father J.L BeemsterJan 1965May 1966
4Rev. Father Jac Van SchegenMay 1966Apr 1970
5Rev. Brother Patrik FaulknerApr 1970Mar 1972
6Rev. Brother Bernard RuizMar 1972Sept 1972
7Rev. Brother Rudolf OptizSept 1972Mar 1973
8Rev. Father KlaverMar 1973Dec 1973
9Rev. Brother Cletus H.Jan 1974Sept 1977
10Rev. Brother Fracis Sales FernandoSept 1977Aug 1995
11Brother Charles H. FernandoSept 1995Jan 1998
12Brother Shanthi LiyanageJan 1998Aug 2005
13Brother Charles H. FernandoSept 2005Mar 2010
14Brother NoelMar 2010Mar 2015
15Brother Sunil LiyanageMar 2015Feb 2021
16Asif Nawab GillFeb 2021Aug 2024
17Rev. Father Zeeshan Francisco O.P.Aug 2024

Faculty

See also

References

  1. "Non compliance of court order on fee: PHC issues contempt of court notice to school". The News International. April 18, 2018.
  2. "Golden Jubilee celebrations of the St. Mary's High School Peshawar Pakistan Press International 29 March 2007". PPI — Pakistan Press International. 2007-03-29.
  3. "St. Mary's High School".
  4. "Rich tribute paid to late Prof Taha Khan". The News International.