Looking Back Detail Page

01 Apr

- Rev. Fr. E F More SJ

It was on the morning of the 20th January 1943 that our Little Campion came into life and from that time onwards though through the Seylla and Charybdis of many ups and downs our little School has gown always ahead, always humble, always thriving until we have reached this glorious day to celebrate with it the TENTH ANNIVERSARY of its coming into existence.
From the time I took over all my efforts and those of my Staff and friends have been directed to turn the little Campion School of 1943 into a Campion High School by 1953 if possible. It is true I had to acknowledge defeat last year but the Almighty who with a Paternal hand directs the course at this world and knows how to turn out sorrows into joys, has helped us this year and we can on this auspicious occasion announce with great joy that we shall open next year Std VIII and thus begin the gradual transformation of the little Campion School into a full fledged Campion High School. The Calendar of 1953 will bear for the first time title of CAMPION HIGH SCHOOL. It is not for want of pupils in fact the greatest headache of the Principal is to have to refuse applications after applications today and tomorrow but the lack of space that has kept us back all these years. We have on the rolls 190 students and the new applications for Std III and IV mounted in 134 in November: unfortunately nearly a hundred out of these 134 will have to be disappointed. Going through the various improvements of the year 1952 we have to mention the new school bus that brought such relief to the children as well as to their parents. Next in improvement comes the Filtering and Cooling Plant of which our School is proud for we are of the first schools in Bombay to acquire it. Our boys can refresh themselves with ice cold filtered water at any time of the day through the hot months of the year.
We have acquired a fine Aquarium with a variety of fishes and some new stuffed specimens for the Museum which is steadily growing. This year too saw the new venture of the Class Libraries. Parcel after parcel of the best library books have kept pouring in throughout the year from various Book firms in various parts of India to fill the shelves. And finally the School Tac Shop is getting ready for January 1953. In the field of sports there is not much we can boast of as yet expect that this year again for the first time in the history of Campion School we had fine hockey sticks specially made for Campion School with school colours and we made daily use through not at a small expense, of the Oval grounds for the training of our boys. We had there too a Pitch reserved for our boys during the Cricket Season and the few Cricket Matches played by our first eleven added new laurels to our young Campionites. We also started Music classes this year and Mrs. D Grimmer tried her level best. Unfortunately pupils got sick and one had to leave the school while the parents of the other thought it best not to overtax their child. I sincerely wish many more boys to take up that fine art that goes such a long way to improve the aesthetic facilities of a young mind. Scouting and Cubing that wonderful game invented by Baden Power to train and develop the characters of the child has not been forgotten in our school. The Scouts had 6 two day weekend monthly hikes and a glorious Training Camp in Dahanu while the Cubs had a fine one day training camp at Jogeshwari where they freely mixed with the Cubs of many other packs and thanks to Mrs. Parikh a fine hike as well to Pawai lake. Allow me to mention the fine trips to Kashmir during the month of May. The 12 boys that were lucky enough to be allowed by their parents to join the trip will not easily forget the grand and superb scenery of Switzerland of the East the happy days of Srinagar with the cycle and pony rides, the fine house boat the colours and scent of the beautiful gardens and allow me to be prosaic the nuts. Cherrie and strawberries of that really wonderful valley of Kashmir.
On our way there we visited the famous Taj Mahal and other beauties of Agra the Forts and Tmples of Gwalior and the Red Fort and the Kutub Mina rod Delhi. The only pity was that not many more took advantage of the Educational as well as Recreational tour that we can never forget. Coming to the staff we were really sorry to have to wish adieu to the new class master of std VII Mr. Sidney Brown. In two months’ time he had endeared himself o all the bys, but we thought it more prudent that he should first get his degree and then so we hope come back to us to stay for good. To fill in the gap we were lucky to obtain the services f a well experienced teacher Mrs. Mildred Grant who remains now on our staff. Drawing which was up till 1951 one of the subjects of the class teaches is now in the able hands of Miss Maude Rodricks. There have been many other minor improvements in the school but I do hope that the year 1953 with the opening of Std VII will see yet many more. If I am to believe words you all appreciate the education imparted to your children in Campion School and I feel assured that with your kind cooperation I ca courageously go ahead in the endeavourers to make Campion School an ideal High School where your children may have the best masters to train their young minds mould their characters and develop their bodies so that the old saying ‘Men Sana In Corpore Sono’ -a healthy mind in a healthy body- may help us to attain the Campion School motto – ‘IN VERITATE GAUDIUM –JOY IN TRUTH’