Influence of St. Aloysius' and Its Teachers

So my life from rags to riches, from elementary education to self-acquired knowledge, from shattering adversity to rewarding accomplishment, is an epitome of the determination, the tenacity, the purposefulness, and, above all, the cultural values, inculcated in me, as a Buddhist, by the teaching and the example of the Christian Fathers and Teachers who moulded my up-bringing in the impressionable age of my youth. I then learnt never to take no for an answer! (N.U. Jayawardena, The Aloysian 19151990 Diamond Souvenir, p.256)

- KUMARI JAYAWARDENA AND JENNIFER MORAGODA

(Chapter IV continued)

Compared to the other schools NU had attended, St. Aloysius' with its numerous facilities was a lively and stimulating place for a young boy. It opened up a new world, where studies, sports, cadeting, field trips, debates, theatrical performances (including Shakespeare and Molière), as well as an excellent school magazine, were features of school life. Other advantages were the science laboratory, library and reading room, and a dedicated teaching staff, which included scholars such as Father S.G. Perera, the historian, and several Belgian, British and Irish priests who were specialists in various fields. There were also excellent local teachers, Sinhala, Tamil and Burgher. The staff of St. Aloysius', composed as it was of teachers from diverse communities, including foreigners, broadened the vision of the boys, who generally came from monolingual, mono-ethnic backgrounds. The school magazine The Aloysian, published annually, kept up a high standard, and included articles, poems and sketches by studentsand articles by staff members. The school motto was "Certa Viriliter" (Fight Manfully), and the school crest included the letters "I.H.S.," the first three letters of the Greek word for Jesus, which was an old Jesuit emblem. The original crest (designed by Father Soden) had two elephants and two lions. When the crest was modified in 1933 and fashioned as a shield, these were replaced by four symbols: an elephant for Sri Lanka; three lilies for purity of conscience, associated with St. Aloysius; the flaming torch (of learning); and the rooster, the Dutch emblem of Galle (The Aloysian 1915-1990, pp.57-58).

NU's Teachers