St. Augustine's School is a school in the hill station town of Kalimpong in West Bengal

West Bengal

West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...

, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. The school conducts classes in the English language and follows the ICSE

Indian Certificate of Secondary Education

The Indian Certificate of Secondary Education or ICSE examination is an examination conducted by the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, a private, non-governmental board of school education in India, for class 10, i.e., grade 10...

 and ISC

Indian School Certificate

The Indian School Certificate is an examination conducted by the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations for Grade 11, i.e., year 11, until 1976....

 syllabus.

Early years

In 1941, Fr Benjamin Stolke, a missionary undertook to tutor a few boys of St. Joseph's Convent in Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

 thereby preparing them for admission into North Point School, Darjeeling. Soon, Father Stolke started classes for 12-15 boys ranging from Kindergarten

Kindergarten

A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...

 to Matriculation

Matriculation

Matriculation, in the broadest sense, means to be registered or added to a list, from the Latin matricula – little list. In Scottish heraldry, for instance, a matriculation is a registration of armorial bearings...

 and Senior Cambridge

Senior Cambridge

The Senior Cambridge examinations were General Certificate of Education examinations held in Pakistan, Malaysia, Singapore, India, and Jamaica. They were preceded by the Junior Cambridge and Preliminary Cambridge examinations.-India:...

 in his own residence. The threat of Japanese bombardment over Calcutta during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 induced anxious parents to evacuate their children to the hills and some of them came to swell the ranks of the nascent school. Mgr. Gianora, who had long been eager to set up a high school at the headquarters of the Sikkim Mission, readily gave his blessing to the new enterprise and even consented to take up a class. The school and the Fathers were then housed in the old Prefecture Apostolic.

Founding and early struggle

In 1945, it was shifted to the current presbytery of the institution. Fr. Eberhard had taken over as Principal and he opened the first Admission Register with 27 entries. Foreseeing future developments, Mgr. Gianora purchased 14 acres (56,656 m²) of adjacent land and leveled up a piece of building ground, but funds remained scarce and, for another thirty years, the ‘New Land’, as it used to be called, was handed over to the Swiss Dairy. Meanwhile, an application for the school’s recognition was turned down by the Board of Secondary Education as the Government of West Bengal

Government of West Bengal

The Government of West Bengal also known as the State Government of West Bengal, or locally as State Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of West Bengal and its 19 districts...

 was itself contemplating the establishment of a Government High School in Kalimpong. The school then had about sixty students.

Fr. Albert Lee, who had succeeded Fr. Eberhard at the helm, obtained the school's affiliation to the University of Cambridge

University of Cambridge

The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...

. The first candidate appeared in 1952. Fr. Eberhard returned from leave, but soon again handed over charge to Brother Peter Grobety, who in two years, enhanced the popularity of St. Augustine's School(S.A.S.) and it became urgent to find a solution for its extension.

By adding an aisle and a top floor, Mgr. Gianora increased dormitory space to 75 beds. The kitchen and refectory were promoted by being transferred from the current garage to the old church, no longer in use for religious purposes.

Establishment

There seemed to be no hope of any extension, when a Swiss gentleman, Mr. Mentha visited from a Swiss Government Agency called Swiss Technical Co-operation. A detailed project was prepared and an architect and an engineer were summoned from Switzerland. The Swiss Government grant was finally sanctioned when the Ambassador obtained ‘non-obstat’ from the Indian Ministry for External Affairs.

In the autumn of 1965, the first soil was dug, triggering 5 years of building and culminating in a new campus. Such was the rush for admissions in 1967 that the first building had to be occupied before its completion. This building won the admiration of Mgr. Caprio, former Internuncio who hallowed it in the month of April 1968. Meanwhile, under the supervision of Fr. Ruckstuhl and later, Fr. Martin Rey, work was progressing steadily and in 1970, the new hostel was in turn ready to welcome the students on their return from the winter holidays. By the end of the same year, the exterior of the hall was also completed. Both hostel and hall were blessed by Mgr. H Salina, newly elected Father Abbot, in the month of November of the same year.

The School was affiliated to the Council in the year 1970 and Fr. Edward Gressot, Fr. Thomas D’Souza, Fr. Felix Baretto, Fr. Paul D’Souza, Fr. Samuel Lepcha and Fr. Valerian Viegas have led the Institution efficiently, being its head. Fr. Lawrence Monteiro is the Principal of the school. Fifty years after the formal inauguration of the school, the first batch of ISC appeared for their examinations of March 1995.

Motto

The motto of the school is Per ardua ad astra

Per ardua ad astra

Per ardua ad astra is the motto of the Royal Air Force and other Commonwealth air forces such as the RAAF, RCAF, and RNZAF. It dates from 1912 and was used by the newly formed Royal Flying Corps.-Origin:The first Commanding Officer of the Royal Flying Corps was Colonel Frederick Sykes...

- meaning "Through Hard Work to the Stars". That is to say, by hard work and perseverance the students can succeed.