Don Bosco High School, Guwahati

Don Bosco High School, Guwahati
Virtus et Scientia (Latin;Virtue and Knowledge)
Location
Panbazar Guwahati, 781001 India
Coordinates	26°11′06″N 91°44′45″E / 26.185126°N 91.745929°E / 26.185126; 91.745929Coordinates: 26°11′06″N 91°44′45″E / 26.185126°N 91.745929°E / 26.185126; 91.745929
Information
Type	Private
Religious affiliation(s)	Catholic
Established	February, 1948
Principal	Fr. Joseph M Thellekatt, SDB
Number of students	2000
Houses	Phukan     , Lachit     , Bordoloi     , Bezbaruah
Affiliation	Central Board of Secondary Education
Information	0361-2543101, 2540583
Website	www.donboscoguwahati.net

Don Bosco School is a school located in Guwahati, Assam, India. It is a Catholic school founded on the teachings of Saint John Bosco and is run by the Salesians of Don Bosco.

Don Bosco High School Guwahati was founded in 1948. This was the first school in north-east India to have computer education (1987), a new auditorium and sports complex (1993) and a meteorological observatory centre (2002).

History

First Phase

May 24, 1926 was a red letter day for the catholic mission, Gauhati (the then spelling of Guwahati). On that day ‘Our Lady’s Orphanage’ a school for poor and abandoned boys of Assam plains was inaugurated by Rt. Rev. Mgr. Mathias S.C.D.D., Prefect Apostolic of Assam. It started with the help of many benefactors. A residence and a workshop were constructed. The technical school which started in 1928 with 12 students had grown into two large workshops with 200 students by 1938. ‘Our Lady’s Orphanage’ thus changed to Don Bosco Technical School, Guwahati. In 1937 the students had classes from I to IV. Then the Second World War broke out and in June 1942, the school and the premises were taken over by the army. The school had to be closed.

Second Phase

St. John Bosco, the "Friend of the Young and the Poor," on whose teachings Don Bosco School, Guwahati is established

In February 1948, in an inaugural ceremony presided over by Dr. Bhubaneswar Barua, the school was formally restarted with an enrolment of 92 students in five classes from III to VII, with Mr. Har Mohan Das as the Headmaster. The number of students according to the enrollment classwise was:

Class	Students
III	29
IV	16
V	7
VI	18
VII	21

The first staff members of Don Bosco School in 1948 were

• Rev. Fr. Attilio Colussi Principal
• Mr. Harmohan Das Headmaster
• Rev. Fr. Morra Asst. Teacher
• Rev. Fr. Burns Asst. Teacher
• Rev. Fr. P.Taverna Asst. Teacher
• Mr. B.R.Kakati Asst. Teacher
• Mr. B.Das Asst. Teacher
• Mr. M.Sharma Asst. Teacher
• Mr. B.Sarma Asst. Teacher

Opening of Class VIII was approved by the director of public instruction in February 1948. The school was affiliated to Gauhati University in 1951 and its candidates were permitted to appear for matriculation from 1952, when nine out of 12 students in Class X appeared and eight succeeded. Mr. Nirmal Kumar Choudhury former Vice Chancellor of Gauhati University was one of them. Parts of the school buildings were used by Assam Civil Engineering School prior to 1948 and by Gauhati University in 1948. Public demand in 1958 led to the opening of the English section from Class VIII with required permission from the University. Class IV, V and VI in the English section started from 1962 and soon the school forged ahead.

Milestones

1922-1953

• 1922 - Arrival of the Salesian Missionaries. Establishment of Don Bosco Centre in Guwahati. First Salesian Priest to work in Guwahati - Fr. Gill (from Spain).
• 1925 - First Rector of Don Bosco School, Guwahati - Fr. Piasescki ( Poland).
• 1926 – Opening of our Lady’s Orphanage by Fr. Piasescki (Rector) and Msgr. Mathias (Provincial).
• 1928 - Don Bosco Technical School opened in Guwahati
• 1947 - Don Bosco College Hostel started by Fr.Uget, Provincial and Fr. Colussi, Rector.
• 1948 - Opening of Don Bosco School, Guwahati
• 1952 - First Batch of students to write matric examinations under Guwahati University.
• 1953 - First issue of the school magazine "The Bosconian" was published.

1954-1987

• 1954 - Introduction of house system.
• 1964 - First batch of students to write HSLC exams under SEBA.
• 1968 - Don Bosco Technical School shifted to Don Bosco Maligaon.
• 1973 - Silver Jubilee of Don Bosco School, Guwahati.
• 1978 – Interact Club takes initiatives to bring Mother Teresa to Guwahati and established the first concert.
• 1980 - Opening of Pre-primary and Primary Classes.
• 1987 - Introduction of computers in the School.

1988-2002

• 1988 – The Celebration of Don Bosco’s Birth Centenary by the Salesian family under the leadership of Don Bosco Guwahati. All India Don Bosco Table Tennis Championship and Centenary of Don Bosco organised.
• 1989 - First issue of school newsletter "Bosconews" published.
• 1990 – The Blessing of the newly constructed St. Joseph’s Church.
• 1993 - Inauguration of the new Don Bosco Auditorium cum Sports Complex.
• 1995 – The diocese of Guwahati became an Archdiocese.
• 2002 – Construction of the covered gallery and the Bro. Ignatius Pavilion
• 2002 - Girl students admitted into the Evening school. Adult literacy and Skills training centre opened, for women.
• 2002 - Inauguration of the Office of the DB Past Pupils, Guwahati Unit.

2003-2005

• 2003 - Launching of WebSite www.donboscoguwahati.net.
• 2004 – Renovation and air-conditioning of Don Bosco library
• 2004 – Inauguration of Don Bosco Annex
• 2004 - Commencement of “Live-in Exposure Camps” for Primary and middle school classes
• 2004 – Inauguration of Vechi and Vigano computer labs
• 2004 – Abolishing of examination and tests for primary classes and the introduction of continuous evaluation for the primary school.
• 2005 - Introduction of Digital classroom and multi-media teaching aids

2006

• 2006 – Construction of the Art Gallery
• 2006 - The first ever Don Bosco Rongali Bihu Utsav
• 2006 – Affiliation of the school to Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)
• 2006 – Foundation Laying ceremony for the Centenary Block

2008

• 2008 – Blessing of the Academic Wing of the Centenary Block
• 2008 - Abolishing of textbooks for classes I-III
• 2008 – Last batch for HSLC examinations under Secondary Education Board of Assam (SEBA)
• 2008 – Inauguration of Jeevan Sarathi Counselling services
• 2008 – Inauguration of Diamond Jubilee Park and monument of Gandhiji
• 2008 - Installation of wall murals of the four patrons of the house system.
• 2008 – Foundation laying ceremony of the Diamond Jubilee Wing for disaster management.

2009–present

• 2009 – First batch for Board exams under Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)
• 2009 – Don Bosco upgraded to Senior Secondary
• 2009 – Admission of girl students to class XI

Rectors

• Fr. Attilio Colussi [1948 - 1949]
• Fr. Arneodo [1949 - 1953]
• Fr. E. Zanon [1953 - 1957]
• Fr. Del Col [1957 - 1960]
• Fr. Melino [1960 - 1967
• Fr. Patrick Burns [1967 - 1973]
• Fr. T.T. Thomas [1973 - 1979]
• Fr. P.J. Thomas [1979 - 1985]
• Fr. V.M. Thomas [1985 - 1989]
• Fr. C.T. Lukose [1989 - 1992]
• Fr. K.O. Augustine [1992 - 1995]
• Fr. C. Kuriala [1995 - 2001]
• Fr. J.M. Thelekkatt [2001—present ]

Headmasters

• Mr. Harmohan Das 1948-1953
• Fr. Patrick Burns 1953-1968
• Fr. Thomas Vattoth 1968-1971
• Fr. K.S.Paul 1971-1973
• Fr. T.T.Thomas 1973-1979
• Fr. J.Thelekkatt 1979-1980
• Fr. V.J.Sebastian 1980-1982
• Fr. V.M.Thomas 1982-1990
• Fr. M.C.George 1990-1993
• Fr. Mathew Vellankal 1993-1995
• Fr. C.Kuriala 1995-2001
• Fr. J. M. Thelekkatt 2001

Organisation

• Provincial And Council
• Managing Committee
• Chairman And Members
• Principal : Fr. J. M. Thelekkatt, Sdb
• Vice Principal : Fr. Saju Kariyil , Sdb

	Coordinator	Asst. Coordinator	Controller Of Exams
Senior/Senior Secondary	Mr. Samuel V.K.	Mrs. R. Bhatacharjee	Mrs. Sharmi Chakraborty	Mr. Phillip Thipthorpe	Mrs. Luna Das
Middle School	Ms. Mollika Sharma	Mrs. Thresa Reddy	Mr. Lawrence Anthony
Primary School	Mrs. Ruth Gomez	Mr. Basil Maraya	Mrs. Ruth Gomez

• House Coordinator

• Mr. Abonti Kumar Bordoloi
• Mr. Phillip Thipthorpe
• Mr. Banjit Barman
• Mrs. Praneeta Gogoi
• Mrs. Riina Dey
• Mr. James Anthony

• Sports Coordinator

• Mr. Dipankar Bhattacharjee
• Mr. Bhaskar Jyoti Sarma
• Mr. Lawrence Anthony
• Mrs. Mamoni Das, Cl.1-2
• Mr. James Anthony, Cl.3-4

• Staff Room In-charge

• Senior secondary (3rd floor): Mrs. Shibani D. Choudhury
• Senior : (2nd floor): Mrs. Sangita Chakraborty
• Middle : (1st floor): Mrs. Moushumi Purkayastha
• Primary: (ground floor): Mrs. Nahleen Begum

• Inter School events in-charge

• Senior/Senior Secondary : Mrs. Sharmi Chakraborty
• Middle  : Mrs. Munmi B. Mazumdar
• Primary  : Mrs. Leena Das

House System

Bezbarua House

Motto: No Pain, No Gain, colour: yellow     

Marshall

Senior/Senior Secondary: Mrs. Reeta Bhatacharjee

Middle: Mrs. Munmi Mazumdar

Primary: Mrs. Manisha Barua

Prefect: Arupam Das Vice Prefect: Vishal Baishya

Bordoloi House

Motto: Character Is True Wealth, colour: green     

Marshall

Senior/Senior Secondary: Mr. Santanu Chakraborty

Middle: Mrs. Sagarika Singh

Primary: Mrs. Mamoni Das

Prefect: Abhinav Borthakur Vice Prefect: Pratas Saharia

Lachit House

Motto: Service To Humanity, colour: Red     

Marshall

Senior/Senior Secondary: Mrs. Nilaskshi Barua

Middle: Mrs. Maushumi Purkayastha

Primary: Mrs. Leena Das

Prefect: Milap Das Vice Prefect: Supratik Bordoloi

Phukan House

Motto: Nobility Of Character, colour: Blue     

Marshall

Senior/Senior Secondary: Mr. Gauri S. Sarma

Middle: Mrs. Thresa Reddy

Primary: Mr. Basil Maraya

Prefect: Rishiraj Choudhury Vice Prefect: Anubhav Atreya

Notable alumni

• Soumitra Sen, former judge of Calcutta High Court

References

Official website