Sophia high school
Encyclopedia
Sophia High School is a private school in Bangalore
, India
. The middle and high schools are girls-only while the primary school is co-educational.
overlooking the Vidhan Soudha and the Bangalore golf course.
In August 1948 when the Internuncio and the Apostolic Delegation shifted to New Delhi
, his residence and grounds was taken over by a group of Catholic nuns called the Sisters of Notre Dame. In January 1949, three pioneers of the order, Mother Catherine Andersson, Mother Ivy Bourke and Sister Dorothy Bullen decided to open a school at the only residential building on the grounds, the old "white bungalow". A small Montessori class with 17 students and one qualified teacher was established. About 40% of the students admitted were not Indian nationals.
Since 1949 Sophia's has grown significantly. The old "white bunglow" was remodelled in 1998. The school's current enrollment is over 2,000 students. The school is not a religious organization and its students, who are chosen through a competitive interview process, hail from many different ethnicities.
examinations. The school also prepares students for the 12th grade national ISC examination
conducted by the Council for ISC Examination, New Delhi. The medium of instruction is English. It is also one of the hardest schools to gain admission to, with lines snaking outside the gates of the school during sales of admission forms.
As with any first-class high school, Sophia's has a superlative college placement record. The majority of graduates regularly attend some of the best colleges and universities in India and around the world, such as the IITs
, NID
, BITS Pilani, Delhi School of Economics
, St. Stephen's College
, the St Xavier's Colleges in Bombay and Calcutta, Lady Shri Ram College, the Ivy League
universities in USA and many others.
Sophia has a history of excelling at cultural, literary and sports activities. Extracurricular activities and talents are encouraged enthusiastically as part of the regular school routine and Sophiaites are widely regarded as Bangalore's best in terms of theatre, music and dance. Sophia currently has Bangalore's best girls' basketball
team. It also has what is widely considered to be the best Throwball
team in Bangalore
, and are the defending champions in five tournaments.
Sophia has held many concerts over the years, to raise funds for various causes. A production of The King And I was held in Chowdiah Memorial Hall in 2002. They did a rendition of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, Joseph And The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, in 2006, which was held to raise funds for the construction of the Auditorium block of the school. It was held at the Bishop Cottons Boys High School Auditorium. In 2010, the school did a musical version of the Disney movie, Mulan
. It was the first concert to be held in the school's own auditorium and was held to raise money for the construction of a school in rural Karanataka.
Sister Mary Priscilla,
Sister Mary Rosilin,(Primary)
Sister Mary Nayana.(Opportunity)
(Recent Formers)
Sister Mary Sandhya,
Sister Mary Aneeta, (Primary)
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, 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 middle and high schools are girls-only while the primary school is co-educational.
History
Sophia High School is located on 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) in central BangaloreBangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
overlooking the Vidhan Soudha and the Bangalore golf course.
In August 1948 when the Internuncio and the Apostolic Delegation shifted to New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
, his residence and grounds was taken over by a group of Catholic nuns called the Sisters of Notre Dame. In January 1949, three pioneers of the order, Mother Catherine Andersson, Mother Ivy Bourke and Sister Dorothy Bullen decided to open a school at the only residential building on the grounds, the old "white bungalow". A small Montessori class with 17 students and one qualified teacher was established. About 40% of the students admitted were not Indian nationals.
Since 1949 Sophia's has grown significantly. The old "white bunglow" was remodelled in 1998. The school's current enrollment is over 2,000 students. The school is not a religious organization and its students, who are chosen through a competitive interview process, hail from many different ethnicities.
Academics
Sophia's prepares students for the 10th grade national ICSEIndian 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...
examinations. The school also prepares students for the 12th grade national ISC examination
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....
conducted by the Council for ISC Examination, New Delhi. The medium of instruction is English. It is also one of the hardest schools to gain admission to, with lines snaking outside the gates of the school during sales of admission forms.
As with any first-class high school, Sophia's has a superlative college placement record. The majority of graduates regularly attend some of the best colleges and universities in India and around the world, such as the IITs
Indian Institutes of Technology
The Indian Institutes of Technology are a group of autonomous engineering and technology-oriented institutes of higher education. The IITs are governed by the Institutes of Technology Act, 1961 which has declared them as “institutions of national importance”, and lays down their powers, duties,...
, NID
NID
Nid may refer to:* Nīþ, a social stigma implying the loss of honour in historical Germanic societyacronym NID* National Institute of Design, a design school in Ahmedabad, India...
, BITS Pilani, Delhi School of Economics
Delhi School of Economics
Delhi School of Economics , commonly referred to as DSE or D School, is a centre of post graduate learning of the University of Delhi. The centre is situated in the university's North Campus in Maurice Nagar, and is surrounded by a host of other prestigious academic institutions of the country...
, St. Stephen's College
St. Stephen's College, Delhi
St. Stephen's College is a constituent college of the University of Delhi located in Delhi, India. The college admits both undergraduates and post-graduates, and awards degrees under the purview of the University. Famous for its rich history and many traditions, St...
, the St Xavier's Colleges in Bombay and Calcutta, Lady Shri Ram College, the Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
universities in USA and many others.
Sophia has a history of excelling at cultural, literary and sports activities. Extracurricular activities and talents are encouraged enthusiastically as part of the regular school routine and Sophiaites are widely regarded as Bangalore's best in terms of theatre, music and dance. Sophia currently has Bangalore's best girls' basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team. It also has what is widely considered to be the best Throwball
Throwball
Throwball is a non-contact ball sport played across a net between two teams of seven players on a rectangular court. Throwball is popular in Asia, especially on the Indian subcontinent, and was first played in India as a women's sport in Chennai during the 1940s. Like volleyball, the game's roots...
team in Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, and are the defending champions in five tournaments.
Sophia has held many concerts over the years, to raise funds for various causes. A production of The King And I was held in Chowdiah Memorial Hall in 2002. They did a rendition of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, Joseph And The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, in 2006, which was held to raise funds for the construction of the Auditorium block of the school. It was held at the Bishop Cottons Boys High School Auditorium. In 2010, the school did a musical version of the Disney movie, Mulan
Mulan
Mulan is a 1998 American animated film directed by Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook, with story by Robert D. San Souci and screenplay by Rita Hsiao, Philip LaZebnik, Chris Sanders, Eugenia Bostwick-Singer, and Raymond Singer. It was produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney...
. It was the first concert to be held in the school's own auditorium and was held to raise money for the construction of a school in rural Karanataka.
The house system
Apart from academics, students are encouraged to participate in a wide variety of co-curricular activities. Activities and competitions within the school are conducted in cohorts or "houses". These houses are named after the founder members of the school, with the Julie House being changed from the Duschene House after the Notre Dame Sisters took over from the Sacred Heart sisters.- Andersson - golden house
- Barat - red house
- Bennett - lavender or purple house
- Julie - green house
School Motto and School Song
The school follows the motto of 'Truth And Universal Love', which they expect all their students to strive to achieve. The School Song was written by one of the founder members of the school, Mother Anderson. It reflects the motto of the school.Athletes
- Nisha Millet, swimmer who was the “wonder girl in Indian swimming” at the age of 15
- Shikha Tandon, swimmer who has represented the country at several prestigious competitions all over the world
- Nisha Ann Reginald, National basketball player
Dancers
Activists
- Vidya Pai, Animal Welfare, LGBT Rights
- Anjali Padmarajan, Lawyer (Min. Wage Earners)
- Dr. Shiela Rao, Founder, CUPA, Animal Welfare
- Sudha S Narayanan, CUPA, Animal Welfare
- Chitra Narayanan, CUPA, Animal Welfare
- Nandini Alva, Art
- Namita Kulkarni, Art
The Sophia Opportunity School
Sophia's Opportunity School branch educates specially abled children. This branch also undertakes social action out reach programs, such as work with a street children’s home in Chamrajpet, interaction with the women inmates of Bangalore's Central Jail, a day in rural schools in the Bangalore metro and visits to aged and orphan homes in the area.Buildings
There are five main buildings; Cuvilly(middle school), Duschene(high school), Julie(pre-primary), Barat(primary) and the ISC block(+2). The Cuvilly building houses the enormous auditorium, a new venture which has proven to be hugely successful. It was formerly known as the Mater Building.Principals
(Current)Sister Mary Priscilla,
Sister Mary Rosilin,(Primary)
Sister Mary Nayana.(Opportunity)
(Recent Formers)
Sister Mary Sandhya,
Sister Mary Aneeta, (Primary)