NEWS IN BRIEF FOR THE PAST PUPILS OF ST.MICHAEL’S COLLEGE, BATTICALOA (North America)
E-Mail:
smcobacanada@hotmail.com
DATE: SATURDAY,
AUGUST 2nd, 2003.
VENUE: CENTENNIAL PARK, ETOBICOKE
PICNIC AREA # 5
(North of Green-House with wash-room &
shelter - Parking at the end of Elmcrest Road)
Please inform your friends & teachers from St.Michael’s College and
Batticaloa be present, to share the good-old hometown memories.
Hot-dogs, hamburgers, short-eats and pop will be provided at a nominal
price.
The highlight of this year’s picnic would be the ‘Cricket Festival’
Matches
between the Old-boys of St.Michael’s / Central college / Shivananda &
Government College
We are proud to announce that our association is in the process of donating 30 tournament quality Basketballs, 10 B.Ball nets, 50 Cricket balls (Leather) to St. Michael’s College. On top of the equipment we subsidize the allowance given to the coaches, to provide night practices, in light of the busy evening tutorial engagements the current students are having, to upgrade their educational skills. This is part of our annual donation program to equip and train the college teams to be in the forefront of the All Island Championships, which provide substantial employment and leadership to the youth of Batticaloa.
In order to boost the encouragement and
morale our Association has offered Rs.50,000 to any one of the three basketball
teams from College, if they win the All-Island Championships. Our association
strongly feels that the Legacy left by Fr.Eugine Herbert should continue, as
St.Michael’s being the formidable force and basketball frontrunners in the whole
Island.
We are pleased to announce that our association has donated cash awards,
which were given at the College Annual Prize Giving, held last month, to the
best students qualified for the four university faculties. This award was
a great motivation to the students and was endorsed and appreciated by the
staff and the school development council.
A total of 33 students entered the Universities
with a record 13 entering the Engineering Faculty.
Our association has donated a wind-blower as part of our undertaking towards
maintaining the basketball courts at College. This gift will eliminate the
necessity of brooms and many hours of labor before the daily practices and
matches. We have also made arrangements to upgrade the courts with fresh painting
and filling.
To commemorate this undertaking we have requested the Principal to make arrangements to erect a Granite-slab inscribing our intention by the courts. Beside our Association’s name the following also would be inscribed – ‘ In honor of Late Rev.Fr.Eugine Herbert’s dedication and service to the game of Basket-ball at College.’
The principal and staff of St.Michael’s College have established “The
Michaelean of the Year” for the student who has contributed exceptionally,
his time & skills towards the upliftment of the welfare among the students
and community at large, at our request. This was established,
to commemorate the services of the recently deceased, long-time teacher and
Vice. Principal Mr.Rasiah.
This award was given at the Prize giving in which our Old boy and MP
for Batticaloa Mr.Joseph Pararajasingam assisted in bringing the Hon. Minister
for Education Mr.K.Kodiththuvaku as Chief Guest.
DONATION OF BOOKS TO THE COLLEGE LIBRARY
Our Association has shipped a record 1500 books and magazines to the College
Library. Most of the textbooks are in the field of Science/Maths/Technology
and Literature. We have requested the Principal to sort the books and send
the more advanced books that cannot be useful to the students, to the Batticaloa
Public Library.
We feel that this contribution of ours would benefit the entire student
population, especially to the recently established Grade 6 and Advanced level
English medium.
DEVELOPMENT
OF BATTICALOA PUBLIC LIBRARY
Our association in collaboration with all the Batticaloa Old Schools Associations
in Canada, is taking an active part in upgrading the Batticaloa Public Library.
In this regard we commend the donation of books given by the Past students
of Bt/Govt.College which is already been shipped. While the world at large
has embraced the power of knowledge to harmonize and uplift their standard
of living, we felt that it’s time that we do our duty on the same direction
towards our homeland.
At the request of the Commissioner, Municipal Council-Batticaloa, we
have instructed him to obtain a list of books that are urgently needed towards
the benefit of the students from the University, Nursing College, Technical
Institutes and High schools in the region. These donated books would be placed
in the newly constructed wing of the Library facing the lake.
Donation of Washing
Machine by Mr.Stanislaus Aloysius
We thank our Committee Member Mr.Stanislaus Aloysius, to have donated
a washing machine to College for the purpose of washing the College jerseys.
The coaches did this manually in the past. He also has donated 22 pairs of
Shin-Guards to be used by the College Soccer teams.
Our association has feted Fr.Paul Satkunanayagam with a dinner during
his recent visit to Toronto. He applauded and commended our many activities
over the years while stressing the strong bond and impact that it has created
among the students and public at large. He also has offered, to clear the consignments
that we have shipped to College.
We invite all past pupils and teachers living in North America to get
involved in our association’s plans and activities through their suggestions
and contributions. Your membership of $20/- would make our association stronger
and would also keep you informed of all our activities through our News Letter,
not to mention the large impact it would make in the lives of many living
in Batticaloa.
350 Alton Tower Circle,
Suite 609, Toronto, Ont. M1V 5E3.