The Teenager Today – July 2019

to the girls who belong not only to

Nainital but to those who come from

all corners of the country.

It was in 1914 that the pupils of

the College started appearing for

the Cambridge Overseas School

Certificate. Till 1946, the school

flourished gradually but the

independence of India in 1947 created

an unforeseen problem for the College

when its staff members as well as its

students from the western countries

and Australia decided to return to

their countries. In its moment of crisis,

Ms. Romela Chatterji took over as the

Principal of the College. The school

came close to closure with only 17

students in 1950, but its new Principal,

Miss Dorothy King, Indianised the

college and brought it back on track.

By 1956, the college was on a recovery

track with 144 students.

Under its present Principal, Mrs.

Kiran E. Jeremiah, today the College

can boast of being among the best

girls’ institutions in the country. The

core values in teaching for the college

laid down by her are Compassion,

Friendship, Courage, Excellence,

Responsibility, Community, Integrity,

Humility, Respect and Love.

Believe it or not, All Saints College is

among the rare colleges in the country

where private tuition is discouraged.

Its dedicated set of teachers makes

every endeavour to spend extra time

with their students who require

additional help in

their academics.

Another unique

feature of the

College is that for

the boarders, the

Principal is the

‘local guardian’ and

the college does not recognise any

other legal guardian of the students

other than the person who admits the

student into the college.

The college may also be unique in the

type of education that it imparts to its

pupils. There is a positive impetus in

an all-round development. Academics

is only a part of the curriculum and

many of the common extra-curricular

activities are just a part of many others.

Enjoying the advantage of the Naini

Lake, the girls get an opportunity for

sailing and kayaking, but there is a

social responsibility attached to the

use of the lake. Once in a while, the

students and teachers sacrifice their free

time to help the local administration

in cleaning the lake. The College is

among the very few hill station-located

educational institutions which can boast

of a swimming pool which is an added

advantage for the students.

The students are never far from the

culture of the country. They celebrate

not only the widely-celebrated

festivals of the country but even the

local cultural events and festivals are

celebrated with equal fervour. Although

Looking back at the seven years that

I spent at All Saints, the memories are

overwhelmingly full of light, vitality, outdoor

activities, sports, having fun with friends

and being completely involved with the

culture of the school community. We prayed

every day for peace in the Middle East

and then when the war started in Vietnam,

we prayed for peace there as well. Happy

150 th, All Saints’ College! Hope you go on

for another 150 years, providing quality

education for our young girls.

Sukhinder Kaur Gill Turner

Mayor of Dunedin, New Zealand

(1995-2004)

many of the boarders are from affluent

families, they have a very practical

lesson about the dignity of labour. Not

only does the College honour its menial

staff on Labours’ Day but the girls have

to work in the kitchen and prepare their

food and clean their utensils.

The quality and the type of education

imparted today by this educational

institution can be well gauged by the

performance of some of its alumni in

the outside world. It is remarkable

indeed when one learns that its alumni

have excelled in almost all spheres

of human living. The reason for this

excellence is not far to see; students of

eighth and tenth standards undergo

sessions of career counselling which

helps them in their choice of subjects

in the next class and nothing can be a

better impetus for young hearts to do

well when they are able to decide what

they want to pursue as a career.

It is remarkable indeed as to how

this 150-year-old College has survived

through hard times to rise into the

firmament and take a firm position like

the Northern Star fixed in its position

to give the country some of its shining

stars.