C

atholic Education Society’s Michael High School,

Kurla West, Mumbai, has entered its 40th year.

Known for its creative and humane education,

the school is run by an enthusiastic couple,

Moses M. Gomes, the founder, and his wife Jean

Gomes, the principal. The school caters to students

of all castes and creed with more than 8500 students.

Mr Gomes had a humble beginning in the Holy

Cross Parish of Kurla where he was a gravedigger

and then a peon of the parish school. Today he

stands firm as the CEO and founder of Michael

High School & Marceline Junior College, named

after his parents. Mrs. Gomes has a passion and zest

for education. Amongst many awards, she has also

received the National Award for

Best Teacher 2011 from Shri Pranab

Mukherjee, the then President of

India.

The school has a very different

approach to education as it focuses

on the all-round development of the

students as well as making them

socially and environmentally aware.

It is an oasis in this concrete city of

Mumbai, as it has more than 3500

different plants of fruits, flowers,

vegetables and plants of healing

nature. It encourages its students to

participate in many co-curricular and

social activities. From vermiculture

to planting, saving electricity to

fitness, the school is a budding house

of activities for its students.

The school, on its 40th anniversary

of its foundation, has organized a

number of programmes involving

the students, parents and teachers.

From the first marathon in Kurla

with more than 500 participants,

cooking competitions for parents,

rallies for students, to a number

of workshops for teachers, the

school has left no stone unturned

to enhance the personalities of all

those associated with it. The school

also makes it point to visit many

orphanages and old age homes so

that students can spend time with

them.

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