Bombay Scottish School was originally established for children of Scottish descent, but later opened its doors to all communities. Today, ‘Scottish’, as it is popularly known as, is a perfect blend of old and new architecture. It is also considered to be one of the best schools in the country.
History
In 1847, a small group of Scottish missionaries decided to give orphaned children of Scottish Presbyterian soldiers an education that would enable them to take their rightful place in society. In 1859, the Bombay Scottish Orphanage School came into being. By 1976, however, the name was changed to Bombay Scottish School since it was no longer limited to orphans.
The premises included a gigantic plot opposite the sea and an imposing edifice was constructed. The single-storeyed structure in black granite, built in colonial style is now declared a heritage site. The kindergarten classes are located here, as is the principal’s residence, the chapel and the huge library. The chapel is known as the Mackay Hall, which serves as a singing room, multimedia theatre and a prayer and meeting hall.
The two-storeyed North Block that was constructed in 1937, consists of an art room, the science laboratories and lecture rooms. To accommodate the increasing number of enrolled students, another three-storeyed South Block was constructed in 1967. This block has the largest hall- the Gamaliel Hall, which accomadates the students during the morning assembly, competitions and examinations.
The school also has an ancient Banyan tree, which forms an integral and symbolic part of the campus.
Furthermore, a 105-year-old piano still remains intact and is played every morning at the assembly and for other events.
Modern Infrastructure
In 1997, to coincide with the school’s 150th year, a three-storeyed extension was added to the Heritage Block to house additional classrooms and computer labs.
The most recent introduction in the form of an additional building that houses a basketball court was completed in 2009. This building is primarily for the senior classes including the ISC section. Most of the classrooms are now aided with digitally responsive interwrite boards.
Library and Laboratories
The main library has over 20,000 books available to all the students throughout the day. The laboratories are divided according to the sciences and the students carry out their practical work here.
Extracurricular Activities
The school has one of the most lavishly organised annual Christmas Concerts, which is spread over three days. The concert gives every student an opportunity to perform, either individually or along with the entire class. This is the most-awaited period of the year as it ensures loads of fun and frolic a month in advance, what with all the practice sessions!
Canteen
Besides these aspects of the campus, the school also has one of the most reasonable canteens, which has many sumptuous treats like pao bhaji, cheese rolls, pasta, fried rice and much more.
Hangouts
Right outside the school is the ever delightful Shrees, which is a favourite with the students. He prepares the best frankies in town. The chicken frankie, for instance, is prepared by an ever-smiling, amiable chap called Anil for as little as Rs.20!
Bombay Scottish aims to help its students excel in every possible field and is therefore rightly considered to be one of the best schools around. I’m glad to be a part of it
Alumni Speak:
Ex-Student Abisha Fernandes Reminisces about her ‘SCOTTISH’ Days
There is something about the glorious grey building that seems to welcome you the minute you step inside the Bombay Scottish School compound. And for 12 years, Scottish was all my life seemed to revolve around. There are many reasons for this. Here are some of them:
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I cannot count the number of extracurricular activities I participated in during my time at this school. My personal favourites were the dramatics competition and the elocution competition. Besides these two, there were dance competitions, quizzes, spelling bees and various sports competitions.
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The teachers at Bombay Scottish contributed greatly to where I am today. One teacher in particular helped confirm the career I have chosen.
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The expansive school grounds were perfect for lunch-break strolls with friends. I remember the occasional search for secret passageways, an activity that almost always proved futile!
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My school library was a treasure I cherished. My guilty pleasure was the rack piled with Agatha Christie novels. But other than the entire shelf devoted to the queen of suspense, our library is filled with various encyclopedias, autobiographies, maps and other gems.
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Once I graduated from school, I realised that Bombay Scottish gave me much more than an education- it made me a cut above the rest and gave me the confidence to pursue my dreams. After all, my school motto is-Perseverantia et Fide in Deo (Perseverance and faith in God).
Volume 2 Issue 1
