Methodist College, located down Galle Road in Colpetty, is an all-girl's school that is focussed on the delivery of a quality education. Started in 1866 by a British Missionary, Catherine Scott, the school was initially named the Colpetty Girl’s School. The purpose of the school and the mission of Catherine Scott was to provide education to girls who were unable to receive an education for various reasons or who were marginalised in society.
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| The entrance to Methodist College |
Methodist College is proud to state that they still hold on to this mission and the good-work of Catherine Scott continues at the school to this date, with the school providing assistance to deserving students and providing the support to ensure their social mobility. Methodist College is a Christian school that also provides a multi-ethnic, multi-religious atmosphere for its students. All students are welcome and are encouraged to share and celebrate their own cultures with the rest of the students as well.
Methodist College initially began with just 40 students and, as a school preparing to celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2016, it is now 1,831 students strong. It was in 1961 that the school was designated as a non-fee levying school, which received financial assistance from the Government for educational matters. The school offers a bilingual education up to Ordinary Level, whilst there are exclusive English medium classes for the Advanced Level Science, Commerce & Arts streams.
The school takes great pride in their students’ achievements both academic and non-academic. At the 2010 Ordinary Level examination 35% of the students received five A’s or more, whilst seventeen students secured nine A’s. At the Advanced Level examination students achieved three A’s across all the streams, with seven students securing a z-score of more than two. In the Arts stream a student received fourth place in Colombo district and twenty-first places in the island. Seven other students were also ranked within the top hundred in Colombo.
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| The choir that participated at the singing competition in Vietnam |
Methodist College supports students to also succeed in their extra-curricular activities. Raaliya Hussein, secured the best delegate award at the recently concluded Colombo-Model United Nations, as a delegate of the Security Council. She also secured the position of being the third best speaker at the All –Island school debating championships conducted by the Moot Court and Debating Circle of the Faculty of Law, University of Colombo. Raaliya was also a member of the National team for the World Schools Debating Championships which took place at Dundee in August of 2011.
Keshia Kumaresan, a Prefect in Grade 13 Arts is one of six Sri Lankan students selected to attend the South Asia Youth Leadership Summit, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, to be held in the US this month.
In 2011, the Sinhala debating team won the Inter-School debating competition “Sampraapthi” organised by Royal College, Colombo.
The school is also home to a very talented choir, who were the Gold and Silver winners at the First Vietnam International Choir Competition held in Hoi An, Vietnam in March of 2011. Methodist takes pride in being the only Girl’s school to have won Gold after competing with other schools from around the region. The organisers of the event Interkulter have also invited the Methodist College Choir to participate at the Xinghai Prize International Choir Competition to be held in Guangzhou, China in November this year, on account of their outstanding performance in Vietnam, and is the only school choir which has been invited to take part in this event along with the Revelations.
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| The English Language debating team |
Students of Methodist College are also talented when it comes to the field of sports. For two successive years, 2011 & 2012, they emerged as the Divisional Champions in Athletics. In March 2012, the Under-19 joint champions for athletics were Prabhasha Fernando and Dainika Karunaratne, who were able to win against the pressure from various leading schools. The Under-15 Championship was secured by Layesha Ratnayake. At the Junior Tarbat Championship Amasha Gunewardena was able to secure Western Province School Colours for her performance in Putt Shot. In 2010, Yelani Dias broke the Under 12 High Jump Record at the Sir John Tarbat (Junior ) Championships and also the Under 12 High Jump Record at the Women’s Championships.
Other sports on offer in the school include Netball, Badminton, Table Tennis, Basket ball, chess and swimming. The school takes part in various tournaments regularly. An admirable quality within the sports team is that they accept a win and a defeat in the same humble nature, and are strong enough not to feel dejected by a loss.
The English, Tamil and Sinhala associations actively promote the development of all three languages.
Methodist College regularly takes part in Drama competitions, but the speciality is that it is the students who write their own scripts and produce their own play. The religious associations within the school include the Christian school movement, Islam, Buddhist and Hindu associations.
The school is now under the leadership of Principal Mrs. Shanthi Dias and Vice Principal Mrs. Nelum Perera.
The principal had this message to deliver: “I urge all parents and carers of children to change their attitude towards assessing their children based only on the grade they receive at examinations. The focus of teaching should be to help students to think analytically, critically and creatively as those are the key skills they will need,( along with inter-personal skills which they can only receive through involvement in extra- curricular activities) when they leave school and are faced with new areas and fields”.
We wish Methodist College all the best in their future endeavours and may their students continue to scatter light throughout society and the world. |
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