Dr. Antonio Da Silva High School (A.D.H.S) and Jr. College of Commerce (A.D.H.S.J.C.C) (Popularly known as A.D.H.S. or nicknamed Antonians) is a semi-private Government,

Boys A boy is a young male human. The term is commonly used for a child or an adolescent. When a male human reaches adulthood, he is described as a man. Definition, etymology, and use According to the ''Merriam-Webster Dictionary'', a boy is "a ...

day school A day school — as opposed to a boarding school — is an educational institution where children and adolescents are given instructions during the day, after which the students return to their homes. A day school has full-day programs when compa ...

located at

Dadar Dadar (Help:IPA/Marathi, ̪aːd̪əɾ is a densely populated residential and shopping neighbourhood in Mumbai. It is also a prominent railway and bus service hub with local and national connectivity. Dadar holds the distinction of being Mum ...

in Mumbai, India. The institution was established in 1851 by Dr Antonio Da Silva and Reverend John Braz Fernandees under the name St. Johna high school. The school caters to pupils from

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th ce ...

up to class 12. The medium of instruction is English. The school houses more than 6,000 pupils aged 3 to 18. The school is affiliated to the

Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education The Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education () is a statutory and autonomous body established under the "Maharashtra Secondary Boards Act" 1965 (amended in 1977). Most important task of the board, among few others, i ...

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...

, which conducts the SSC examinations at the close of class 10 and the HSC examinations at the close of class 12. Alumni are commonly known as Antonians Alumnus. They include India politicians, government officials and business leaders. The

Sister school A sister school is usually a pair of schools, usually single-sex school, one with female students and the other with male students. This relationship is seen to benefit both schools. For instance, when Harvard University was a male-only school, Rad ...

of A.D.H.S Dr. Antonio da Silva Technical High School and Junior College of Science located at the

Shivaji Park Shivaji Park, officially Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Park, is a public park situated in Dadar, Mumbai. It is the largest park in the island city. Similar but bigger in size to Azad Maidan and August Kranti Maidan (formerly Gowalia Tank Ground ...

was established in June 1963.

History

As a 164-year-old institution, it has a long history of traditions and education excellence, as well as a long list of alumni and activities. The Institution was founded in 1851 at

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second-m ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

by Dr. Antonio Da Silva and John Braz Fernandees under the name St. Johna high school. In 1875, Da Silva left the bulk of his estate for the extension of the high school, when the school came to its present name. The school started a technical Stream from Standard VII in June 1963. It became a full-fledged independent Technical High School on 13 June 1971. The Junior College of both the Commerce and Technical schools, started in 1975, offering Science (Biology) and Vocational streams. Vocational streams offer three options: Electrical Maintenance, Scooter Servicing and Mechanical Maintenance. During that time the Institution was recognised and aided by the Directors of Vocational Education and Training (Maharashtra State). The institution prepares pupils for the Secondary School Certificate Examination (with technical subjects) and Higher Secondary Certificate (with science/vocational science subjects) of the Maharashtra State Board.

Campus site and layout

Buildings include the Office Heritage Block, Heritage Block, Center Block, South Block, Antonians hall and sports complex and grounds.

Facilities

The school has a large library with over 20,000 books and digital books that are accessible to the students during school hours. Separate science laboratories for

Physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

, Chemistry and

Biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

are available. The science laboratories are used by 6–12 class students to carry out practical work. The school has three computer laboratories where students from

through class 12 study computing. The school has a mini-theatre for educational and entertainment purposes and also has a television room. The school has two drawing rooms that are used for drawing and arts. Four Gardens including two play parks, one botanical garden and one tracking garden are on the grounds. The school has three halls: Antonians hall Old Little Hall and the Alumnus Hall. A cafeteria is run by the Interact club for use by both faculty and students. The school has various indoor and outdoor sports facilities.

Affiliation and ethos

The School and College is

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

and the

Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

exercises responsibility through a Governing Body whose chairman is the Provincial of the Bombay Province of the Society. The school was founded as St. Johna high school is named after St. Johna.

School flag and crest

The flag of the school represents the Crest, which consists of an eagle on top, which represents courage and honour and on its bottom is a book written with the word Scientiae in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

which means Science. On the top of the book a lamp represent Light of Knowledge and on the left

lilies ''Lilium'' () is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants growing from bulbs, all with large prominent flowers. They are the true lilies. Lilies are a group of flowering plants which are important in culture and literature in much of the world. M ...

which represents Purity and on the right an ivy plant that represents sincerity and faithfulness. On the bottom of the shield is the school motto of the school, bordered by olive leaves.

Motto, school song and school hymn

The school's motto is ''Scientiae Luce Caritate Duce'' (

for ''The light of science the charity of the duke''). The School anthem is ''God bless the Antonians'', which was adopted in 1851 when the school was established. The school song is generally sung during the morning assembly and on special occasions.

Invocation

Academics

Admissions

The admission notice for kindergarten and junior kindergarten is put up in January. For senior kindergarten to class 8 and for class 11 of Jr. College of Commerce the notice is put up in April. During the admission procedure, preference is given to siblings of former students, Protestant Christians and relatives of teachers. An interview of each candidate is conducted as a part of the admission process.

Curriculum

The school follows the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (SSC) & (HSC) syllabus. Marathi,

Hindi Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

and French are taught as second languages. English, Marathi and Hindi are taught from class 1 to class 12. The style of teaching ranges from informal for preschool and a progressively more formal type for older students. No formal homework is assigned in the lower primary levels and limited homework is assigned in the higher levels. The academic year commences in June and concludes in April, consisting of two terms. The first term is from June until November and the second term is from November to April. Tests are conducted periodically and examinations are held at the end of every term. Field trips, camps and social service visits are organised regularly.

Examinations

At the end of class 10, students appear for the SSC and HSC Examinations. The school's students have consistently performed well both at the SSC and HSC examinations and the school has maintained a 100% pass-rate. Examination candidates need to finish satisfactorily courses in an Art and Craft, Physical Education, Moral Education and

Socially Useful Productive Work Socially Useful Productive Work (SUPW) is a "purposive productive work and services related to the needs of the child and the community, which will be proved meaningful to the learner. Such work must not be performed mechanically but must include p ...

( SUPW). These are evaluated internally by the school and the results contribute towards the award of the SSC and HSC pass certificate. Project work is assessed from class 1 to class 12.

Academic life

Pupils

Pupils are known as "Antonians". The Antonians and press often call alumni ''Antonians Almuns'', or simply

Old Boys The terms Old Boys and Old Girls are the usual expressions in use in the United Kingdom for former pupils of primary and secondary schools.''Oxford English Dictionary'' While these are traditionally associated with independent schools, they are ...

. The vast majority of alumni are Indians, but a dwindling number of Englishmen from before the 1948 Batches studied there.

House system

The objective of the house system is to foster a sense of collective responsibility and solidarity among students. The house system serves as the centre of school life, with students from different houses often competing at sports and other activities. The four school houses are Red, Green, Yellow and Blue. Each house has 1,500 students. The houses also bear the names of

planet A planet is a large, rounded astronomical body that is neither a star nor its remnant. The best available theory of planet formation is the nebular hypothesis, which posits that an interstellar cloud collapses out of a nebula to create a you ...

s. Every house is headed by a house captain and a house vice-captain who are elected from Class 8 and Class 9 respectively. A games captain and a games vice-captain are also selected to manage the sports activities of the house.

School uniform

Boys from class 1 through class 6 wear olive green shorts, while boys of class 7 and 10 wear trousers. The rest of the uniform consists of a half-sleeved white shirt, a olive green tie with house badge, olive green belt with white strips, white socks and black leather laced shoes. The school Marshall, house captain and house vice-captain wear a three, two and one star badge designed to distinguish them from other house members. For sports, physical training activities, fields trip, etc. students wear specially made T-shirts representing the colours of their houses.

Culture

The school is a cosmopolitan school. The Christmas concert is a three-day event. A sports meet and a farewell party for new graduates are also held annually. Inter-house competitions are held in elocution, drama, song, etc.

Student Council

The student council holds periodic meetings to discuss relevant topics. The Student Council is headed by a School Marshall who is elected annually from Class 10, and a School Vice-Marshall who is elected annually from Class 9. They abandon their respective houses when they take office.

Other officers

A team of

prefects Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect's ...

is selected from each house. Other offices include class and division monitor and vice-monitor, cupboard monitor and the Treasury Monitor of the respective class and divisions. They are the important link between the students of the school and the management of the school.

School activities

Extracurricular activities include student-led clubs on campus, including the Nature Club, Interact Club, Science Club, Scouts and Guides, and Scottish Junior Rifle Club. Inter-house

debate Debate is a process that involves formal discourse on a particular topic, often including a moderator and audience. In a debate, arguments are put forward for often opposing viewpoints. Debates have historically occurred in public meetings, a ...

s, elocution,

PowerPoint Microsoft PowerPoint is a presentation program, created by Robert Gaskins and Dennis Austin at a software company named Forethought, Inc. It was released on April 20, 1987, initially for Macintosh computers only. Microsoft acquired PowerPo ...

presentation competitions, essay writing competitions,

dramatics Theatre studies (sometimes referred to as theatrology or dramatics) is the study of theatrical performance in relation to its literary, physical, psychobiological, sociological, and historical contexts. It is an interdisciplinary field which also e ...

and sporting competitions engage older students. Sports activities at the high school include football,

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...

, basketball, swimming,

throwball Throwball is a non-contact ball sport played across a net between two teams of nine players on a rectangular court. Throwball is popular in Asia, especially on the Indian subcontinent, and was first played in India as a women's sport in Chenn ...

and

roller skating Roller skating is the act of traveling on surfaces with roller skates. It is a recreational activity, a sport, and a form of transportation. Roller rinks and skate parks are built for roller skating, though it also takes place on streets, sid ...

Sports

Sports are compulsory. The school has over approximately of playing fields, the largest of which are Football Ground Field (FGF) and the Main Field. Cricket, hockey, athletics, boxing and association football are played seasonally. Tennis, table tennis, badminton, squash and gymnastics tournaments are held. Sport is dominated by football, cricket, basketball, hockey, volleyball and handball during the spring term and by football, athletics and boxing in the autumn term. Inter-house matches are played in cricket, hockey and football. Sports facilities include a multi-purpose hall with a gymnasium and other indoor sports. Artificial turf cricket pitches, outdoor basketball courts, four badminton courts, two Tennis courts, four squash courts, and a ground that can be converted into a 400-metre athletics tracks. The school has a large sports field at the rear, and a separate playground for the students of junior school. The school has a long tradition of winning major matches and

tournaments A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

in football, cricket, volleyball, handball, badminton and several other sports. The school lost the final to NSS Hill Spring Boys Under 17 Subroto Cup Football Tournaments in 2011 it has lost the Final match of the Tournaments by 0–10.

Clubs and societies

Extracurricular activities are also a compulsory element of school life. Some 27 clubs and societies exist, covering politics, drama, photography,

aeromodeling A model aircraft is a small unmanned aircraft. Many are replicas of real aircraft. Model aircraft are divided into two basic groups: flying and non-flying. Non-flying models are also termed static, display, or shelf models. Aircraft manufactur ...

, first-aid, dramatics, painting, sculpture, carpentry, amateur radio, music, senior and junior English debating societies,

Model United Nations Model United Nations, also known as Model UN or MUN, is an educational simulation in which students can learn about diplomacy, international relations, and the United Nations. At a MUN conference, students work as the representative of a count ...

, chess and astronomy. In many societies pupils come together to discuss a particular topic or subject, presided over by a schoolmaster and often including a guest speaker. Prominent figures give speeches and talks to the students; these have included heads of state, politicians, ornithologists, naturalists, artists, writers, economists, diplomats and industrialists.

Theatre and music

A multi-purpose theatre space known as The Antonians hall was built in 1965 seating over 1,200. It was inaugurated in April 1965 as a venue with modular seating and staging units. The facility is equipped with state-of-the-art stagecraft and engineering systems and has been the setting for numerous Shakespeare and other classic productions of western theatre, as well as musical performances and speeches during school ceremonies such as Founder's Day. The multi-purpose Old Little Hall venue is the old theatre that was built in 1851. It can accommodate approximately 400 people. Plays are regularly staged in English, Marathi and Hindi, with 11–12 productions each year, including 2 major productions as part of Founder's Day celebrations. The Inter House Once-Act Play competition is held each year, alternatively in English and Hindi. Many of the plays historically have been joint productions with its sister school. The Alumnus Hall seats over 200 is the more modern multi-purpose theatre built in 1990 as a black box theatre with modular seating and staging units and is normally used to explore new directions in performance art. In 1999 a new music facility was built, housing a

music library A music library contains music-related materials for patron use. Collections may also include non-print materials, such as digitized music scores or audio recordings. Use of such materials may be limited to specific patron groups, especially in ...

, a concert hall and several practice and teaching rooms where students learn western and Indian instruments. The school has a band that won a prize at zonal level.

School newspaper and magazines

''The Antonians Weekly'' is the official school newspaper, distributed every weekend. It chronicles school activities and is a platform for creative and political writing. It was founded in 1901 and is edited by pupils and staff. Other school magazines include ''The Antonians Annual'' and ''The Antonians Alumnus'' (a monthly Alumni magazine). Publications by academic departments include ''Curiosity'' (Science), ''The Oikonomia'' (Economics), ''The Question'' (Mathematics), ''Truth vs Hype'' (Political Science) and ''The Enigma'' (History and Geography).

Road Safety Patrol

The Road Safety Patrol won first prize at the all Mumbai rally, and became the part of the Republic Day (RD) parade.

Affiliations

The school's

sister school A sister school is usually a pair of schools, usually single-sex school, one with female students and the other with male students. This relationship is seen to benefit both schools. For instance, when Harvard University was a male-only school, Rad ...

is Dr. Antonio da Silva Technical High School and Junior College of Science, located at the

area of Mumbai. The school also has ties with Our lady of Convent Girls High School, Our Lady of Salvation High School and many other schools.

Sister school

The school started a technical stream from Standard VII in June 1963. It became a full-fledged independent Technical High School on 13 June 1971 and is at present housed at S. Veer Savarkar Road (also known as Cadell road) in

. In 1970 the Institution was registered as Dr Antonio da Silva Technical High School

feeder school A college-preparatory school (usually shortened to preparatory school or prep school) is a type of secondary school. The term refers to public, private independent or parochial schools primarily designed to prepare students for higher education ...

. The Junior College of Commerce at Dr Antonio da Silva High School and Jr. College of Science at Dr Antonio da Silva Technical High School, started in 1975, offers Science (Biology) and Vocational streams. Vocational streams offer three options: Electrical Maintenance, Scooter Servicing and Mechanical Maintenance. That same year the name of the Technical Institution was renamed as Dr Antonio da Silva Technical High School and Jr. College of Science.

Memberships

The Dr. Antonio da Silva High School and Junior College of Commerce is a member of the Rotary International's Interact Club,

International Boys' Schools Coalition The International Boys' Schools Coalition (IBSC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization of all-boys schools dedicated to the education of boys, to the professional development of their educators, and to the advancement of educational institution ...

(IBSC),

Rashtriya Life Saving Society (India) The Rashtriya Life Saving Society (India) LSSI'' is a national, non-profit, voluntary organisation dedicated to helping people to learn modern lifesaving techniques. The Society is the leading provider of training in first aid, resuscitation, wate ...

Administration

Results

Dr. Antonio Da Silva High School have always tried to score good marks. In 2020 SSC Examination the school scored 100%.

Social initiatives

Controversy

On 14 March 2013, the police and trustees of the Dr Antonio Da Silva High School were investigating allegations that a six-year-old Class I student was handcuffed with a cycle-lock chain, paraded before students of various classrooms and made to clean a toilet room. The father of the boy lodged a complaint with

police station against a teacher and the headmistress. The teacher allegedly handcuffed and paraded the boy, while the headmistress took no action following the parent's complaint. That month the matter was pending at the Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MSCPCR).

Incidents

Thirty-five years after leaving school in Std VII, gangster Ashwin Naik (49) went back to the school on 9 November 2009 to collect his leaving certificate. On 13 July 2011 at 18:30 IST (UTC+05:30), a bomb exploded outside the school. It was the third explosive device of the

2011 Mumbai bombings The 2011 Mumbai bombings, also known as 13/7, were a series of three coordinated bomb explosions at different locations in Mumbai, India, on 13 July 2011 between 18:54 and 19:06 IST. The blasts occurred at the Opera House, at Zaveri Bazaar an ...

. The device was placed on an electric pole at the bus stand near Kabutar Khana. At least 50 people were injured in the blast. No one from the school was injured. If the bomb had exploded five minutes earlier, thousands of students may have been injured. The school remained closed the next day.

References

{{authority control Private schools in Mumbai High schools and secondary schools in Mumbai Boys' schools in India Schools in Colonial India Junior colleges in Maharashtra Universities and colleges in Mumbai Educational institutions established in 1851 1851 establishments in India