Baldwin Boys' High School
Baldwin Boys' High School, is a private all-boys school for boarders and day-scholars, founded in 1880 in Bangalore, India. The school is run by Methodist Church in India under the chairmanship of a Bishop.
The school prepares students for the ICSE and ISC examinations. It is located in the upscale neighborhood of Richmond Town, in downtown Bangalore.
The school is one of the largest, oldest and most prestigious schools in the city. It counts multiple personalities of eminence in the public sphere among its alumni.
Sister school Baldwin Girls' High School is a five-minute walk away down Alexandria Street.
History
Among prominent personalities in the school's history are Bishop and Mrs. Williams F. Oldham, Rev. John Edward Robinson, Rev. Ira A. Richards, Rev. T.R. Toussaint, Rev. J.B. Buttrick, Mr. C.N. Weston and Mr. Pfeiffer.Bishop and Mrs. William F. Oldham, surveyors, started a school at their residence on Alexandria Street. Their aim was to provide schooling for English-speaking Methodist children. When the Oldhams left India for theological studies in the United States, the school was transferred to the vestry of the Richmond Town Methodist Church and placed under then Pastor, Rev. John Edward Robinson, elected Missionary Bishop in 1904. Prior to this, John Baldwin, a wealthy American businessman and theologist, founded the Oldhams' school on a large scale and gave it its name.
The first Principal, Rev. Marion B. Kirk from East Ohio Conference served in all capacities at the school as house-holder, administrator, teacher, gamester and musician. After six months, Rev. Kirk was transferred to Kolar's Orphanage and Mission.
Layout
The school had several heritage buildings on its huge campus, many of which have made way for modern concrete structures with improved facilities. Notable edifices on campus include the Bishop Elia Peter High School Block, the Centenary Block for primary school, the Methodist Block and the Gokul Kavi Kindergarten Block. The school's administrative offices are housed in a separate building. The Hollister Block also encloses the 500-seat E. A. Seamands Concert Hall which is used for major socio-cultural events. It is complemented by the 350-seat Lincoln Hall which hosts school assemblies and chapel services.Academics
The board which governs ISC and ICSE is CISCE, which has its head office in New Delhi.The school, administered along the lines of Junior, Middle and Senior School, works through three school terms, each ending with examinations. Students of Class X and XII appear for the ICSE and ISC exams by the beginning of March.
Languages taught in Baldwins at the ICSE level include English, several Indian languages including Hindi, Kannada and Tamil alongside some foreign languages like French, Spanish and German. Main subjects include History, Civics, Geography, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. Ninth-grade students are offered a choice of stream between Science and Environmental Science along with a mandatory extra subject from among Commercial Applications, Computer Applications or Physical Education. For the ISC Grade 12 examinations, students can choose between three streams- Science, Commerce and Humanities, with additional internal choices.
School life
The school's motto is "Reverentia Jehovae est Caput Sapientiae" – "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" . The watchwords of the institution are "Integritas et Veritas", meaning Righteousness and Truth.In the 1920s, all boarders attended morning and evening prayers daily, and Sunday Divine Service, morning and evening, as well as Sunday School; also a young people's meeting was held once during the week.
The school sought to foster the physical development of boys. To this end, gymnastics, cricket, football, hockey and tennis were supported. Later boxing was added. A Sports Day was held annually to encourage athletics. A Unit of the Auxiliary Force, India, was maintained, in which the older boys enrolled. Boy Scouts troops and a Cub Pack for the younger boys also existed.
Progress of students was tested with term examinations. A report showing the results of these examinations, together with a statement as to the conduct, applications, and progress of the students was forwarded to the parents or guardians at the end of every quarter.
The present
The school provides hostel facilities for a large number of students. The junior and senior dorms are housed in different buildings. Due to the large number of out-station and foreign students, the facilities have been upgraded.and expanded.The school has long-running rivalries with fellow downtown schools, Bishop Cotton Boys' School and St.Joseph's Boys' High School, in quality of education and co-curricular activities.
Clubs and co-curricular activities
- Boy Scouts
- National Cadet Corps
- Model United Nations Club
- Elocution
- Literary Society
- Debate Club
- School Choir
- Brass Band
- Rock Band
- Scripture Union
Houses
- Richard – Red
- Oldham – Orange
- Buttrick – Blue
- Toussaint – Turquoise
- Pfeiffer – Purple
- Weston – White
- Andersen – Auburn
The houses compete with one another in academics, games, track and field sports, aquatics, arts, and literary, dramatic, and music competitions.
Sports
The school has a large multipurpose stadium on campus, called the Pfeiffer Memorial Stadium. The stadium can accommodate 3,600 spectators at full capacity and is used for both major sports tournaments as well as a general playground for students. The field area consists of a 95x55m FieldTurf pitch for football, rugby and hockey surrounded by a 400m, six-lane, all-weather Tartan running track for track athletics. The ground is surrounded by two covered all-seater stands. The main South-End Grandstand, fondly referred to by students as the Pavilion, stands three tiers tall and can host up to 1,800 spectators. A physical scoreboard is perched atop the East Wall. The single-tier North Stand lies opposite to the South-End grandstand and can seat up to 400 spectators. The stadium is the home ground of Baldwin Boys' Under-14 and Under-16 football and hockey teams.The school was one of the first in the city to provide swimming facilities, doing so in 1896. The massive, state-of-the-art Weston Swimming Complex is attached to the Pfeiffer Memorial Stadium and hosts multiple aquatic events of significance, like the inter-house swimming competitions on Sports Day and the inter-school Weston Memorial Swimming Competition.
The Baldwin Shield is a trophy awarded to the winning team of an inter-school football tournament for schools of old Bangalore, hosted by the school.
Hockey and Football are strongholds of the school. The junior team has won the Annual Hockey Tournament conducted by St. Joseph's Boys' High School, Bangalore several times.
Cultural activities
Odyssey, an inter-school literary and cultural fest, started in the 1990s, providing students opportunities to exhibit their talents and spirit of competition. Due to protests by parents, this event was cancelled. When it resumed in 2005, it failed to reignite the enthusiasm of the 1990s.Alumni Association
The Old Baldwin Association organizes alumni events. There is a program where older members can volunteer to mentor younger members. The OBA celebrates Andersen Day to foster camaraderie among its students. The current President of the OBA is Mr. Shakeel Abdul Rehman.Notable Educators and Principals at Baldwins
- Rev. M.B. Kirk 1880
- Rev. I.A. Richards 1881 – 1885
- Rev. B.T. Eddy 1885 – 1886
- Rev. W. Bowser 1886
- Rev. Homer Stuntz 1887 – 1888
- Rev. W.L. King 1888 – 1889
- Rev. W.H. Hollister 1890 – 1891
- Rev. T.R. Toussaint 1892 – 1898
- Rev. C.W. Ross DeSouza 1899 – 1902
- Rev. P.V. Roberts 1902 – 1910
- Rev. J.B. Buttrick 1910 – 1913
- Rev. A.B. Coates
- Rev. A.B. Coates 1914
- Rev. J.W. Simmons 1914 – 1917
- Rev. E.J. Guest 1917 – 1920
- Rev. H.F. Hilmer 1920
- Rev. E.A. Seamands
- Rev. A.E. Cook 1921
- Rev. Z.A. Wario 1922 – 1927
- Mr. C.N. Weston 1927 – 1932
- Mr. R.A.B. Andersen 1932
- Mr. C.N. Weston 1933 – 1936
- Mr. R.A.B. Andersen 1936
- Mr. C.N. Weston 1937 – 1941
- Mr. R.A.B. Andersen 1942 – 1945
- Mr. C.N. Weston 1946 – 1947
- Mr. R.A.B. Andersen
- Rev. Fred Gokavi
- Mr. S.D. Samuel- Principal
- Mr. J.S. Williams- Principal
- Mr. Dinakar Wilson- Principal 2005–2017
- Mr. Augustine Charles- Principal 2017
- Mrs. Lydia Samuel 2017-2018
- Dr. Antony D'Souza 2018-2019
Notable alumni
Arts
- Rahman – South Indian film star.
- Shelley Malil – American Actor.
- Mahesh Dattani – Playwright, dramatist.
- Saad Khan - Indian Film Director
- Dhruva Sarja - Kannada Film Actor
- Chiranjeevi Sarja - Kannada Film Actor
- Aravinnd Singh - Cinematographer
- Sandeep Chowta - Music director and president of Columbia Records India
- Amit Heri - Jazz musician
Entrepreneurs, businessmen and corporate professionals
- Giri Balasubramanium - quiz master and CEO of Greycaps
- Swami Sukhabodhananda - Corporate analyst and motivational speaker, nicknamed the 'Corporate Guru'
- Robin Paul - former athlete and founder of
Sports
- Henry Rebello - triple-jumper who represented India at the 1948 Olympic Games in London
- A.P. Ramaswamy - member of the Indian relay team that won the bronze medal at the 1970 Asian Games in Bangkok
- Mohammed Aiman Ahmed - represented India and won the Gold Medal at the Commonwealth Taekwondo Championship, 2011