Lawrence School, Lovedale


The Lawrence School, Lovedale is an educational institution in Lovedale, located near Ootacamund, Tamil Nadu, India, and named for its founder, Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence. Lawrence had mooted the idea about the establishment of a chain of schools to provide education to the children of the deceased and serving soldiers and officers of the British army.
Lawrence was killed in Indian rebellion of 1857. His dream took shape and four such schools, known as Lawrence Asylum, were established: at Sanawar in 1847, and at Mount Abu in 1856, both during his lifetime; then at Lovedale, Ootacamund in 1858 and at Ghora Gali, Murree, in present-day Pakistan in 1860.

Name, emblem and motto

In 1913 the name of the school was changed from Lawrence Asylum to Maj Gen Sir Henry Lawrence Memorial School. On being accorded royal patronage in 1922 the name of the school was changed in 1925 to the Lawrence Memorial Royal Military School. In 1949, soon after Indian independence, the school was handed over to the civilian authorities of the Government of India; subsequently, the name of the school was changed to The Lawrence School, as it is known today. As the school is located in Lovedale, the school is also simply referred to as "Lovedale".
The school's motto is "Never Give In".
Many notable personalities including former presidents of India Pranab Mukherjee and APJ Abdul Kalam have visited Lovedale to grace the school's founder's days.
On May 31, 1988, a commemorative postage stamp was issued by India Post to commemorate 130 years of its existence.

The campus

The Lawrence School, Lovedale, campus of, in Lovedale, is 6 kilometres from Ootacamund. Located at a height of 7200 feet above sea level, it is slightly lower than the Dodabetta peak, the highest peak of the Nilgiris mountain range. The school campus is divided into Preparatory School, Junior school and Senior School. The classrooms and dormitories of the schools are housed in their respective buildings. The girls are housed in the Girls School and go to the respective schools for classes. Adequate facilities exist for sports & extra-curricular activities at the school.

Management

The school is governed by a Board of Governors, appointed by the Ministry of Human Resources Development, Government of India, and is managed operationally by the headmaster or headmistress, who is an ex officio member of the Board.

Alumni Association

The school's alumni association, the Old Lawrencian Association, has chapters and branches in several major Indian and international cities. Alumni are generally referred to as 'OLs'.
Notable Alumni