134-year-old Sir M.Ct. M Higher Secondary School calls on its alumni

The 134-year-old Sir M.Ct. M Higher Secondary School in Purasawalkam recently rolled out the red carpet to its alumni, and has put systems in place to ensure the red carpet is dusted and rolled out to them every following year.

On January 26, the school management held its first reunion, drawing hundreds of old students to the campus. Plans have been firmed for gala annual get-togethers in the future. The meetup would take place on a fixed day, enabling alumni to plan ahead to be in attendance on the campus.

A number of alumni attended the meet held on January 26

The template for these annual extravaganzas have been cut and dried, based on how this meetup was organised. Eight WhatsApp groups have been created, each for students belonging to one decade.

“This is the first time the school management under the leadership of secretary Nandini Valli Muthiah has organised an alumni meet on such a grand scale,” says school headmaster V. Elangovan.

The alumni have been asked to enrol their batchmates and make the group vibrant with activities and initiatives they think will benefit them as well as the school.

“We have a vast campus but we are not able to maintain it the way it should be, so we are reaching out to the alumni to help us restore the campus to its old grandeur, and also help the school in other ways,” says the HM who has been associated with the school for 27 years and majors in biology.

The management and alumni are working together to create an alumni association with core team members that would volunteer ideas and time.

Started in 1891, the government-aided school once offered English, Tamil and Telugu medium of instruction and also had a hostel facility for classes VI to XII.

“From a strength of 3,000, today we have around 500 students. The strength of our Tamil medium is decreasing with just 25 students on the rolls,” says the HM.

In higher secondary classes, the school runs nine groups, offering a wide choice for students to choose from. This is also among the few schools in North Chennai that offers Tamil in the first group.

“A majority of our students are from economically disadvantaged families. We do not take any fee from the students except for ₹ 50 a year towards PTA subscription,” says Elangovan.

The management wants the alumni to help oversee infrastructure development at the school, run initiatives to engage with the current students of the school and this way help improve its enrolment rate. The school’s website also needs an upgrade so that old students who have settled down in other states and countries develop a sense of belonging with the institution.

C. S. Vikgnesh Kumar, who passed out in 1983-1984, says once a forum of members is created they will have a corpus fund to run various initiatives.

The meet

Justice Lakshmi Narayan, an old student of Sir M. Ct. M Boys Higher Secondary School at Raja Annamalai Road in Purasawalkam, was the chief guest at the Republic Day celebration at the school. He recalled his days at the school and how teachers mentored him. Cardiologist Dr. Chockalingam reiterated the importance of exercise in staying healthy, in his own inimitable style.

R.D. Sekar, MLA, asked the audience to call him for redressal of any issues relating to civic governance. The felicitation was done by Justice Venugopal and Justice Balasubramanium.