principal@stjosephscoonoor.com
Down the Memory Lane
Since 1888,
Operating in Coonoor.
In 1888, the Catholic Bishop of Coimbatore, the Rt. Rev. Dr.Bardou, considered it opportune to start a school within the premises of their " House " in the Nilgiris. At the outset, before the establishment of our present school, a bungalow owned by the Catholic Mission in Wellington was utilized for the education of Catholic children. The Priests of the Society of the Paris Missions conducted the infant institution, which in the early years, had an enrolment of about forty students. With the increasing number of pupils, it was found necessary to shift the school to where sufficient accommodation could perhaps be obtained. Dr.Bardou, with considerable enterprise, obtained an extensive property in Coonoor and the work of the building was started in 1888. The main block was completed two years later and the pupils attending the School in Wellington were transferred to the new building in Coonoor - still under the Priests of the Paris Foreign Mission.
With a strength of just forty in 1888, the Higher Secondary School, a name by which she is now known, was called upon to cater to the needs of the growing population with an all-round education.
The school stands amidst beautiful surroundings on the crest of a hill 1800 meters above sea level, just a few minutes' walk from both Coonoor and Wellington Railway stations and 70 kin from Coimbatore Airport. The mean annual temperature is 18.3 degree Celsius
The school has a strong focus on academics besides athletics and games especially football. The School is often referred to as the " Sporting Giant of the Nilgiris " having won the Nilgiris District Inter-School Athletics Championship consecutively for the past 23 years and the Nilgiris District Inter - School Football Championship for more number of times than any other school. The School won the Tamil Nadu State Level Inter - School Football Tournament many times and also represented the State in the Subroto Football Tournament at the National Level. The school has produced many national athletes and footballers.
The school has introduced a variety of new facilities - the Math Lab where children are exposed to Math and its intricacies easily and enjoyably. The Creative Lab, one of its kinds in the Nilgiris District or perhaps in the Coimbatore District too, has been inaugurated and the students are taking advantage of it. ' Image minds ' is a distinctive initiative to offer creative education to school children. It opens up numerous possibilities, letting students use the power of their imagination and grow as innovators. It nurtures creativity right from class 1 and introduces a world of opportunities that the revolutionarily growing digital medium can offer.
With such innovative projects planned and accomplished, St. Joseph's now occupies the proud position of being one of the foremost institutions of its kind. True to her motto, a Josephite is " NEVER UN PREPARED " - " NUNQUAM NON PARATUS ".
