- Mount Hermon School, Darjeeling
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Mount Hermon School 
Location Darjeeling, West Bengal, India Information Type Private Established March 11, 1895 Principal Mr George Fernandez Campus Darjeeling Website mounthermon.co.in (please do not prefix www) Mount Hermon School is a co-educational school in the town of Darjeeling, in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located on Lebong cart road. It follows the American education style, rather than the usual British style in vogue in the other schools of the area. It has ICSE (for grade 10) and ISC (for grade 12) board.
Mount Hermon was founded in 1895 under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopalian Church of America by Miss Emma Knowles who was the first principal. It was known as Queen's Hill School and meant for girls but the name was changed to Mount Hermon School in 1930 when boys were admitted.
The present principal of the school is Mr. George Fernandez, who is assisted by Mr. S. Simon (Senior Master) and Mrs. S. Fernandez (Junior & Infant Supervisor). The student body is divided into four houses - Dewey, Fisher, Knowles and Stahl, which are named after previous principals of the school.
The School is divided into three departments, namely the Infant Dept., KG to standard 2; Junior school ranging from standard 3 to standard 5 and the senior school from standard 6 to standard 12.
The subjects taught in the school are English, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, History, Geography, Civics, Computers, Commerce, Accountancy, Political Science, Physical Education, Business Studies, Scripture etc. However, these subjects varies from standard to standard and also depends upon the choice of subject the student intends to take.
In standard 11 and 12 the stream is divided into Science, Commerce and Humanities, depending upon the students interest and strength.
Several languages are taught during the vernacular language classes which adds a feature to the cap of the school viz, Hindi, Bengali, Nepali, Tibetan, Mizo (Lushai), Dzongkha and Chinese (depending upon the no. of students).
The discipline of the school is looked after by the Prefects of the school. Usually chosen from a group of standard 12 students. House captains are elected from students of standard 9 to 12 by the Senior school students by way of vote among themselves to arrange for extra co-curricular activities. Every class has a Class captain. Junior school students are looked after by their teachers in classrooms, matrons in the hostel and guarded by the junior school monitors selected from a group of standard 5 students when they play outside.
Extra co-curricular activities play an important part in the day to day running of the school. The school facilitates football, cricket, swimming, basketball, volleyball, throwball, badminton, table tennis, lawn tennis(formerly), gymnasium and many more.
The school boasts of a swimming pool one of a few in the hills. The school has a big play ground namely the down field, a top flat for the junior school and a medium sized play ground for the infant dept. students with the facilities of swing, merry go round, slide, sea saw, monkey ladder and many more.
Music plays and important part in the students' life. Singing classes from KG to Standard 8 is taken twice in a week. Piano, violin, guitar lessons are individually given to students those who are interested. The school has a grand piano in its chapel hall. Seven upright piano in the music room and several other upright pianos in the small lounge, big lounge, cottages etc. Every year several students sit for the Trinity College of Music, London grade examinations ranging from Initial to Grade 8.The School has three different Choirs, namely, Infant Choir, Junior Choir and Senior choir. The standard of Choir is very high in comparison to the choirs of the other schools in the hills.
Every Saturday morning a class is required to present a Chapel Play based on a theological topic. Every Saturday evening a class is required to present a class play.
The School presents its Major Production where people come from far off places to be a part of the Major Production every year, a few of them are My Fair Lady, The King and I, Sound of Music etc. which is put up once in a year.
Inter House competition is organized among the students for Quiz, Debate, Elocution, Extempore, Music Competition, Basketball, Football, Swimming, Cricket and many other games.
A part of the school life which every student cherish even years after passing is the Morning Chapel Service. Every day at 7:40 AM, the entire school assembles at the School's Chapel Hall where they sing a Hymn accompanied by the music teacher in the grand piano, a reading is done from the scripture and a short prayer is made by the Chaplain. Thereafter, the Principal of the school make some announcements for the day and the Chapel Service is over. An instrumental music is played in the grand piano when the students enter the hall and exit later.
This is the only school in Darjeeling hills where the facilities for both boys and girls from standard KG to 12, day scholar and boarder are available.
The school has an underground dining hall which will very soon be replaced by a new modern dining hall which is under construction just below the school garden.
Notable alumni
Tom Stoppard, English playwright, attended the school from 1943 to 1946
Vivian Leigh, American Actress
External links
Categories:- Boarding schools in India
- High schools in India
- Schools in West Bengal
- Colonial schools in India
- Education in Darjeeling
- India school stubs
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