Лойола мектебі: тарихы мен жетістіктері

Loyola School, Thiruvananthapuram is a private Catholic primary and secondary school located in Sreekariyam, Thiruvananthapuram, in the state of Kerala, India. Founded in 1961, the school has been run by the Jesuits since its establishment. In June 1961, Loyola School was established at Palayam, with Fr. K. V. John S. J. as the first Principal and 36 students on the rolls. and A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.

Loyola has been affiliated to the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), New Delhi, since its founding. Initially the school offered only the higher secondary level Indian School Certificate, Class XI up to year 1976 and thereafter Class XII (ISC) examination course. The Indian School Certificate (both Class XI until 1976 and Class XII thereafter) are recognized by the University of Kerala and many Indian universities as equivalent to a Senior High School Certificate or Pre Degree Certificate or Higher Secondary School Certificate for admission to university studies. In 1991 Loyola began the secondary level (ICSE) examination course, with the first ICSE batch graduating in 1993. Typically, only those students who opted for the ICSE course in high school were placed in the ISC program after passing the ICSE examination, though exceptions were made for outstanding students from the SSLC stream as well as from other schools.

In the 1970s, Loyola began offering high school students another option: the syllabus of the Government of Kerala in preparation for the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examination. When the Government of Kerala abolished the university affiliated Pre Degree Course (PDC) and replaced it with the State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT) affiliated Higher Secondary Course (HSC), Loyola also adopted the newly introduced course as a higher secondary level option for students. Typically, those students who opted for the SSLC course in high school were automatically placed in the HSC program after passing the SSLC examination. In 2008, Loyola started phasing out the SSLC course, starting with the eighth standard. LENS, Loyola's student newsletter, reported that poor demand was the reason for the phasing out of the SSLC course. In 2017, Loyola school stopped the SSLC/HSC batch.

In 2008, Loyolites won the Kerala leg of the TCS IT Wiz, were runners up in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2009, and finalists in 2010. In 2006, Loyolites won the inaugural edition of the National Aerospace Olympiad conducted by the Aeronautical Society of India in Chandigarh, winning both the quiz rounds in the process. From 1999 to 2003 Loyolites maintained a winning streak in both the ICSE and ISC Kerala state level quizzes. In 2006, teams from Loyola won the Kerala state level ICSE and ISC quizzes and both teams went on to be crowned national champions. In 2006, Loyolites were the national champions at the inaugural edition of T. I. M. E. Aqua Regia, a national level science quiz. In 2002, a team from Loyola was one of the three national finalists in the ESPN School Quiz, after having topped both the south zone finals and one of the two national semi finals of the competition.

Since 1996, the higher secondary students have organized a talent show called LA Fest (abbreviation for Life and Arts Festival). The twenty first edition was held on 25 June 2016. LA Fest was discontinued by the school temporarily in 2016 and was replaced with LOUD (Loyola Union Debate). After six years, LA Fest was continued on June 2, 2022, with two new events namely L'attire and L'ebate (as the new event).

The school celebrates important days and festivals, like Onam, Independence Day, St. Ignatius Day, and Christmas. The day is marked by an assembly addressed by an eminent personality, followed by cultural events. As the festivals themselves are usually holidays, the assembly is held before the actual festival. The school celebrates Teachers' Day, with the older students taking over the teaching of the younger classes. The school also celebrates Children's Day, with the staff conducting a special assembly.

Basketball is considered the school's official sport and was very popular among the students until the late 1990s. The annual Loyola Junior Invitation Basketball Tournament, with participation from several schools in Thiruvananthapuram, had been a fixture in Loyola's calendar over several decades. The school basketball team won laurels at various competitions, such as the St. Thomas Cup and Christ Nagar Cup, and participated in the city league. A few state level players came out of the program.

Though Loyola had cricket teams up to the early 1980s, interest waned during the 1980s and 1990s. But with the declining popularity of basketball cricket experienced a resurgence from the turn of the century. Loyola now has a cricket training academy called Loyola Cricket Academy (LCA). The LCA team participates in regional cricket tournaments. Trainees of the academy have been part of regional and national level junior cricket teams. Cricket teams from the school have toured Sri Lanka and in turn hosted tours from that country. Over the years Loyola has produced some promising cricketers. Although basketball is the school game, Loyolites show a special interest in cricket. In anticipation of the India New Zealand T20 match in Thiruvananthapuram on 7 November, the 12th students directed a video in dedication to all the Malayalis who love cricket.

Football is popular at Loyola, with several games on the main field during lunch breaks. Football coaching began in the summer vacation of 2003. In November 2003 Loyola's team made the semi finals of the sports festival held at Christ Nagar School, Thiruvananthapuram. Then in 2008 it won the Thiruvananthapuram district high school championship as well as the St. Thomas football trophy.

The flag is the school crest emblazoned on rectangular bands of white and blue. The use of the school flag is reserved for ceremonial occasions, like weekly school assemblies where it is hoisted, preceding the singing of the school song, and at the head of the march past of houses during the annual Sports Day.

Cheer Loyola's sons is the school song of Loyola. It is written as a hymn with three verses. The music and parts of lyrics of the song are adapted from Sound the battle cry, a hymn written and composed by William Fiske Sherwin, a nineteenth century American composer. The lyrics of Cheer Loyola's sons are replete with sports imagery and call on Loyolites to cheer till the "game is won" for the school. This imagery is a legacy of the original song (Sound the battle cry), written in the form of a battle hymn connoting spiritual warfare.

Loyola School publishes an annual journal/yearbook called The Loyolite, chronicling the important events of the current academic year. It also includes an annual report written by the Principal, group photographs of all classes as well as the staff, contributions by alumni as well as by the students in Malayalam, English, and Hindi.

Loyola English News Service is a periodical brought out by the senior students covering events on campus. It is a wall magazine and is available on the internet.

Alumni of Loyola are called ex Loyolites or Loyola old boys. The school has an alumni association called Loyola Old Boys' Association (LOBA) that is part of the World Union of Jesuit Alumni(ae).