Excerpts taken from “Principal Edward J Soares 1898 -1955 A Tribute”
With kind permission of the Publishers & the Secretary of the Memorial Committee, Savio Figueiredo

Volleyball Team of 1953-54

Message from the Editor

Tributes & Memories

A Tribute of Love by The Soares Family
Edward Soares - An Excellent Principal by Ursula Lobo
A Tribute to Principal Edward Soares by Archbishop Evarist Pinto
Edward Soares - Another Story by Marie Soares
Edward Soares - An Extraordinary Man by Damascene Soares
Mr Edward Soares - A Liberator by Fr Cosme Jose Costa
St. Thomas’ Boys High School - A Brief History by Angelo de Souza
Principal Soares - The Pride of Students by Thomas Victor D’Souza
Homage to Principal Soares by Prof. James Fernandes
Principal Edward Joseph Soares - Then and Now by Fr Romuald D’Souza, S.J.
 

Results of Matriculation & SSC Examinations up to 1955

Principal Edward Soares
Relevant to Our Times
by
Antonio V Francisco Fernandes

When the world is busy hero worshipping the powerful and the glamorous, the ex-students of St. Thomas.' educational establishments in Aldona have shown a new way. When the memory of great leaders and achievers is fading from the consciousness of modern society, the citizens of Aldona and surrounding villages have revived the memory of a great son of Aldona, who passed away fifty one years ago. When the scales of education are today more and more tilted towards the acquisition of knowledge with only lip service to virtue, we can take legitimate pride in the fact that we are honouring a man whose name was, and still is, synonymous with discipline. And when instant gratification has replaced long term vision, we rejoice that as we approach the central cross roads of Aldona, our eyes will see a visionary from the last century, whose eyes could reach into the twenty-first century.

It is not that we have merely moulded a historical personality into a metallic statue in the market square but have brought him into the market of our consciousness: to be seen, remembered and emulated. Principal Edward Joseph Soares is indeed relevant to our times.

Principal Soares' ex-students have paid tribute to his memory and reminisced the times when he was alive in the first section of this commemorative volume. In the second section, we have two educationists, both ex-students of our school for a brief period, writing about the pursuit of virtue and knowledge in our times. The third section contains the reports and records pertaining to the successful endeavour to install the statue of Principal Edward Soares.

Having joined St. Thomas Boys' High School seven years after the demise of Principal Soares, I remember seeing his inspiring portrait in the school and listening to edifying anecdotes about him from elders at home and in the village. No hype. No propaganda. It was a spontaneous outpouring of admiration from those whose lives had been touched by him. This commemorative volume is an attempt to place on record the expressions of grateful alumni for posterity.

Why is Principal Soares relevant today? As during his times in the first half of the twentieth century, great changes are now taking place all over the world. At that time it was the World Wars, the rise and rise of Communism, the rise and fall of Nazism, the fragile triumph of freedom and democracy, etc. Today, it is the rise of powerful multinational giants in a globalised economy, unprecedented destruction of ecology, terrorism and a clash of civilizations. Big stage, big events. In the midst of worldwide turmoil, Principal Soares took a big step in the small world of his village. A step which had far reaching consequences. Aldona would not have been what it is today were it not for this pioneering step. Freedom and democracy had to be nourished by education. Prosperity had to be fostered by spreading knowledge. Society had to be strengthened and held together by virtue, character and discipline.

The then Portuguese government was hostile towards English education. Courage and determination were needed to face the political powers. Principal Soares had these qualities in abundance. He not only started the school * but saw to its growth and firmly established it before his untimely death. With vision, initiative, courage and commitment, he sought excellence in education and discipline. Don't we need these qualities today?

What the world is looking for today is "the big, the bold and the beautiful". What the world really needs are men and women, who can hold on to great values that have been handed down through the ages and who can make small beginnings in their own towns and villages.

Principal Soares has shown us by example that one man can make a huge difference. Democracy may be about the game of numbers, but leadership is about the quality of individuals. We need good leaders like Principal Edward Joseph Soares.

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A Tribute of Love
by
The Soares Family

"The incidence of memory is like the light from dead stars, whose influence lingers long after the events themselves" – David Horowitz

The 9th of December, 2006 is a memorable day for many in Goa and around the world. It is the 108th birth anniversary of our dear father and the 51st year since he passed away. The memorial erected on this occasion in the Aldona Village, is a Tribute of Love from the people of Aldona, his exstudents, wellwishers and family. This is an occasion for much joy and gratitude also to all who have worked so silently and so hard to make this common sentiment a reality. Our grateful thanks to each one of them. We implore God's Choicest Blessings in abundance on them.

This memorial speaks volumes. As we gaze into these eyes, we see a man with a strong sense of purpose, a depth, integrity, a total commitment, which was his, right up to the very end. He was known to be a disciplinarian. His very shadow reminded those under his care, be it his staff or students, that they were here at St. Thomas' High School for a purpose, to better their future. A staff member once recounted with tears of gratitude, how his dear Principal had inspired him to give his very best to his students, when he had settled for mediocrity. He said that he was so touched and impressed by his Principal, that he often shared the valued thoughts and advice of his Principal with others, even when he had retired from the School.

Principal Soares committed himself to the welfare of the people of Aldona and Goa with much determination and with a selflessness that was total. He decided to better the lives of the people by educating them.

`If you plan for a year, sow a seed. If you plan for a decade, plant a tree. If you plan for a century, educate the people" A Chinese Proverb.

St. Thomas High School, Aldona, of which he was the founder, stands as a monument of selfless love and service. "Greater love than this has no man, than he lays down his life for his friends." Every child of Aldona however poor, was his concern. No child would be deprived of education in his School. His caste, his colour did not matter. Principal Soares set out to fulfil his dream, with a small school in the village of Aldona, in the house of the Faria family. However, as the strength of the school increased he moved to larger and larger premises.

We cannot think of our dear father, Principal Soares, without thinking also of our dear mother, Mrs. Beatrice Soares, who was such a tremendous support to him, a' pillar of strength in all his endeavours, even continuing his work for some time after his passing away. His Priest brother, Fr. Frederick Soares, his dedicated staff, and his well wishers, all also contributed much, to the fulfilment of his dreams. Fr. Frederick was entrusted with the spiritual welfare of the students the organising of Retreats, days of Recollection, etc. The education imparted to the students of St. Thomas' High School was not only academic, but also spiritual and value based. A priest closely connected with the School and very appreciative of it, had this to say, "It is praiseworthy that St. Thomas' High School, though run by a layman, gave so many vocations to the Church." Today the students of St. Thomas' High School are spread out all over the globe and have made such a tremendous contribution in life. Many of them are holding responsible positions. So many down the years have expressed their gratitude to Principal Soares who gave and did not count the cost, nor heed the wounds. "What I am today, I owe to your dear father." "How proud you must be of your father!" How often have we not heard this with great joy?

"The greatest good you can do for another is not just to share your riches, but to reveal to him his own'* Benjamin Disraeli.

Though our father left us 51 years ago, his life has been a constant inspiration to us, his family, beckoning us to gift ourselves totally wherever we be placed, especially to the least, the deprived. He dedicated much time to his School, since it was an uphill task. We his family never regretted this. He and our mother had so much to offer us at all times, each complementing the other. The lives of our dear parents are a living testimony of lives spent in loving service. The values that they have gifted us are an invaluable legacy.

"Lives of great men all remind us; we can make our lives sublime; And departing leave behind us footprints on the sands of time.” H. W. Longfellow.

The Soares Family: Cyril, Hubert/Cecilia, Sr. Theresa (D.H.M.), Mira/Albert, Raymond/Marie, Fr. Anil (S.J.), Prakash/Surayya, Lila/Alan.

Edward Soares
An Excellent Principal
by
Ursula Lobo

Hereby I express my sincere gratitude for the love and kindness, shown by my late principal and teacher Mr. Edward Joseph Soares for me and for the villagers of Aldona, Calvim, Ponolem, Mayem, Chorao, Divar, Bodiem, Tivim, Assonora, Nachinola. Uccassim, Moira, Olaulim, Pomburpa, Salvador do Mundo, etc. As there were no other schools in the locality nor in the neighbouring villages and as there was no transport during those days, children were forced to walk all the way with loads of books and tiffin along with them from such far off places, to St Thomas' School in Aldona.

Principal Edward J. Soares, though very simple was the best teacher, educationist, dramatist and above all a strict disciplinarian. He did his very best right from 1923 till his demise in 1955, without leaving a stone unturned. Right from early 1920s, he introduced Boy Scouts whom he sent to Old Goa during St. Francis Xavier's novenas, feast and exposition time to maintain order and discipline. Later he introduced Girl Guides as the School was then coed. In 1948 the Apostolic Carmel sisters were given charge of the Girls’ School in Santerxette. They later built the Convent and the St. Thomas Girls' High School where it is now functioning. So one can just imagine that all this dedicated work came through the hands of our most beloved founder and principal late Mr. Edward J. Soares. Though he passed away from this vale of tears in 1955, his memory still lingers and will always continue to do so.

Principal Edward Soares was very simple but most talented, and a gifted speaker. He organized excellent school concerts. The main item, the play, was mainly directed by him in the good old days. He used to have debates, elocution competitions, children's hour every 4 months, which made the children smart, capable and confident. He used to send children for interschool sports. After

passing the matriculation examination he used to employ the deserving students as teachers in his School, thereby doing a world of good to them and their poor families. His students are spread all over the world and many of them have passed away.

Today some of our exstudents have come forward to honour and remember him forever by installing his life size statue in the Aldona market area. A most thoughtful and wonderful idea!

Miss Ursula Lobo was both a student of Principal Edward Soares and a teacher under him. She continued teaching in St. Thomas Boys' High School till her retirement in 1978.

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A Tribute to Principal Edward Soares
by
Archbishop Evarist Pinto

'You have the power to touch hearts and to change lives' St. John Baptist de la Salle

It gives me immense pleasure to recall the achievements of late Mr. Edward J. Soares, Founder and Principal of St. Thomas' High School, Aldona. It has been a long time and much water has ebbed and flowed in the River Mandovi. There have been many far-reaching changes in the cultural, sociological and political world around. But the memory of Principal Edward J. Soares remains etched in my mind. I remember his lean figure with a thin face full of determination and purpose.

His Vision
Nowadays we speak of Vision and Mission. Perhaps when he founded the School in 1923 they did not use such terms. However, Mr. Edward Soares stands out as a visionary. We pay tribute to him for this great enterprise when he as a layman ventured out in the field that was the prerogative of the Clergy and the Religious to educate the young upcoming generations. Over the years thousands of young boys and girls, Christians and Hindus, from Aldona and the surrounding villages, have received their education thanks to St. Thomas' High School. All of us owe him a depth of gratitude for his pioneering work and his contribution to the field of education.
Today we are highlighting the need and value of quality education. That Mr. Edward Soares could already then gather a band of qualified and dedicated teachers speaks volumes for his insight and farsightedness. I remember stalwarts like Mr. Pereira, Mr. Pinto, Hindu teachers, lady teachers and teachers from TravancoreCochin, South India. I have no doubt, looking back after so many years, that the lodestar behind all this was the Principal himself. I remember his wife who, in addition to caring for their large family, dedicated herself to teaching and must have been a great support to him. Nor can I forget his brother, Fr. Frederick Soares, who gave the students spiritual talks every Wednesday.

His Personality
I remember Principal Edward Soares as a strict and stern looking man. His very presence was enough to bring about order and discipline among the students. He sharp eyes surveyed the whole Assembly. Then there would be pin drop silence, a phrase that was dear to him. His clear, concise points of instruction were taken seriously by the student body. He would often stand outside the classroom and at once there would be silence and seriousness among the students. I would say with pride that he was a strict man but not overpowering. He would easily step in a classroom when a teacher was absent. I think English Grammar was his favourite subject which he taught with clear and precise diction. At the end of the class was the famous sentence, "And for tomorrow you take down..."

Holistic Education
Again, the term Holistic is of more recent origin. But the whole approach to the education imparted in St. Thomas' High School was holistic. Besides the stress on academic excellence there were drills and sports, debates and dramatics. There would be awards for those who excelled both in academics and sports and other activities.
Historically, it was a time of turmoil and upheaval. The Colonial powers had at last been made to realize that they must give up their control of India. I can assuredly say that Principal Edward Soares was fully attuned to the Freedom Movement. Perhaps he had to pay a price for it. But the net result was that he instilled in both the staff and the students thoughts and aspirations of freedom. There were visitors to the School who spoke to the students of these ideals and sang patriotic songs. I can still hear echoes of the song, `Dur hato, dur hato ... duniyawala Hindustan hamara hai."

His Humanity
Principal Edward Soares though externally strict and stern was at heart gentle and kind. I am sure many poor students were helped by way of concession in fees and otherwise. We ourselves who came from a poor background benefited from his generosity and appreciate this. Today if we are what we are the credit goes, in large measure, to St. Thomas' High School founded and nurtured under the able guidance of Principal Edward Soares. His name will always remain as a shining light for many to emulate his great example. For those who instruct the young will be like stars for ever!

Archbishop Evarist Pinto was a student of Principal Edward Soares. He is now the Archbishop of Karachi.

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Edward Soares - Another Story
by
Marie Soares

This is not the history of Principal Edward Soares, or of St. Thomas' School which he founded and about which much has already been written. This is a collage of snapshots, small insights, giving a new dimension to the man whom people call Aldona's favourite son.

On the 9th of December 1898, the year Fr. Agnel was ordained, this other great son of Goa was born to Tome Inacio Caetano Soares and his wife Florentina Souza e Soares. Eduardo Joseph was their fourth child, after a daughter Petronila, and two sons Anthony Xavier and Durante. Edward was followed by another boy, Frederick, who later became a priest and was Spiritual Director and teacher of religion in the school.

Tome Inacio himself was a musician by profession, but his sons became men of learning and education. The eldest, Anthony Xavier was a professor in the Maharaja of Baroda's College and then Dean of the Faculty of Arts at St. Xavier's College, Bombay. Durante studied medicine in London before joining the Railways as Medical Officer. Edward himself did his B.A., B.T. from St Xavier's College, Bombay. But when lesser men may have chosen a more lucrative career, he preferred to return to his native Aldona and throw himself into the upliftment of the children of his own sleepy village and surrounding villages, through education in English, a rare thing in those days.

So in 1923, at the age of 25, he started the St. Thomas' School which, after shifting location several times in the first few years, finally took root in its present place in Santerxette, Aldona. This was the first landmark in his life.

The year 1932 marked the next big landmark, when he married Beatrice Braganza, herself a graduate teacher and therefore a most suitable helpmate in his avowed vocation. She was the daughter of old family friends, John Michael and Ritinha Braganza. Mr. Braganza, himself a man of courage and vision, who founded a successful drug store in Poona, must surely have approved of and encouraged his soninlaw in his pathbreaking venture.

The newlyweds travelled abroad on their honeymoon and made a point of visiting schools in England, France and Germany to acquire new ideas which Edward later introduced in his own school. The practice of reading excerpts from the newspapers and giving a short discourse at the Assembly, the emphasis on reading and the distribution of library books, the smart marching drill accompanied by band music, were all his innovative ideas which gave a high tone to the school.

In its early years, the school grew rapidly in strength, attracting children from even farflung villages. The family of Edward and Beatrice grew too. Ten children were born to the couple Cyril, two daughters who died in infancy, Hubert, Theresa, Mira, Raymond, Anil, Prakash, and Lila. The Indian names he gave to his last 3 children were his way of making a strong statement, underlining his passionate nationalist beliefs. In the forties the struggle for India's independence was at its zenith, and so too the Goa Liberation Movement. He and many thinking men like him believed that the time had come to shake off the shackles of colonial rule and integrate and identify with the Mother Country.

Principal Soares was a stern disciplinarian and his students well remember quaking before his very shadow. Today the use of the ruler is ruled out, but it was quite the norm in those days for miscreants to line up, outside his office to be punished for their misdeeds. But the alumni of the school appear none the worse for receiving their share of whacks. It may even have helped them to rise to the positions of prominence many of them hold today! They feared him, but respected and admired him and knew without being told, how much they owed him.

His children remember him as a stern man too, but fairminded and just. He provided the discipline; their mother tempered it with love. As in everything else, he was conscientious in carrying out his paternal duties, supervising their studies, inculcating in them high principles, moral values, and strong religious beliefs. They were marched off, with much reluctance, to weekly Confession and Communion. And in the evenings when he led the Family Rosary, he kept a stern eye on the younger fellows, aware that While they mumbled their Holy Mary's their eyes and busy little minds were trained on the loaded guava tree outside the window!

Edward, though not talkative, loved to debate the issues (especially political ones) that interested him and his friends. He was a sociable person too, witty and charming, a lively raconteur of stories and much in demand to raise the toast and speak at weddings and public functions. For recreation he liked playing bridge, meeting with headmasters and teachers of other schools to exchange ideas, taking his family and whoever was staying with them (for there was always a clutch of young relatives staying in that hospitable household) on picnics and excursions.

The pace of his life and the punishing schedule he set himself proved too much for Edward. On the night of 19th20th March 1955, at the age 57, he passed away quietly in his sleep. The daughter, who was sent to wake him for breakfast, well remembers her shattering shock at finding his lifeless body. Many thought that the political upheavals, the tensions of those troubled times were responsible for his death, but it was genetic cardiac disease that claimed his life. Edward's funeral was attended by clerics and laity, Portuguese officials and the people of Aldona and villages far and near. He was buried in the Aldona cemetery.

In the 51 years since his death, many tributes have been paid to him, the latest being the life size likeness of him, crafted in metal, that stands in Aldona's market square. But the best memorials of all, hundreds of them, are those that walk through Goa and the globe, keeping the flag of their Alma Mater flying high, following in the footsteps of their mentor, keeping the faith.

Mrs. Marie Soares is the daughterinlaw of Principal Edward Soares.

Edward Soares
An Extraordinary Man
by
Damascene Soares

Principal Edward Soares was a great educationalist, completely devoted to the teaching profession. During my school days at St. Thomas' School, I clearly remember him as a strict disciplinarian and a person ever willing to help out the weak students, to the extent that he would ask them to stay after school hours when he would personally coach each of them without any remuneration.

I remember there were times when some of the boys could not pay their school fees on time and would stay away from school. This is when Edward Soares would show concern and send for their parents to enquire about their financial condition. Many a time he would forego their fees to ensure that the boys attended school regularly.

As I mentioned, Edward Soares was a strict disciplinarian. An incident which comes to mind is a wedding reception, which took place in a house in the vicinity of the school. Being neighbours, we were invited to this wedding. The only problem was that it was school working day. However, I persuaded my mother to allow me to attend this wedding. There were also some other boys who attended this wedding, while classes were going on in the school. To our good luck, as we thought, we were happy to see Principal Soares, who not only attended the wedding but raised the toast. He came over to speak to us but did not say anything adverse. It was the next day that we eventually had to face the music. Speaking at the morning assembly, he asked all those who attended the wedding to stay back after class. This way we learnt discipline. He also stayed behind and told us that while he attended the wedding as he had a duty to perform, we had no business to avoid classes no matter how important the function was. This was Edward Soares at his best.

Mr. Damascene Soares was a student of Principal Edward Soares and knew him well personally.

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Mr. Edward Soares
A Liberator
by
Fr. Cosme Jose Costa (SFX)

On the occasion of the inauguration of the monument dedicated to the memory of Principal Edward Soares on 9th December 2006, I deem it a great privilege to write in these few lines the character of this noble and worthy son of Aldona, whose spirit and memory linger on in the minds of countless Aldonkars and the surrounding villagers spread all over the world. To me, apart from being the founder and Principal of my "'Alma Mater", the St. Thomas’ High School, Aldona (at first mixed school), he was a visionary, a liberator of the masses from the clutches of ignorance and oppression. I feel that to him education was a vocation, a means of conscientising the youth to imbibe them with the lofty ideals of discipline, freedom, enlightenment, wisdom and character building, as well as spiritual values of truth, justice and above all love of the country and of one's fellowmen. From the time he founded the school in 1923 till his death in 1955 he was involved in the process of this enlightenment of the youth. Those were the years when the freedom movement was at its zenith in India. Goa could not remain aloof in this struggle.

The Visionary
Edward Soares was a visionary. While the school was in its infancy, great freedom fighters like Lokmanya Tilak, Mahatma Gandhi, Ram Mohan Lohia and others had adopted the Satyagraha movement in various forms: Noncooperation (1921), Civil Disobedience (1930), Quit India Movement
(1942) and others. These movements though peaceful, had involved many freedom fighters in direct confrontation with the colonial authorities. The Portuguese had acted violently against these peaceful and nonviolence satyagrahis. From such a situation of direct confrontation, in the struggle for the freedom of India or liberation of Goa, Edward Soares reached out to the thought and experiment of moulding future generations by following an altogether different path of humble and silent educational service.

He thus prepared generations and generations of Aldonkars to be responsible future citizens of a free India and a free Goa, though he did not live to see the liberation of Goa from Portuguese colonial rule. Not only Aldonkars benefited from these educational facilities but also children and youth from Bastora, Ucassaim, Nachinola, Olaulim, Pomburpa, Chorao, Ecoxe, Saloi, Bodiem, Shirgaum, Mahem, Sirsaim, Tivim, Cansa, Assnora and other remote places, who walked or cycled their way from early morning in clement or inclement weather, to be in time for the school assembly at 9.30 a.m. sharp.

Today there are over a dozen schools in areas mentioned above. The salaries of the teachers are high, the education is free and the schools are aided. So today it may be easier to run a school. But in those times when there was not only no Government aid, but even an opposition on the part of the colonial masters to have an English School in Goa, Edward Soares had to shoulder single handedly the burden of starting and running the School, maintaining the staff, recruiting suitable teachers, paying their salaries with the meagre fees collected from the students, some of whom could hardly afford to pay in time the small contributions demanded by the School.

Before him, Mr. Goes had started the first experiment in education in Carona, a ward of Aldona, but had to give up after a few years for lack of funds. The school was taken over from Mr. Goes by a businessman, the shopkeeper Narayan who tried to keep the school alive but had to give up for the same reason. Educational Institutions could not be run on business lines. The experiment of Edward Soares, in spite of all hurdles and difficulties, did endure till his death and after a year was taken over by the Archdiocese of Goa and then by the Fransalians.

The Patriot
I have mentioned Government opposition. It was really an atmosphere of tension and suspicion. The Government had a Portuguese primary school (teaching up to 1st and 2nd grau) at Tercena, in Aldona. It hardly had 50 students from the higher and richer classes. The poorer classes had no place there and preferred to send the children to the English medium St. Thomas' High School which had one or two divisions with 35 to 40 students in each class, a total of around 450 to 500 students in 8 classes. The Portuguese Government retaliated by making the primary stage up to 1st grau compulsory. A teacher of Portuguese language had to be maintained. But with all the lectures in English and only one period of Portuguese it was not an easy job. Students often failed in 1st grau, though they passed the other subjects sometimes scoring quite high. It would be an injustice to detain the students just for failing the Portuguese 1st grau.

Edward Soares understood the sacrifices of parents and the students who worked hard. He had a soft corner for such students and would allow them to attend the next class. But often strict inspections were carried out by Portuguese officers and often the School authorities fell in trouble. Edward Soares had often to pass sleepless nights because of this friction. Still he steered fearlessly his bark of knowledge for the love of his pupils for well nigh 32 years! I attended the school from Std II and passed SSC in 1956. Mine was the last batch before the School was handed over to the Archdiocese. When I was in preSSC Edward Soares died in his sleep. My last 3 years in school were troubled ones. Our trio of professors Mr. Pereira, Mr. Pinto and Mr. Godinho were constantly imprisoned for their patriotic ideas and we were often deprived of their important lectures. When Edward Soares died it was rumoured that he too had been summoned the next day to court to answer accusations against him and his staff.

After my ordination in 1966, I worked in Fr. Agnel's High School, Pilar for 10 years. Even in 1971 Hindi was not compulsory for SSC exams in Goa, under the Pune board to which our schools were affiliated. But looking back, I see how patriotic Edward Soares was in making the study of Hindi compulsory for us right from the second standard till the preSSC. Love for our national language; love for India and Indian ethos were inculcated in the students right from the class room benches.

Students who passed from St. Thomas' High School have occupied high positions in life as doctors, engineers, government officials, priests, officers in the army and mercantile navy, etc. not only in Goa but also in Bombay, Canada, USA, and other parts of the world. They are an eternal testimony to the quality of education we received in the school under a patriotic Principal and staff.

The Disciplinarian
Edward Soares was a strict disciplinarian. He spoke little but meant much. He commanded an aura of respect around him and students would often speak in hushing tones whenever he passed by. Students were coming from far away, but punctuality was the most important virtue, he inculcated in them. If any one was late for the assembly there was no leniency.

He had the welfare of every student at heart. He kept contact with his students. Every week, he would visit the classes himself, especially the higher ones, to distribute library books to them. He was convinced that reading habits, when inculcated from young age would liberate the minds from darkness and ignorance, besides perfecting the knowledge and writing of correct English. He wanted to ascertain that the students had read the books given to them, so he would question the contents or ask for a summary from any one he picked up at random. So everyone had to be ready.

Every morning without fail, he was at his post, on the steps of the staircase, to conduct the assembly and to inculcate good habits and moral values in a short address he gave to the students. The School celebrated the feast of the patron saint, St. Thomas, on 21st December with a Mass in the morning and Annual Sports in the evening. Catechism and Moral classes were compulsory for all. Annual Retreat for 3 days was equally compulsory for catholic students. Spiritual values were thus imbibed in the students. His brother, Fr. Frederick Soares, was a spiritual Director and Counsellor to the students.

The Family Man
Edward Soares, inspite of having the heavy burden of the school on his shoulders, was a dutiful husband and a loving father to his children. He devoted his time to them and saw to their comfort and moral and spiritual upbringing. The fact that God blessed two of his children with a vocation Theresa as a Nirmala Sister, and Anil as a Jesuit priest, speaks of the high value of formation Edward Soares and his wife Beatrice Braganca e Soares gave to their children.

Conclusion
I invite every Aldonkar and every past pupil of St. Thomas' High School of the time of Edward Soares to reflect on the magnitude of the service he rendered to Aldona and the surrounding villages in the last 32 years of his life at the helm of the school. What would Aldona be like today, had there not been a school conducted by him? Where would you and I be at this moment, had we not received the benefits of a high quality education through him?

For Edward Soares education was a vocation in life. In his hands literacy was a weapon for social change. Education became the means, by which whoever passed through the portals of this school, could perceive, interpret, criticize, and finally transform the world around. The efforts of Edward Soares contributed in an extraordinary way to the development of a sense of purpose and identity among all the classes, including the poor, in Aldona and around. His work was the result of a process of reflection in the midst of the struggle with colonial power to create a new social order which would be ushered in by the liberation of Goa. His efforts concentrated upon the ability to deal creatively with reality.

We reap the benefits of the freedom of expression of which he dreamt. In his lifetime no one would have dared to shower the praises he deserved in an article like this one. He was blacklisted by the colonial authorities for the ideas of freedom. But today, it is our privilege to project the true traits of his character.

I salute Edward Soares and pay respects to his memory.

Fr. Cosme J. Costa is an ex-student of STBHS who passed under Principal Edward Soares. A Professor of Church History in the Major Seminary, Pilar, he is the author of *"Life Achievement of Blessed Joseph Vaz", "A Missiological Conflict between

Padroado and Propaganda" and `The Heritage of Govapuri'.

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St. Thomas' Boys High School
A Brief History
by
Angelo de Souza

As St. Thomas' High School, Aldona, completes the 83rd year of its establishment, it is proper to trace the educational history of this school that helped to bring it to its present standing in Aldona. This school has come a long way since Edward Joseph Soares the founder principal passed away.

In the beginning, in Cottarbatt, where the 'Home for the Aged' now stands, Mr. R. Britto, conducted a small English school along with a music class (in collaboration with the church). This was just a 'fourclasses' school with just a handful of students from Aldona. As this school did not last long, Mr. Anthony Goes started a school in Carona, Aldona in the late nineteenth century and this school was recognised by the Bombay University. The first to pass from this school were the sons and daughters of Mr. Goes and a few others. The name of the school was St. Anthony's High School.

When this school closed, Mr. N. Shenoy started his own English School at Carona in 1933 and named it New Union High School, Carona. But this school also closed down in 1936.

Mr. Edward Soares established his school in English in 1923 at Cottarbhat, Aldona. English schools in Goa, at that time could be counted on one's finger tips. Mr. A. X. Soares, the eldest brother of the Soares family was a lecturer in the Dharwar College, and also a Dean for the Faculty of Arts of the Bombay University. He helped his younger brother Edward, and was also quoted as saying that, "'Edward Joseph Soares was not made but was born a teacher". Soon after that his younger brother Frederick Soares, who was studying in the Rachol Seminary Goa, helped him in teaching religion.

Edward, having graduated in Arts from the Bombay University, started a school in the village of Aldona. As no place was available in the centrally situated locality of the village, he started it in the house of the Faria family at Cottarbhat. There were just three classes and five teachers to help him in his work.

Having thus carried on for a couple of years, Edward expanded the school as the strength increased and named it after the patron of the village, St. Thomas. By this time, the strength of the school had already increased and the number of classes too. Larger premises were badly needed and the school had to be shifted to the residence of Mr. Sertorio Mascarenhas, at Udoim .

At this juncture, services rendered by Dr. Jose Sequeira, of Naikavaddo, cannot be underestimated. After much labour, opposition and hard work, frequent visits to the Bombay University and inspection by the University authorities, the St. Thomas High School was affiliated and recognised and matriculation classes were started. Students flocked from surrounding villages of Assonora, Bodiem, Pomburpa, Moira, Bastora, Salvador do Mundo, the island of Malara, San Estevao, Chorao, etc. With boarding houses also being set up., many families started keeping their children as boarders.

The strength was now no less than 300 students and it was from here that the first batch of matriculation students were presented for the examination of the Bombay University in 1928. Of this five students were selected but only one was declared successful. As the school continued to flourish more classes had to be started and more teachers were required.

At this time, Mr. Sales Mascarenhas, one of the sons of the Mascarenhas family returned to Aldona and so the school had to be shifted to Goncoi in the premises of the Machado family. This house being insufficient, the classes were also conducted in the house Of Mr. Camilo Raphael Lobo. Now the fame of the school spread all over and children came by the numbers, both girls and boys, irrespective of caste, creed or religion to enrol themselves. They appeared for the matriculation examination of the Bombay University each year. They had to go to Bombay or Belgaum to answer their examination since it was the nearest matriculation centre.

Mr. Soares had to engage some of his own exstudents as teachers Most of them served the institution for over 25 years with dedication and strenuous work. Some of the dedicated teachers were J. S. Godinho, Santana D'Cruz, Fidelis Lobo, Palekar and J. J. Pereira.

At this time an order was issued by the Portuguese Government stating that the Portuguese language be made compulsory, and students could not attend Std. VI until they had passed the examination, known as Primeiro Grau held in English schools by goodwill of the government. The school now faced a problem and the services of Dr. Jose Sequeira of Naikavaddo cannot be forgotten.

By this time, the fame of the St. Thomas' High School had spread far and wide in Goa and students came to this school from all over Goa. The premises had to be enlarged and Edward thought of having his own premises. In 1939, the school was shifted to Santerxette, where it stands till this day. By then the student's number had almost crossed five hundred and many classes had to be segregated into divisions of A and B. Consequently the staff had to be increased.

Earlier, in 1935, the primary section for the girls was started in the house of the Costa family very close to the main High School. This became necessary as the number of girls increased and the wife of Edward, Mrs. Beatrice Soares, was put in charge as she was also a graduate and had also completed the training (B.T. degree now known as B. Ed). As the school was now doing well and the brother of Edward was its religious instructor, many a religious vocation was nurtured both among girls and boys.

It was also now decided that those girls who wished to complete matriculation had to attend the High School from Class VI onward so that St. Thomas' High School now became a coeducation school from class VI.

The fame of the school, by then was so widespread due to the many distinctions and gold medals obtained by students at the matriculation of the Bombay University. Moreover St. Thomas' School was at the zenith of its glory due to the efforts of dedicated teachers such as Mr. J. J. Pereira, Mr. P. J. Pinto, Miss Ursula Lobo along with the other members. In sports too it won the All Goa Schools Championships.

After India attained it's independence in 1947 and was declared a Republic in 1950, the school had to face many difficulties and overcome many hurdles to survive. Three teachers and the pillars of the school were imprisoned for their antiPortuguese ideas and open activities. Along with them, some students too were imprisoned. Mr. Soares decided to handover the girls section to the sisters of the Apostolic Carmel in 1946. He also decided to hand over the boys section to the Archdioceses of Goa . While he was contemplating this move, news came, like a bolt from the blue, in the early hours of March 19,1955, that Mr. Edward Joseph Soares was no more. People from all walks of life, namely the clergy, the laity, Portuguese officials, villagers and nonvillagers of Aldona, who held Mr. Soares in high esteem, attended the funeral.

Since the transfer had not yet materialised, the representative of the Archdiocese, Msgr. Philipe Mendonca, the chief functionary of the St. Joseph's High School, Arpora, took over the management of the school. Later Rev. Dr. B. J. C. Pinto., a retired Principal of the Holy Cross College, Sri Lanka, was requested to takeover the administration of the school in 1956.

This, however, did not last long and in the early 1961 the Archdiocese of Goa decided to handover the school to the Fransalian Fathers, M. S. F. S. Order. This system is still being carried out by them and much is done by them for the upliftment of the village children and the village itself. The unfinished task of Mr. Soares was in their hands and the Girls section was under the Sisters of the Apostolic Carmel. Both deserve credit for the most efficient work they are doing in this field.

Mr. Edward Soares started the school at a time when English Education had no support whatsoever, from the Government. But he carried on and fought bravely against very forceful odds with the help of Dr. Jose Sequeira and later, after his demise, with the help of Dr. Carlos D'Souza.

After establishment of SSCE Board, Goa one of the first to get the Teacher's Day State Award was Teacher and exstudent of the school, Miss Ursula Lobo. Later many followed with distinction in various fields. Some of them are Rev. Dr. Willie Nazareth, exVicar General Bombay, Dr. Willie D'Souza, exchief minister of Goa and the recipient of National and International awards, Mr. Angelo A. de Sousa, National Award winner of the Government of India for Social Service, Mr. Joaquim Sebastiao Pinto C. E., retired P.W.D. Goa and Dr. Gilbert Lawrence, gold medallist of London.

The students of the school are today spread all over the globe and bear ample and living testimony of the work of Mr. Soares, the pioneer in the field of English Education.

Mr. Angelo de Sousa was a student of Mr. Edward Soares and a teacher of St. Thomas' School for a period of four years.

(Reproduced from the Platinum jubilee Souvenir of St. Thomas Boys' High School, with minor changes)

Principal Soares
The Pride of Students
by
Thomas Victor D'Souza

I am very proud to have been a student of St. Thomas' School founded by Principal Edward Soares in 1923. Principal Soares was an enlightened educationist, a strict disciplinarian and a good human being. He was respected as principal all over Goa. He was responsible for opening the windows for us to all the continents because of his high standard of education. He took pains to find good teachers even from other parts of India, though we were then under the Portuguese rule.

Our school was excellent in all respects and its fame had spread all over Goa. There were not only students from neighbouring villages, walking all the way to Aldona and back, but some families from other villages had also taken up temporary residence in Aldona for the sake of good education. There were other students who stayed as boarders with some families in Aldona.

Our Principal also took care of spiritual training. He would arrange retreats annually for the Catholic students. His brother, Fr. Frederick Soares, would assist him in these matters. Fr. Frederick would also teach us to serve at Mass. Our school also had a Legion of Mary Presidium, inaugurated by Fr. Frank Duff, Legionary Envoy. Fr. Frederick was Spiritual Director of the Presidium. These activities resulted in a number of vocations.

Principal Soares encouraged us to participate in sports and play football, volley ball, etc. We used to practice volleyball at the ground near the school and foot ball at the Quitula Grounds. We used to have Sports Meet every year on the Feast Day of St. Thomas, our Patron, which was then celebrated on 21st December.

Let me narrate an incident to illustrate how well known Principal Soares was. There was a prize distribution function at a school in Bandra, Mumbai, at which late Cardinal Valerian Gracias was the Chief Guest. After delivering his address, the Cardinal praised Sr. Theresa, the Vice-Principal, for her contribution and referred to her father, late Edward Soares, as the founder of one of the oldest schools in Goa. He said his students had spread all over India and the world. He then asked if there were any of his ex-students present in the audience. To his surprise, we were nine of us, including me. He requested us to meet him after the function and spent some time with us.

Principal Soares would celebrate his birthday on 9th December and would invite his teachers and final year students to a party. Ours was the last batch of students to attend his birthday party as he passed away in March 1955 before our results were out. We shall never forget that day.

Mr. Thomas Victor D' Souza belongs to the last batch of students who passed out from the hands of Principal Edward Soares.

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Homage to Principal Soares
by
Prof. James Fernandes

Edward Soares is the man who has done the greatest good to the village of Aldona. A man of vision, he foresaw how education could transform the lives of the village people and at a time when there were few schools in the whole of Bardez, he established an English school in Aldona, he nurtured it with great devotion and moulded it into an excellent educational institution. And with the highquality English education that he provided to the people, he brought about a great transformation of the village.

The benefit of English education brought by St. Thomas’ School was not confined to the big village of Aldona with its farflung wards of Quitula, Calvim, Carona and Corjuem, it overflowed to the neighbouring villages of Bodiem, Sircaim, Assonora, Chorao, Olaulim and Pomburpa. I know that right from the late nineteen twenties, boys and girls from these villages overcoming all difficulties used to come to St. Thomas'. The difficulties were that students had to walk long distances of five to six kilometres to reach the school, they had to carry their lunch (as it was a fullday school), which their parents had to prepare early in the morning; and the students from Bodiem, Sircaim, Assonora, and Chorao particularly, had the additional difficulty of having to cross the river the branch of the Mandovi which flows along the northern and eastern borders of Aldona. And in the rainy season it would be quite an ordeal for small boys and girls first to cross the river, sometimes in stormy weather in small wobbly canoes, and then to walk on the slippery river embankments (""band"). Digressing a bit, I am pleased to mention that the Aldona Communidade of those times really deserves great praise for maintaining ferries at different points on the river and also for maintaining the bands in reasonably good conditions. For these were very valuable amenities for people on both sides of the river. And yet, for all the difficulties that their children faced, parents from neighbouring villages, parents who valued education and took the trouble of sending their children to St. Thomas', were grateful to Edward Soares for bringing English education within the reach of their children.

I joined St. Thomas' in 1946 in Std II (when Std. VIII was the final S.S.C. class). And every day, excepting Sundays and holidays, I, along with a number of students from Assonora (a number which went on increasing from year to year), walked for seven years, about five kilometres in the morning and the same distance in the evening, crossing the river each time at the Quitula ferry. When I joined in 1946 the school was already 23 years old a sufficient period of time for the school to make an appreciable impact on the village. I noticed then that Aldona was quite different from our village or some other neighbouring villages I had seen. There were more educated and cultured people here, and apparently they were more prosperous. Children of most families here were attending school and acquiring English education, which was not the case in most of the surrounding villages. Besides, as St. Thomas' had by now gained the reputation of being one of the best schools in Goa, a number of families from other villages were coming and staying here in rented houses and getting their children admitted in St. Thomas'. Young people who passed their Matriculation (and later S.S.C.) were going out of Goa, and while a few who had the means pursued higher education, most of them, thanks to the education they received at St. Thomas', were finding good jobs in Bombay and other cities of India, and also in different parts of Africa. All these people by their money remittances to their families were helping to make their village more prosperous.

In the course of the seven years I spent in St. Thomas, I came to understand what Edward Soares was, as a man, and as an educator; and I also came to realize the merit of the institution I was studying in, and the value of the education being imparted to us.

Edward Soares was of medium stature and of rather slight build, and physically there was nothing remarkable about him, nothing to cow down big rowdy boys, some of whom would be even in their early twenties. Yet during all the years of my studentship I never heard of any student having behaved with disrespect towards him. It was the common experience of most of us that when we stood before him we felt we were in the presence of a great man. I felt there was something remarkable but elusive and indefinable in his face and in his eyes that reflected his inner nature. However, after interacting with him for years, we came to realise that he was indeed an exceptional man, a man of vision, a man of principles, a man of learning and culture, and finally, a man totally committed to the cause of education. He had taken upon himself the mission of educating and thereby uplifting the village of Aldona and the surrounding areas, and he was singleminded in the pursuit of that goal. And he had so much identified himself with that noble mission that he appeared to be the very embodiment of an ideal.

Though I left St. Thomas' more than fiftythree years ago, I still carry vivid and indelible, impressions of our school life, and I would like to present certain recurring scenes of that life which provide glimpses into Edward Soares' personality, and indicate the kind of education we were receiving. We used to have our daily morning assembly on the assembly ground just in front of, and a little below the main entrance of the school building. At the first bell all the boys who were loitering around the school would come to the assembly ground and would stand in their respective files according to their classes. The teachers would stand in the open corridors leading from the entrance to various classes on the ground floor. The Principal would come and take his stand on a little raised platform by the side of the entrance. Usually it took the Principal two or three minutes after the bell to come from his office. In the meantime more than six hundred boisterous boys would go on talking loudly, exchanging pleasantries with one another, even shouting to their friends in other files, the whole assembly thus raising a great din. In the midst of the din the Principal would come walking through the corridor and only on reaching the platform would turn his face and look on the assembly below, his glance slowly sweeping over the whole assembly. And then as the boys became aware of his arrival, the noise would gradually subside and within five to six seconds there would be pin drop silence. He never needed to call for silence. His very presence and one sweeping glance did the needful. No wonder people had great praise for the discipline that prevailed in St. Thomas'. How many heads of institutions today can claim this type of control on their students?

Edward Soares did not want that education should be confined just to textbook studies. He resorted to various means to widen our mental horizons. One of these was to take a news report in the Times of India about some important happening in the world and to have it read and discussed at the morning assembly. We used to have this programme at least once a week. I particularly remember the programme on the event of Mahatma Gandhi's assassination in early 1948. When the Times of India carrying the news reached us, important portions of the news report were read to us, and then a talk was given by the Principal. I was only in Std. III (old) then, and cannot say I understood everything he told us. But I remember somehow he conveyed even to little boys like us the greatness of Gandhi. He told us of his own trip to some countries of Europe sometime earlier, where many people had shown interest in him as a "man from the land of Gandhi". It was less than three years after the Second World War, and as he reminded us, the horrors of that War were still very fresh in the minds of Europeans, many of whom saw in Gandhi's nonviolence the only hope for our world.

Yet another way in which the Principal broadened our education was by inculcating in us the habit of reading. For this, he had built up a good library over the years. The library period once a week was considered a very important period, and it was his period in every class. He would come accompanied by an attendant bringing heaps of books. I remember we had good abridged and simplified versions of most of the world's classics. Students were allowed to choose books of their own liking. Every student had necessarily to read the book he took, for when he returned it after a week the Principal would ask a couple of simple questions on the book, to make sure the student had read it.

In connection with the reading habit he emphasised to us even at that time that education should be a continuous lifelong process. He knew that many students could not afford to go to college but he assured us all that the process of education can be kept alive throughout life by reading. And there is no doubt that this reading habit he encouraged in us did help us in our intellectual growth. Apart from that, the reading of books helped us to gain a command of English. For in those times English was entirely a new language for most students and had to be learnt from scratch. Portuguese being the state language, English was spoken by very few people in Goa. Even we students outside of class used to speak in Konkani. Knowing this situation the Principal and the teachers took great pains to teach the language in the classroom and also to induce us to read books. And the result was that most of us, by the time we reached the SSC class, could write correct English. This was a creditable achievement for St. Thomas' considering that today more than fifty per cent of graduates cannot write proper English and it was partly at least on account of their good command of English that students of St. Thomas just after Matriculation or SSC used to secure good jobs and even rise to executive or managerial posts.

We cannot forget the teachers of that time who helped to make St. Thomas' what it then was. Principal Soares had taken care to engage a good team of teachers, many of them former students of St. Thomas. Without teacher's training, yet they were efficient teachers, because they were dedicated. In those times with no grants from the State, Principal Soares could not pay them good salaries, yet they rendered invaluable services because teaching was for them a vocation. Seeing the way they functioned one could believe that teaching is indeed a noble profession. I would like to mention here those who served for long periods Mr. Victorino Fernandes and Mr. Palekar teaching in the lower classes and Mr. Pereira, Mr. D'Cruz, Mr. Godinho and Mr. Pinto in the higher classes and finally Mr. Angelo D'Souza who though he did not serve so long deserves special mention for what he achieved in life after leaving St. Thomas'.

People today seeing the moral and cultural decline in society are talking of value education. In those times though this expression was unheard of, it was value education that Principal Soares imparted to us. No doubt he was concerned that young people should be equipped with knowledge which would help them in securing employment. But he always stressed that the aim of education was not just to prepare young people for jobs but to help them become better human beings. By all that he taught us he instilled in us the idea that an educated person has to be an enlightened and cultured person and a person with the integrity of character. School period being the most formative period in a person's life, we, his students have to consider ourselves privileged in having had Edward Soares as our educator in that period, for the attitudes he helped to form in us. The values he helped us to acquire have become a part of our nature and have enabled us to live meaningful and fulfilling lives.

I am now very happy that those of his students who are fortunate to be alive today more than half a century after they left school, have, together with all the people of Aldona come forward to honour him and to keep alive his memory. For, by thus paying homage to him, we are acknowledging our debt of gratitude to him for the good he has done to the people of Aldona and the surrounding villages, and also, hopefully, we are helping to keep alive those ideals of education which he stood for, transforming the lives of a few generations of people in this area.

Prof. James Fernandes, a retired lecturer of St. Xavier's College, Mapusa, was a student of Principal Edward Soares. He is the author of "In Quest of Freedom", a book which deals with his experience in the Goan freedom struggle.

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Principal Edward Joseph Soares
Then And Now
by
Fr. Romuald D'Souza, S.J.

Every so often we celebrate events that could become opportunities to look back with gratitude, and ahead with commitment, to the original vision that inspired the beginning. Institutions don't just happen. There is always a person who sees possibilities that others are unable to see and, often singlehanded, makes them happen. Principal Edward Joseph Soares was such a person, and it is a praiseworthy thing that the people of Aldona, fifty years after his death, have decided to recognise their debt to him and to perpetuate his memory. I feel privileged to be invited to join the celebration through this writeup, and I thank the organisers.

Much has already been said on other occasions about the contribution of Principal Edward Soares to education in Goa, and of the difficulties he had to overcome to give to the youth of Aldona and of the neighbouring wards or parishes, the opportunity to make a decent start in life. He saw that the youth needed education beyond the elementary stage that the regime in power had decided was more than adequate for the common Goan. Principal Soares took it as his mission to educate the youth and to enable them to make their living outside of Goa and even abroad. Some, he hoped, would go on to higher studies and qualify for a variety of professions. It is no wonder that this vision did not find favour with the rulers of the land, and he had to overcome many hurdles in his way.

I recall a couple of incidents when I was impressed by the way Principal Soares handled them. Like schools everywhere, St. Thomas school had its share of 'problem' students. The Principal did not opt for the easy way out, as many schools today might do. He did not "weed" them out, but instead tried to understand their problem. A truly great educator, and a great school, educates all children, not just those who are docile.

Obviously Principal Soares' vision was not only for his own lifetime. His spirit was greater than can be limited by one life span. And so I may be permitted to imagine what he might have done to meet the changed demands of a rapidly advancing technology and of an economy driven by knowledge.

I don't suppose there is any difference of opinion about the fact that the education to which we are painfully subjecting our children is largely obsolete. Our children may not realise it, but somehow they seem to sense it. How else could we explain that out of every 100 children who enter Class 1, less than 23 actually complete education at the secondary level? We have these statistics from the Department of Education of the Government of Goa . Is this because our children lack intelligence, or rather because they see no meaning in the rituals to which we are subjecting them in the name of schooling? With more than 50 years of teaching to my credit I am convinced, without the least doubt, that our children have the intelligence to match that of any children of their age anywhere in the world. We, and I mean both teachers and parents, are not helping our children to develop their intelligence as is done in other places and in other countries.

The education we are used to, and in which we ourselves were educated, was designed for the industrial age. It was a productionline type of education in which what mattered was only the outcome, defined by how many passed and how many failed, and what were the highest marks obtained. Neither the learning process not the quality of the persons produced was given much importance.

I would now like to briefly suggest some of the changes that we need to make to bring our education in line with the needs of the knowledge economy in which our children will have to find a place and make their living. The training our schools give to our children requires radical change.

From "what to know" to "how to think". The teaching in our schools aims at covering the syllabus. The students are required to memorise a certain amount of information that they are required to reproduce in the examination. The process of learning, which must essentially involve teaching the child to reflect, is given almost no attention. It is no wonder then that many of those who top the class or gain a rank in public exams, do not often shine in their later careers when they are required to exercise thinking and ongoing learning to be able to manage rapid change. These are the essential habits that schools are expected to inculcate in their students to prepare them for life.

From content to skills. The primary task of the school is to develop in its students right from class 1 to class 12 a love for reading, a facility for writing and verbal expression, and the skills of numerical and analytical reasoning. In all courses the teachers should insist that the students should have to do a reasonable amount of extra reading and have the opportunity to express themselves effectively. The academic skills that every child must be taught today are creative thinking, problem solving, decision making, and above all to learn how to learn. Any child of any age can be taught all these skills in a way that is adapted to its age.

From competition to collaboration. Knowledge grows by sharing, and so an essential quality of the knowledge age is the ability to collaborate in understanding ideas and concepts. To provide rigorous academics to all students, schools should get them to work in groups around a theme of interest to them. When students are able to see the relevance of what they are expected to learn to the goals they desire to achieve, they perform much better academically. Teachers will find a whole lot of ways to promote sharing of ideas and experiences among students on the topics they discuss in class. Other collaborative group activities, public exhibitions of work, outofschool learning activities, community service projects, and similar activities make a huge difference in the attitude of the child towards the school and towards academic learning. The halfday school schedule cannot find place for these important activities.

As I jotted down these ideas I kept wondering what Principal Soares would have thought of them. My feeling says that he would have stood for the kind of changes I have suggested, and many other similar changes that are needed. He saw his mission as ... To give to every child the best .possible start in life.

Fr. Romuald D'Souza, S.J., was the Founder and Director of Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneshwar, and Goa Institute of Management, Ribandar. He is a member of Goa Knowledge Commission and Director of Goa Education Development Corporation.
 

Results of
Matriculation & SSC Examinations
(in order of merit upto 1955)
Private student + Passed the Supplement Exam


 

Matriculation

1928
Presented 5   Passed 1
Joaquim Sebastiao Pinto (Dist. in Math.)

1929
Presented 8   Passed 8
Joao Baptista Noronha (Dist. in Math.)
Jose Manuel de Souza
Luis de Lima
Jovito Redentor Lobo
Carlos da Cruz
David Caridade Lobo (Dist. in Math.)
Teodorico Francisco
William de Souza

1930
Presented 8   Passed 7
Alberto Joao Manuel Siqueira (Dist. in Arith.)
Joao Jose Joaquim Lancelot Santana Godinho (Dist. in Arith.)
Antonio Xavier Soares
Santana Piedade Francisco da Cruz (Dist. in Latin.)
Joao Luis Castelino
Lucia de Souza
Pascoal de Souza

1931
Presented 15   Passed 13
Francisco Coutinho
Alberto Francisco de Souza
Pedro Santana de Souza (Dist. in Math.)
Albano Mendes
Rosa Helena Maria Fonseca
Florencia Maria Helena Soares
Jose Carmino Alvares
Caetano Francisco Castelino (Dist. in Math. & Portuguese.)
Tomas Piedade de Cruz
Crisna Porobo Mambro
Joao Caetano Rodrigues
Satiro Saldanha (Dist. in Math.)
Jose Rodrigues

1932
Presented 14   Passed 11
Carlos Dias (Dist. in Maths & Latin)
Visrama Porobo Mambro
Bento Rodrigues
Vicente de Souza
Antonio Sebastiao de Sa
Francisco B. de Souza
Vicente Xavier de Souza
Lourenco C. de Souza
Jose N. de Souza
Antonio C. E. Pereira
Lourenco E. do R. Mesquita

1933
Presented 13   Passed 9
Datatraia Visvesvar Borde
(Dist. in Math. & Science)
Gracirs Soares
Alvaro L. A. Cardoso Henrique
Joao Caridade Alvares
Alberto Nazare
Santana Siqueira
Federico Lobo
Zeferino Mendes
Joao Vas

1934
Presented 14   Passed 11
Arlindo de Souza (Dist. in Science)
Joao Jorge Francisco Sabino Castelinc,
Alberto Sequeira
Manuel Francisco da Cruz
Catao Nolasco Lobo
Angelo das Neves e Souza
Julio Arberto Nazare
Irene da Cunha
Mariano Paulo Conceicao
Alice Olegario Nazare
Balcandra Balcrisna Lad

1935
Presented 16Passed 7
Renato Goncalves (Eduardo Dalgado Scholarship)
Carlos Maria Rocha Pinto (Dist. in Port.)
Marciano Conrado da Silva (Dist. in Latin)
Benedito Fernandes
Eduardo Pinto
Jairarn Ramachondra Dhond
Jnardan Darvodcar

1936
Presented 23   Passed 15
Henrique G. X. Nazare (Dist. in Latin, Maths & Science)
Andre Sebastian Dias (Dist. in Latin & Maths)
Jorge Rosario X. de Souza (Dist. in Science)
Filipe Roque Pereira (Dist. in Maths & Science)
Rolanda Vales (Dist. in Port.)
* Maria Bernvinda da Cost
Sivestre Apolino de Sa
Marcos de Souza
Alfredo Presentacao Nazare
Calisto Antonio F. Nazare
Candido Lourenco de Souza
Januario Manuel Lobo
* Maria Reis
Iolanda Silva Coelho
Alfredo Olegario Naiare Saldanha
Carlota Lobo
Maria Ida F. Tovar Dias
Joao Sebastiao de Souza
Pedro Fernandes
+ Alfredo. de Souza
+ Luis Pinto
+ Nelson Paulo
+ Alice Rodrigues
+ Aurora de Sa
+ Agapito Crisologo Sequeira
+ Cleoferida Castelino
+ Lucia Basta de Silva Viegas

1937
Presented 21   Passed 16
Valerio Dias (Dist. in Maths)
Ofieia Mesquita
Arnaldo Carlos Sequeira
Gergina Francisco (Dist. in Maths)
Jose Thomas Pereira
Antonio Jose Pinto
Melita de Souza
Armindo Afonso Lobo
Renato de Souza
Florencio Alvito Femandes
Bela de Sa
Napoleao da Cruz
* Olimpia Fernandes
Maria Vinifred Tereza Alvares
Jose Sebastiao F. Merces Fernandes
Maria Olinda Barreto
Tomas Francisco de Souza
Antonio Zeferino de Sequeira

1938
Presented 25   Passed 15
Bernardo Mendonca (Dist. in Maths)
Moises Marsal de Souza
Tomas Joao Lobo (Dist. in Science)
Vilfredo Rego
Jose Dominic Pereira
Vimala Hemmadi
Simplicio de Souza
Antonio Cipriano de Sa
Eduardo Hermano de Silva
Sebastiao de Souza
Ana Cecilia Noronha
Henriques Fernandes
Francisco Bernardo Mendes
Matias Benjami Xavier da Lima
Luis Rodrigues
Olivia de Souza

1939
Presented 21   Passed 18
Thomas Xavier Noronha (Dist. in Maths)
Antonio Jose Natividade Rodrigues
Antonio Sequeira
Jose Francisco Godinho (Dist. in Science)
jean d'Arc Coelho
Joaquim Castelino
Joaquim Antonio Soares
Rui Lourenco Filomeno Noronha
Antonio Jose Luis Francisco Sebastiao Pais
Juliao Manuel Lobo
Lucia de Souza
Juliao Francisco Lobo
Tomas Bernardo de Souza
Jose Antonio Pinto
Evelina Maria de Souza
Libania Lobo
Ana Pinheiro
Martinho de Souza
Maria Aida Colaco

1940
Presented 18   Passed 17
Jose Soares (Dist. in Eng. & Maths)
Antonio Edvin de Mello
(" Eduardo Dalgado" Scholarship & Dist. In Eng.)
Alarico Venancio Nazare
Alcina Clara de Piedade Souza
Francisco Antonio Pinto
Carlos Francisco Tome Jose Figueiredo
Pedro Joao de Souza
Pia Mafalfa Afaide (Dist. in Eng.)
Antonio Jose Trindade
Romao Pancracio de Souza
Luduvico do Rosario Ferrao
Antonio Francisco de Souza
Maria Aizira Nazare
Antonio Jose Sacrafamilia de Souza
Arcangela de Souza
Molia Mendonca
Florencia Pinheiro

1941
Presented 21   Passed 19
Luis de Souza
Jairam Dessai
Tomas R. Correia
Rosa Correia
Olivia Agnela Rego
Caetano J. Mesquita
Jose A. de Sa
Alice Mendonca
Santana Sequeira
Lili da Cruz
Bras Sequeira
Apolonia Nazare
Alda Mendonca
Ursula Lobo
Caridade Pereira
Rudraji Sardessai
Elisa Ferrao
Jose Rodrigues
Franclin de Souza
 

1942
Presented 27   Passed 24
Alba Alvares (Dist. in Maths)
Luciano Pinto (Dist. in Maths)
Ruth Carmo Flores (Dist. in Maths)
Alito Francisco de Sa (Dist. in Maths)
Virginia de Souza (Dist. in Maths)
Vilfredo Antonio F. de Souza (Dist. in Maths)
Alzira Mendonca
Zoideva Porobo Mambro (Dist. in Maths)
Lucie Tavares (Dist. in Maths)
Antonio Francisco de Souza
Abraham. Mendonca
Aninha de Souza (Dist. in Maths)
Cajanana Porobo Mambro
Guiherme Jose do Rosario da Costa
Basilia Correira
Joanita Libia Ilda Mendonca
Margarida Saldanha
Antonio Mariano de Souza
Avito Jose Couto,
Tomas Victor Rodrigues
Cupertino Lobo
Conrado Carvalho
Romualdo de Souza
Diogo Paulo de Souza

1943
Presented 33   Passed 21
Pascoal Jose Conrado da Silva (Dist. in Eng., Math & Sci.)
Judit Mendes (Dist. in Maths)
Henrique Noronha (Dist. in Maths)
Alzira J. Faria
Francisco Caridade de Sa (Dist. in Science)
William Francisco Correia
Antontio Eleuterio Pereira
Alzira Maria Lobo
Libano da Silva
David de Sa
Fabian da Silva
Olavo da Graca Fernandes
Antonio Aguiar da Cunha
Angelo Alberto de Souza
Francisco Mendonca
Maria Especiosa Mendes
Lucinda Veneranda Nazare
Pedro Paulo Pinto
Francisco Antonio de Souza
Simao de Souza
Crisanto Alcantara Lobo

1944
Presented 46   Passed 39
Vitor Avito Lobo (Dist. in Maths & Science)
Gorgonio Mendonca (Dist. in Maths)
Rogunata Saunto
Antonio J. de Souza
Irene Castelino (Dist. in Maths & Science)
Lira Veronica de Souza (Dist. in Science)
Rosa Menezes
Olinda de Souza
Jaime Rodrigues (Dist. in Science)
Laura Maria de Souza
Suzana de Souza
Agostinho Fernandes
Melie da Costa
Lena Aurea de Sa
Manuel Caetano A. de Souza
Carmo Fernandes
Rui Fonseca
Camilo Noronha
Jorge Aires de Souza
Antonio Xavier Sequeira
Angela Castro
Antonio Sebastiao Sequeira
Luisa Maria Louzado
Januario Vaz
Pedro Santana Pinto
Antonio Francisco Fernandes
Caetano Jose de Souza
Antonio Adriano J. de Souza
Cosme Francisco A. Fernandes
Jose Crispino de Souza
Antonio Menezes
Luis Xavier Noronha
Gilberto Rocha
Franco Toscano
Agnes Cecilia Afonso
Francisco Xavier Hermetes de Souza
Estanislau Linch
Elmira da Silva
Maximiana Bela Pereira

1945
Presented 48   Passed 35
Antonio Francisco J. M. J. de Souza (Dist. in Eng., Sec. Lang., Maths, Sci.)
Filipe Xavier Pantaleao de Souza (Dist. in Sci.)
Armando Jose Peidade G. de Souza (Dist. in Maths)
Condilac Nicolau de Sa (Jr.)
Menino Jorge Agatao Nazare (Dist. in Maths)
Aires de Penha Goncalves (Dist. in Sec. Lang. & Sci.)
Antonio Filipe Menezes
Olencio Jose Vicente Cunha e Souza
Lina Maria Tereza Fernandes
Francisco Vaz
Joao Caetano Romualdo Mendes (Dist. in Science)
Jose Francisco Filipe Rodrigues
Luis Xavier Jose Antonio Mendonca
Maria Pelagia Eulalia Dias
Eduardo J. N. da Cruz
Marcelino Cuilherme L. Carvalho
Mariano Anselmo C. Faria
Santana Venancio Souza
Antonio Patricio Carvalho
Luis Caetano Faria
Desiderio Saldanha
Gracie Luis Lobo
Antonio Caitano Francisco M. de Souza
Pedro Joaquim Germano Correia
Tome Cipriano de Souza
PaImira Salvacao de Souza
Armando Dociano Lobo
Edvino Caridade Dores Afonso
Berta Dionisia Pinto
Pedro Antonio Trindade de Souza
Antonieta Angela Ataide
Desiderio Eusebio Mesquita
Vinaeca Caculo
Tome Ambrosio Fernandes
Jose Januario de Souza

1946
Presented 34   Passed 27
Joao Basilio Correia (Dist. in Maths & Sci.)
Jose Correia
Florie Souza (Dist. in Maths)
Manuel Antonio Rego
Benjamim Ciril de Abreu (Dist. in Maths & Sci.)
Henrique Antonio Nelson Correia (Dist. in Maths)
Roque Francisco de Souza (Dist. in Maths & Sci.)
Terezinha de Menino Jesus Sequeira (Dist. in Maths)
Armando Mesquita (Dist. in Maths)
Artur Joao Francisco Lobo,
Silva da Costa
Edella Correia (Dist. in Maths)
Maria Ofelia de Santa Rita Lobo (Dist. in Maths)
Tereza Coelho
Agnelo Nazare
Agostinho Sequeira (Dist. in Sci.)
Francisco Paulo Ribeiro Lobo
Domingo Lobo
Joao Ferrao
Leao Tomas de Sa
Vicente Januario Rodrigues
Jose Agostinho Teofilo Souza
Francisco Camilo Furtado
Rosario Melita Pinto
Hurberto Gregorio Frederico Ataide
Jorge Aleluia de Souza (Dist. in Maths)
Roberto Jose Antonio X. Ferrao

1947
Presented 46   Passed 38
Rumaldo da Costa (Dist. in Maths & Sci.)
Abel Estevam Lobo (Dist. in Maths)
Lilia Ines Lourdes Faria (Dist. in Maths)
Antonio de Souza (Dist. in Sci.)
Felico Caetano Pinto
Celina Silvana P. de Sa
Maria Lucia de Castro
Francisco Joao de Castro
Jose Cornelio Antonio S. Maciel
Leta Mendonca
Francisco Paulo Lobo
Amelia Luisa Perpetua de Silva
Leslie Jaime Joaquim Correia
Margarida Lucia de Sa
Delina M. de Santana Rita Ataide
Caetano Assis Almeida
Afra Maria Lobo (Dist. in Eng.)
William Tavares
Josefina Angelina Vas
Caetana Carvalho
Laura Maria L. de Souza
Lourenco Gregorio Gago
Mervin Maciel
Antonio Couto
Faustina Tereza Maria Carvalho
Joao Matias N. Fenseca
Alita Olga C. Coutinho
Bernadete Figueiredo
Jorge Gabriel de Souza
Joaquim Marcelino Fernandes
Manohas Naraina Palecar
Bela Rodrigues
Isabel Correia
Lia das Neves Castro
Filipe Pedro Rodrigues
Marta de Souza
Florinda Soares

1948
Presented 51Passed 38
Armando Mariano J. de Souza
Vithal Anant Navelcar
Mira Sunctancar
Ernesto Comelo
Filipe Jose Atanasio Pinto
Berta de Souza(Dist. in Science)
Estafania da Costa
Manohar Porobo Mambro
Henrique de Souza
Jose Luis Dias
Assuncao Pereira
Melvin Mendonca
Julia Angelica Correia
Francisco Jose Couto
Cirilo Jose Soares
Umancanta Roguvira Pissurlencar
Tomas Correia
Jose Antonio Mendes
Felicio I. Silveira
Silvia Mendonca
Dionisio Antonio Nazare
Alfredo Ciriaco de Souza
Roguvira Naique
Henrique Cesar Carvalho
Vinaik Vassudev P. Salgaocar
Niclau Jose Rebelo
Eunata de Sa
Mescina de Abreu Castelino
Albino Tomas Pinto
Vicente Albino Conceicao
Surexa Ananta Cacule
Bernardina Gouveia
Joaquim Xavier Roberto Monteiro
Luis Jose Rodrigues
Jose Bismark Matias D. Silveira
Adelina Maciel
Tereza Candida Sebastiana Maciel


SSC

1949
Presented 38   Passed 28
Berta de Souza (Dist. In Science)
Norman Alberto de Santa Rita Ataide (Dist. In Science)
Evaristo Joao Pinto (Dist. In Science)
Ananta Ladu Naique (Dist. In Math)
Acurcio Tome Caridade de Souza
Rosa Bocarro
Flora Correia (Dist. In Science)
Jose Eugenio Xavier Rosarinho Vas
Tomas Sixto Abel Femandes (Dist. In Math & Science)
Filipe Santana V. Fernandes
Preciosa Trinidade
Jose Antonio de Souza (Dist. In Eng)
Valentino Mesquita
Graciano Teodosio Menezes
Hilario Rosario Lobo
Albino Patricio Alvares
Simao Antonio Julio Cesar Abreu
Lourenco Pascoal Graff de Souza
Molie Abreu
Sena Cruz Romualdo Fernandes
Basildes Antonio Soares
Adelaide Mendonca
Frederico Anastasio Maciel
Gracie Mendonca
Regina Ana Pia Lobo
Alda Digna Mendonca
Ruth de Santana Rodrigues
Bernardo Pedro Patricio Lynch

1950
Presented 39   Passed 35
Rui Caetano Jose Souza (Dist. In Science)
Alexandre Cosme Francisco Santana Lobo (Dist. In Science)
Eustaquio Alberto Dionisio de Souza (Dist. In Sec. Lang & Science)
Tomas Caetano Pinto (Dist. In Science)
Rui Maria Elvino de Souza (Dist. In Science)
Jose Julio de Batista da Costa (Dist. In Science)
Sadassiva Crisna Sunctancar (Dist. In Science)
Ananta Siva Salcar (Dist. In Science)
Camilo Caetano Miguel de Souza (Dist. In Science)
Mariano Paulo Lobo (Dist. In Science)
Olga da Costa
Pascoal Agostinho Basilio Fernandes (Dist. In Sec. Lang.)
Elsa Faria
Francisco Miguel Satiro Fernandes
Joao Roque Menezes (Dist. In Science)
Francisco Rosario Botelho
Jeronimo Joaquim Fernandes
Francisco Xavier de Cruz
Remigio Jeronimo Leao Botelho
Alberto Micael Francisco Lobo
Natividade Jose Soares
Abel Francisco Castelino
Francisco Mendonca
Vamona Ananta Navelcar
Honorato Diniz
Antonio Filipe Alvares
Joao Batista Pinto
Maria Margarida Filomena Sequeira
Etelvina de Souza
Sripada Camotim
Betty Castro
Tomas Alfredo Fernandes
AnaBeatrice Lynch
Nicolao Fernandes

Entrance Exam
Carmina Margarida Carvalho
Sripada Tari
Jose Francisco Pereira

1951
Presented 30 Passed 22
Naraina Visvonata Norcar (Dist. In Hist. Alg. & Geometry)
Paulo Antonio Sequeira (Dist. In Algebra & Geometry)
Marcal Claro Fernandes
Jose Francisco Roberto Dias (Dist. In History)
Antonio Jose Jasmim de Souza (Dist. In Algebra)
Vassudeva Tucarama Nagvencar (Dist. In Algebra)
Tomas Rosario Castro
Ivo Joaquirn da Rocha
Domingos Jose Mendonca
Balcrisna Xencora Nipanikar
Amado de Souza
Leandre Ferrao
Miguel Cabral Pinto
Roberto Filomeno Pinto
Felix Lourenco Fernandes
Manohar Xamba Camotim
Francisco Eulalio da Silva
Xantarama Sanvlo Tari
Militina Maria Dias
Crisologo Ferrao
Xripada Xambhu Xirodcar
Pedro Albino Sequeira

Entrance Exam
Camilo Antonio Martins
Caetano Filomeno Fernandes
Fabiao Benedito Lobo

S. S. C. E. October
Julio Graceto Vas
Natividade Mario de Souza

1952
Presented 42 Passed 20
Raghoba Visvonath Borkar (Dist. In Math & Science)
Evaristo Silveiro Pinto (Dist. In Algebra)
Remigio, Joseph de Souza
Cyrilo Braz Pinto (Dist. In Algebra)
Salvador Bartolomeu Clifford Correia (Dist. In Algebra)
Jose Ligorio Mesquita
Caetano Francisco Rodrigues
Laximicant Raguvir Marnbro
Dinker Ramanchondra Kenkre
Gregorio Nozario Correia
Gajanana Ananta Aldoncar (Dist. In Algebra)
Mariano Roberto da Cruz
John Piety Fernandes
Adrian Felix Vicent de Souza
Santana Milagres Castelino
Joao Dasceno Soares
Ramachondra Pondori Tari
Luis Joao de Souza
Vital Xanum Revankar
Domingos Caetano Maria Abreu.

October
Silvester Mascarenhas
Jeronimo Paulc, Vaz
Venancio Jose Abreu Correia
Antonio Francisco Toscano
Austin Jose Santana Rodrigues

1953
Presented 28 Passed 24
Roberto Filomeno Nazareth (Dist. In Geog. & Algebra)
Shantaram Narshinv Naik (Dist. In Algebra)
Nicholas Francis Xavier Castelino (Dist. In Geog. & Algebra)
Victor Bartolomeu da Lima
(Dist. In Algebra & Geometry)
Francis Saldanha (Dist. In Algebra)
Vilas Keshav Mulgaonkar (Dist. In Algebra)
Jaime Jose Martins Fernandes (Dist. In Algebra)
Arthur Tome Rodrigues (Dist. In Algebra)
Baboi Atmaram Benaulekar (Dist. In Algebra)
Vishnum Raiu Valke Chodnekar (Dist. In Algebra)
Terry Gregory Rodrigues (Dist. In Algebra)
Amonio Thomas Fernandes (Dist. In Geography)
Thomas Joseph Carvalho (Dist. In Algebra)
John Manuel Vaz (Dist. In Algebra)
Olencio Milagres Fernandes (Dist. In Geography)
Rovidas Tukaram Naik Kauliker
Joseph Anthony Pinto (Dist. In Algebra)
Ventura Crispino Lobo
Victor Ciriaco Sequeira
Narayan Pandurong Kamat (Dist. In Algebra)
Francis Joseph Luis Noronha (Dist. In Algebra)
Anthony Joseph Souza Tavares
Ardaleao Lambert de Souza (Dist. In Algebra)
Cassiano Caetano Mendes

October
Florence Santana de Souza
Inacinho Martinho de Souza
Prabhakar Datta Salker
Patrick Mendes

1954
Presented 31 Passed 26
Cezar Pascoal Lobo (Dist. In Algebra)
Fiol Jose D'Silva (Dist. In Algebra)
Rosario F. Pinto (Dist. In Algebra)
Pascoal B. Rocha (Dist. In Algebra)
Carlito N. Ferrao (Dist. In Algebra)
Hubert F. Soares (Dist. In Algebra)
Jose A. Monteiro,
David B. Fernandes
Filipe T. Rocha (Dist. In Algebra)
Casmiro F. Mendonca
Damiao J. Andrade (Dist. In Algebra)
Jeremias F. Pinto
Eduardo J. Conceicao (Dist. In Algebra)
Shanker C. Kamat
Braulio A. Bothelo
Lino Pedro de Souza (Dist. In Algebra)
Apolinario S. Lobo
Egidio Jose Abreu (Dist. In Algebra)
Eron Salvador D'Silva (Dist. In Algebra)
Paulo de Souza
Caetano Jose Pinto
Pedro Santana Fernandes
George Santana Ferrao
Jose Filipe Vas
Manuel de Souza
Anacleto M. D'Silva

October
Camilo Mendes
Joaquim Pinto

1955
Presented 22 Passed 13
Jose Alfredo Abreu (Dist. In Eng., Alg., Sc., & French)
Silvestre C. De Souza (Dist. In Science)
Jose Cypriano de Souza (Dist. In Algebra)
Caetaninho Andre Menezes
Belarmino S. Heredia (Dist. In Algebra)
Mario Evarto de Souza
Cyril Rozario Pinto
Shantaram M. Aldonker
Aleixo Luis de Souza
Narayan Pundolic Dhond
Pascoal Joao Sequeira
Januario Francisco Rebello

October
Agnelo Antonio Fernandes
Gajanan Venkatesh Bhonsle
Teofilo Jose C. Vaz
Chandrakant Vassudeo Chodnecar
Pedro Jose Fernandes
Victor Jose Mendonca
Jagananth Rajaram Mhambrey