The school again
needed a man at the helm to steer and lead ahead. Mr. A. E.
Fitzgerald, an ex-Westcottan and also a former Headmaster was
considered the ideal man. He was duly contacted and offered the
post of principal. His attachment to the school superceded all
other considerations and he accepted the offer.
He knew Westcott
and Westcott knew him. He took up the reins of government as
though he had never ever left. It was vitally important to
re-build the reputation of the school and he channelized all his
energy into this task. The I. C. S. E syllabus had been
introduced the previous year (1974). Both the teachers and
students were adjusting to his change. Mr. Fitzgerald took it
upon himself to see that teaching was regular and up to the
standard of the new syllabus. He resumed his former practice of
walking into a class while it was in progress. New admission
again started taking place and new member were added to the
faculty. More classrooms were needed and were built. A
recreation room was set up, the catering was improved and
various provisions were made to provide better facilities for
the boarders. Indiscipline was not tolerated and corporal
punishment was still the accepted norm.
Extra- curricular
activities, which had been neglected during the turbulent phase,
were once again given a place of important in the curricula.
Participation of students in debates, elocutions, one-act plays
and a variety of games were encouraged. Interest had increased
because inter-school competitions were frequently held and the
exposure through such competitions immensely benefited the
school as well as the students. Principal’s Day and Teacher’s
Day were occasions when hidden talents came into focus.
Annual Sports day
and Speech (Prize) day, which formerly used to be held together,
were now on separated days. The Sports Day was much looked
forward to, by the boys and the inter-house competitions
generated great enthusiasm.
With the steady
increase in the number of students it because necessary to make
investments towards growth and expansion. March 1976 the
construction of a building for the junior hostel commenced, the
same year three classroom were built for the above the Junior
Dining Room (now Retreat). New Garages were built for the buses
that had been purchased. In 1975 an Ambassador (mark 3) was
purchased for the use of the Principal. Though was given to the
possibility of opening a (+2) Plus Two section. For additional
classrooms it was decided to construct a separate building for
the school and principal’s Office. This construction included
seven rooms for classes and it was completed and inaugurated in
1977. 1977 being the fiftieth year of the school the office
block came to be popularly known as the Jubilee Block. A special
Thanksgiving Service in the All Saints Chapel was held for the
Golden Jubilee. A grand camp fire was also organized to
highlight the Jubilee.
Winds of
adversity again started blowing over the Boys’ School; a section
of senior boys started an agitation; again the school had to be
closed. This time, however, the matter was resolved quickly. The
Governing Body expressed its faith on the Principal and the
bursar (Mr.G.Chandra) and assured them its full support for
whatever measures they adopted. All boys who had actively
participated in the agitation were expelled and for class seven
upwards the boarding was closed. Just prior to the agitation
there had been 416 boarders and 608 dayscholars. It was more
than clear that hostel facilities had to be improved and
extended.
By 1978 the
junior dormitory was completed and blessed by the Bishop. Plans
for the repair of the roof and building of a proper boundary
wall with a new gate were taken up. Construction of an
auditorium was also sanctioned and its foundation was laid in
November’1978.
By 1979-80
Westcott Boys’ School had acquired an entirely secular status.
Preference was given to Christians and Anglo- Indians but the
school created to all classes and all communities. Through the
natural inclination of the students was still for the science,
the I.C.S.E syllabus compelled the boys to take more interest in
Arts subjects. English, though compulsory was often taken for
granted with the result that most boys wrote only colloquial
English. The second language: Hindi and Bengali suffered great
neglect at the hands of the boys.
By 1980 the
construction of the auditorium was completed. It was inaugurated
by Dr. A. R. Kidwai (Governor of Bihar). It soon became the
venue for almost all school functions. The guest list for the
school functions had lengthened and begun to cover a wider
section of the society. The auditorium facilitated the
participation of a larger section of the school also.
Academically and
in everyway the school had made good progress. But this forward
momentum was again hampered; On 22nd October’1981 some boarders
along with a few day scholars went on strike. As in earlier
instances and it was left on the Governing Body to make the
right decisions and take necessary measures. This rebellion was
a severe blow to the Principal and a disaster for the school. In
an emergency meeting of the Governing Body after much
deliberation Mr. R.I. Thornton was chosen to officiate as acting
Vice-Principal from December 1981. Mr. V. Shaw was appointed as
Acting Bursur and Mr. E. S. Coe the school Secretary was
appointed as the Administrator of the school.