Thursday,
February 24th,1927 dawned to witness the
materialization of another dream of Bishop Foss Westcott. At
8:00 a.m the venerable Archdeacon Grimes of Calcutta unlocked
the doors of Bishop Westcott Boys’ School with a silver key; the
same key with which in 1923 the Metropolitan of India had opened
the Girls’ School. A simple and solemn service was held to mark
the official opening of the school. To the strains of “O worship
the king all glorious above” a procession of boys and girls,
teachers and visitors filed into the hall. The most Reverend
Foss Westcott (Metropolitan of India), Archdeacon Grimes,
Reverend H.G.S.Kennedy (Principal) and others members of the
clergy graced the occasion. After the benediction the
procession field through all parts of the school building – the
hall, class rooms, the dormitories, the dining hall and dwelling
of the servants. At each juncture halts were made to offer
prayer and blessing of the procession then left the school
precincts and moved towards Sherwood House where the Chapel (Now
All saints Church) meant for the use of both the Westcott School
was also dedicated by the Bishop.
Classes begain with a handful of boys – five in number on 24th
February, 1927. The first boy to take admission was Samule
William Smith from Bhojudih. Mr.Mcdonald and Mr. Mason were the
first among the staff to arrive and commence the work of
teaching. On March 17th the inspector of Europian School paid
his first visit to the School. The out coming of his inspection
and exhaustive inquiries was a steady inflow of special grants
and donations from the director of Public Instruction, the
Metropolitan and Government. The School buildings were
illuminated for the first time on 5th May 1927 by electric
lights which were installed by Osler and Co. of Calcutta. By
August the school library was set up with twerty books ( stories
for boys ) which were donated by a student’s ( Derek Blake )
mother. 23rd September 1927 the school was honoured
by the visit of his Excellency sir Hugh Stephenson. The students
in his honour presented a drill display and he left with a word
of praise good wishes for the future.
The first year was the year of good times as well as hard times.
Both students and staff settled in an adjusted themselves to the
school curriculum and its primitive surroundings. Daytime hours
were spent comfortably but the nights tended to be frightening
for there was no boundary wall and hardly any habitants in the
vicinity of the school. Nonetheless the morale was kept high.
Slowly and steadily more students, more members of the staff
came in and more funds and donations trickled in for further
development of the school.