Lawrence School (Sanawar)
| The Lawrence School, Sanawar Solan | |
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School motto
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| Location | |
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Kasauli Hills, Solan, Himachal Pradesh India |
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| Coordinates | 30°54′07″N 76°59′38″E / 30.902°N 76.994°ECoordinates: 30°54′07″N 76°59′38″E / 30.902°N 76.994°E |
| Information | |
| Type | Independent boarding school |
| Motto | Never Give In |
| Established | 15 April 1847 |
| School district | Solan |
| Staff | 70 |
| Grades | Lower Three - Upper Six |
| Number of students | 700 |
| Color(s) | Red and White |
| Affiliation | All India CBSE |
| Founder | Henry Montgomery Lawrence |
| Houses | Himalaya, Nilagiri, Siwalik, Vindhya |
| Headmaster | Mr. Vinay Pande |
| Website | www.sanawar.edu.in |
The Lawrence School, Sanawar, is a private boarding school in Himachal Pradesh, established in 1847, whose history, influence, and wealth have made it one of the most prestigious schools in Asia.
It is located in the Kasauli Hills, District of Solan, Himachal Pradesh, India. Sanawar is about an hour drive from Chandigarh and six hours from New Delhi. The school was founded by Sir Henry Lawrence and his wife Honoria, is one of the oldest surviving boarding schools.
As the school is located in Sanawar, the school is popularly called "Sanawar". It is situated at a height of 1750 metres and spread over an area of 139 acres, heavily forested with pine, deodar and other conifer trees. The school has been ranked among the best residential schools of India. In May 2013 Sanawar created history by becoming the first school in the world to send a team of seven students to climb Mount Everest. The motto of the school is "Never Give In".
Sanawar is affiliated to India's Central Board of Secondary Education. Children are admitted to Sanawar in February each year, at the age of nine and ten years. Class Five (Lower III) is preferred as the entry point. Admission is based on a competitive entrance examination, held the preceding November, followed by an interview.
In the school's name, "Sanawar" is the name of the hill on which it stands. The nearest railway station is now usually spelt "Sonwara". Sanawar is believed to be the oldest mixed-sex boarding school anywhere in the world.
The school was established by Henry Lawrence. His intent was to provide for the education of the orphans of British soldiers and other poor white children. In 1845 he outlined the creation of a boarding school in the Indian highlands for boys and girls. He stated his aim as being to create
...an Asylum from the debilitating effects of the tropical climate and the demoralizing influence of Barrack-life; wherein they may obtain the benefits of a bracing climate, a healthy moral atmosphere, and a plain, useful, and above all religious education, adapted to fit them for employment suited to their position in life.
The school at Sanawar was established as the first such asylum on 15 April 1847, when fourteen girls and boys arrived at Sanawar in the charge of Lawrence's sister-in-law Mrs George Lawrence and a superintendent Healey. The school was co-educational from its beginning. The site had been chosen by Lawrence, after discussions with William Hodson and others, considering that it was an "ideal location" which "afforded the necessary requisites: isolation, ample space, water, a good altitude, and all not too far from British troops". The construction of the buildings was paid for by Lawrence and other British officers, with a large contribution from Gulab Singh, the first Maharaja of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. Hodson, who later became famous for Hodson's Horse, supervised the construction of the school's first buildings and is still commemorated by the annual Hodson's Run, a competition between the school's houses. In the early days some Anglo-Indian children were admitted, but Lawrence insisted that preference should be given to those of "pure European" parentage, as he considered they were more likely to suffer from the heat of the plains.
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Wikipedia