St. Peter’s Mat. Hr. Secondary School – Kodaikanal, South India – a home away from home set in a lush, green, quiet town high up in the hills

My sister and I joined the school with the fear and anxiety of being in a foreign country, in a completely new environment away from our parents and friends. But it didn’t take long for us to realise that we had indeed landed in a magical place.

Over the course of years I learnt many things at the school and it has helped shape me to be the independent man I am today. The school’s friendly staff were like family to us. The correspondent Mr. Sambabu and his beautiful family treated us like we were their own children – with love, respect and kindness. I was taught the important of punctuality, discipline & honestly. Key ingredients in my day to day life of a freelancer as I interact with people at various levels from all around the world. St. Peter’s school offers various types of support and guidance to help a student grow mentally, spiritually and physically. We were taught to have determination and encouraged to face our fears – mine was math. I was given extra coaching and ample practise to over my fear and begin to love learning. Which helped me right through college as I completed my Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Applications, followed by my Master’s Degree in Mass Communications both at prestigious Indian universities.

Alongside school life was our hostel life – which was probably some of the best years of my childhood. We were always happy and had so much of good clean fun. The quality of food provided by the school hostel was exceptional. The hostel wardens were kind and straight forward. The quality of the teachers were exceptional – each a master at what they taught and knew how to engage the students well.

The school was strict when it came to lessons and made sure no one was left behind. We would have study hours before and after the school hours and also have weekly tests to ensure we were on track. Our weekly lessons had the correct balance of theory as well as practical lesson in their well-equipped chemistry, physics and computer labs. The school library boasts of a wide selection of books which catered for all levels of readers – books ranging from fiction to religious to newspapers and magazines. Over the years the school had produced many state and national level rank holders in all areas of study earning many accolades to the school.

St. Peter’s was not all about books. We were actively involved with various clubs such as the Green Circle Club, were a part of the Rotract club among many others. Students were given the opportunity to learn music and even put on shows whenever the chance was available. Bands from school took part in musical competitions, winning many awards

Sports was also a major thing in school with fully equipped sporting areas manned by professional coaches ranging from football, basketball, badminton, table tennis, track and field and of course cricket. We also had ready access to golf, horse riding, trekking and boat racing. In fact St. Peter’s school held many sporting records which included regular winners at the annual Regatta (boat race), track and field records and even in football and basketball with teams regularly competing at zonal, district and even at state level.

We were taught the importance of team work and were put into 1 of 4 houses: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. We were then able to cultivate the feeling of togetherness as we strived to gain points for our respective houses both in academics and in sport. The annual School Sports Day was a show case of the mighty houses as the students would take part in a march-past and also put on various demonstrations.

We would have our assembly every morning and were constantly taught the importance of appearance – clean shoes and smartly dressed. The assembly consisted of a board of student prefects lead by the head boy/girl.

At St. Peter’s School we were given to chance to experience event management first hand – as the students played an active role in organizing bon fire nights, special events, celebrating festivities and even helping organise the annual Parent’s Day functions.

All in all St. Peter’s school was a fascinating experience and I will be for ever grateful for the time I spent there among friends & family. Like myself, we had students from various part of the globe and each and every single student shared the same opinion.

With international standards Peter’s School is a wonderful place for a child learn and grow. I only wish I had joined the school sooner!

Shendrew S Balendran
Sri Lanka.

Optional Links
https://www.facebook.com/shendrew
http://www.budgetphotographerlondon.co.uk
http://www.shendrew.com
http://www.mylensaffair.co.uk

The post Shendrew describes the school a magical and a special place to be appeared first on St Peters International School Kodaikanal.

I taught at Peter’s School for one academic year when I was much younger than I am today! In fact teaching at Peter’s was my first experience of the world of work. I was humbled by the welcome I received when I arrived and the hospitality that was given me throughout my stay. As everyone who is connected with Peters will tell you, support is readily at hand. Knowing this gave a young man thousands of miles away from home the confidence to take on the teaching role.

The school is set in a green, temperate and beautiful part of the hills and I found that this encouraged students to enquire about and explore the world around them. My experience of the school was that it has a progressive ethos and encourages creativity in its students on a basis of sound knowledge. Peters also retains the key traditional values of courtesy and respect. It is this blend of sound knowledge, creativity and courtesy and respect that I believe prepares its students for the professional world after their school years.

I now work as a town planner back home in a city in England. It was my pleasure to revisit Peters in 2012 and to see not only that its ethos remained but that the school was also in a very strong position and is growing. Long may its success continue!

Tom Ipgrave
United Kingdom

The post Tom’s experience at Peters as an expat teacher appeared first on St Peters International School Kodaikanal.

When children think of boarding school they immediately get scared and upset and begin to hate the idea. That was me. My first one-hour in school I was scared to see what was ahead of me. But within the next few hours I was just like the other normal kids around. This is my first memory of  boarding  school and will always be remembered.

St.Peter’s was my home away from home. This beautiful school has made me the independent person that I am today. While the atmosphere is friendly and we always had teachers, and wardens to help us at any given point of time the school also taught me to stand up and act for myself and do things on my own which has made me a certainly more responsible human.

School taught me the importance of spirituality, friendship and education, which is something , I still prioritize. Mr & Mrs. Sambabu are indeed special people. They made me always feel at home. I always knocked on their doors when I was homesick or just felt like I needed some affection and their doors were always open for me. This is something special Peter’s has that I doubt any other school will provide you with. St.Peter’s is undoubtedly the best thing that happened to me. If you are looking for a good boarding school for your child you shouldn’t look further than this. Trust me.

The post Adithy shares about the independent person she is today because of St.Peters boarding school appeared first on St Peters International School Kodaikanal.

Peters has a holistic value system that takes academic, spiritual, social and emotional development into consideration when educating every child

As academic achievement is highly valued, the teachers were always around to provide support. The management team and the teachers were not only innovative educators, but also passionate mentors and team motivators for a wide range of activities and initiatives.

The school provided me the platform to participate in extracurricular activities that has enabled me to develop leadership skills, communication skills and people skills. Peters helped me to explore my abilities and build my character to face this world with a right and a positive attitude.

I thank God for this awesome school. I still remember the days spent at school surrounded with loving and caring people .The campus is great and the hostel was a home away from home.

I extend my sincere thanks to the Correspondent Mr.Sambabu, Mrs.Nirmala Sambabu, teachers and the staff who believed in me and played a pivotal role in making me a successful individual.

Priya Radhakrishnan
Lecturer- ITE College
Singapore

The post Lecturer Priya talks about how the school has helped her develop her academic skills appeared first on St Peters International School Kodaikanal.

St Peters School gave me the foundation to strengthen myself physically, emotionally and spiritually during the transition years from a boy to a young adult. This school is truly a magical place and I cannot give a higher recommendation. I will cherish the lessons and experiences for the rest of my life

Mohamed Irfan
Executive Manager
Air Arabia
Dubai 

The post Irfan’s brief testimonial about his beautiful experience at St Peters appeared first on St Peters International School Kodaikanal.

I am proud to say that I have got the best foundation a child should get from a school.

My years spent at St Peters were one of the best years of my life, learning, friendship and good memories were all a part of the game.

The best thing I liked about the school is there are always people who care about you everywhere.The faculty and the staff treat the students like their very own children.  I was truly blessed after joining the school.

The school boosted my desire to learn new things, take part in cultural events and sports which really helped me to build my confidence. Events such as the Parents Day, Sports day and the Talent Search Programs at school had helped me discover my talents and my interests.

St Peters School had an excellent environment to develop communication skills because the school had students from all parts of the world. The current company I work for has people of different nationalities and I am very comfortable dealing with them because of my past experience with my school.

I extend my heartfelt thanks to my Correspondent Mr.J.Sambabu and his family for the unwavering support and love. It is truly a blessing to be a Peterite.

Thanks to each and everyone who made my experience at St Peters such an amazing one. It is simply incredible, and it creates a bond that is forever.

So parents if you are looking for an amazing school experience for your children which challenges them to grow in knowledge and spirit, then here it is St Peters is the place to be.

Lakshmi Selvakumar,
Purchasing Manageer- Sazeriya
Singapore

The post Lakshmi feels blessed being a part of St Peters appeared first on St Peters International School Kodaikanal.

I started my education in St .Peters when every kid begins his education that is right from Kindergarten. I can’t remember a single day when I was uncomfortable at school. At one point I hated going home for vacation and wanted holidays to get over soon. It’s just an awesome place for kids, lots of fun and a lot of caring people too. At St. Peters they offer a home for children where they can equip themselves for the challenges to come in the future.

The school was like family to me, everyone rejoiced my success when I won the bronze medal at the  Tamilnadu State level Completion in Table Tennis and it made me feel blessed. I’m in debt of each and every one in my school, without whom I would have never reached where I am today. I passed my class twelve exams with a very good score and stood fourth in school. I was made the Assistant School Pupil Leader by the management which boosted my confidence and trained me as a leader. Then came college passed with distinction and got placed at Infosys and have successfully handled clients from across the globe in my career.I also captain the Infosys Corporate Basketball team. Thanks to the multicultural environment in my school, I easily get a long with people from anywhere around the world.

I thank my Correspondent Mr. Sam Babu  and his family who made me feel at home all through my school life.Love you all and I am proud to be part of the Peters family.

For all young Peterites out there you are in the right place. Live life without regrets and you will have none when you are a Peterite.

Rajarajan,
Senior Engineer – Infosys 
India

The post Rajarajan during his time as a student from 1993-2006 appeared first on St Peters International School Kodaikanal.

Greetings fellow Peterites,

I’m a Medical Officer trained in General Surgery currently, and not a day I go through without looking back at Peters, as it Lighted me to lighten the community around me. Its a great privilege to be part of the Peters family.  Being a student in Peters was one of the best times of my life.

Peters sculptured me beyond anyone’s expectation. I loved the disciplined lifestyle the school nurtured, but at the same time gave freedom to those deemed mature enough. A very straight forward and up to date teaching style, frequent assessments and evaluation with equal importance to sports. We used to have the best basketball and football team, as well as excelled in track and field meets. Top scorers, that’s us too!!.

Friends, I made tons  of them. My main game players included Indians, Nepalese, Sri Lankan, and Koreans. Friends who stood by in every hour. We laughed, we cried, we fought, we confided, and most of all we upheld each other.  Who can forget the evening walks, the hikes, the boat rides, the Sunday coffee, pastry at pastry corner and St Peters Church.   Teachers, carefully chosen to meet the expectations of the school. They are more than educators.

The location of the school itself, what else is more mind stimulating than staying in a cool , green environment like Kodai. For guys like me, not only it gave me presence of mind to focus on my education, it built me spiritually too. Try talking to God in Kodai. You’ll hear Him loud and clear.

Journey took me to Indonesia next for my medical studies. Peters had taught me well.  I brought along the attributes from Peters, I SURVIVED.

Louis Nethaniel
MD Doctor – Kluang General Hospital
Malaysia

The post Louis Nethaniel describes his experience of St Peters as a student appeared first on St Peters International School Kodaikanal.

I spent a short 9 months as a volunteer at St Peter’s a number of years ago. As one of just a couple of foreigners there at the time, I was made to feel very welcome and supported in a culture very different from my own.

The diversity of staff and students adds a richness to the school culture and encourages an environment of tolerance, understanding and learning that is not easily achieved elsewhere. St Peter’s has continued to develop its physical and academic setting significantly since I was there and that to me simply indicates to me that this is a school that wants to be the best it can be in order to produce students not only of high academic quality but well rounded in all aspects of life. I continue to have very warm memories of my time at St Peter’s and feel sure that whenever I may return I will be warmly welcomed…because this is a school that remembers and values not only its present students and staff but those from the past too. I am the better for my time at St Peter’s.

Rachel M.
New Zealand

The post Rachel M. on her time as a volunteer at St Peters – Testimonials appeared first on St Peters International School Kodaikanal.