Celebrating fifty four glorious years of D. S. Senanayake College
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Fifty four years ago, a teacher of Royal College, Colombo started a school which teaches its students to put their ‘Country Before Self’.
D. S. Senanayake College – Sinhala: ã’tia’fiakdkdhl úoHd,h (known as D. S.), celebrated its anniversary on the 10th February 2021. Established by the late Mr. R.I.T. Alles who cleared up the ‘koombi kale’ to build the school, D. S. keeps reaching new heights every year, and each decade.
Mr. R.I.T. Alles when in Royal was instrumental in bringing the plums De Zoysa Challenge, and the Hermal Loos Challenge trophies in cadetting, the John Tarbet trophy in Athletics and the under 16 Cricket championship to Royal College. In community work, he stood out as the much accepted Secretary of the Teachers Guild whose members acknowledged him as one who promoted the welfare activities of its members. He taught mathematics in 1965 and 1966 and was one of the four teachers who produced in a near 100% Distinctions and Credits in their respective subjects.
Mr. Bogoda Premaratne the former Principal of Royal College and a fellow educator notes that the Maths Students and the Cadets of Royal supported Mr. Alles with love in clearing the viper infested jungle (Koombi Kale) in Gregory’s Road. On Mr. Bogoda’s part he had supplied the team with every bit of stationery and gave his watcher, Danny for security.
The efforts of every single one of these people laid the groundwork in building one of the leading muti-ethnic, trilingual school established in Sri Lanka.
Academics, educators alongside many parents of children who attended D. S. Senanayake College never fails to pay respect to Mr. R.I.T. Alles for his style of professional approach to educational discipline and management. He cared about the interpersonal relationships that he maintained with everyone; from Danny the watchman to the parents, students and teachers.
On the schools’ anniversary, it is with great gratitude that the country pays their respect to Mr. R.I.T. Alles along with other founding fathers of the school, and everyone who made the vision of a great school come to reality.
Written by
Devuni Goonewardene