As Wycherly International School celebrates the milestone of a silver jubilee this year, it's certainly worth remembering that the school's foundation has always been based on 'Tradition, Education, Excellence', the school's unfailing motto for 25 years. While chapters have been written, new lessons learned and new authors discovered in its journey of a quarter century, WIS today proudly holds aloft the honour of being the only school in Sri Lanka to be a Cambridge centre imparting the totality of the Cambridge curriculum throughout a student's school life, to have produced students of academic excellence studying within the hallowed portals of the likes of Cambridge University every year and to continuously have achievers and prize winners at the London GCE O/level and A/Level examinations.

But through it all, as Principal Kingsley Jayasinghe intones, "Studying at Wycherly has always been about culture, a culture that espouses the true meaning of traditions, respect, principles and values. Family values which we grew up with and have made us all the fine citizens as can be seen by the high achieving student fraternity among us. Today, Wycherley has a proven track record for high standards of academic excellence. We can boast of 100 per cent pass marks for our O/Level and A/Level students, with many world prize winners annually. On average, 50 per cent of our A/Level students obtain results that are in the three As to an A and two Bs range."

WIS came under the umbrella of ANC Education Holdings just under a year ago, resulting in numerous improvements not only to the infrastructure of the school but also enhanced pragmatism in curriculum and extracurricular activities. "Since we already have an organization that awards Degrees at graduate level from prestigious universities from around the world, it was only natural for us to seamlessly translate that higher education focus into the primary and secondary area," says Chairman of WIS and ANC Education Holdings, Jagath Alwis. "This helps us to groom the students to what is required of a global citizen out there in the competitive marketplace. "

This is amply exampled in the numerous student achievements over the years with many of them successfully transferring to top UK universities like Cambridge, Sheffield and Nottingham as well as Australian and US universities studying medicine, law, engineering and finance among the competencies. Wycherley high achievers are working in multiple fields from neurosurgery to software engineering, as financial advisors, solicitors, lawyers, doctors, psychologists, molecular biologists, engineers, bankers and even entrepreneurs.

Director and CEO of WIS Dr Punarjeeva Karunanayake believes strongly that a strong foundation from the start of a student's school life is imperative for well grounded academics, holistic outlook and well rounded personal development. "That's the primary reason WIS is the only school in the country to introduce the Cambridge curriculum right from Grade 1 to Grade 12. We are now a classified Cambridge Centre allowing students to follow an internationally recognized and highly respected curriculum from the very first day of school until they graduate from high school. With this we provide an international benchmark from primary level upwards and not just at O/Levels or A/Levels as the case may be."

Mr Kingsley Jayasinghe sees the improvements made by ANC to WIS as the panacea the school needed for some time. "We are gradually moving towards becoming one of the most modern schools of our time," he explains "While WIS has contributed over these 25 years to the development of the educational landscape of this country, I must commend not only the students whose dreams and achievements have given us the impetus to reach higher, but also the teachers for whom supporting and being a part of reaching that vision speaks of true dedication."

The actual 25th Anniversary Celebration was held at WIS on Thursday, January 7 2010. The 3-hour event included performances by students, acknowledgement of faculty contribution to the school, contributions by past Head Prefects, a charitable donation, and a whole host of "living memories" that brought Wycherley's past 25 years to life. The charity donation was made to the Tea Leaf Trust, a UK charity developing sporting facilities for the poorest children in the remote Maskeliya region. The donation was gratefully accepted by Mr. Tim Pare, the charity's Programme Director.

Special guests, to mention a few of the many honored guests, included Mr. Jagath Alwis (Wycherley Chairman), Chandra Schaffter (Founder Chairman), Dr. Punarjeeva Karunanayake (WIS Director and CEO), Kingsley Jayasinghe (current WIS Principal), Dr. Frank Jayasinghe (Past and First WIS Principal), and Past Directors Mr. Rafiq and Mr. Emmanuel.

The evening was particularly memorable for Principal Kinglsy Jayasinghe who celebrated 24 years of service. His contribution to the school and the thousands of lives he has touched was acknowledged by a standing ovation from the audience after his heartfelt acknowledgement of the students, faculty, and staff who made Wycherley's 25 year history so memorable. He was joined by numerous former Head Boys and Girls, including Shiraz Badurdeen who acknowledged the role Wycherley has played in his ongoing success in life. Founder Chairman Chandra Schaffter was able to take the audience back to literally Day 1 and shared his experiences in helping make WIS one of the leading International Schools in Sri Lanka.

There are so many more achievers and accomplishments to be recognized through our first 25 years, we just can't list them all. However. we can celebrate and honour them all, which was done at the spectacular Wycherley 25th Anniversary event. And to WIS, we say a fond "Happy Birthday"!