De Mazenod College, Kandana which was established in 1922 under the De La Salle brothers has come a long way to dominate sports activities in schools. The school was then situated at the heart of the Kandana junction. It was later shifted to its present location approximately a kilometer away from the town.

In contrast to its beginning which just had four students, De Mazenod presently has a student population of over 3,800. Out of the total count, close to 3,500 are boys. The rest are girls. However these girls are academically talented.

During its existence of 80 years the school has produced several talented boys and girls to society in all fields. De Mazenod proudly claims to have gifted an uncountable number of high-profile managers, politicians, military officers, doctors, proctors, businessmen and sportspersons to the nation during the past few decades.

As at today the school has developed to be a well balanced institution. According to the Principal, Rev Bro. Bertram Perera, all this is possible due a dedicated bunch of past pupils. "As a private school we found things not to our likings at one stage. But I'm glad to say we have a dedicated group of past pupils and parents. We also have well wishers who contribute immensely to our task. De Mazenod is a reputed today, because of these combinations," said Rev. Bro. Perera.

The school is on the verge of becoming a sports friendly academy in addition to their great achievements in other fields. The school provides all what is needed by a child in his/her journey to become a complete citizen.

De Mazenod engages in 12 sports which the authorities believe can reach national level. Their goal is to produce cricketers such as Dilhara Fernando and Dhammika Prasad - two of their proud products to the nation. Interestingly football comes as the most popular sport among youngsters with cricket being a close second. Basketball and volleyball too are dominant sports at the school. Among other sports are athletics, swimming, chess, carsom, gymnastic, karate, table tennis and tennis.

"It's a great achievement from the school's point of view that in all 12 sports De Mazenod is engaged in; we are in the top division. De Mazenod is doing well at all important sports namely football, cricket, basketball, volleyball and athletics. Each year over 20 from the school qualify to represent the country at all disciplines. That's something very unique," said Upali Silva, the prefect-of-games.

Surprisingly Silva who is 55-years of age has spent over 50 years of his life at De Mazenod as a student and then as a teacher and sports official. Silva is the perfect person to comment about the school's development with his experience of over five decades. He has seen the school transforming into a dominant force in sports. Soon after his schooling days Silva joined the staff as a Physical Training Instructor and after serving for two decades was promoted as the P-O-G.

"I have schooled and worked under 12 principals at De Mazenod. The most interesting aspect that could have caused the school's uprising at sports is because of the principals' decision to recruit past pupils as coaches and teachers-in-charge. This gave even the few teachers who are not past students the feeling of doing a wholehearted job to help the school," he added.

Over the years De Mazenod has progressed to achieve high accolades at football, their topmost sport. Then it is cricket, a popular choice among youngsters. The master-in-charge of cricket Malik Keerthi Fernando, who is also a past student, has served in this capacity since 1998.

"Our cricketers are doing great at all age groups. Teams representing different age groups are among the best 10 teams of the country. But one of our biggest concerns is the failure to become overall champions in Division I, where all our teams play. Other than that the school is looking after the boys while providing all their needs including ground facilities," Keerthi elaborated.

De Mazenod which spans across a 40-acre land may be one of the gifted schools to have three grounds. The land which was a priceless gift from one of their past pupils named Jayasuriya has a cricket ground with an 8-laned 400 meter running track. They also have a ground for football which also can facilitate a 300 meter track for eight runners. Their junior ground has the ability to hold a 200 meter track as well as field events. Apart from all these De Mazenod has all facilities to hold other sports activities including three tennis courts.

"We have all indoor sports facilities. In addition there are courts for basketball, volleyball and tennis. We have just initiated a swimming pool project which will come up within a year," Silva added.
Track and field events are the other great potential that has gained popularity over the years. Availability of basic needs to engage in these events has given De Mazenod athletes the possibility of making winning a habit at competitions.

"We take part in over ten events at national level annually. We have a strong pool 60 boys and 15 girls to represent at all events. We have produced stars to the national level and our products keeps on growing each year," said athletics coach Suresh Shampika, who is also a past pupil.

As much as their interest in sports, De Mazenod authorities has made sure their students enjoy all academic facilities. Almost every student is actively engaged in one of the societies or clubs which numbers to nearly 40. Unlike other schools De Mazenod has a separate section for cultural activities headed by a senior teacher which comes under the name 'Sonduru Peetaya' which stands for the 'Gentle Faculty'.

"If we take into account the best results at exams annually they come from students who are involved in sports. It is ample proof to show that sports do play a great role in a youngster's life in building up character as well as leadership qualities. Unfortunately most of the parents nowadays do not understand the value of this.

They force their children to attend extra classes which are not essential as the school covers the entire syllabus. We are planning to bring down the parents of all the athletes and educate them the value of a balanced life for a youngster. We as a school provide all facilities to our students to engage in sports. Our only setback is the misunderstanding of the parents. We are sure that it could be sorted out in a fitting manner and see De Mazenod's name fly high in sports," Rev Bro. Perera said.