St.Stephen's

School gardens can be a powerful tool to improve the quality of nutrition and education of a child. Not only the children learn how to grow healthy food but also how to use it for better nutrition.
Beyond this, school gardens also serve for environmental education and for personal and social development by adding a practical dimension to these subjects. They may also reinforce basic academic skills like reading, writing, biology and arithmetic. A beautiful garden and a class education, nothing beyond you can ask for your kid.
A similar Environment prevails in one of the most reputed schools within the tricity, the ever growing St.Stephen’s School.
St. Stephen’s has won many laurels and in recent times the St. Stephen’s Football academy won the under 15 Manchester United Premier Football league in Goa defeating professional clubs of India thus becoming the undisputed Champions of India; no mean feat for a school club and now will represent India at Kuala Lumpur in June 2008.
St. Stephen’s truly exemplifies the glorious achievements by way of its ambassadors who have shone bright on the National and International arena - to mention a few - Abhinav Bindra, an Olympian, an Arjuna Awardee and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna recipient - Mohammed Tanveer, a National Champion in Carrom - Jaideep Taluja, represented India in Seoul in Football - Raghu Mahajan who topped AIEEE, IIT JEE, and was second in ICSE all over India - that lays testimony to the honest fact that theirs is a story of inspiration from a mentor indeed besides this, St. Stephen’s School has won the “Best Garden” Award in Chandigarh in the school category three times in a row.
This aptly summarises Mr. Harold Carver’s absolute devotion to the cause of environmental issues. The school showcases a beautiful Japanese styled garden that can easily be compared to the very best in Chandigarh; arguably the best planned city in India. The school building has been designed with every minute detail being taken into consideration that pertains to the classrooms, laboratories, staff rooms and a latest state-of-the-art air conditioned auditorium. The auditorium is equipped to stage many a stellar performance, and each aspect has undergone careful thought in presenting only the very best a school can offer “Perfection in quality”.
Replete with lush bamboo, ferns, herbs and a queen-size lounger are nestled in a Japanese-style, with features more than 10 varieties of flowering shrubs, ferns and herbs cascading down his wall.
The rich green carpet along with a mix of carefully planned blossoms, creepers, seasonal and ever-green plantations gives a soothing to every eye. The entrance is framed with a vivid Bignonia Venesta, the porch is resplendent with palms and the serenity of pathways is dotted with larkspurs, stalks, dahlias, salvias and anteherinums. The little landscape is complete with pansies, orchids and cactus.
St. Stephen’s school has been synonymous with ideals, which are pillars of education, namely discipline and integrity. There is a unique exuberance amongst the students and the teachers as they assemble for morning prayers in the huge quadrangular area of this magnificently built school. The prayers are said and all students and staff stand silently as if waiting for what might be essential to their day’s working.
Turning dreams into reality, Mr.Carver explains how St. Stephen’s School was initiated in 7 very small rooms in a residential area and now the School stands proud in a campus that has infrastructural facilities comparable to the very best in terms of global standards.
“In 1979 my father who was ill at that time, called me in one day to discuss what he considered was important. During the course of the conversation, I understood my father’s dream of opening a school. Taken aback by this sudden expression of my father’s dream, I simply told him that I was confident of being a good teacher but had my own doubts over my capabilities of being an administrator. In other words, I did not want to take the risk. That was when my father said, “You don’t know. I know. I have nurtured you as a son. So I know your capabilities as a son.” These words of inspiration grew to be a guiding factor all my life thereafter. Soon after my father passed away, it was my mother who urged me to define my father’s dream into a reality. By the time my mother returned from England, bookings for St. Stephen’s had begun. The school which then had begun in a residential area with students from various strata of the society”, he adds.
In 1991, the school shifted to a 4 acre site in the southern sector of the city. The grand plans were however put a spanner into by a group of people in the management with vested interests. The group wanted to take over the school and turn it into a commercial institution compromising on the student friendly and educative ambience the school was now famous for. What followed then proved beyond doubt the love of the students, teachers and parents for Mr. Carver. For the first time probably in India students and staff struck work and declared a strike to ensure that Mr. Carver would not step down. On October 1, 1993, the day celebrated even today as Thanksgiving Day by all the students and teachers; Mr. Carver was reinstated as the rightful principal of St. Stephen’s School, Chandigarh.
An enigmatic personality at times, Mr. Harold Carver has ushered in many a novelty in the field of education that spans a period of over 43 years
St. Stephen’s is but incomplete if Mr Carver is not sighted in every nook and cranny of the school, be it the auditorium, classroom, garden, laboratory, sports field or even the toilets to say the least, that reflects a very strict disciplinarian. The staff and students are very aware of the high expectations in all issues relating to punctuality, dress code, campus behaviour, protocol where upholding the traditions of St. Stephen’s is crucial. This is also evident in the concept in School wherein the closing of class periods is not indicated by the ringing of the bell, but by the watches worn on the wrist; for every minute counts. Aptly put by Mr. Carver “Time is no mans slave, but master of all”.
The experiences of all the trials and tribulations in establishing St. Stephen’s School with a difference, has only been achieved with the determination and grit that overcame all adversity with a simple saying, “Never give up, try again”. One can only better oneself with perseverance and it is this belief coupled with inspiration that made Mr. Carver the legendary educationist that he is. His inherent traits of Leadership blended with a steel resolve to achieve the very best in providing a holistic, child oriented and an all round development of personality for children is very much evident in the par excellence of performances in his School. Be it in academics, literary activities, cultural activities and sports, St Stephen’s very much lives up to its Mentor, Confidante and Guide Mr. Harold Carver. His motto Semper Sursum-meaning ‘always aim higher’ has found its true reflection in the School and all in it.