# Ferguson High School, Ratnapura

Ferguson High School (Sinhala: ෆර්ගසන් උසස් විද්‍යාලය) is a National School in Sri Lanka affiliated with the Sri Lanka Baptist Sangamaya located in Ratnapura District. School has two sections - the Primary section, which serves students from Grade 1 to Grade 5, and the Secondary section, which serves students from Grade 6 to Grade 13.

## History

1917 : Founded as a "Baptist Missionary English School" by the Baptist Missionary Society of British Ceylon. It was started with only three girls, in the premises of Baptist Church in Ratnapura.
1919 : The classroom was moved to the thatched-roofed spacious hall at the hilltop to accommodate the increasing number of 36 students.
1921 : The school was registered as a 'Grant-in-aid English School'
1924 : The school hostel was started.
1925 : Girl Guide Association was pioneered by C. Balasooriya.
1928 : The school known as Baptist Missionary English School was renamed as Ferguson High School in memory Mr. John Ferguson who helped the Baptist Missionary Society in Ceylon.
1932 : The system of school houses was introduced by the acting principal W. F. Gadge.
1933 : The Old Girls Association was initiated by Miss. Allsop.
1958 : School prize giving was held by the Chief guest Madam Sirimavo Bandaranayaka who was a former student of the school.
1960 : Became a Director Managed Government School and no longer a Christian assisted school
1993 : The school was recognized as a National school and 75th Birthday was celebrated with the participation of President Ranasinghe Premadasa
2010 : “Wisdom 2010” educational and Trade exhibition was held.
2017 : 100th anniversary of the school was celebrated with the participation President Maithripala Sirisena. A souvenir stamp was issued

## School Crest

Symbolic Representations
* Motto - Taken from "Idylls of the King" by Lord Tennyson
* Hills - 3 peaks seen from the school (Sri Padha and two attendant peaks)
* Double headed Eagle - High soaring free bird looking back with Thankfulness and looking forward with Hope
* CBC - Ceylon Baptist Council (Founders of School)
* Gems - School houses.
* Lamp - Intelligence
* Book - Knowledge
Drawn by Nalini Gunasekara, the art teacher of the school in 1953 and adopted unanimously

## School song

Written by Venetia Stemba, with music by Consy Jayasekara

## Houses

Students are divided into four houses.
| Amethyst | Sincerity |
| Garnet | Fraternity |
| Ruby | Serenity |
| Sapphire | Purity |

## Sports

* Athletics
* Chess
* Table Tennis
* Taekwondo
* Karate
* Swimming
* Netball
* Basketball
* Volleyball
* Cricket
* Badminton

## Clubs and extracurricular activities

* Girl Guide Association
* Science Association
* Drama club
* Media club
* Photography club
* Announcing club
* Chess club
* Astronomical Association

## Principals

| Period | Name |
| 1917-1922 | J.D. Radley |
| 1922 - 1949 | Evelyn A. Allsop |
| 1949 - 1960 | F. Aurora Brook |
| 1956 - 1971 | Pearl Bright Perera |
| 1972 - 1974 | Malini Wijenayake |
| 1974 - 1975 | Mallika Thambiah |
| 1976 - 1980 | Pearl Bright Perera |
| 1981 - 1982 | Buddhi Bamunusinghe |
| 1983 - 1986 | S. Subasinghe |
| 1987 - 1995 | Buddhi Bamunusinghe |
| 1995 - 1999 | Malani Kothalawala |
| 2000 - 2003 | B. Rani Dariju |
| 2003 | U. V. Leelakanthi Nissanka |
| 2004 - 2012 | B. V. R. C. Bandarawatta |
| 2012 to present | Mercy Galagama |

## Notable alumni

Past pupils of Ferguson High School Ratnapura are called Fergusonites. Following is a list of some notable alumni:
| Name | Notability |
| Sirimavo Bandaranayaka | Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (1960 - 1965, 1970 - 1977, 1994 - 2000) - world's first non-hereditary female head of government in modern history |
| Thalatha Atukorale | Politician, Member of Parliament of Sri Lanka |
| Rosy Senanayake | Politician, Mayor of Colombo, Mrs. World 1984 |