The religious congregation, better known as "The Society of the Brothers of St. Patrick", or "Patrician Brothers" was founded in Tullow, Ireland on 2nd February, 1808 by Rt. Rev. Dr. Daniel Delany, the Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin. Having had a good education in France, he was aware that only education could restore people's hope of building a future. It is this which motivated him to found the Congregation of the Society of the Brothers of St. Patrick, namely the education of youth. The young men who originally rallied behind the good Bishop in imitation of Jesus, were materially poor though endowed with the rare qualities of courage and conviction just as their Bishop was. Under his guidance they organized themselves and set to work in right earnest.
Having made an impact in Ireland as "excellent school men" they were ready to take up missions abroad.Around the second half of the 19th century, India was the first to beckon the Patricians. The invitation came from the Bishop of Madras(presently Chennai) to take care of the Orphanage at Condichetty street in Madras. The first Brothers to land in madras were Bros. Ignatius Price, Paul Hughes and Fintan Parkinson. The year was 1875. This was followed by Brothers starting schools and institutes of higher learning in Australia, America, Kenya, PNG and Ghana.
Unlike other foreign Religious Orders which - majority of them, if not all - obviously landed in India with the aim of proselytizing this subcontinent, the Patrician Brothers were invited to educate the masses of this vast country. Love for God and love for God's creation, irrespective of geographical boundaries, race, religion or colour, was what motivated them to spread the light of knowledge wherever they went. Along with the teaching of secular subjects, they inculcated in their students those universal values that give meaning to one's life such as love for God, love, respect and compassion towards others, justice, peace and a sense of equality.
The educational institutions they founded became instant success stories. From their first foundation in Chennai, namely St. Patrick's School, Adyar, way back in 1875, they began taking over schools that were offered to them or started founding new ones of their own. The Brothers took over schools like St. Joseph's in Coonoor, St George's in Mussoorie and St. Antony's in Lahore. They founded new schools like St. Joseph's Academy in Dehra Dun, St. Mary's Academy in Meerut, St. Michael's Academy, Adyar in Chennai, Mount St. Mary's School in Delhi, Nirmala Inter College in Mussoorie, St. James and St. Patrick's Schools in Binnaguri(West Bengal), St. Patrick's Higher Secondary School in Trichy, St. Patrick's School in Mananthavady(Kerala), Patrician College of Arts and Science, Adyar in Chennai, Mount St. Patrick's Academy in Pune, St. Patrick's Academy in Dindigul, St. Patrick's Academy in Angamaly(Kerala), College of Education in Dehra Dun and St. Patrick's Academy in Bangalore, India.
St. Michael's Academy Matriculation Higher Secondary school was founded in the year 1953 and is conducted by the Patrician Brothers who have well known schools in India and abroad.
Fifty years ago, a nursery was started in a corner of the sprawling grounds of St. Patrick's High School, Adyar, Growing in popularity the number of students at St. Michael's Junior School increased step by step over the years. It was known as St. Michael's Junior School till 1974. In the following year it was upgraded to a full-fledged co-educational school affiliated to the I.C.S.E. and I.S.C. Boards. As State Board Examinations were found to be more desirable, the school is now affiliated to the Tamilnadu Matriculation Board and the Tamilnadu State Board for the Higher Secondary Examination.
From 1984 onwards the school came to be known as St. Michael's Academy Matriculation Higher Secondary School.
St. Michael's Strives to give its students a holistic and value-based education, the values of which will stay on and influence everyone who passes out through this institution. St. Michael's is also known for its academic excellence and co-curricular activities. The Golden Jubilee of this reputed institution was celebrated in the Academic Year 2003-2004. The School stands in beautiful surroundings overlooking the Adyar River and is within a few minutes' walk from the Adyar bus stand.
In 2004, St.Michael's Academy crossed a golden milestone with wings well spread - a well masked entry into the 21st Century took us to greater heights. Perfection for us is our constant target. Inspired by the past we have stepped into the future with confidence.
Once again in the year 2012-2013 St.Michael's Academy was upgraded to ICSE Board and from then on it is known as St.Michael's Academy, School of Excellence.
Educate children to become life-long learners who think critically, care deeply, act responsibly and dream expansively.
Every student is a unique gift from God and we steadfastly believe that education is not mere preparation for life but "Life Itself". Hence our Prime concern is to make our students shine and excel in all walks of life.
Education at St. Michael’s is designed to meet the need of each individual student. Our school’s mission ‘Receiving to Share’ is very much lived by each one of us in the SMA family. In today’s scenario, I strongly feel that in this competitive world the role of a school is not only to pursue academic excellence but also to motivate and empower students to be life long learners, critical thinkers, as well as help them to be self - directed, realistic, and responsible decision makers in solving problems that they will encounter in our multi -cultural ever changing world. In SMA every teacher being a facilitator identifies the talents, skills, and abilities of each student and thus encourage them to reach their fullest potential.
At St. Michael's Academy, we are striving hard to make the best possible efforts to inculcate strong values combining with academics and extra-curricular activities. This year the school organised night sports where the students took part in every event with lot of energy and enthusiasm. The school creates an opportunity for every student to take part in the outreach program by donating the best possible from their ends. Therefore, we are very fortunate to help out the poor and needy whereby our students are able to understand the value of sharing with someone who cannot give anything in return. The school organised a children’s day carnival where the teachers, students, parents and well wishers were involved in creating stalls and generating enough funds for the school whereby the infrastructure of the school is being uplifted.
The school provides an amalgam of scholastic and co-scholastic activities which helps a student to be self reliant and make them a responsible citizen. A student harnessed in such an atmosphere has every hope and possibility to shoulder responsibilities of the society of which he /she forms an integral part. Ultimately each learner will gain from their life at school according to the effort they apply. Our school has continued to monitor, maintain and sustain all good practices and so our traditions are celebrated and promoted appropriately.
We strongly believe in the importance of teachers, parents, and administrators collaborating and communicating openly and frequently. I would like to end my reflection stating that the parents are the most strengthening power in moulding the future of children and their consistent support empowers us to do more and more. I pay my sincere gratitude to them for their faith in us.
“Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence”.
Albert Einstein said, “Education is not about learning of facts but training young minds to think.” There is a big difference between cramming up facts and learning them so that they can be applied in productive ways. At St. Michael’s Academy, we work towards holistic development of our students having provided them the tools and experiences that encourage our students to think, learn various skills and grow. Our prime aim is to create empowered minds so that students are able to decide what is good for them, choose opportunities that help build them up and enable them to live in harmony with all actuality. We aim at teaching students not just to live but to reason and analyze Life.
Aristotle said ‘The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.’ We at St. Michael’s Academy are working really hard and inching towards that goal where ‘Life will be sweet.’ We believe in Empowerment of each child at all levels by meeting the intellectual, spiritual and emotional needs of the child what we strive for. We understand the need and have trained our students to regard ‘failure as a detour and not a dead end, a delay, not a defeat.’ We too offer a variety of Music, Dance, Debate, Personality Development etc. and a wide range of Cultural activities at all levels. Special coaching is also organized for various Sports and Games so that along with learning the techniques, Students also learn the lesson of Camaraderie, Team spirit, sharing hope and participation. Our motto ‘Receiving to Share’ inspires us to firmly believe that happiness lies in sharing with others and we at SMA are passionate about grooming our students such a way that they can face the challenges of life and lead the society from the front, ensuring that at the same time that they not only become outstanding leaders and professionals but also good human beings and make their life ‘Sweet.’
