“Nothing lasts forever. Forever is a lie. All we have is what is in between hello and goodbye.”

The world owes so much to the ceaseless efforts of teachers and St. Joseph’s College, Prayagraj, bids warm adieu to one of its most beloved teachers, Ms. Gloria French.

The warm morning of 30th April 2019 saw the entire school of St. Joseph’s College, Prayagraj gearing up to welcome its outgoing staff , Ms. Gloria French .The programme commenced with the arrival of our Principal Rev.Fr. Rolfie D’Souza, our Vice-Principal Rev. Fr. Joseph Sagayanathan, our Additional Administrator and Chief Coordinator, Mr. A .McGowan and our Staff Coordinator Mr. Jyoti Dube and Ms. G. French, escorted by the Marching Band of SJC.

The Master of Ceremony, Aryan Malviya of 12-B, in his introductory speech, laid emphasis on the beautiful sunny morning being in sync with our joy filled hearts. Following a reading from the Holy Bible by Ms. B Raphael, the students of the Junior Section Choir presented a Prayer Song invoking God’s choicest blessings. It was followed in turn by the College Anthem.

Post a floral welcome by the College Administration and the subsequent March Past by the Senior Section students, Utkarsh Singh of class 12-C in his speech, next, emphasized on how motivating and caring a teacher Ms. G. French is. He dwelt on how teachers like her always have an indelible impact upon impressionable minds.

The entire school was mesmerized by a lively action song presented by the junior section students. Thereafter Ms. French was welcomed with lovely bouquets and cards thus expressing their fondness for a loving and hard-working teacher. Students of classes 6 to 9 expressed their love for Ms. G. French through a well synchronized dance performance. It was followed by the Senior Section boys showing their love and affection towards Ms. G. French by presenting lovely bouquets and cards.

Next, the College Principal Rev. Fr. Rolfie D’Souza complimented Ma’am on her tireless efforts for 38 years, stressing upon her cheerful and wonderful nature, besides remarking on her leadership qualities. He asked God Almighty to shower his choicest blessings on her, saying she will always be remembered warmly by everyone. After receiving a memento from the College Principal, Ms. G. French came up to speak for the last time in front of her dear students. She reminisced her 38 years of teaching in this glorious institution and thanked the Almighty for giving strength and courage. Deeply nostalgic already, she couldn’t help expressing sorrow over missing the fun, the laughter and the noise of the classes, besides obviously the warm affection of her students.

The programme came to an end with an enchanting song by the Senior Section Choir and the singing of the National Anthem by the entire audience. To conclude the event, the Vote of Thanks was given by Raghav Om who thanked the Almighty for showering his blessings on each and every Josephite and making this day so wonderful.

“Great is the art to begin but greater is the art to end.” – H.W. Longfellow

On 21st of April 2017, the St. Joseph’s College bid farewell to two of our senior most teachers -Mr. Aubrey McGowan and Mrs. Maureen Wright- not by remorse but by celebrating the days they gave to this prestigious institution.

Mr. Aubrey McGowan, also known as the Voice of SJC joined the College in 1978 as a young man looking out at the world of opportunities. He worked at this institution with honesty, sincerity and discipline for a tenure of 39 years and he will always remain in the hearts of all his colleagues as well as his students. Mrs. Maureen Wright gave 31 years to this college and served with honour and prestige as librarian. She joined the College in July 1986. In her tenure, she has seen over 5 Principals and has served as a librarian for over thousands of students and will remain in the hearts of the SJC family forever.

The event commenced by the Principal Rev. Fr. Rolfie D’Souza , the Vice-Principal Rev. Fr. Leslie Cutinah, the Head Master Rev. Fr. Albert Lobo and Rev. Fr. George escorting the two guests of honour to the dais after which a special prayer was delivered by Mrs. L Gaffney. Bouquets were presented to Mr. McGowan and Mrs. Wright by the various members of the SJC Family. The Principal of the College Rev. Fr. Rolfie D’Souza gave bouquets to both Mr. McGowan and Mrs. Wright, The Head Master Rev. Fr. Albert Lobo and Rev. Fr. George presented a bouquet to Mr. McGowan and Mrs. Wright respectively. The Office and the Support Staff also presented flowers to the teachers. Then, the College Captain Yashasvi Raj gave the command for the various squads of different houses to march.

The Students of class LKG and Prep displayed their dancing talents in front of the whole school which was followed by the floral greeting ceremony by the students of the Junior and the Senior sections. Then, Mrs. Maureen Wright gave a speech in which she inspired the students by motivating them and wished the students a bright and prosperous future. The College Head Marshal Rishik Talwar and the College Captain Yashasvi Raj spoke on Mrs. Wright and Mr. McGowan respectively and thanked them for their service to this prestigious College. The Principal Rev. Fr. Rolfie D’Souza also thanked the teachers for their unwavering dedication and unfathomable knowledge. Mr. McGowan was then invited to the dais to speak. In his signature voice, he thanked the students for their love and who, according to him, were the source of his undying motivation and unbeatable dedication. He said that no matter what happens, life is full of changes but the one thing which should remain constant is that the inner self must strive for what is true and what is right. He emphasized that with dedication nothing is impossible and if accompanied by hard work then it is the sky which is the limit. The College Head Prefect Vedansh Ojha delivered the vote of thanks. The Farewell Ceremony ended with the singing of the National Anthem paying homage to the Nation.

It was a sad day for the SJC family as four of our beloved teachers, Mr. Wright, Mrs. Chatterjee, Mrs. Crasta and Mrs. Mehrotra, were finally having the hollowed portals of SJC. The farewell event started with a special prayer by Mrs. Sheetal Sebastian followed by College Anthem. This was followed by presentation of bouquet by the Principal, Vice-Principal, Headmaster, Mrs. Francis & Mr. McGowan from the senior staff, Mrs. Jacob and Mrs. Saba Khan from the junior staff followed by the office staff and helpers. The presentation of flowers as followed by a grand display of March Past. Followed by March Past was a sad but still an inspiring speech deliverance by Anahad Narain- College Vice-Captain, who focused on the sorrows of leaving a Teacher who is known for so many years and the plight of being a teacher. Teacher were garlanded by bouquets by students of junior section followed by a background by Chaitanya Jha and Alankrit Moses. After which Fr. Rolfie (Principal, SJC) focused on leadership quality of Chief Guest and that of the teachers and they were liked precious jewels who will always remain in the heart of students and were irreplaceable. Followed by memento giving ceremony by chief guest and music by boys of junior section. An inspirational speech by Mrs Amrita Chatterjee , followed by Mrs. Mehrotra , Mrs. Crasta, Mr. O. Wright – house master of gold house and four decades of his hard work has now paid him . Vote of thanks proposed by Shreedhar Khandiya. The farewell function continued with the staff where Mrs. Lim Terry, Mrs. Roy, Mrs. A. Harris extended their gratitude and heartfelt thanks to the outgoing teachers who left an in indelible mark in the minds of one and many giving the teaching fraternity a ray of hope that honesty and sincerity will always be reciprocated by the blessings of god. The outgoing staff also thanked the Principal, The staff and all the senior teachers who had already retired to have set a trend what SJC is famous for Dr. Thomas D’Souza said some words of encouragement for the retiring teachers that they should not be depressed but be optimistic in life to have left a legacy which others have to follow.

ADIEU TEACHERS
SJC bids Farewell to 3 Senior Teachers

“May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be ever at your back, may the sun shine warm upon your face and the rain fall softly on your fields and until we meet again, may God hold you in the hollow of his hand” these were the words which reverberated in all hearts as It was a sombre day gripped with nostalgia when the entire St. Joseph’s College fraternity bade farewell to three of their senior teachers, Mr. S.N.A. Rizvi, Mr. B. S. Wilson and Mrs. J. Joseph who have moulded the careers of thousands of students with their sincerity and commitment for almost 4 decades now. Invoking the blessings of the Almighty, Mrs .P. Rapheal read out a special heart touching prayer to begin the proceedings which was followed by unfurling of the College Flag by the three outgoing Teachers- along with the college anthem sung by the college choir. The three teachers were then graced with garlands by the Principal Rev. Fr. Louis Mascarenhas, Vice Principal Rev. Fr. Ravi Joseph, Head Master Rev.Fr. George Rodriguez, all on behalf of the management, Mr. A. Simon, Mr. O. Wright and Mrs. C. Walia on behalf of the senior section staff, Ms. G. French, Mrs. A. George and Mrs. J. Mehrotra on behalf of the junior section staff, Mr. V. Sterling, Mr. Terry George and Mr. P. Horo on behalf of the Office staff, Mr. Pramod Singh, Mrs. Savitri and Mr. Ashok on behalf of the Helpers, Shubham Srivastava, Harsh Yadav and Ajitesh Dayal Singh on behalf of the students. Children then presented their beloved teachers with bouquets, greeting cards and gifts while Tejas, Aditendra and Aaroh the three students from class 6 sang a beautiful farewell song under the guidance of Mr. Anupam Gulwadi. The three teachers then took the salute of the students who marched in their honour. Principal Fr. Louis Mascarenhas in his message highlighted the extraordinary qualities of the three outgoing teachers – i.e. COMMITTMENT and DEVOTION towards their duty, DISCIPLINE within themselves so as to inculcate the same in students and DETERMINATION to excel. He expressed that it would be difficult to fill the void created by retirement of these teachers. Addressing the students Mrs. Joseph expressed their gratitude towards one and all; Mr. B.S. Wilson recalled the time when he joined the college s a swimming coach and stressed on the need for Perfection in the work with discipline. He said one must think big to achieve big; in continuation Mr. S.N. A. Rizvi stressed the students to be disciplined in life which will provide them success in every sphere of life. Principal Rev. Fr. Louis Mascarenhas presented the three retiring teacher with Mementoes and gifts Later during the day at a small get together was organized for the staff members in the Hogan Hall where Mrs. Amrita Chatterji and Mr. A. McGowan praised the dedication, commitment and ever helping nature of the three teachers. While highlighting the various positive aspects for their retiring colleagues which was Cheerful, diligent, keenly observant, resourceful and a committed person, who has been an asset to this great institution they also recalled some beautiful moments of their association and also Vice Principal Rev. Fr. Ravi Joseph praised the ever helping attitude of Mr. S. N.A. Rizvi and punctuality of Mr. B.S. Wilson and urged the other staff members to follow the example set by them. He praised Mrs. Joseph for maintaining 100 % attendance for 2 consecutive years at this age. Head Master Fr. George Rodriguez also praised the dedication of Mrs. Joseph and the friendly nature of Mr. Rizvi and Mr. Wilson.

GOOD BYE TEACHERS
SJC BIDS Farewell to Three Senior Teachers

“Some people arrive into our lives and then depart, leaving footprints on our hearts and we are in no way the very same” such was the feeling as it was a day filled with nostalgia and mixed emotions as the Management, staff and students joined to bid farewell to three of the most respected and loved teachers Mr.Shivaji Srivastava, Mrs. M.C. Rao and Mr. M. Du’casse.

Mr.Shivaji Srivastava had retired after serving the institution for almost 40 years while Mrs.M.C.Rao had served for 18 years. Mr. M.Du’casse who was in the office rendered his services for 27 years. Due to some prior family commitments Mr.Du’casse could not attend the function.

To begin the proceedings for the day, the newly inducted staff member in the senior section , Mrs.L.Terry read out a special heart touching prayer invoking the blessings of the Almighty, which was followed by unfurling of the College Flag by the two outgoing Teachers- with the college anthem sung by the college choir.

The two teachers were then graced with garlands by the Principal Rev.Fr.Louis Mascarhanas, Vice Principal Rev.Fr.Ravi Joseph, Head Master Rev.Fr. George Rodrigues all on behalf of the management, Mr. N.B.Lawrence,Mr.B.S.Wilson on behalf of the senior section staff, Mrs.J.Mehrotra and Mrs. A.George on behalf of the junior section staff, Mr.Terry George and Mr.Saju M.D. on behalf of the Office staff, Mr.Ashok and Mr.Peter on behalf of the Helpers, College Vice Head Marshall Divyansh Agarwal and College Vice Prefect Shivam Chandra on behalf of the students along with class representatives of all classes.

Children then presented the two beloved teachers with bouquets, greeting cards and gifts while the choir boys from the senior school sang the choir …. You will remain in our hearts……” very meaningfully mentored by Mr.Walter Joseph.

The two teachers then took the salute of the students who marched in their honour.

In his message for Mrs M.C.Rao, College Vice Head Marshall Anand Shanker Deb rendered a sweet poem“May flowers always line your path and sunshine light your day.... May songbirds serenade every step along your way.... May a rainbow run beside you in a sky that’s always blue, May the good lord hold you in a sky that’s always blue, May the good lord hold you in the hollow of his hand and May happiness fill your heart each day, your whole life through” Mrs.Rao in her speech Thanked the Principal, Vice Principal and all her colleagues for their support and cooperation and Thanked all the children for all the Love and affection that they had showered upon her.

“How lucky I am to have someone who makes saying Good-Bye so hard” these were the words of College Vice Captain Pranjal Awasthi his speech for Mr.Shivaji Srivastav. He shared his thoughts, highlighting the rich achievements of Mr.Shivaji Srivastava. He said that Mr.Shivaji had stook like a rock in all their endeavors. He said that although it was sad moment that Shivaji sir was leaving SJC but he felt proud to be a part of his last batch.

In his address Mr.Sivaji Srivastava recalled the time when he joined SJC way back in 1973 on adhoc basis; recollected the moments of joy in his 40 long years of teaching and said that it is the success of the students which is the actual success of the teacher. He said that it gives him utmost satisfaction to think his students are spread all over the world including 16 judges in the Allahabad High Court.

Principal Fr.Louis Mascarhanas in his message highlighted the extraordinary qualities of the two teachers i.e. DEVOTION towards their duty, DISCIPLINE within themselves so as to inculcate the same in students and DETERMINATION to excel. He expressed that it would be difficult to fill the void created by retirement of these teachers.

Principal then presented mementos and shawls as a token of Love and affection to the teachers.

Later during the day at a small get together was organized by the staff members where the two retiring teachers were presented with Gifts and mementos by the staff. On the lighter side Mr.Walter Joseph and Mr.S.N.A.Rizvi rendered beautiful numbers to add melody to the otherwise sober program.

Mrs.M.Kujur while speaking for Mrs.M.C.Rao highlighted the sweet accommodating nature of her and also that she was always willing to take up challenges. While speaking for Mr.Shivaji Srivastava, Mrs Amrita Chatterji highlighted the ‘never –say-die attitude’ of Mr.Shivaji and that he was always there to help anyone who came to him. She felt that retirement of Mr.Shivaji would leave a large vacuum in SJC which would be hard to fill. She said that “Teaching was his passion and he did that will full commitment”. Dr.Manoj Singh also highlighted the qualities of Mrs.Rao and Mr.Shivaji Srivastava and said that he has learnt a lot while working with these two great teachers.

Principal Rev.Fr.Louis Mascarenhas described Mr.Shivaji as one of the strongest pillars of SJC and said that he was one of the most trustworthy and committed teachers. He also appreciated the dedication and simplicity of Mrs.Rao and said that the students would certainly miss these two teachers.

The program was conducted by Mr.A.McGowan.