Our legacy
Founder of our school
Shri M.Y. Ghorpade
Founding Educational Director
Fredrick Gordon Pearce
In the early twentieth century, there were outstanding Englishmen and women, who came to India to serve in their chosen field of activity, one such person was Fredrick Gordon Pearce, who has left a permanent imprint on the Public-School Education in India.
F.G.Pearce is well known through out India for his pioneering work in the field of public school education and for planning of many good residential schools in the country. He was the Educational Director of the Sandur Residential School when it was started in 1959. He greatly encouraged Shri M.Y.Ghorpade and guided him towards the inception of the school. He was also instrumental in appointing the first Principal, Mrs. Mahalakshmi at Sandur Residential School.
He joined the Theosophical society in 1909 and came under the influence of Mrs. Annie Besant, who invited him to work in India. He was closely associated with the effort at Indore and Gwalior to introduce compulsory primary education. He was associated with the Sardar School, started in Gwalior in the early 20th century, the school was reorganised into Scindia School in 1932 and located on top of the famous Gwalior Fort. It was the first public school started in India, followed by so many other distinguished Public Schools. Mr. Pearce was the Founder member of the Indian Public School Conference. Sandur Residential School is a member of the Indian Public-School Conference.
From 1950 to 1958, Mr. Pearce was the Principal of Rishi Valley School (in Andhra Pradesh), managed by the foundation of New Education. It was then J. Krishnamurthy was also at The Rishi Valley school for some time. Both Mr. and Mrs. Pearce gave Shri M.Y. Ghorpade the necessary advise and encouragement to start the Sandur Residential School in 1959.
Later, Mr.Pearce took up residence at Oootacamund and started the Blue Mountains School in 1961.
First Principal of our School
Mrs. Mahalakshmi
Mrs. Mahalakshmi was the first Principal of Sandur Residential School. It was in 1959 that she came to Sandur from The Rishi valley School, Madanapalle, Andhra Pradesh. She was the principal of the school from its inception in 1959 to 1999 and has contributed much to the development of the school to its present strength and stature.
Her untiring efforts and missionary zeal culminated in the establishment of Sandur Residential School. In the early years, there were not many teachers either.
Mrs. Mahalakshmi was elected Chairperson of the Indian Public Schools conference for the period 1992-93 to 1993-94. It was during her tenure the school hosted the 54th Annual session of the Indian Public Schools’ Conference at Sandur on 3 Nov 1993.
She was fondly called as Akka, ‘the elder sister’, and is very much a part of educational and cultural environment of Sandur. Teaching English was her forte, including interest in classical music and traditional arts and crafts.