St. Michael's High School, Patna

St. Michael's High School, Patna (often abbreviated: SMHS Patna or SMHS), is a private, co-ed, high school in Digha neighborhood of Patna, Bihar, India. It is a Catholic Missionary educational institution established in 1858, currently managed by Patna Jesuit Society. It is affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education, New Delhi and is one of the oldest schools in the state of Bihar. It was founded by the first Bishop of Patna, Dr. Anastasius Hartmann. The current principal of the school is Fr. Edison J. Armstrong, S.J. and took charge in January 2016 from Fr Peter Arockiasamy. It is named after Saint Michael the Archangel.HistoryIn 1854 Monsignor Zuber, Vicar Apostolic of Patna, purchased the ground where the school presently stands, with the aim of forming a community of native Christians. Indian Rebellion of 1857 destroyed his plans and the place was left without any residents. After the rebellion in 1858, when order was restored, Anastasius Hartmann opened the building as an orphanage for children who became orphans during the rebellion of 1857. More buildings were added and the institution gradually grew over time to become a large boarding house and orphanage combined.In 1894, the management of the School was handed over to the Irish Christian Brothers or commonly known as Christian Brothers, under whose management it became one of the leading schools in Bengal. St Michael's became a high school and sent its first batch of four students to high school examination in 1896. In 1907, Bengal District Gazetteers for Patna states the number of boys in the school at 283, including a large number of orphans. The staff at that time consisted of six brothers and six secular teachers. During this period, the school received a grant annually from government, regulated by the number of students enrolled. The school also set up a volunteer cadet corps in 1893.