HOLY CROSS CONVENT, MANANTHAVADY – 1932

The Wayanad hills slope gently towards the Malabar plain and are connected by bus routes with coastal towns and the Deccan Plateau. The European tea planters found these slopes ideal for tea estates, and with the help of Anglo-Indian overseers and hill people as workers, large areas went under tea cultivation.

In 1924, the Malayalee parishioners petitioned the Bishop for a convent school. In 1929, a small school was begun by Fr. Lombardini S.J., the parish priest, and was run by two lay teachers.

In March 1930, Fr. Lombardini requested Mother General to take over the parish school. The collector had promised the Hospital Hill for a school, free of assessment. Fr. Lombardini also obtained 7 acres of land on Eclipse Hill. The Holy Cross Convent was actually opened in June 1932.

On 16th May 1933, Holy Cross Convent was made a regular canonically erected house. A new school building was put up and blessed on 3rd May 1937. The majority of the students were Catholics, all very poor and needed help in many little ways. This school proved to be a blessing in this backward area.

The orphanage was shifted to Eclipse Hill in 1990. In 1995, Little Flower UP School was given permission to start the parallel English medium classes from 5th standard onwards. The Malayalam UKG was converted to English medium, and an English private school was started in 1996. This school was later shifted to Eclipse Hill.

Having loyal and hardworking teachers is the hallmark of this school. The people of the locality are well disposed to the school.