LSN GIRLS’ HIGH SCHOOL, OTTAPALAM (1938)

Ottapalam, with its rich heritage, had very little to be proud of regarding educational facilities. Just a hamlet situated between the commercial centres of Trichur and Palakkad, it was the seat of Nair aristocrats, who owned almost all the land in the village, while the rest of the population had a hand-to-mouth existence. The aristocrats were rich enough to afford education for their children in the town or in cities outside, but the rest of the population remained mostly illiterate for want of adequate facilities. Thus, there was a crying need to educate women. The idea of a girls’ school was the brainchild of Sir C. Sankaran Nair, who thought of perpetuating the memory of his wife by establishing a school after her demise. Thus was born Lady Sankaran Nair High School. However, the administration proved difficult, and in 1938, the District Board closed down the Lady Sankaran Nair (LSN) Board High School.

The urge to illumine society with the light of education and love for the Lord propelled the convent authorities, namely Mother Josephine and Mother Leonora, to accept the offer and go ahead with the uphill task. The only condition attached to the agreement for the transfer of the school was that it should never be renamed; hence, the school came to be known as Lady Sankaran Nair Convent School.

The Apostolic Carmel Sisters took over the management of the school on 18th June 1938 in a dilapidated shed. Bringing up the school was a tedious task. By the grace of God Almighty and the hard labour of the sisters, LSN School has gained name and fame. The year 1942 marked an epoch in the history of LSN School. Miss D. Souza, the Board inspectress, requested Mother Josephine (Superior General) to open a Secondary Training School with Malayalam as the medium of instruction, and Sr. Eanswide A.C. was given the charge. In 1951, the Lower Primary Section was extracted from the High School and joined the Training School as its feeder school.