S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia

S. Thomas' College
College Quadrangle
Location
Hotel Road, Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Colombo , Western Province Sri Lanka
Coordinates	6°50′14.64″N 79°51′54.12″E / 6.8374000°N 79.8650333°E / 6.8374000; 79.8650333
Information
Former names	College of St. Thomas the Apostle S. Thomas' College, Mutwal
Type	Private
Motto	Latin: Esto perpetua (Be Thou Forever)
Religious affiliation(s)	Christianity
Denomination	Anglican
Patron saint(s)	St. Thomas
Established	3 February 1851; 173 years ago (3 February 1851)
Founder	James Chapman
Visitor to the College	Dushantha Lakshman Rodrigo
Warden	Marc Billimoria
Sub-Warden	Asanka Perera
Chaplain	Samuel Ponniah
Grades	1 - 14 (including a nursery for children of Old Boys)
Gender	Male
Age	2 to 19
Enrollment	2,800
Education system	National Education System Pearson Edexcel
Language	English, Sinhala, Tamil
Hours in school day	07:25 - 13:30
Campus type	Suburban
Colour(s)	Blue and black
Song	Thomian Song
Athletics	Yes
Sports	Yes
Nickname	Thora
Newspaper	The Ternion
Yearbook	The College Magazine
Affiliation	Anglican Church of Ceylon
Brother schools	S. Thomas' Preparatory School S. Thomas' College, Gurutalawa S. Thomas' College, Bandarawela
Former pupils	Old Thomians
Website	stcmount.edu.lk

S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia (abbreviated as STC), is a fee-levying Anglican selective entry boys' private school in Sri Lanka. Started as a private school by James Chapman, the first Anglican Bishop of Colombo, in 1851, it was founded as a college and cathedral for the new Diocese of Colombo of the Church of Ceylon, modelled on British Public school tradition. An old boy of Eton College, Bishop Chapman founded the college on the Etonian model, the school's motto of Esto perpetua being derived from that of Eton College.

Following the public school tradition, S. Thomas' College is a partial boarding school, with some pupils living at the school seven days a week, and others residing in Day houses. Having been founded in 1851, it is among the oldest schools in Sri Lanka.

With a student body of approximately 2,800, S. Thomas' is considered as one of the most prestigious schools in Sri Lanka;^{[according to whom?]} a factor leading to its competitive rivalry with Royal College, Colombo. This rivalry has led to a Royal–Thomian tradition with the annual Royal-Thomian Big Match, the Royal-Thomian Rugby Match, the Royal-Thomian Water Polo Matches, and the Royal Thomian Regatta.

The college has educated prime ministers, world leaders, sportsmen and Booker Prize winners. The alumni of S. Thomas' College are referred to as Old Thomians, and include D. S. Senanayake, the first prime minister of Ceylon, S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike and two other prime ministers. Many of the prominent leaders of Sri Lanka's independence movement in the early twentieth century were educated at the college. These include Leslie Goonewardene, who founded Sri Lanka's first political party, the Lanka Sama Samaja Party and N. M. Perera, who served as leader of the opposition and the first Trotskyist to become a cabinet minister.