St. Peter's College, Negombo

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St. Peter’s College, Negombo is a Roman Catholic, provincial government school in Negombo, Sri Lanka. It is located on Fernando Avenue and serves boys and girls from ages 5 to 19 (grades 1–13). The school teaches in English and Sinhala and has about 4,000 students and around 200 teachers. There are roughly 80 classes, with an average class size of about 40. The houses are Keerthi, Shakthi and Pragathi, and the school colors are red, yellow and green. The motto is “Vinaya danuma andura nasai,” meaning “Discipline and Knowledge Clears Darkness.” The school song is “Helayē Sōbhā,” and the publication is Kawluwa.

History and leadership
St. Peter’s College was founded on 2 July 1903 by Fr. Esric, a French Catholic priest, to educate Sinhalese children from fishing communities. It began near the town’s banana market and was originally nicknamed the “Banana Stall School.” The first principal was H. M. Faris, and the initial enrollment was 33 students taught by three teachers. In 1967 the school was declared a Maha Vidyalaya, and it later became a Central School under various principals, including Jayanath Mendis, D. C. E. Madurasinghe, M. C. O. Fernando, and John Fernando. Later principals included B. J. P. Perera and H. M. S. Bandara, who oversaw many new facilities. Since 2013, the principal has been K. D. W. D. R. Fernando.

Sport and culture
The Battle of the Seagulls is the annual big cricket match between St. Peter’s College and St. Sebastian’s College, Katuneriya. The first match was held in 2012.