Alumni of Pissupati Venkata Rangayya (PVR) Municipal High School gathered on the school grounds in Ongole on Thursday, 1 January, to mark the institution’s centenary. The reunion brought together former pupils from across generations alongside present students, in a day of remembrance and community celebration.
The highlight of the event was the joint unveiling of a large balloon bearing the official PVR Centenary logo. The unveiling, staged on the school playground, symbolised a shared sense of continuity between past and present students and served as a visible marker of the school’s century-long presence in the local community.
Members of the PVR Centenary Celebrations organising committee presided over the occasion. Committee president Bodapati Subba Rao, vice-president N. Sastry, secretary Ariga Veera Pratap and joint secretary Ghadiyaram Subbaiah Sarma were present, along with other committee members and a broad cross-section of alumni from different batches.
PVR School centenary brings alumni together
The reunion featured informal gatherings, conversations about the school’s legacy and a review of plans to document and preserve its history. Current students participated alongside alumni, creating opportunities for intergenerational exchange. Teachers and staff past and present also attended, recalling milestone moments and changes in the school’s facilities and curriculum over the decades.
Organisers used the centenary as a platform to discuss practical measures to support the school’s future. Plans discussed at the event included the creation of an alumni fund to assist with infrastructure upgrades, scholarship support for deserving students and projects to digitise school records and photographs. While formal fundraising targets were not announced on the day, committee members said they intended to pursue sustained alumni engagement.
For many attendees, the gathering offered a chance to reconnect with classmates and mentors. Conversations ranged from memories of notable teachers and classroom days to reflections on how the school had shaped careers and civic life. Several alumni commented on the importance of maintaining links between former students and the current institution to ensure continuity of institutional memory.
Community leaders and long-serving staff who attended highlighted the school’s role in local education and social mobility. They noted how the institution had adapted to changing educational demands while continuing to serve as an anchor for neighbourhood life. The centenary, they said, was an occasion to recognise that continuity and renew commitments to support the next generation of pupils.
Photographs taken during the event captured groups of former pupils gathered around the commemorative balloon, students engaged in conversation with alumni, and committee members speaking informally about next steps. The school’s principal and senior teachers also spent time meeting alumni and discussing curricular developments and extracurricular activities that have been introduced in recent years.
Organisers indicated that the centenary celebrations would be followed by a programme of activities throughout the year, including lectures, exhibitions of archival material and community outreach events. The organising committee invited alumni who could not attend the opening event to join subsequent activities and to contribute photographs, memorabilia and recollections to the centenary archive.
As the reunion concluded, attendees emphasised the value of preserving the school’s history and of fostering an active alumni network. The centenary event in Ongole offered a reminder of the enduring ties that educational institutions can forge across generations and the ways such ties can support both heritage and future development.
Key Takeaways:
- PVR School centenary celebrated on 1 January with alumni and current students gathering on the Ongole campus.
- Attendees jointly unveiled a large commemorative balloon bearing the PVR Centenary logo to mark the milestone.
- Event was organised by the PVR Centenary Celebrations committee, with leaders and members from several batches in attendance.
