Jane Callus awarded ‘People for Others Award’ as St. Aloysius College celebrates 116 years

On Monday 9 October, St Aloysius College celebrated one of its most important days in its calendar – Foundation Day. The school was founded 116 years ago, on 8 October 1907.

In a mass held at the Secondary School to commemorate the date, Rector Fr Jimmy Bartolo sj highlighted the fact that despite the many decades and physical changes in the school, the ethos of St. Aloysius has remained unchanged. The college aims at forming ‘men and women for others’, a motto by Jesuit Superior General Fr. Pedro Arrupe sj during an inspirational speech delivered in 1973 in Valencia.

“This is what we aspire to achieve. There is a tendency  to focus on self-promotion, self-interest and making money as the main objective of a good education. This is not the ethos of our school. We want you, students, to be persons for others,” the Rector said in a short address during mass.

‘Being with and for Others’ was the theme chosen for this year. The theme, together with a new logo, was also launched on the day.

The Men and Women for Others Award, the highest award given by the College to persons who have lived the College’s ethos through their actions, was awarded to Ms Jane Callus, a former employee of the school who pioneered the implementation of inclusion policies at St Aloysius College, and for her role in initiating an Ignatian formation programme for members of staff.

The award was presented to Ms Callus by Fr Rector Jimmy Bartolo sj and architect Nicholas Bianchi, from the Charles Caruana Memorial Fund.

The award was launched last year, and on its first edition, it was given to human rights lawyer Dr Katrine Camilleri, Director of Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) –  Malta.

The day was celebrated in the three schools; Primary held a jam-packed day with a treasure hunt on the theme of the day for all students while Sixth Form prepared a very engaging session inviting alumni who are now professionals that truly embody the St. Aloysius spirit.

Engineer and environmentalist Dr Julian Mamo, doctor and singer Gianluca Bezzina and singing duo Ceci and Kristina Zammit Endrich, shared their experiences at the event.

The main event took place at the Secondary School, hosting a mass and the ‘People for Others’ Award ceremony.

During mass, a donation of stationery items collected by the students in the past weeks was presented to JRS, a humanitarian NGO that advocates for the rights of asylum seekers in Malta.