St Mary Higher Secondary School

Our school is located in Gugai, which is an older part of Salem. Being a higher secondary school, we have older students here, many of whom are preparing for their final exams. The building is several decades old and has that solid, heavy feel to it. It’s tucked away in the streets of Gugai, surrounded by the usual hustle and bustle of Salem. Every morning, the gates open and a flood of students comes in, many of them arriving on bicycles. The classrooms are large with high ceilings, which helps a bit with the Salem heat. We have a lot of students, so the hallways can get quite crowded during the change of periods. It’s a very busy place from early morning until late afternoon. We have a lab for science classes and a library that's a bit cramped but has the books the students need. The atmosphere is generally quite serious because the older kids have a lot of work to do. We don't have any fancy landscaping or modern glass walls; it's just bricks and mortar and a lot of history. Most of the staff live nearby and have been part of the Gugai community for a long time. It feels like a permanent fixture in the neighborhood. Things aren't always perfect, and sometimes the plumbing acts up or we need more chairs, but we make it work for everyone involved. It’s a busy, noisy, and very real place to work and study.