SMU St. Aloysius Bandung

SMU St. Aloysius Bandung, or ""Aloy"" as is affectionately called, is one of the premiere private high schools in Bandung, Indonesia. It is part of the St. Aloysius school system, founded by Dutch monks as early as the 1860's in the city of Surabaya. The publication of Max Havelaar, written by a Dutch-Indonesian who saw firsthand the suffering of the Dutch colonial subjects in the plantations, started widespread interest in Europe to help improve the conditions of the colonies abroad including educational contributions. Recognizing the absence of a Catholic school system in Indonesia, four monks were dispatched to Indonesia: Bruder Engelbertus Cranen, Bruder Felix, Bruder Anthonius dan Bruder Stanislaus.

Upon arrival in Surabaya, they established their first school in 1862 by the name of ""St. Yusuf"". In 1905, the expanded group on monks established ""St. Hilarius"" in Jakarta. Shortly after, they also established schools in Semarang, Madiun, and several other cities in Java. Finally in 1930 they established a monastery in Bandung on Jalan Sultan Agung, the present location of the SMU St. Aloysius Bandung. In 1948 the monks established the St. Yusuf Primary School, and St. Aloysius Secondary Schools.

Initially an all-boys school, the school is currently run by a non-profit Catholic charity instead of by the monastery, and is co-educational. During the leadership of the previous head of the charity Fr. van Ipperen, St. Aloysius saw a period of rapid expansion both in terms of admissions and facilities. It has campuses on Jalan Sultan Agung near the Dago area of Bandung, in the Sukajadi area north of the city center, and in Batununggal a newly established suburb of Bandung. It also owns a retreat/recreational center in Gambung, some distance away from Bandung, to support its non-academic, life experiences programs. It boasts excellent athletic facilities including numerous soccer fields, swimming pools, basketball and volleyball courts, baseball fields; in addition to laboratory facilities for computer engineering, electrical engineering, biological and physical sciences.

St. Aloysius is also known as ""TOP"", which is also its motto. Originally the abbreviation for ""Tot Onze Plezier"" (or ""To Our Pleasure"" in English) to reflect the freethinking spirit of its founders, it was adapted to ""Tarunya Ogha Pravritti"", a Javanese phrase meaning ""The Youth Shall Persist"". Despite its Catholic affiliation, it is open to students of all faiths.