as a day of mourning but one of celebration of his life. He had also written out a menu for the meal to be served. Although today, the menu does not remain the same, the tradition of the Founder's Day dinner is still preserved. A Founder's Day Social is held in the evening for the senior school. Classes are suspended on Founder's Day, which is generally followed by a school holiday. Prize Day At the end of each academic year, usually in April, Prize Day is held to recognize academic excellence and to honour high achieving students. Some of the traditions include a formal assembly in the afternoon involving a faculty march, a formal speech by a prominent guest or alumnus, singing of the school song and other selected works by the College choir. Generally the top three ranking students of each class are awarded prizes, usually books, and upper classes receive subject proficiency awards. In India, the students achieving first rank in competing academic examinations in grades 10 and 12 are awarded the Founder's Gold Medal. Several additional special prizes are also awarded. Sports Day Each year, on the last Sunday of November, the athletic talents of the students are displayed. Traditions include a school march (which involves a military-type march around the school grounds), gymnastics, a performance by the school band, and an athletic competition between the school houses. The athletic competition includes several events such as shot put, track and field events and long jump. Houses The students of each College are divided into four houses, mainly for promoting academic and athletic competition among students. The houses have different names in La Martiniere Lucknow and in La Martiniere Calcutta, as given below. The champion house for the year is called Cock House. The School Socials The Socials at La Martinière are elegant events in the English tradition. Students from both the girls and boys sections are invited to the socials. Ceremonial uniform is worn by boys, while formal dresses are worn by girls. "The Social" is a tradition of La Martiniere and a memory of its English past. The Socials are held in the College Hall and the girls are invited to the boys school. Socials are also held after the yearly 'Inter-Martiniere Meet' is held between the two schools at Lucknow and Kolkata. La Martinière has always been regarded as one of the finest schools in