Participating Host
Schools in Ghana
Mfantsipim is an all-boys boarding secondary school in Cape Coast, Ghana, established by the Methodist Church in 1876 to foster intellectual, moral, and spiritual growth on the then Gold Coast. Its founding name was Wesleyan High School and the first headmaster was James Picot, a French scholar, who was only 18 years old on his appointment.
After changing its name to Wesleyan Collegiate School and Richmond College, the school, in 1905, merged with another Cape-Coast-based public high school established by John Mensah Sarbah (an old student of Wesley High School), who had established his own school called “Mfantsipim” as a rival of the Methodist-run school.
John Mensah Sarbah died five years after the merger, at the age of 46, leaving the school wholly in the hands of the Methodist Church. Mfantsipim is nicknamed “The School” because it gave birth to other prominent schools such as Prempeh College.
Other schools, such as Ghana National College, were started with students from Mfantsipim. Schools established under the Mfantsipim blueprint include Achimota School, Mawuli School and Ghana Secondary Technical School.
Mfantsipim trainers also started Wesley Girls High School, the nation’s most prominent all-female second cycle institution.Mfantsipim, since Ghana’s independence in 1957, has produced 3 Bank of Ghana Governors, 3 Vice Presidents, and 1 Head of State.
Mfantsiman Girls’ Senior High School is an all girls second cycle institution in Saltpond in the Central Region of Ghana. The school was founded in 1960 by Kwame Nkrumah, originally under the name Saltpond Girls’ Secondary School. The school is also known as ‘Syte’.
History
The school was built in 1960 by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. It was claimed the school selected 70 girls from the Common Entrance Examination who became the first batch of the school.
Features
The motto of the school is ‘Obra Nye Woarbo’ in Twi meaning ‘Life is what you make it’. The colors of the school is mauve and white. The badge of the school has an eagle, straw basket, claw of an eagle and a woman seating on an elephant.
Holy Child School, also known as Angel’s Hill, is an all girls boarding second-cycle institution in Cape Coast in the Central Region of Ghana. In 2003, the school was ranked among the best 10 schools in Africa, producing the best overall female student in the 2003 Senior Secondary School Certificate Examinations (SSSCE). Holy Child School also produced the best overall student,Jochebed Adwoa Sutherland and the second best overall student, Audrey Emefa Awuttey for the 2017 West African Senior School Examination, WASSCE.
The school was founded by the Society of the Holy Child Jesus (SHCJ) in 1946 to provide education to Catholics within the region. The current student population stands at over 1000 girls aged between 14 and 18 years. All students of Holy Child School are boarders. The School has always prided itself in providing holistic education for females so that they may strive to achieve higher heights and become “Women of Substance”.
The school motto is, in Latin: Facta Non Verba, translated to mean “Actions Not Words”. The present headmistress of the school is Mrs. Linda Appiah. The school’s colours are yellow and brown.
St. Augustine’s College is an all-male boarding academic institution in Cape Coast, Ghana.
The school started at Amissano, a village near Elmina, in 1930. The Roman Catholic institution was established to serve as a training college and seminary. The school was named after St. Augustine of Hippo (354 – 430 AD). The motto of the college is Omnia Vincit Labor, meaning “Perseverance conquers All”. The school has a total of 11 houses.
History
On 6 August 1933, the Roman Catholic Church and the Bishop of Cape Coast Vicariate Monsignor W. T. Porter felt the need to have a separate Roman Catholic school and Cape Coast was found to be the most suitable location. A commemorative foundation stone was laid in late 1935 at the present site. Fr. Maurice B. Kelly, the Dean of the Training College at Amissano which is now St. Teresa’s Seminary, Amisano, became the first Head Dean or Headmaster.
Culture
St. Augustine’s College, popularly known as “AUGUSCO”, calls its old students “APSUnians”
Due to the historical association and their common catholic antecedents, there is a tendency for Holy Child High School, Ghana old students (HOPSA) and St. Augustine’s old students (APSUnians) to get married. The church believes marriage between old students of the two schools will perpetuate the Catholic traditions.