Aburi Girls’ SHS celebrates 70 years of academic excellence

Seventy years after its establishment in January 1946 with the first batch of seven girls, the Aburi Girls’ Senior High School has a good story to tell in terms of academic excellence.

In the words of the Headmistress, Ms Rose Bampo, “Given the dedication and hard work of all stakeholders, the little acorn that was planted 70 years ago has grown into a mighty oak of a school.”

“The might is not only in terms of the size of the school but more importantly in terms of the quality of academic results that have been maintained by the students over the past seven decades.”

She, therefore, paid glowing tribute to the first board of management of the school and successive ones for their immense contributions to the growth and development of the school.

Awards

The school was adjudged the only second cycle institution in the country to have won all the topmost awards in the Eastern Region, in the senior high division at the maiden National Best Schools awards ceremony in Tamale last year.

The school also won the overall best senior high school in the Eastern Region, the best in Mathematics and the best in Science in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) between 2011 and 2015 in the region.

At the school’s annual thanksgiving and remembrance service at Aburi last Sunday that coincided with the launch of the school’s 70th anniversary celebration, Ms Bampo said with the 70 successful years now behind, the board and management of the school were of the view that the noble objective of the founding fathers to provide quality education for girls had become even more urgent than it was seven decades ago.

Empowering girls

“Today, we expect our girls to be educated to the highest level that their abilities can take them in any field that they are interested in. This is to empower them to play critical roles at high decision-making levels in all spheres of national endeavour and also enable them to create niches for themselves within the global economy,” she added.

The event is being held on the theme: “Aburi Girls at 70: Forging ahead for greater heights in educational excellence.”

Old students and the first Ghanaian Headmistress of the school, Dr Mrs Joyce Lucy Asibey, who passed away not long ago, were acknowledged.

The event was also used to unveil the school’s anniversary cloth that saw the first set being bought by the 1975 and 1986 year groups for GH¢3,000 and GH¢2,000 respectively.

The 1975 Year Group also donated to the school three Rambo 2,000 litre polytanks.

First Ghanaian headmistress

Ms Bampo said since its inception, the school had had six substantive headmistresses and one acting headmistress, with Dr Mrs Asibey being the first Ghanaian headmistress.

“Each headmistress has left her own peculiar imprint on the school but what has characterised all seven is the zeal and dedication with which they have pursued the original vision of the Presbyterian Church, to provide a Christian-based holistic quality education for Ghanaian girls,” she said.

She said as part of activities to mark the 70th anniversary, the school would hold a fund-raising and launch on February 21, a mini homecoming of old girls, to participate in fun games and a picnic on March 7 and a “March of Honour” for the various year groups to march on the school’s field to the cheers of students, families and guests.

“This march is to strengthen the bond between the school and its old students, to enable the school to keep track of old girls and to motivate the current students to aim high as their celebrated seniors,” she said.

She added that on June 24 the school would also hold a torchlight procession from the Presbyterian Women’s College of Education through the Aburi township to the lower court of the school, while its 70th speech and prize-giving day and thanksgiving service would be held on June 25 and 26, 2016 respectively.

Joyce Asibey Memorial Lectures

She said the school’s board of governors and the anniversary planning committee had decided to honour the first Ghanaian Headmistress, Dr (Mrs) Asibey, by instituting the Joyce Asibey Memorial Lectures that would begin in 2017, for her sterling contributions to the growth of the school.

  Dr (Mrs) Asibey, who was the headmistress from 1971 to 1988, died in July last year.

In a speech read on behalf of the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Professor Emmanuel Martey, the Chairman of the Akuapem Presbytery, Rev. G. O. Kwapong, who recounted the history of the school, said since its establishment, the “church has not regretted that decision.”

“We are optimistic that completing school from here, our students will go to higher levels to pursue professions such as law, medicine, politics, with Ghana likely to have the first female president being an old student,” he said.