Holy Child High School, Ghana Explained

Holy Child School
Location:Cape Coast
Streetaddress:PO Box 203
Region:Central Region
District:Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly
Country:Ghana
Coordinates:5.1214°N -1.2337°W
Head Label:Headmistress
Head:Linda Appiah
Chaplain:Rev. Fr George Atta Baidoo
Lower Age:15
Upper Age:18
Houses:9
Type:Public high school
Language:English
Song:Thou art the Light
Motto:Latin: Facta Non Verba
Motto Translation:Actions Not Words
Sports:Football, Rugby, Basketball, Hockey, Table tennis, Volleyball, Netball, Handball
Nickname:Holico
School Colours:Yellow and brown

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)[1] Holy Child School also produced the best and second-best overall students for the 2017 West African Senior School Examination, WASSCE.[2] [3] [4]

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 motto is, in Latin: Facta Non Verba, translated to mean "Actions Not Words". The present headmistress of the school is Linda Appiah.[5] The school's colours are yellow and brown.

History

Following the establishment of Mfantsipim School (Methodist) and Adisadel College (Anglican) in 1876 and 1910 respectively, the Catholic community in Ghana were eager for the establishment of Roman Catholic-based education in Ghana.

On 15 January 1935, Bishop Porter blessed and led a ceremony for the laying of the foundation-stone of St. Augustine's College, which was solemnly laid by Sir Arnold W. Hodson, the then Governor. His Lordship then turned his attention to female education.

"As far as possible", said Bishop Porter, every Catholic was to be educated in a Catholic School or College. The reason is very obvious. The ordinary man or woman imbibes his or her Catholicism from practice rather than theory. Catholicism in the school and the college is thus too necessary for the Catholic boy or girl. Their conversations at table and during recreations, their games and work and the expression of their ideals themselves, in a word, their whole body, mind and soul must be thoroughly a Catholic. And can the Catholic atmosphere, that almost indefinable atmosphere be found anywhere else besides the Catholic School and College?"

Therefore, to meet the increasing demands for wider educational facilities for girls, a reorganisation of existing establishments and the provisions of new schools became an urgent necessity.

Many female teachers were needed to help teach in schools. Shortage of teachers was acute. As far back as 1934 Bishop Porter of the Gold Coast Colony Vicariate had appealed to Rev. Mother General to open a Secondary School for girls in his Vicariate, but it was not until World War II between 1939 and 1945 that the foundation was seriously discussed and accepted. On 12 August 1945 the foundation stone of Holy Child (the combined Catholic Teacher-Training College and Secondary School for girls) was solemnly blessed by His Lordship Bishop William Porter and laid by the Honourable T. R. O. Mangin, the Chief Commissioner of the Colony. The Commissioner was very happy that one of the post-war projects was to be the provision of education for girls.

The first party of three nuns, Rev. Mother Mary Joachim, Mother Mary Cyril (assistant) and Mother Mary St. Edward, landed at Takoradi on 20 February 1946. They were met at the wharf, first by the Rev. Father Fisher, Vicar Delegate of Bishop Porter, who was to prove himself to be a faithful friend and an invaluable counsellor during the early days of the college, and secondly, to their great joy and surprise, by Rev. Mother General and Rev. Mother Provincial. By 5 March 1946, the lower school building, the convent, three dormitory blocks, two dining-rooms, a water-tower and two bungalows had been put up, the college admitted 120 students.

His Lordship William Porter continued to encourage parents to send their daughters to Holy Child College. Consequently, by 1955 the number of students has doubled and it became necessary to transfer the Training College Department to Takoradi. Holy Child School, which started with 50 students, now had 700 students and Holy Child College now had 400.

The school offered academic as well as vocational courses. Before 1955, students did their sixth-form course at St. Augustine's College until the school secured teachers to handle sixth-form subjects. Holy Child College and School has produced and continues to produce highly qualified professional women who have served their country with great satisfaction and efficiency in accordance with the motto of the school "Facta Non Verba" (Actions Not Words). There are two distinctive features in the educational system of the society. First, the students were given some measure of freedom and trust – rather unusual in those days. One of the nuns wrote: "under such training the law of conscience becomes paramount, and a permanent basis of principle is developed which is not likely to be discarded later with the school uniform."

Houses

The school currently has nine houses of residence

!No.!House
1.St. Ann's
2.Our Lady's
3.St. Cornelia's
4.St Joseph’s
5.St. Agnes'
6.St. Theresa's(T House)
7.St. Catherine's (Conti)
8.St. Maria's
9.Archbishop Amissah's
10.New House

Headmistresses

!Ordinal !! Headmistress !! Term start !! Term end !! Time in office !! Notes
Rev. Mother Mary Joachim 1946 1955 years
Rev. Mother Mary Cyril 1955 1961 years
Rev. Mother Mary Marcela 1961 1967 years
Rev. Sister Mary 1967 1976 years
Mrs Rosemary Ampomah 1976 1978 years
Rev. Sister Michelle Puma 1978 1980 years
Mrs Alice Marie Agyeman 1980 2003 years
Mrs Veronica Amponsa Minta Nyarku (aka Madame Brobbey) 2003 2010 years
Rev. Sister Josephine Anto 2010 2019 years
Mrs Anastasia Thomford-Okyere 2019 2021 years
Mrs Linda Appiah 2021 incumbent years

Legacy Projects

The following are some of the projects that the school has benefited from over the past years:

NUHOPSA's Legacy

In celebration of the 70th anniversary of the great school in 2016, NUHOPSA provided the school with a Sports Complex as a Legacy Project.[6]

The estimated GH¢127,000 project comprises two multipurpose courts (for netball, basketball, badminton, volleyball and tennis), athletics oval, a building to accommodate changing rooms and sports manager's office, and spectator stands. The complex is to be sited at the existing sports field at the bottom of the hill.[6]

1994/1996 Year Group Legacy

As a tradition in Holy Child School, each alumni year group, on its 25th anniversary, spearheads a legacy project intended to modernize and address a critical need that will benefit current and future students, and faculty alike to raise the standards of the school. It is for this reason that the HOPSA 94/96, decided to provide the School with a Solar-Powered Electrification System for the Entire Classroom and Administration Blocks.The total cost of the Sustainable Energy Project was approximately Five Hundred and Fifty Thousand Ghana Cedis (GHC550,000). Members of the 1994/1996 year group made some contributions with support from benevolent institutions. The project was successfully commissioned in March 2019 during the School's 73rd Anniversary celebrations.[7]

The project comprised the following:

1995 Year Group Legacy

The 1995 year group collaborated with their 1970 counterparts and provided a soar electrification project for the dining and assembly halls.The cost of the project was Ghc90,000.00. The project consisted of the following:

The project was commissioned by Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Coast, Most Rev. Mathias Kobina Nketsiah and was a precursor to the 74th anniversary and Speech and Prize Giving Day.[8]

Alliance

Holy Child School has an ongoing alliance with their fellow Catholic boys' school, St. Augustine's College. The alliance is known as APSU-HOPSA.

Notable alumni

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Africa's Top 100 Schools . www.africaalmanac.com . 12 August 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070114052056/http://www.africaalmanac.com/top20highschools.html#11 . 14 January 2007 .
  2. News: Meet the Holy Child student who topped WASSCE 2017. Larnyoh. Magdalene Teiko. 2018-06-18. en-US.
  3. Web site: Meet the Holy Child student who topped WASSCE 2017 – Sankofa Online : Serving the Ghanaian Community of Chicago. sankofaonline.com. en-US. 2018-06-18. 2018-08-13. https://web.archive.org/web/20180813011956/http://sankofaonline.com/archives/80394. dead.
  4. News: Family Health Hospital to partner WAEC. Adjorlolo. Ruth Abla. www.gbcghana.com. 2018-06-18.
  5. Web site: 2020-03-16. HOPSA 1995 install solar panels for Holy Child School. 2020-06-08. MyJoyOnline.com. en-US.
  6. Web site: Holy Child School celebrates 70th anniversary. Graphic Online. en-gb. 2020-05-30.
  7. Web site: HOPSA - Holy Child Past Students Association. www.payputt.com. en. 2020-05-30.
  8. Web site: 1995 year group of Holy Child School install solar panels for alma mater. Editorial Staff. 2020-03-18. SHSTRENDZ.COM. en-US. 2020-05-30.
  9. News: Magdalene Apenteng Ghana Ministry of Finance Video World Finance. en-US. 2018-06-19.
  10. Web site: GOVERNMENT ADVISOR: "NO PUBLIC MONEY IN NEW AIRLINE". 2018-06-19. m.myjoyonline.com.
  11. News: Adjorlolo. Ruth Abla. New governing board for PPA. gbcghana.com. 2018-06-19.
  12. Web site: Gov't statistician Philomena Nyarko retires May 11. 2018-06-22. www.ghanaweb.com. 14 April 2016. en.
  13. News: 2016-06-11. Accra Polytechnic signs MOU with Statistical Service - citifmonline.com. en-US. citifmonline.com. 2018-06-22.
  14. News: 2015-10-17. Ghana makes improvement in key health areas - citifmonline.com. en-US. citifmonline.com. 2018-06-22.
  15. News: Desk. Gender. Women's participation in politics is key to good governance. en-gb. Graphic Online. 2018-06-22.
  16. Web site: Election 2016: Know your female parliamentary candidates (3) . 2023-02-14 . Graphic Online . en-gb.