St. Mary’s SHS Marks 69th Speech & Prize Giving Day
St. Mary's Senior High School, the premier all-female school located at Korle Gonno in Accra, has chalked 69 years.
The school since its establishment has produced a lot of top-class women who have become a great asset to the nation and the world at large.
St Mary's Senior High School was established in 1950 by the Catholic missionary sisters, Servants of the Holy Spirit.
The school started with ten girls and a staff of two reverend sisters namely, the late Rev. Sisters Jane and Rosette.
As part of the 69th Anniversary celebrations, the school last week Saturday held its 69th Speech and Prize Giving Day which was immensely supported by the St. Mary's Old Girls' Association (SMOGA) 1994/1996 Year Group.
The celebration was on the theme "Dare To Be Different: Unleash The Potential Within To Impact The World."
The occasion was also used to commission a new side entrance gate and a supporting wall at the school as part of efforts to boost security and further prevent the students from being exposed to dangers from encroachers and criminals.
The project was fully sponsored and undertaken on behalf of the school by the SMOGA 1994/1996 Year Group some of whom are based in Ghana and abroad.
The intervention presents a big relief and facelift as part of the old girls' contribution to improving the infrastructural deficit at their alma mater.
Addressing the gathering, the Headmistress of the School, Mrs. Grace Mansa Eshun, made a humble appeal to benevolent institutions and individuals to come and support the school with infrastructure and resources.
"We need to undertake some expansions and we are in dire need of support. We have received lots of help from our old girls but there are still more left to be done in terms of resources and infrastructure," the Headmistress stated.
On her part, President of the SMOGA 1994/1996 Year Group, Mrs. Shelia Assibey-Yeboah, called on parents to do more to support the smooth running of the school.
Mrs. Assibey-Yeboah said their parents back in the 80s and 90s were tasked with contributing to everything in addition to paying schools fees, now that there is the "no fee" initiative they should be able to do more.
She urged parents to form a 'Parent Teacher Association' in the School to identify ways in which they could contribute to the academic and social nurturing of the students.
"SMOGA is ready to support you start this agenda, "she said.
Mrs. Assibey-Yeboah urged the students to dive deep, stretch out and reach far in everything they do, then they would soar to greater heights.
She also commended the dedication and hard work of all executives (both past and present), committee chair and members and urged them to continue in their efforts to move the school to the next level.
Major Bernice Ama Darkoa Khemchand, an old girl and an executive in the 94/96 group, said after 25 years, it was finally the turn of the 1994/1996 Year Group to give back to the School.
She said for their group, they chose to fulfil the School's desire to create a safer environment for the girls as they study.
"Even though our project is a simple one, we got satisfaction from the fact that it will keep the girls safe and secured," Major Khemchand said.
She said the purpose of giving back to the school was not only to help improve the school's infrastructure but more importantly to support and improve the learning experience of the next generation of students.
Major Khemchand said state funding "we all know does not always cater for all the needs of the school and if you cast your eyes around, you will get a good sense the amount of work that still needs to be done in the school."
She said Old Girls' Associations were not meant to only build projects for the school but also mentor students, hence their involvement in the 69th Speech and Prize-Giving Day, where an Old Girl was the guest speaker.
The SMOGA 1994/1996 Year Group used the occasion to reward some of their past teachers and Headmistresses for contributing to their development over the years.