St. Edward's Secondary School

Infobox UK school
name = St. Edward's Secondary School
motto = Dirige Nos In Veritate
("Direct us in truth")
motto_pl =
established = 1922
approx =
closed =
c_approx =
type = Public School
religion = Roman Catholic
president =
head_label = Head Master
head = J.P. Kamara
r_head_label =
r_head =
founder = Rev. Father Edward Blanchet
street = May Park, Kingtom
city = Freetown
country = Sierra Leoneflagicon|Sierra Leone
postcode =
staff =
enrollment =
gender = Boys
lower_age = 13
upper_age = 18
houses = 5
colours =
free_label_1 = Former pupils
free_1 = Old Edwardians
website = http://www.geocities.com/old.edwardians
website_name = The Association of Old Edwardians

St Edward's Secondary School is a public Catholic secondary school in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Since its inception it has remained one of the country's most prestigious schools. While St. Edwards is designed to be an all-male school, female students are permitted to enroll as A Level candidates. It is affiliated with St. Edward's Primary School.

St. Edwards has a long list of distinguished former pupils, including many of Sierra Leone's top ranking statesmen, presidents and prime ministers. The majority of the school's pupils have gone on the attend institutions of higher learning including Fourah Bay College, Oxford University, University of Cambridge and Harvard University.

History

St. Edward's origins began with St. Edward's Primary School which was established in 1865 by a French Roman Catholic priest, Rev. Father Edward Blanchet. [http://oldedwardians-ga.org/schoolhistory.asp] In 1921, the board of directors which consisted of a group of priests from Italy, France and Ireland decided to start a secondary school for the students. On February 6 1922, the new secondary school opened its doors to seven St. Edward's Primary School graduates: Anthony Tucker, Sylvester Tucker, James Massallay, Edward Farrah, William Luke, Joseph Luke and Albert M. Margai - future prime minister of Sierra Leone. At that time, the secondary school was located at the same address as the primary school at Howe Street in Freetown. St. Edward's is the third oldest secondary school in Sierra Leone.

The first head master of St. Edward's was Father Michael O'Connor, but six months after the school opened, Father O'Connor retired due to illness and was replaced by Father Mulcahy. Under the stewardship of Father Mulcahy, St. Edward's Secondary School became a first rate academic institution which followed a strict, old-fashioned British curriculum and enforced discipline by means of corporal punishment. The sports programs at St. Edward's became a source of general admiration.

Present

Today, the school continues to be managed by a board of directors and the disciplinary committee remains in tact. St. Edward's has maintained its longstanding traditions, which include a Scripture Union, a Literary Society and a Debating Society. The school also has a boy scout troop known as 8th Freetown.

St. Edward's is still widely held to be one of the best schools in the country. On May 1, 2000, headmaster J.P. Kamara and the school's Parent/Teacher Association started a Development Committee to facilitate the expansion of the school.

Past headmasters

Past headmasters include:

*Rev. Father Michael O'Connor (1922)
*Rev. Father Mulcahy (1922-1956) - the school's indefatigable and definitive founding father who devoted most of his life to St.Edward's.
*Rev. Father Jeremiah O’Sullivan (1956-1979) - who introduced the co-ed sixth Form and founded the school band.
*Mr. A.J. Robinson (1979) - known affectionately as 'Sir Rob'.
*Rev. Father Curran
*Rev. Father Hamelberg - St. Edward's alumnus and Sierra Leone's first indigenous priest and headmaster.
*Mr. M.A.C. Renner.

House system

The house system at St. Edward's was instituted in 1934 by the school's second headmaster, Father Mulcahy, in order to encourage competitive sportsmanship among the pupils. Following the Eton model, St. Edward's employs a system which divides the pupils into five houses. Each house has a House Captain and Games Captain. House Captains are usually selected from the sixth form students. Games Captains are chosen from the school's most talented athletes from Forms 4-6. Initially there were four houses, each with its own color and each named after the most reverend fathers who founded the school. They are: O'Gorman (Red), Browne (Green), Wilson (Dark Blue) and Blanchet (Light Blue). Later a fifth house was founded and named Mulcahy. Its color is yellow.

There is inter-house competition during each semester culminating in an annual inter-school track-and-field championship. Houses also compete in extracurricular activities such as academic contests, debate and drama.

School prefects

Members of the student body are elected as school prefects. St. Edward's Disciplinary Committee delegates the execution of various punishments to the school's council of prefects. Prefects are also responsible for the leadership of their fellow students in sport and academics. The House Captains and Games Captains are a part of the council.

Athletics

St. Edward's is nicknamed "The Sports Academy". Throughout the school's history, athletics have been a prominent attribute of St. Edward's. The school is surrounded by sprawling fields where students can play sports and train in their respective disciplines. The land was acquired by former head master, Father Mulcahy, for the sole purpose of executing an ambitious athletics plan for the pupils. This remains a hallmark of St. Edward's even today. The school has produced a number of gifted sportsmen who play at national and international levels. Among them is football star Mohamed Kallon who began his career with the school team, Old Edwardians FC and went on to play for Inter Milan. Kallon is currently the captain of national team, the Leone Stars.

Performing arts

St. Edward's has excellent music and drama programs. The school band was founded by Father Jeremiah O'Sullivan during the middle half of the last century. The school also has an acclaimed dramatic society called St. Edward's Theater.

Celebrations

St. Edward's celebrates February 6 as Foundation Day and October 13 as the Feast of St. Edward in honor of the school's patron saint, Edward the Confessor.

School uniform

Students of St. Edward's are easily distinguished by their uniform which consists of a white shirt, dark shorts and a matching tie. In a country where there is no free compulsory education, attending secondary school is a rare privilege and the school uniform is a badge of honor.

chool song

"St. Edward Patron of our school" "And creator of our youth" "Guide us in our search for truth" "To the Holy Ghost Faithful" "Instill in us true leadership" "Model of Christian piety" "So may we always honor thee" "For all our lives to see"

"The name Edwardian proudly stands" "In our country's honor roll" "Inspiring us to follow close" "Those who to great heights rose" "With prayers our battle we shall fight" "And all life's struggles win" "We shall be loyal to our school" "To our kith and kin"

"However far in days to come" "Our lives may make us roam" "The closest friends will be those made" "In youth and boyhoods home" "Sing hail to Edward king and saint" "Confessor pure and chaste" "Enjoying now that heavenly bliss" "Which we soon hope to taste."

Old Edwardians

St. Edward's alumni are called Old Edwardians. While the school is open to all students regardless of their economic, social or religious background, it is a favorite of the Sierra Leonean oligarchy as it has produced an impressive number of statesmen and community leaders. Some of the most famous Old Edwardians include former Prime Minister of Sierra Leone, Sir Albert Margai and President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah. The senior generation of Old Edwardians are sometimes criticized for being a British-style old boy network. However, the alumni hold that they are most concerned with supporting their alma mater and contributing to the community. Among the younger generation of Old Edwardians, re-construction of the school is a key issue. The Georgia Chapter of St. Edward's Alumni Association runs a charity that raises funds to refurbish the school which was badly damaged during Sierra Leone's decade-long civil war.

Notable alumni

*Felix Alinyoh - former headmaster at St. Edward's Secondary School
*George Banda-Thomas - former Minister of Political and Parliamentary Affairs in Sierra Leone
*Dr. Cecil Blake
*Dr. Alfred Bobson-Sesay - former Director General of Education, former Minister of Lands
*Dr. Abass Bundu - former Executive Secretary of the Economic Community of West African States
*Dr. S.B. Dumbuya - Leader of the House of Parliament
*B.S. Elliott - former headmaster at St. Edward's Secondary School
*Archbishop Joseph Ganda - Archbishop Emeritus of Freetown and Bo
*Thomas Ganda - civil servant
*Professor Septimus Kaikai - former minister of communication
*Justice Nasiru-din Halladeen
*Rev. Father Hamelberg - Sierra Leone's first indigenous priest and a St. Edward's headmaster
*Cyril Patrick Foray - Sierra Leone's former Minister of External Affairs
*Henry M. Joko-Smart - former Commissioner of Sierra Leone's Anti-Corruption Commission and former Chairman the Supreme Court
*Ahmad Tejan Kabbah - former President of Sierra Leone
*Mohamed Kallon - professional football player
*Sir Albert Margai - second Prime Minister of Sierra Leone
*Professor Newman-Smart
*Tinga Seisay - former Consul General to the United States and pro-democracy advocate
*Dr. Kadi Sesay - feminist, pro-democracy advocate and Minister of Trade and Industry in Sierra Leone
*Dr. P.L. Tucker - former headmaster at St. Edward's Secondary School,chairman law reform commission

External links

* [http://edwards.st.tripod.com/stedss.htm St. Edward's Secondary School - unofficial site]
* [http://www.geocities.com/old.edwardians The Association of Old Edwardians]
* [http://www.network54.com/Forum/136875/ The Old Edwardians, UK & Ireland Chapter]
* [http://oldedwardians-ga.org/aboutus.asp St. Edward's Alumni Association, Georgia, US Chapter]