Holy Child School celebrates 70th anniversary
On August 12, 1945, a seed was sown at a location to be known later as Angel’s Hill. What the participants of that ceremony did not imagine was how the seed would grow into a giant tree that would provide shade and knowledge for great women of our land and beyond.
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When Mr T.R.O Mangin, the Chief Commissioner of the Gold Coast, laid the foundation stone of the school, solemnly blessed by his Lordship Bishop William Porter, the colonial administrator was very happy that one of the post-World War II projects — provision of education for girls - was bearing fruit but for the religious leader, it was a fulfilment of a great vision for the church.
The early days
That was the beginning of the Holy Child College, a teacher training college and secondary school, located on a wide hill overlooking the sea of Cape Coast which opened its doors to students on March 5, 1946. Due to increased student numbers, the Holy Child Teacher Training College relocated to Adiembra, Takoradi and the Holy Child Secondary School remained at the original site in Cape Coast, its current location.
In those days, Catholicism was taking root in the then Gold Coast and the education of Catholic children in Catholic schools was dear to the heart of the church leadership.
Bishop Porter was of the opinion that 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 Catholic. And can the Catholic atmosphere, that almost indefinable atmosphere, be found anywhere else besides the Catholic school and college?"
Thus His Lordship William Porter encouraged parents to send their daughters to Holy Child College. Consequently, by 1955, the number of students had doubled and it became necessary to transfer the training college department to Takoradi where it has also flourished.
In its early days, the school, with the Holy Child Jesus (SHCJ) as its backbone, 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.
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".
That is just one of the ‘spirits’ within which the 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).
Celebration
On March 5, 2016, Holy Child School and College began the celebration of its 70th Anniversary and invited all women who have benefited from a Holy Child education to come home to Holy Child School and participate in a week of exciting activities and networking. This anniversary will give all past students the opportunity to reacquaint themselves with the school and college and continue supporting the school.
The anniversary began on March 5 with the Founder’s Day Mass and Holy Child Past Students Association (HOPSA) Fun Festival. We celebrated the Independence day with a Photo Exhibition and Year Group Expo, followed by HOPSANs, staff and students games on March 7. On Tuesday, March 8, there was a mass for deceased HOPSANs, former and current staff and students.
On March 9, HOPSANs went out to support their communities during an outreach programme followed by a bazaar at the Holy Child College in Takoradi, a day also set aside for mentorship.
On Friday, March 11, the old girls from the Angel’s Hill turned Cape Coast upside down with “jama” and float and night jams. The Speech and Prize-giving Day and Awards and Dinner Dance comes off on March 12 with a thanksgiving mass closing the chapter on the events at Cape Coast the next day.
April 9 will be buzzing with a grand durbar and dinner in Takoradi with the entire celebration crowned at a thanksgiving mass for the school and college also in Takoradi.
Legacy projects
In celebration of the 70th anniversary of the great school, NUHOPSA decided to provide the school with a Sports Complex as a Legacy Project.
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.
As the Great HOLICO celebrates its 70 years of nurturing champions who have contributed in many ways to the progress of the country, its the hope of the leadership of the association that products of the school would come out in their numbers to contribute to the progress of the current students and generations yet to be born.