Accra Academy. Providing academic exellence
About four score and five years ago four young men below 30; Dr K.G. Konuah, Messrs James Acquaye Halm Addo, Samuel Neils Awuletey and Godfred Narku Alema, all of blessed memory, decided to set up the Accra Academy with the sole objective of providing high-quality secondary education to gifted, ambitious but financially challenged pupils with the rare opportunity of realising their potentialities to the fullest extent.
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It has been a great 85 years and very rewarding as well. The school has been and still is a dynamic institution dedicated to achieving the very best in secondary education and preparing students for life-long learning and leadership roles by employing innovative systems and rich learning resources.
The school, established on Monday, July 20, 1931, has achieved significant advances on virtually every front, and has a positive image in society. There is evidence of a great many of its Old Boys in the top hierarchy of society and in many areas of the country's development programmes.
Some great personalities include:
Ako Adjei -Big six, General J. A. Ankrah - Head of State, Justice K. Apaloo - Chief Justice, Justice S. Azu Crabbe - Chief Justice, Justice D. F. Annan - Speaker of Parliament, Peter Ala Adjetey - Speaker of Parliament, Edward Doe Adjaho - Speaker of Parliament, Justice N. Y. B. Adade - Supreme Court Judge, Justice Dotse - Supreme Court Judge, Justice G. Koranteng Addo - Judge, Justice G.L. Lamptey - Judge; Chief of the Agogo Traditional Area, Nana Akuako Sarpong.
The involvement of Old Boys in the affairs of the school has been very tremendous. Thus year group after year group continues to provide funds for the organisation of the Speech and Prize-Giving Ceremony. As the school celebrates 85 years of its inception, Bleoo '85, that is the year group which exited the school in 1985, is responsible for the funding of this year's Speech and Prize giving Ceremony today, Saturday, March 12, 2016.
The year group is not just expected to provide the funds for the event but to undertake an infrastructural project in the school. It is very heartwarming to know that the year group has embarked on the most grandiose project ever in the history of the sponsorship scheme: MONUMENTAL ARCH GATE at the main entrance to the school. With the construction of this gate, Accra Academy can now have every bragging right in the comity of elite second cycle institutions in Ghana and beyond.
Early Years (ELLEN HOUSE Slums of James Town)
Accra Academy was formally established on Monday, July 20, 1931 with all 19 students reporting to school, for morning assembly. The ground floor of Ellen House served as the assembly hall and had been used as the venue for the entrance examination. After the close of morning assembly the assembly hall was partitioned into several classrooms from form 1 to form 3 and teaching commenced. The teaching staff had their offices on the first floor of the building.
In the early years of the school's establishment, all of its students resided in and around James Town. Students closest to the school walked to school, while those in the surrounding areas relied on the Municipal Bus Service which carried people to and from James Town. For instance, students who resided at Ayalolo, a suburb of Korle-worko, paid a penny per trip to James Town each day.
Bleoo slogan
After the school had become Assisted in 1950, it began to facilitate sports. Mr C.B.A Brown and Mr A.K. Konuah were appointed Sports Master and Vice Sports Master respectively. Training sessions for the football team were held at the Owusu Memorial Park at Fadama while the hockey team used the Korle Bu Hospital hockey pitch for their training exercises. In a matter of a short time the school had formidable football and hockey teams in addition to excellent athletes.'
In 1950, Accra Academy was invited to participate in the annual inter-school sports competition. Mr. A. K.Konuah led a sports delegation by train to Kumasi, which was the venue for the competition. The sports delegation of Achimota School was on board the train and was also en route to Kumasi to participate in the games. While en route to Kumasi, the students of Achimota School began to make fun of the Accra Academy students. According to them, Accra Academy did not own sports facilities on which to practise, let alone be able to compete with them. While this mocking was on-going. Adjin Tetteh, a member of the Accra Academy sports delegation, kept saying to his mates: Bleoo, Bleoo, Bleoo (No rush, softly, slowly, patiently). He said to his mates,"No rush, if they say we do not know anything about sports, we will go and show them”.
At the end of the competition Accra Academy won seven trophies in addition to the prestigious Aggrey shield. On the way back to Accra, students of Achimota School were silent on the train whiles the students of Accra Academy were in jubilation, shouting Bleoo, Bleoo, Bleoo. When other students of Accra Academy came to hear of the story, the word Bleoo consequently became a slogan for the school. It was the first time Accra Academy had competed for the Aggrey Shield and news of the school's overwhelming victory spread to other schools throughout the country. As a result the school became respected in the field of sports.
The school has produced some national sports personalities including current captain of the Black Stars, Asamaoh Gyan, Owusu Afriyie (bayie) of the Black Satellites fame, Ohene Djan (Bleoo '43), a former football administrator, Leo Myles-Mills, a former national athlete and Ghana’s 100m record holder of 9.99 seconds and Africa’s 4X100 metres gold medallist.
Relocating to Bubuashie
Phase one of the construction was completed and handed over to the school during its 30th Anniversary celebrations in July 1961, 20 months after it had commenced. The Board of Governors decided to begin the next academic year in the new school buildings. Mr A.K. Konuah supervised the transfer of school property from Ellen House and Claremont house to the new site and Mr Sosavie made several trips to and fro transporting the items, in views of the closure of Claremont house.
The opening of the new school buildings for Accra Academy was held on Saturday, February 3, 1962 and was attended by the Minister of Education, Mr. A.J. Dowuana-Hammond. The cost of the new buildings for the school including contractor's and architect's fees, furniture and the like amounted to £185,000.
Key features
1. The Founding Fathers: their vision, sacrifice and dedication
2. The early austere environment of the school, braced by the students with humility,dogged tenacity and purposefulness.
3. The motto of the school: ESSE QUAM VIDERI (TO BE THAN TO SEEM TO BE) a sufficient motivation to bring out the best in any true student of the Accra Academy who has imbibed the spirit and essence of school.
Correlation
It is very significant to note that the success story of Accra Academy to a very large extent has had some correlation with stability in headship. Frequent changes at the helm of school management has not been part of the school. The school has had only six heads in its 85 years’ existence and these six include the current headmaster, Mr Samuel Ofori-Adjei, who until lately was the President of Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools and now President of the African Caribbean version of the Conference.
The headmaster paid glowing tribute to the old boys for their contributions to the school.
“I am overwhelmed by the goodwill of the various year groups. If they should continue that way the school would accomplish what it seeks to accomplish,” he said.
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Octogenarian Institutions
Five years ago, the Accra Academy was admitted to the group of "Octogenarian Institutions with a deep sense of confidence and strength coupled with the flexibility to adapt to shifting circumstances. The school is poised to move forward with the speed commensurate with its status into the future.
Accra Aca...................Bieoo! Accra Aca....................Bieoo!! AccraAca..............Bleoo!!!