St. James Sem & Senior high School: History, Courses And Many More
Most Rev. James Kwadwo Owusu, the late bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sunyani, started St. James Seminary in 1978. It is a senior high school in Sunyani, which is the capital of Ghana’s Bono region.
It’s not just a Senior High School; it’s also a Catholic Minor Seminary that gives both seminarians and non-seminarians a lot of chances to not only find out what they can do but also to do it. In addition to trying to do well in school, the school focuses on moral, spiritual, and positive character development.
Over the past ten years, St. James has been named the best senior high school in Ghana. This is because it has been in the top ten of the West African Examinations Council’s Senior School Certificate Exams (WASSCE) every year. It was the best school in the WASSCE in 2006, 2009, and 2011. In 2016, it had the best and third-best students in all of West Africa.
Students at St. James are called “The Saints” to show how morally and spiritually upstanding they are, like saints. A St. James Seminary Senior High School graduate is openly called “hotenii” (plural: Ahotefo), which is the Twi word for “saint.”
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Type | Seminary, Public Secondary/High school |
---|---|
Motto | Sincerity, Fidelity, Perseverance |
Religious affiliation(s) | Christian |
Denomination | Catholic |
Founded | 1978 |
Rector | Rev. Fr. Hubert Asante-Kumi |
Category | A |
Grades | 6-10 (Most prescribed) |
Gender | Boys |
Enrollment | 1200+ |
Classes offered | General Arts, Business Studies, General Science |
Language | English |
Campus | Abesim |
Houses | 4 |
Colour(s) | Cream and Brown |
Nickname | Ahotefoɔ |
USNWR ranking | 1 |
National ranking | 1 |
Affiliation | Roman Catholic Church, Ghana |
Alumni | St. James Old Boy’s Association (Ahotefoɔ) |
Alumni President | Dr. Adu Appiah-Kubi |
School Anthem | Arise St. James and Shine |
School Website | stjamesseminary.edu.gh |
Alumni Website | ahotefo.com |
HISTORY
Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sunyani Most Rev. James Owusu set up St. James Seminary Senior High School in 1978. Even though many people were against it at first and tried to stop it, St. James Seminary opened as a private school with 14 students in its first year. Monsignor Robert Mensah Abrampah was the first rector of the school.
The next rectors would have to deal with huge academic and infrastructure problems, to the point where they would have to rely on a few teachers to teach multiple subjects. Monsignor Dr. George Kwame Kumi, who is the current Vicar-General of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sunyani, taught physics, chemistry, and biology by himself for a number of years. In its early years, St. James School also used part-time teachers from Sunyani Secondary School, which is now one of its biggest rivals.
Later, help came when Rev. Fr. Joseph Glatzel (SVD), who had been the headmaster of St. Peter’s Boy’s Senior High School at Nkwatia-Kwahu, was sent to Yamfo to work in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sunyani. Rev. Fr. Glatzel paid for and oversaw the building of the school’s main classroom blocks and the first staff bungalow on his own.
Charles Oko Agyeman, Reverend Father John McVoy (who later became the school’s second rector), Rev. Sr. Gerald (Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit), the school’s first female teacher, Monsignor John Oppong Baah, Reverend Brother Joe Tsiquaye (Congregation of Holy Cross), and others were all important teachers in the school’s early years.
Through Ghana’s old education system, the school taught seminarians and sent them to take the General Certificate of Education (GCE) Ordinary Level Exams given by the West African Examinations Council. Students at St. James have always done a great job, year after year. But in 1994, when Catholics in the Sunyani Diocese asked the Bishop to start a secondary school for boys so that their sons could get a good education, the Bishop agreed to let non-seminarians study at St. James Seminary with seminarians so that everyone could benefit from the high academic and moral standards there.
The goal was for future priests and laypeople, both Catholics and non-Catholics, to get to know each other and set up good working relationships within and outside the church.
In 1994, St. James Seminary Secondary School became a school that the government helped pay for. Since then, the church has been in charge of running the school. Cooperation between seminarians and people who are not in seminaries has been very good.
St. James has General Arts, Business Studies, and General Science programs for high school students.
HOUSES
St. Kizito is named after the patron saint of children and the youngest of the Martyrs of Uganda, who was burned alive at the age of 13–14. They wear RED jerseys.
St. Charles Lwanga is also named after another one of the Martyrs of Uganda who is now adopted as the patron saint of converts, torture victims, and the African Catholic Youth Action. Students of this house wear BLUE jerseys
St. Thomas Aquinas is named after the influential Italian philosopher, theologian, and jurist regarded as the model teacher for would-be priests, and the foremost proponent of natural theology. Aquinas’ boys wear the GREEN jerseys.
St. Augustine’s house is named after the early Christian theologian, philosopher, and bishop of Hippo Regius in North Africa whose writings and proclamations influenced the development of Western Christianity. Students of this house wear YELLOW jerseys.
ACHIEVEMENTS
• WAEC’s Distinction Award for Producing The Second Overall Best Candidate in the 2021 Ghana WASSCE, Master Kwaku Ohene-Amoani.
• WAEC’s Distinction Award for Producing The Third Overall Best Candidate in the 2021 Ghana WASSCE, Master Ransaford Nana Agyei Korang.
• WAEC’s Distinction Award for Producing The Best Candidate in The Business Programme in the 2021 Ghana WASSCE, Master Onyashiembor Sito.
• WAEC’s Distinction Award for Producing The Best Candidate in The General Programme (Arts Option) in the 2021 Ghana WASSCE, Master Francis Abokua.
• Bono-Ahafo Zonal Champions, 2022 Ghana National Science and Maths Quiz (NSMQ).
• Best Performing SHS at WASSCE Science. Received from Ghana Education Service in 2017.
• WAEC’s Distinction Award for Producing The Overall Best Candidate, WASSCE, West Africa and The Third Best Candidate, Ghana in the 2016 WASSCE.
• Runners-up of the 2013 National Debate Competition.
• Winners of the 2013 Queen mother’s 40th Anniversary Debate Competition.
• Best academic performing school in WASSCE since 2011.
• Topped the 2009 WASSCE ranking table.
• Winners of the 2007 National Jubilee Debate organized by the Ghana Education Service.
• Topped the 2006 WASSCE ranking table.
• Winners of the 2005 National Quiz Competition on Human Rights organized by Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ).
• Winners of the 2004 regional quiz on Horticulture organized by Parks and Gardens.
• Winners of the 2004 Quiz on HIV/AIDS organized by ActionAid Ghana.
• WAEC’s Distinction Award for Producing The Second Best Candidate in the July/August 2004 WASSCE.
• Overall best student in the 2003 Northern Sector Debate on the Vice President’s Campaign against Indiscipline, Master Augustine Abugri.
• Winner of the 2000 Millennium Essay on conditions for sustainable national development, Master Osei Anim Leonard.
COURSES OFFERED AT ST. JAMES SEM & SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL (SHS)
The courses available will be mentioned alongside their elective subjects. Keep in mind that each course’s core subjects are Core Mathematics, English Language, Social Studies, and Integrated Science. The following is the course’s overview:
The courses offered at St. James Sem. Senior High School are listed below
- Business
- General Art
- General Science
- Visual Arts
- Home Economics
COURSES WITH ELECTIVE SUBJECTS
Find below all the courses and their elective subjects to help you make good choices while entering St. James Sem Senior High School (SHS)
GENERAL SCIENCE ELECTIVE SUBJECTS
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Elective mathematics
- Biology
GENERAL ARTS ELECTIVE SUBJECTS
- Literature in English
- French
- Economics
- Geography
- History government and
- Religious studies
BUSINESS ELECTIVE SUBJECTS
- Accounting
- Business management
- Economics
- Principle of costing or elective mathematics and
- French
VISUAL ARTS ELECTIVE SUBJECTS
- General knowledge in arts
- Textile
- Graphic design
- Literature in English
- French economics basketry
- Leather work
- Picture making
- Ceramics and
- Sculpture
HOME ECONOMICS ELECTIVE SUBJECTS
- Management in living
- Food and nutrition
- General knowledge in arts
- Textile
- Economics and
- French
St. James Seminary is a category A school, very competitive in terms of placement, and it also oversubscribed during school selection by BECE graduates.
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