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GHANA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

GRAND DURBAR(United Nations & National Costume Day)

FRIDAY 23RD OCTOBER, 2015PRIMARY SCHOOL SPORTS FIELD

ProgrammeCONTENTS

1. Arrival of Guests

2. Opening by MCs

Mr. Abloso Principal Teacher, Secondary School

Mr. Painstil Manasseh Senior Teacher, Infant School

Mrs. Donna Gordon- Apeagyei Principal Teacher and AVP Infant School

Alexander Bechtold, Upper Sixth Form Student, Secondary School

3. School Parade of Nations (Current Nations Represented at GIS)

1. Infant/Nursery

2. Junior

3. Secondary

4. The Ghana National Anthem

5. Welcome Address by Dr. Mary Ashun, Incoming Principal of GIS

6. Goodwill Message by Mr. Kwame Pianim, Board Chairman

7. Performance by Infant School

8. Introduction of Guest of Honour, Honourable Mr. Joe Ghartey Esq., by Junior School Pupil

9. Address by Honourable Mr. Joe Ghartey Esq.,MP, GIS Alumnus

10. Performance by Junior School

11. Introduction of Guest of Honour, Mrs. Betty Mould- Iddrisu, by Lower Secondary Student

12. Address by Mrs. Betty Mould- Iddrisu, GIS Alumna

13. Secondary School Performance

14. Introduction of Guest of Honour, Mr. Tirso Dos-Santos, by Upper Secondary Student

15. Address by Mr. Tirso Dos-Santos, UNESCO Representative

16. Anniversary Flash Mob Performance

17. Vote of Thanks by Mr. Sean Quist, PTA Chairman

18. School Song led by Stephanie Duah, Emmanuel Ashun and Eugene Quayson

19. 12:30-12:45pm:

“We are the World”

Announcements by MC’s

International Barbecue/Cookout & Anniversary Exhibition Commences!!!

60th Anniversary Celebrations PLANNING COMMITTEEThe Board Representative/GIS@60Chairperson Mrs. Estelle Appiah

Management Representative and Vice Chairperson Dr. Mary Ashun

SSWA Representative Mr. Silas Abloso, Ms. Ekua Sagoe, Mr. Nii Adjei

TEWU Representative Mr. Stephen Mensah

Alumni Representative Mr. Ato Koomson

Mrs. Mariam Quarshie

Parent Representative Mr. Sean Quist

Student Representatives Prefects and SRC Team

Committee Coordinator Ms. Phoebe Acolatse

About The Celebration Of TheUnited Nations And National Costume Day At Ghana International School

Board Of Directors & Management Team

Welcome Remarks Chairman Of The Board

Welcome Message From Dr. Mary Ashun, Incoming Principal

Secretary-General’s Message Regarding The 70Th Anniversary Of The United Nations

Guest Of Honour, Mr. Tirso Dos-Santos Unesco Representative

Guest Of Honour Mrs. Betty Mould-Iddrisu

Guest Of Honour Honourable Mr. Joe Ghartey Esq.mp

Goodwill Messages

Student And Staff Nationalities Represented in the Ghana International School as at the 2015/2016 Academic Year

History OfGhana International School

Ghana International SchoolGuiding StatementsOur Educational Objectives:

03

04

05

07

08

09

10

11

11-18

21

22

26

Programme

Ghana International School (GIS) can boast of pupils and students from over 50 nationalities. This is why our

United Nations (UN) and National Costume Day is celebrated in style. We use this occasion to celebrate our unity and diversity in terms of our cultures and nationalities. We seek to highlight our school motto which is “Understanding of Each Other”.

Our School Songs also sums it all up;

From all the countries of the earth,We come in turn to you.Of different races, different creeds,And different aspects too.We learn together day by day,In time our ways will part,But with each one of us we’ll takeUnderstanding of Each Other

Our Message is loud and clear. As you watch the children and staff parade in their national costumes, singing and dancing, let us remember the growing number of people who are in misery because of conflicts in our world today. We hope that as a School, we will send out our message of “Understanding of Each Other”, which will resonate around the world. As GIS celebrates 60 years of nurturing Global citizens, the UN also celebrates 70 years of encouraging nations to collaborate in order to alleviate these conflicts.

We are honoured that a school that began with a handful of students, has grown into a mighty force in International Education.

Together with you today, we celebrate 60 years of nurturing Global Citizens.

We wish you all a Happy Celebration!!!


UNITED NATIONS and National Costume Day at

About the Celebration of the

The 60th Anniversary Grand Durbar 3

BOARD OF DIRECTORSMr. Kwame Pianim Chairman

Mr. Josiah W. Ampiah Member Director

Mrs. Estelle Appiah Member Director

Professor Florence Dolphyne Director

Mr. Kofi Kwakwa Director

Ms. Maame Hagan Director

Mrs. Augusta Cameron Director

Mrs. Sophia Amissah Laryea Board Secretary

MANAGEMENT TEAMMrs. Diana Nyatepe-Coo Outgoing Principal

Dr. Mary Ashun Incoming Principal

Mr. Frank Amponsah- Mensah Vice Principal, Upper Secondary

Ms. Ida Abbeyquaye Vice Principal, Lower Secondary

Mrs. Mary Ocansey Vice Principal, Junior School

Ms. Heidu Owu Vice Principal, Infant School

Mr. Alfred Ayer Financial Controller

Mr. James Nkansah IT Systems Manager

Mrs. Deborah Tackie Development Manager

Mrs. Sante Andah Human Resources and Administration Manager

Ms. Maxine Wall Guidance Counsellor


Ghana International School4

Today at this Grand Durbar where our 60th Anniversary celebrations gathers momentum under the theme “Celebrating 60 years of Nurturing global citizens with our School Motto of “understanding of Each other”, it is not a coincidence that we mark this event alongside the marking of United Nations Day. The UN was established by nations and their peoples some 70 years ago “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war “that has brought untold sorrow to mankind” as a result of misunderstanding and political miscalculations. The nations were determined that people learn “to practise tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours.”

At GIS our motto of “understanding of each other” has helped us live up to the ideals of our founding fathers; a world of tolerance and acceptance of our common humanity with more things uniting us. Here at GIS we endeavour at nurturing global citizens who not just merely tolerate differences, but rather embrace and celebrate human diversity whether it be race, ethnicity, religion, culture orsocial and economic affiliation. So at GIS, in our small way, we try to walk the talk as far as the vision and ideals of the United Nations by promoting understanding and tolerance at the personal level and by starting the inculcation of these attributes early into our students. And it is true, as it has been said, that for most of us, most of the good life habits that guide us we learnt at the sand box at the school playground; learning to share, respecting each other, saying sorry for wrongs done and thank you in appreciation.

As we celebrate our 60th anniversary therefore I will like to express our debt of gratitude to our founding fathers and mothers and those who have helped us over the years to keep the vision and ideals of our founders alive as well as those who have toiled to inculcate our values as a way of life to our students. The vision,ideals and mission of the founders are even more relevant in our world of today. We live in a world of conflicts, a world being torn apart by extremism, intolerance and hatred born out of our differences. GIS as a platform for nurturing and launching global citizen for today’s world is more relevant and urgent now than ever in modern human history. And these acts

of intolerance and extremisms seem to feed upon themselves as due to the ever increasing and highly digitalized world, acts of intolerance and inhumanity are transmitted instantaneously from far away corners of the globe to living rooms in all corners of the world, inviting mindless imitation or acts of retaliation and reprisals by others!

Frist and foremost we owe a debt of grat-itude to our founders. These were men and women from the expatriate and na-tionals from the business community, professionals from the legal, media and education sectors, who got together to plan and implement the idea of an in-ternational school dedicated to promot-ing understanding among people from diverse backgrounds. These included business people like the Baileys, Edward James and Valerie, from the Media came the Lines from Graphic, public servants like Dr Ruby Quartey-Papafio and Dr K G Konuah, both educationists; and men with legal background; Sir Justice K A Korsah and Justice Edward Akufo-Addo who both became Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of Ghana was then a le-gal practitioner. These men and women saw in 1955, the need for providing an institution to educate the children of the expected increasing inflow of expatriate business and diplomatic community alongside an emerging middle class of nationals in a multi-cultural environ-ment. In a Ghana that was scheduled to gain political independence. One year and a half before Ghana attained inde-pendence, the dream of these founding visionaries became reality. The Infant School here, now the Art and Music De-

OUR DEBT OF GRATITUDE TO OUR FOUNDING FATHERS AND MOTHERSGHANA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL 60TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONGRAND DURBAR/UN DAY EVENTS

Welcome Remarks - CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD

It is a singular pleasure, on my own behalf and on that of the School, its board of directors, management staff and the student population, to wish all of you gathered here this morning and all those of you, our friends and stakeholders who will be joining us in the activities planned to celebrate our 60th anniversary, a very big welcome!


partment was part of the beginnings of this School.

From its humble beginnings 60 years ago, it now boasts of some 1400 students from some 58 nationalities, a mini United Nations! To our founding visionaries and their collaborators, we say, Ayekoo and well done!

To our board chairmen who provided leadership in policy guidance and direction and kept the ideals alive, we owe a debt of gratitude! To Dr. Modjaben Dowuona who presided over the growth and development era, we say thank you. To Professor Cyril E Fiscian, a psychologist and His Lordship Justice George Francois, a justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana and Chief justice of the Supreme Court of Gambia, who helped calm the waters and stabilize things at a critical stage in the School’s history when the School had outgrown its informal ways of doing things and needed more formal governance structures, they helped steady the boat. For this,we are grateful and owe them a debt of gratitude! I am sure as we celebrate our success today, they may be looking down on us, smiling that their efforts were for a worthy cause!

For our Board of Directors, both past and present, we can never say thank you enough! To you, the current directors, and through you to your predecessors, we say Ayekoo on this historic landmark occasion!

To our Principals who have throughout these years toiled to continue to deliver quality education at GIS that is second to none globally, we say Ayekoo! Fe-licitations on a great job well done! We recall for the record, the sterling work done by Mrs. Ellen Stronge and her im-mediate successors, Moira Martin and Mrs. Innwood,to build the School on a solid foundation of commitment to ex-cellence! The always-on-the- move Mrs. Leonie Acquah who built the School’s reputation for high performance, a strict but fair disciplinarian! Mrs. Judith Sawyer under whom the Secondary School be-came fully established! And Mrs. Diana Nyatepe- Coo, the first Ghanaian Princi-pal and the outgoing Principal who su-pervised the construction of significant additions to our infrastructure including the newly opened secondary classroom

block, the swimming pool and negotiat-ed the Primary School Cafeteria building donated by Unibank under the inspira-tion of an alumnus, Dr Kwabena Duffuor Jnr.

Let us not forget the Administrators who supported our Principals. We recall Mrs. Ameyaw, the Bursar who kept the books and accounts of the School at its embryonic stage. Ms. Edith Nylander who as secretary to several Principals kept the institutional memory of the School for decades! These were the predecessors of our present Financial Controller, Alfred Ayer and our hard working H R Manager, Sante Barning Andah! To these administrators, we say a big thank you!

To those who have served as Company Secretaries and help guide us on governance, regulatory and compliance issues, we are grateful. And through our current diligent board Secretary,Mrs. Sophia Laryea, we express our gratitude to her predecessors.We recall with gratitude the work of Accra Nominees, Mr. David Simpson of Pannel Fitz Patrick who served for several years as both company secretary and external auditors; and Mrs.Felicia Gbesemete, one of the original founding pupils who served as Company Secretary while her law firm, Lexconsult, has provided us with legal advice over the years.

Now our debt of gratitude to generations of parents who have entrusted their children to our care.We start with the small band of first entrants 6 to 8 years who started GIS some 60 Years ago. These included the Ghanaian contingent of Felicia Gbesemete (nee Sackey) her little six-year-old sister Jacoba Sackey, Billy Baeta, Allen Philips and his cousin William. The expatriate contingent included Catherine Strickland and Wendy Lucas. To the generations of students and their parents we say thank you. We owe you a debt of gratitude for your continued trust to help educate your children.

And finally to our teachers, our greatest asset, without you, we have buildings and pupils,but we have no teaching or learning that constitutes a School! We have had and continue to have great teachers. I recall former students recently inquiring with nostalgia after the

late Mrs. Ghartey of the Primary School, after teachers like Dr Mrs. Margaret Nkrumah, Mr. David Arku and Mr. Siti! To our teachers who continue to learn so that they can position GIS on the cutting edge of learning and teaching technology, we say Ayekoo! We owe you a debt of gratitude that we can never repay! To you, Dr MaryAshun, your colleague VPs, management and staff and through you to your predecessors, we say thank you, continue our current task of transforming teaching and learning so that GIS remains second to none in the delivery of quality education.

On the 60th anniversary of GIS there are two things we want to focus on. First and foremost to build a network of alumni so that they have opportunity to give a little back to their Alma Mater, GIS. We have distinguished alumni that include former Attorney Generals of Ghana, former Cabinet Ministers in the United Kingdom and a potential presidential candidate in the US Republican Primaries! We want to harness our alumni to help us build an auditorium to mark our 60th anniversary celebrations! This is the challenge we pose to GIS alumni scattered around the globe. We hope we all rise up to the occasion. This is how GIS alumni can help pay back a little of the debt of gratitude they owe to their Alma Mater, GIS!

So to parents, teachers, staff, students and friends of GIS, we welcome you all to the 60th Anniversary cel-ebration activities and this special UN Day grand dur-bar that marks the launch of our celebrations. Welcome and join us through-out our yearlong festivities!

As some of us say in Ghana, AKWAABA! WEZO!

Kwame Pianim


DR. MARY ASHUN, INCOMING PRINCIPAL

Mr. Chairman, Distinguished Guests, Our Valued Parents, my Colleagues, School Children.

Welcome once again to the Ghana International School. Founded in 1955 by a group of ardent men and women who were intent on establishing a foundation for excellence in education, Ghana International School, formerly known as the Gold Coast International School is 60 years this year.

We have so many reasons to be thankful. Ask any of our 1400 students about their school and you will hear comments like the following:

1. We have nice teachers2. We make friends with people from

all over the world3. We have a sense of family4. We are getting a new cafeteria

(We thank Unibank for their very generous donation!) and we like the variety at the secondary canteen!

5. We have a big swimming pool to swim in

6. We have smart boards which are cool

7. Our teachers helps us to understand our class work

8. We have a well resourced library and access to the internet for our research

9. We get long breaks10. When we are hurt or ill we have a

Sick Bay we can go to And my favourite:

11. ‘It’s the best school in Ghana’

How fortuitous for us to celebrate together with the United Nations on this their 70th anniversary? The UN’s Global Goals for Sustainable Development include Education as Goal 4 and here at GIS, we are daily reminded that ‘To whom much is given, much is expected’.

With this in mind, we are using this 60th anniversary to ask our GIS community to hold us accountable as we aim to be more intentional about playing our part in reaching out to various communities around our school and far off. Let me share some of the ways we are already doing this: We have initiated partnerships with La Wireless Cluster of Schools just 10 minutes away. We transport their senior students to be taught in our science labs once a week and our teachers give of their time to support this worthy cause. Last year, we initiated a literacy campaign that saw us donate books to La Wireless and we hope to continue this every year. Earlier in September, we donated classroom furniture to two schools in Asamankese and Leklebi-Duga in the Volta Region. This coming midterm, a group of Upper Sixth Formers will take a trip to Asamankese to meet the children of the school, work in their classrooms and be a support to the teachers.

For the past couple of years, Mrs. Ocan-sey, our Junior School Vice Principal has led the school in raising funds for the Children’s Heart Foundation. Last year alone, our parents and children donated GHS 25,399.21 which enabled Jamilatu Ibrahim to have her heart operation in July 2015. Our PTA is active in this area too. Last year, proceeds from our Annual Bazaar were donated to The Leukemia Foundation to the tune of GHS 10,000 and the year before the same amount went to the Chance For Children Organization. Later this term in November, we are hoping to organize a mission to Kpala, a very deprived island community on the Volta Lake. This will be our 4th visit and each time we have done this, we have donated clothes, medical supplies, play equipment and toys to that community.

I know this seems like we are already doing a lot. But just look around you –

how can we stop blessing others when we ourselves are so blessed?

Our school motto is “Understanding of Each Other” and there is no doubt that this is needed not just at GIS but in Ghana and indeed the whole world. As an international school, we cannot remain insular in our views, believing that we know and understand other people and cultures without inviting them into our lives as students, parents and teachers. Our vision as a school has always been to produce responsible global citizens and this we work on daily in our interactions with others from different races and creeds – and it is so ably reflected in our beautiful school song. We welcome expatriate families and teachers and aim to foster understanding because it’s the right thing to do. We, in essence, aim to be The United Nations in every sense of the word. From the angelic faces and voices of the Infant School, to the energetic bodies in the Junior School, to the rambunctiousness of early teenage-hood in the Lower Secondary, to the gradual settling down of our ‘almost mature’ Upper Secondary Students, teachers and staff know that we are privileged to work here at GIS; our Board governs us with integrity, our parents support us in what is undoubtedly one of the toughest jobs in the world, and our children stretch us so we can complement their 21st century learning styles with our 21st century teaching styles!

To all who have joined us on this great journey, we say Akwaaba!

To all of you who help us in this job (which we think is the best one in the world), we say Ye Daase!

To the incredible staff and students of GIS who daily make me glad to work here, Ayekoo!

Long live GIS! Happy 60th Anniversary!

WELCOME MESSAGE FROM


The 70th anniversary of the United Nations is a timely opportunity to highlight its many

and enduring achievements -- and to strengthen our collective resolve to do more to promote peace and security, sustainable deve-lopment and human rights.

Every day, the United Nations makes a positive difference for millions of people: vaccinating children; distributing food aid; sheltering refugees; deploying peacekeepers; protecting the environ-ment; seeking the peaceful resolution of disputes and supporting democratic elections, gender equality, human rights and the rule of law.

The challenges of our times transcend borders and require complex solutions reached through negotiation and compromise. The theme of this anniversary year -- “Strong UN. Better World” -- captures the importance of multilateralism and the essential role of the United Nations.

Only when we work together can we overcome shared threats and seize shared opportunities; only at the United Nations can all countries – large and small, rich and poor – and all people have their voices heard. In our rapidly changing world, the United Nations remains humankind’s invaluable instrument of common progress. Let us use this anniversary to reflect on the lessons of seven decades, and reaffirm our commitment to serve “we the peoples” and build lives of prosperity, security and dignity for all.

SECRETARY-GENERAL’S

MESSAGE REGARDING THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNITED NATIONS

Only when we work together can we overcome shared threats and seize shared opportunities; only at the United Nations can all countries – large and small, rich and poor – and all people have their voices heard.

“

“

MR. BAN KI-MOON


Born in the Mozambican Province of Inhambane, Mr. Dos Santos is a national of Mozambique.

Mr. Dos Santos started his career in education in his home country as a secondary education teacher. He subsequently became a lecturer and Dean of faculty at the Pedagogical University of Maputo, before taking a higher position at the Ministry of Education of Mozambique as its National Director for Teacher Education, between 1988 and 1991.

Mr. Dos Santos Joined UNESCO, on 04 February 1992 with an appointment at the then UNESCO Sub-regional Office in Harare, where he served up to October 2009, having successively been an Associate Expert in Instructional Systems; Assistant Programme Specialist and Programme Specialist in Education.

While in Harare, Mr. Dos Santos also took managerial functions as the Director and Representative, ad interim, between 2006 and 2008.

In October, 2009, Mr. Dos Santos was transferred to the UNESCO Cluster

Office in Accra, Ghana, as the Programme Specialist in Education. In December 2010 he was entrusted the functions of Director and UNESCO Representative, ai to Benin, Cote D’Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Togo. In that capacity, he oversaw the implementation of UNESCO’s programme in the Accra cluster as well as the field reform process leading to the establishment of the UNESCO National Office for Ghana.

From the inception of the UN Reform process, Mr. Dos Santos has actively taken part in the UN reform processes, having been an active member of the UN Country Teams of the Harare (Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe) and Accra (Benin, Cote D’Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Togo) clusters, contributing to CCA/UNDAF exercises, UNCT planning, programming and development of Deliver as One (DaO) UN country programmes.

Mr. Dos Santos was appointed as the Head of Office and UNESCO Representative to Ghana in July 2014, a post he currently holds.

GUEST OF HONOUR

MR. TIRSO DOS-SANTOS UNESCO REPRESENTATIVE


Betty Mould-Iddrisu was appointed as Ghana’s first female Attorney General and Minister for Justice

in 2009 and also served as Minister of Education in 2011. From 2012 she has been the Managing Partner and Lead consultant in an Accra based global consultancy firm, BMD Global Consultancy Ltd. which specializes in corporate legal advice, energy law, intellectual property law & gender. In 2014, she was elected to the Vice Chairperson position in the political party which currently forms the Government of Ghana.

Betty Mould–Iddrisu has held various positions in the Ghanaian Ministry of Justice from 1980, including the position of Copyright Administrator. She rose to the rank of Chief State Attorney and from 2000 – 2003 was in charge of the Ministry’s International Law Division where she spearheaded several cutting edge legal initiatives in the area of International Law.

Betty Mould–Iddrisu was appoint-ed Director of the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Division of the

Commonwealth Secretariat in 2003 - an intergovernmental organization - comprising 54 member states based in London. In that connection, she managed the implementation of wide ranging mandates from the Commonwealth’s Heads of State, Law Ministers and Chief Justices. These included implementation of mandates in the area of transnational crime, counter terrorism and international humanitarian law, anti-corruption and strengthening institutions of good governance in member states.

Betty Mould - Iddrisu has written several articles and acted as a resource person, chair and expert at numerous national, regional and global fora on a wide array of legal and human rights issues. She worked as a consultant for over 20 years to several international and regional bodies in the areas of International law, Intellectual Property law (traditional knowledge and community rights) & multi-lateral trade issues for the UN, its specialized bodies and other international and regional based organizations. In this capacity she has

GUEST OF HONOUR MRS. BETTY MOULD-IDDRISU

travelled extensively globally. She also lectured at the University of Ghana Law Faculty.

Betty Mould-Iddrisu is also widely known in several English speaking African countries for her work in international law, human rights and gender. She chaired both the Ghanaian and African Regional groupings of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) in the 1990’s and co-founded the African Women Lawyers Association (AWLA) in 1999 and chaired it till 2003. She was in the vanguard of initiating Ghana’s first Legal Aid Offices in 1985 and spearheaded the empowerment of Ghanaian and African women through her grass roots programs for the sensitization of women and children in the area of access to justice, judicial reform and dispute resolution in several African countries. In this capacity she gained wide experience in civil society interaction and managed numerous projects on both national and regional levels for both Government and civil society.


Joe Ghartey is a Legal Practitioner who was called to the Ghana Bar 27 years ago. A product of Mfantsipim Secondary School, the University of Ghana and the

Ghana School of Law. Mr. Ghartey subsequently joined the law firm, Akufo-Addo, Prempeh & Co. as an associate, before co-founding the law firm, Ghartey & Ghartey as its head of Chambers in 1994.

Since then he has lectured in Investment Law at the University of Ghana, Corporate Governance at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Company Law at the Ghana School of Law and the Legal and Regulatory Framework for the Securities Industry at the Ghana Stock Exchange Training Program. His experience gathered in these areas led him to author books; the first being “Doing Business and Investing in Ghana”.

Joe Ghartey in his public life has represented the good people of Essikado-Ketan as their Parliamentarian since the year 2005. In the same year he was appointed the Deputy Attorney General and subsequently the Attorney General of Ghana. Currently, he is the Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament.

Joe Ghartey is the son of Mrs. Lauraine Mercy Ghartey, who headed the Infant Department of Ghana International School for a number of years thus his journey in life started at the Ghana International School, where he attended nursery and primary. He was a member of Blue house. Even though he was not so successful as a high-jumper, he was a champion in the three-legged race with his bosom friend, Virgo Sawyer being the other half of the three-legged team.

Joe Ghartey is a Methodist, married to Efua Ghartey, a Legal Practitioner and they have been blessed with five children

GUEST OF HONOURHONOURABLE MR. JOE GHARTEY ESQ.MP

How time flies. I vividly recall my first day at the Gold Coast International School in 1956. Ghana International School has become a

colossus in international education with an alumni network that stretches from Ghana to Japan and beyond. From humble beginnings, the School now has a student population of approximately 1400 students from over 50 countries. It can proudly claim that not only is it the oldest international school in Ghana, but it is also a leading institution that provides a world class education. It is the only international school in the country to be accredited by the Council of International Schools and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. The School is also an active member of the Association of International Schools in Africa.

In the last six decades, the Ghana International School has been a beacon that epitomises the understanding of each other in a multicultural setting. It has enabled its students to become global citizens who excel wherever they may find themselves.

Sixty years is an anniversary to be celebrated, particularly in China and India and as the School celebrates this milestone, let us in the spirit of “Sankofa” go back and fetch all that the Gold Coast International School had as its vision sixty years ago. The Ghana International School should continue to be a place of academic excellence that is constantly in pursuit of what is in the best interest of its students in a spirit of positive change.

The infrastructural development and the high standard of the School bear testimony to sixty years of achievement. May the School continue to grow better with the years and on this anniversary, let us move forward with the knowledge that much has been achieved and much more stands to be achieved for this great School.

Happy 60th birthday Ghana International School and many, many, happy returns.

Executive Director, Ghana International School Board

GOODWILL MESSAGE FROM MRS. ESTELLE APPIAHMEMBER DIRECTOR, BOARD OF DIRECTORS


A decade has never seemed so short! 50 years of GIS was celebrated in 2005 in grand

style and now we begin the 60th Anniversary Celebration of the founding of our great School GIS!! As I look back, I acknowledge that we, the past and present students of GIS have a great deal to be thankful for.

From humble beginnings in the Legion Hall, partitioned into classrooms, the School now owns and is operated from first class facilities.

Quality education is available not only from Nursery, but right through to the Sixth Form. That smooth journey was not available to we, the pioneering students of GIS, and those who later enrolled in the school, as the intake increased year by year.

Quality education was available to us even at that time, but with the departure of the majority of foreign students to their home countries and Ghanaian students to local and foreign boarding schools, after passing 11 plus common Entrance and Similar Examinations, the opportunity to promote GIS Students into the Secondary Stream and prepare them for GCE ‘O’ Levels was lost. After my reluctant forced departure from GIS, Form 1A for that very reason, Wesley Girls High School kindly prepared me for Forms 2 and 3 Secondary Education, until GIS recalled me in 1961, to prepare five of us from England, France, United States and Ghana for the GCE ‘O’ Levels Exams in November 1962.

As I look back, I acknowledge the pos-itive impact on me, of the International flavour of education at GIS- understand-ing of each other not only in terms of cultures, behaviours, temperaments; tol-erance; but also of lifelong friendships formed.

I acknowledge the positive impact on me of the sense of Commitment, Dedication to duty, honesty and integrity learnt from

1. My Headmistresses (Mrs. Stronge, Mrs. Martin and Mrs. Inwood) and teachers at GIS) including Mrs. Peggy Boateng, Mrs. Cornish, Mrs. Prakash and Mrs. Baumann.

2. The distinguished Board Chairmen of the Board of Directors of GIS,Messrs. Modjaben Dowuona, Mr. Justice M. Francois, Professor Fiscian and Mr. K. Pianim, under whom I served as Board Secretary for almost thirty years. These virtues have served me well, not only in my profession, but also in diverse leadership roles in professional,Social and Religious Organizations and Bodies.

I encourage current GIS students to utilize their time wisely at the School. You have a priceless opportunity to gain a wealth of knowledge which will equip you to undertake any endeavour you may opt for in any part of the world. And do make it a point to keep up friendships established at GIS. I share with you, snippets of memories penned hastily in my office by my lifelong friend Kate Regan, (nee Catherine Strickland), a fellow pioneer student of GIS who spent some quality time with me in Accra on 14th October 2015, after undertaking three weeks’ voluntary work in a village on the Akwapim Range.

“I have flashes of memories of my happy days at GIS from when I was nine until when I was eleven and left for school in the United Kingdom in 1958.

• The playground near the beach, at the Legion Hall and doing PE exercises.

• Moving with the school to the colonial building, together with my younger sister Joanna.

• My surprise and joy at the announcement, during Morning Assembly that I had won an inter-school Art competition (an abstract design, no less!) as I didn’t think I could draw! I received a much valued paint box as my prize.

• Then we moved to the “new building” now known as Inwood Block and memories of classroom teachers are clearer.

• I particularly remember a Sports Day when I was Captain of Elmina House, (Yellow House) and my house winning the House Trophy.

• Lovely teachers all, and fellow pupils who wrote in my Autograph Book which I still treasure.

• Music lessons with Mrs. Peggy Boateng and listening to a recording of Die Fliedermaus.

• Independence Day Celebrations at school and a visit from the Governor-General and his wife. Felicia and I formed a “guard of honour” to welcome them.

• Oh, and being put at the back of the classroom for talking too much to a friend during a lesson!

KATE REGAN – UK”

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE GIS FAMILY ON OUR 60TH ANNIVERSARY

FELICIA S. GBESEMETE (nee SACKEY)

GOODWILL MESSAGE FROM Mrs. Felicia Gbesemete & Kate Regan PIONEER STUDENTS


...60 YEARSOF UNDERSTANDING OF EACH OTHERwith love from all the little infants

Happy Birthday, GIS!

Happy birthday to you; our wonderful school. You have nurtured us to become a centre

of excellence: an accredited school that sets both its teachers and pupils on the never ending path of lifelong learning.

In your name teachers and administrators seek to champion the essential skills of 21st century learning. This provides a knowledge rich curriculum that seeks to not only instruct in content but teaches learners to apply that content. Learners can test that content and construct theories and hypotheses around it that will help us throughout life.

21st century learning demands the application of critical thinking, creativity, communication and collaboration that will shape our future leaders.

We celebrate your birthday by striving to produce pupils who are enquiring and questioning. Pupils who are confident to push the boundaries of their learning and teachers who are confident to let them. We strive to create ‘hands on and minds on’ opportunities by taking our

pupils out into the community for ‘real’ learning. But let the children speak for themselves:

Our Head girl Saffron Bailes was moved to write:

Each and every person who attends this school is privileged in more ways than one. A calm and serene atmosphere that is conducive to learning, teachers that bring out the best in us. (They push us to succeed and encourage us to reach our full potential). In the past five years G.I.S. has managed to change the School dramatically. We have a beautiful form 1-3 block, a sparkling pool, a brand new cafeteria; the list goes on and on. We should never take it for granted. We are all very proud of our school and are happy that it has made it to sixty years.

Lynne Larbie, Year 6 pupil, posed the Question: Why is G.I.S. the Best?

Ghana International School - is it even possible to describe it as anything but the best? Not to my knowledge! And I,

Lynne Larbie have been pursuing my education at this prestigious school for over five whole academic years! Even though G.I.S is older than Ghana herself, it fits into the definition of a modern school perfectly: state of the art buildings, technology, large campus and much, much, more.

Although it is important to be inde-pendent, we all know that you cannot go through life without help. That is why group work is done in addition to independent work in all classrooms, encouraging students to be able to combine ideas with other students to make a wonderful theory or to create a wonderful piece of work. This is the perfect way to teach pupils how to work well with different people.

We are so grateful to our School. Thank you GIS. The administrators, teachers staff and children of the Junior school look forward to your many birthdays to come.


JUNIOR SCHOOL GOODWILL MESSAGE


GOODWILL MESSAGE FROM THE SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTSGIS, our home, our family, and 60 years of stellar education and service. Words are not enough to describe the amazing experiences and qualities GIS has gifted us with. From state-of-the-art facilities to experienced teachers, and well-equipped classrooms, GIS provides us with all that we need and more. We are grateful for this opportunity to express our unending gratitude to GIS for all these wonderful years of brilliance. The unbreakable bonds we make with people here at GIS serve as a solid foundation for our future relationships. Our positive and open relationships with our teachers always result in the best possible grades. We have no hesitancy when in need of help and our first point of call is always our teachers. The various productive qualities we pick up from our friends at school and from GIS as a whole have helped us , and will continue to help us grow to become responsible citizens of the world.

Below are messages from the various forms to express our gratitude.

FORM 1 - Even though we are new to the Secondary School, we have experienced initiation as well as so many other great things here that we are thankful for, in addition to what we learnt in the primary school. Thank you GIS and happy birthday!

FORM 2 - One thing that we always look forward to, each week, is Co-curricular. The Co-curricular program at GIS is so interesting and interactive. It enhances our skills and talents even beyond our imagination. We look forward to showcasing our skills to all who are interested. Thank you GIS for boosting our confidence levels.

FORM 3 - In our new, state-of-the-art classrooms we are able to learn in comfort and thus our main focus is on what is being taught. We are very grateful to GIS for providing us with this wonderful learning environment. GIS, merci!

FORM 4 - GIS has given us more than any school is required to give its students. It has provided us with a safe haven where we can feel confident to make mistakes as part of the learning process. Thank you GIS for all you have done.

FORM 5 - External Examination candidates for the first time: We are confident that we are going to produce outstanding results because of the brilliant services provided by our teachers; Others have done it and so can we! Thank you GIS for the academic excellence.

LOWER 6- This year has seen us transition from the IGCSE setting to the A level setting, and as always GIS has been very accommodating and helpful. We know that the rest of our stay will be just as fantastic as what we have already enjoyed, and so we say; Gracias GIS!

UPPER 6 - At the apex of our Secondary School life, we are beginning to appreciate the little things that have influenced our transition to adulthood unbeknownst to us. Thank you GIS for nurturing us for all these years. We will forever be grateful.

Thank you GIS for being what you are and for providing an excellent education in a multi-cultural setting. We would never trade the experiences we have earned as students of this school for anything!

From The GIS Secondary Student Body.


Since its creation in 1945, the United Nations (UN)Organization has committed itself to pursuing the cause of world peace and the

protection of human rights through the process of arbitration and multi-lateral actions.

Ghana International School, from its founding in 1955, has identified closely with these noble objectives for two reasons. Firstly, because our School, with its multi-racial community, represents the UN in miniature. Secondly, we believe that since the World War II the UN has been, and continues to be the surest guarantee for mankind’s survival in a peaceful and safe world.

This identity with the UN is boldly expressed in our school motto which reads “ Understanding of each other “ In latter years we have moved to personify our belief in the vision of the UN by strongly supporting the Model United Nations concept.

The Model United Nations programme was conceived as a complement for the Sixth Form Curriculum to provide students with research and debating skills and to deepen their understanding

of international issues. The programme was added to the Sixth Form General Studies syllabus to prepare GIS students for University work. The first instructor for this course was Mrs. Margaret Laryea who almost single -handedly organized the General Studies programme. In 1998 a GIS delegation attended its first conference at Lincoln Community School and thereafter in 2000 a small GIS contingent attended a MUN conference in Haarlem, Netherlands. These experiences naturally deepened our interest and the following year GIS staged its own conference for the first time in 2001.

In subsequent years, the School has participated in at least 2 conferences per academic year. The programme has also been extended to involve students other than Sixth Formers. Now we have Form 3 – Upper 6 students participating in the programme.

By MUN Representative, Mr. Manyo Brown, Principal Teacher


MODEL UNITED NATIONS Programme at


GOODWILL MESSAGE FROM STAFF

From the SSWA

On the occasion of the 60th Anniversary as pace setters in International Education, the entire membership of

the Senior Staff Welfare Association is proud to be part of this landmark celebration.

We join the rest of the School Community to wish our dear GIS many more pioneering years and successful nurturing of Global Citizens

HAPPY 60th ANNIVERSARY!!!

SSWA Chairman

On the occasion of the 60th Anniversary of Ghana International school, I salute the founding members in establishing such an

institution 60 years ago which has grown to be a highly respected school, locally and internationally recognised, providing excellent education in a multi-cultural setting and continue with it’s trail-blazing pursuits of breaking new grounds of academic excellence.

The reputation of GIS as an outstanding institution is evident from its dedicated teachers and staff, its bright students, and its outstanding alumni.

I extend my warmest wishes to all members of the GIS community for a wonderful and successful anniversary.

NII ADJEI (LIBRARIAN)

Dear GIS Families,

This term GIS’s 60th anniversary gives us an extra reason to celebrate the beginning of the 2015-16 academic year. We take this opportunity once again to welcome parents and children - both new and old - to our school.

The theme for this year’s anniversary is 60 Years Of Nurturing Global Citizens; Understanding Of Each Other. GIS Parents are very proud of the diversity of our staff and student body and believe that the different experiences, ideas and cultures make for a truly enriching learning experience for our children.

We hope you enjoy the durbar and anniversary celebrations and ask you to think about the ways in which you can get more involved in our wonderful school.

We are so lucky at GIS to not only have a wonderful teaching and administrating staff, but also some terrific parental involvement. As we celebrate our anniversary with different events over the coming year, we will be counting on parents support. Your contribution, whether it is your time, knowledge, or resources always make a difference.

PTA events for our children will include the Bazaar, Sponsored Walk, Sports Competitions and Musical Performances. There will also be a range of PTA sponsored projects and activities across the school. These events and projects, contribute to making GIS the top school in Ghana – which is why we all chose to educate our children here.

If you are interested in helping out, no matter how much you are able to give, it is all very much appreciated and truly welcome. Don’t hesitate to contact myself or any member of the PTA Executive.

We’ve all chosen GIS to educate our children. Let’s continue to support the management and staff as they give our children the best possible school experience.

And yes, lets enjoy the birthday party all year long – starting right now!

Happy 60th Ghana International School!

Sincerely,

Sean Okoe Quist

GIS PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION (PTA)


Sixty years ago, our cherished school was born; humble beginnings with a few students huddled together

in a little compound somewhere. Small beginnings, but those were the pioneering years that started this school that we have grown to love.

From colonial Gold Coast to independent Ghana, GIS has nurtured a phenomenal number of children from ‘different races’ and ‘different creeds’. GIS has groomed children who have grown to become presidential candidates, world class surgeons, physicists, engineers, business men and teachers, to name but a few. People who had the great privilege of learning in an environment that embodied the motto, ‘Understanding of Each Other’.

You will not understand the impact and the power of attending GIS until you have left. Until you have experienced something else that reinforces the simple fact that GIS is an experience.An experience that builds achievers who are confident, adaptable, adventurous and down to earth.

It’s always amazing to attend alumni events; to interact with and to observe

the breadth and depth of the people who have passed through the school. Those who joined the school when it first opened its doors 60 years ago,to the most recent graduating class of 2015; different people from all parts of the world who are bound together, eternally, byour common experience, GIS. We all have moments in GIS that we will never forget. Our favourite classes, our preferred teachers, the many events that were held on campus and the many relationships that we had. You will see these relationships continue to thrive as you scout the many Facebook pages where GIS has a presence. Facebook pages that take you back in time. To a time when all you had to worry about was making good grades. Times when the difficult decisions included what to wear to the next dance, which extra-curricular activity you would get involved in, whether to run for SRC, or on a more serious note, which universities to apply to.

GIS nurtured us. GIS taught us to be confident and to articulate our thoughts. GIS taught us to get involved in community service; recycling, planting trees, and teaching kids in the public

schools how to read. GIS taught us to swim, to play basketball, to run track and field and to deliver debates among other things. GIS taught us many many things and now it is our turn to give back to the ‘mother’ whonurtured us.

We, the GIS Alumni Association, would like this 60thanniversary to start a new beginning of our involvement with the school. An era where we reach out to as many alumni as possible, bring them together, and work towards leaving a legacy that we would be proud to hand over to future alumni.

Well done GIS!!!! It has been 60 years of development and 60 years of providing excellence in international education.

We look forward to many more years of GIS. We look forward to continued excellence in education; nurturing and moulding world citizens who will make an impact in the world, and who will live out the true meaning of our motto, “Understanding of Each Other’.

[email protected]

GHANA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, ALUMNI

GOODWILL MESSAGE


YEARS

...OF UNDERSTANDING OF EACH OTHER

YEARSOF UNDERSTANDING

OF EACH OTHER


Student and Staff

Nationalities Represented

IN THE GHANA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

as at the 2015/2016 Academic Year

These were words spoken by Sir Charles Arden-Clarke first Governor General of the Gold Coast on 29th October 1956 when the foundation stone for the construction of

the main block of the permanent building of the school was laid.

Sixty years on, the dreams and work of Kathleen Lines and the founders of the now Ghana International School still lives on. GIS is a highly respected School internationally recognized for providing excellent education in a multi- cultural setting that trains students to become responsible citizens of the world. The School also provides an internationally diverse school experience that instills an understanding of each other, promotes holistic development, life skills and learning through a rigorous curriculum that meets international standards.

Ayeeekoo!!!!

Every year, expatriate families arriving in the Gold Coast were out of sorts with themselves as to how to educate their children so that when their children went back to England, they could easily be integrated into the English School System without missing a day of School work.

One fine Thursday morning in 1955, a dream that had been born months earlier came to fruition as the Gold Coast International School opened its doors with 38 pupils in two primary classes. The Gold Coast International School was founded as a permanent solution to the then makeshift ‘schools’ run by wives of colonial officers assigned to the country. As explained by Mrs. Felicia Gbesemete, a pioneer student of the school, “ Each “school” at the time was run by an expatriate wife of an expatriate colonial civil servant who would start a small play group for her child and a few friends in her garage or on her “stoep” and soon a few others, including me, would find ourselves under her tutelage until, our teacher’s husband’s duty tour ended, whereupon were handed over, lock, stock and barrel to another willing expatriate wife, who then carried on with us, until she also had to leave the country, and so it went on”.

The idea to start this permanent school started with Mrs. Kathleen Lines, wife of the then General Manager of the West African Graphic Company. She formed an international school committee comprising leading personalities such as Justice Kobina Arku Korsah (Justice of the West African Court of Appeal and later knighted to become Sir Kobina Korsah. He was also the first Chairman of the Gold Coast International School), Edward

HISTORY OFGHANA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

“I am laying the foundation of an education experiment which will bring to the children who belong to it the great prizes of mutual confidence and respect, cutting across all superficial distinction of race, colour or creed. If the children bring this sort of homework back to their parents in the evening, then the contribution of this school to the great human cause of human understanding will be fulfilled indeed”.


Akuffo-Addo (Leading Legal Practitioner, later a Chief Justice and former President of the Republic of Ghana), Dr. Lusty of the University College of the Gold Coast (now University of Ghana, Legon), Mr. Kenneth Humphreys (first Registrar of the West African Examinations Council), Ms. Ruby Quartey-Papafio (An Educationist working with the Social Welfare Department,who later obtained her doctorate), Dr. Kofi George Konuah (An Educationist working with the Public Service Commission), Mr. Edward James Bailey (who worked with the United Africa Company of the Gold Coast), and his wife Mrs. Valerie Bailey.

The school started in the Legion Hall with Mrs. Ellen Stronge as its first Principal with a mission to provide quality education for children of all races and creeds; serving both the local and international communities. In January 1956, the school moved into the building at No. 19 Second Circular Road which could accommodate 200 children. Later that year, on 29 October, the first Governor-General of the Gold Coast, Sir Charles Arden Clarke, laid the foundation stone for the permanent building that is known today as the Inwood Block and in January 1957, the buildings were occupied. Mrs. Moira Martin was appointed to replace Mrs. Ellen Stronge as Principal.

Following independence in March 1957, the name of the Gold Coast International School was changed to Ghana

International School. Ghana’s first Head of State, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, was Guest of Honour at the 1958 Speech and Prize Giving Day. Under Mrs. Moira Martin, the school steadily gained international recognition owing to the outstanding common entrance exam results of its students. The school was growing and with it came changes.

In 1961, Mrs. Irene Inwood took over the reigns as Principal from Mrs. Moira Martin. Mrs. Inwood started as a Mathematics teacher before she was appointed Principal. She saw to the addition of a Secondary School to the existing Primary School. In 1962, Sally Fisher, a student at the time and a music teacher, Mrs. Alcock, composed the school song from which the School gets its motto; “Understanding of Each Other”.

Ghana International School presented its first batch of O-Level candidates for the London GCE examination in 1962. Mrs. Inwood introduced the singing of the Ghana National Anthem during morning assemblies and celebrated the National Day of other nations too. At the end of 1966/67 academic year the first yearbook was published.

Mrs. Leonie Acquah took over from Mrs. Irene Inwood after serving on the teaching staff prior to 1970. The years of Mrs. Acquah’s tenure were challenging because of the happenings in the political history of the country, which led to the

of Computer Studies respectively. From those modest beginnings, the school now has about 320 computers, two server rooms, a LAN with a fibre backbone and a wireless network available in every section of the school with internet connectivity. All classrooms and departments have computers and printers, interactive boards in most classrooms, and an internal phone system with 102 extensions as well as a CCTV system for improved security. In 1991, the second yearbook was published and the school had enrolled 1115 students. Other changes under Mrs. Sawyerr included the setting up of the Guidance and Counseling department, which provides a range of services including behavioural, social and general guidance and counseling.

In 1995, the School celebrated its 40th Anniversary. In December of the same year, the Secondary School Resource Center was commissioned. The Sponsored walk without a pause since 1972 celebrated its 25th anniversary in 1997. International Sports exchanges continued with students travelling to Burkina Faso for return matches with ‘Ecole Saint Exepury’ in Ouagadougou. In 1999, she facilitated the change from the GCE O-Level Curriculum to IGCSE.

In 2002, after 16 years as Principal, Mrs. Sawyerr handed over the reigns to the interim management committee. The following year, Mr. John Filby was appointed Principal and the School begun the process towards accreditation. Mr. Thomas Hunt replaced Mr. Filby as Principal in 2004 and oversaw the restructuring of the Primary Section. To conform to the structure of the English National Curriculum, The Infant School was truncated at Class 2 and Year 3 was moved from the Infant School to the Junior School. In that same year, the Year 6 Annual Residential trip to Kumasi was introduced.

The School celebrated its Golden Jubilee in 2005. Mrs. Diana Nyatepe-Coo who was Acting Principal at the time was appointed as Principal. His Excellency John Agyekum Kufuor, President of

migration of many expatriates to other countries leaving the Ghanaian students. There were challenges in finding finance to keep the school modern and to recruite international students and staff. To remedy this, in 1972, Mrs. Acquah introduced various activities including dinner dances, the Sponsored Walk and bazaars with lots of support from parents and organizations to raise funds for the running of the school. Proceeds from these activities led to the construction of the Nursery and Infant Hall, two new classrooms with a science laboratory, art room, and a library for the Secondary School.

In spite of these challenges, the school continued to grow from strength to strength and celebrated its Silver Jubilee in 1980. The Deputy Principal, Mrs. Nkrumah spearheaded the celebrations at the time. Activities included a beauty pageant (Now the Mr. and Miss GIS Competition), a motorcade through the streets of Accra and an audacious gastronomic attempt to enter the Guinness Book of Records. After 15 years of a great service to the school, Mrs. Acquah ended her term as Principal.

Mrs. Judith Sawyerr took over as Principal in 1985 and oversaw the modernization of the school. Due to the introduction of the differential fees policy, there were improvements in Staff recruitment methods, infrastructure and the quality of academic resources. This led to Class 7 being phased out, and the Junior School being relocated to their current premises thus segmenting the school into the Primary and Secondary Sections. Also, In 1987, the Sixth Form Curriculum was introduced. With regards to Sports, GIS represented Ghana in the first ever international schools’ sports competition with Togo, Benin and Cote D’ivoire.

Ghana International School rode the technological wave of the 1990s. The GIS computer program was established with 11 ARL computers to prepare the first group of students to sit for the O-Level GCE computer studies examination. Mrs. Linda Ribero and Mr. James Nkansah taught the theory and practical aspects


Ghana at the time, graced the School with his presence at the Golden Jubilee celebration as Guest of Honour. During her tenure, the Key Stage 3 curriculum was introduced to Forms 1 to 3 which led to the segmentation of the Lower and Upper Secondary into two separate entities.

In December 2007 and January 2007, Ghana International School was certified and given full accreditation by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) and Council of International School (CIS) respectively. This process emphasised excellence in international education. It was a process of self-assessment to initiate and maintain school improvement and demonstrate alignment with a set of publicly stated standards in international education.

After years of school performances, the school hosted its first public performance of the renowned Musical, ‘Annie’ at the National Theatre. In February, the school had the pleasure of hosting Former US President George Bush, who visited the school during his visit to Ghana.

The infrastructural development of the school continued with the completion of the Year 6 Block with new classrooms and fully equipped French and Science laboratories in 2010. In order to strengthen and portray the feeling of oneness, the school held the whole school led Art Week, Ghana Week and SMIT Fair (Science, Mathematics and Information Technology fair). In 2011, the Sixth Form Block was completed.

History was made once again, when Ghana International School was selected to carry the Olympic torch and run the relay when the flame made its trip to Ghana. Another infrastructural development was the commissioning of the half-Olympic sized swimming pool. In 2013, both the NEASC and CIS conducted a five-year review of GIS and were extremely satisfied with the alignment of the school with international standards. The year 2014 saw the Co-curricular Open House launched for the

Junior school. Later in 2014 Dr. Mary Ashun was appointed as Acting Principal of GIS.

During the 2014/15 Academic year, The Junior School’s annual drama performance held its first public performance “I have Dream” at the Dubois Center. Also, two Prominent personalities paid visits to the school in the year. First, Dr. Robert Satcher, who visited the school to share his experience on space travel and exploration and Second was Nobel Laureate in Literature, Professor Wole Soyinka who paid a 3 day visit to the school and graced the 2014/15 Secondary School Speech, Prize Giving and Graduation Day as Guest of Honour.

In 2015, the School opened the three- storey Lower Secondary Block which houses 12 Classrooms, offices, a music studio, drama studio and a multi-purpose gym to students in Form 1 to Form 3 and completed the Primary School Cafeteria donated by Unibank. Given that the current Principal is on an extended leave, Dr. Mary Ashun serves as the Incoming Principal during the 2015/16 Academic Year.

Sixty years on, after years of hard work, Ghana International School is the first and only international school in Ghana to have received accreditation from both the Council of International Schools and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. The school is also an active member of the Association of International Schools in Africa. As of September 2015 GIS enrolls approximately 1400 pupils and students from over 50 countries across the world.


Our Motto: “Understanding of each other”

Our Vision: “A highly respected school, locally and internationally recognised, providing excellent education in a multi-cultural setting that produces responsible global citizens”

Our Mission:

“To provide an internationally diverse school experience that instils an understanding of each other, promotes holistic development, life skills and learning through a rigorous curriculum that meets international standards”


GUIDING STATEMENTS

1. To maintain a high academic standard that:

• Delivers a broad curriculum that draws from various teaching methods, with English as the language of instruction;

• Offers the students opportunities to develop lively, enquiring minds and independent thinking;

• Encourages participation in co-curricular activities;

• Provides opportunities and encouragement for the professional development of staff;

• Identifies and meets the needs of students, except when student(s) special educational needs cannot be met within the school’s resources;

• Keeps abreast of trends in education and ensures that the curriculum remains relevant and dynamic.

2. To promote positive personal values that:

• Cultivate integrity in students;

• Prepare students to become responsible, creative, self reliant and productive members of the global community;

• Encourage effective teamwork;

• Foster a lifelong love of learning.

3. To ensure understanding of and respect for diversity that:

• Provides students with opportunities to share their cultures to promote ‘understanding of each other’;

• Promotes knowledge and understanding of Ghana;

• Promotes respect for other cultures, beliefs, nationalities, gender and persons with different abilities.

Our Educational Objectives: 4. To develop a positive

educational facility that:

• Provides a nurturing, secure, clean and friendly learning environment where students can grow intellectually, socially, emotionally and physically;

• Provides sufficient resources to create and maintain a stimulating learning environment.

5. To promote understanding of and participation in global concerns that:

• Encourage students to regard the natural world as their inheritance and their responsibility;

• Recognise the need to protect and sustain the local and global environment;

• Foster a fundamental understanding of and respect for the rights and freedom of each individual in our community and the wider world in the spirit of the UN Declaration of Human Rights;

• Encourage each student’s participation in community service.

Adopted: May 2012 (Revised: January, 2015)

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SUPPORTERS

The Board of Directors

The GIS Management Team

GIS Parents

Students of GIS

All Staff of GIS

GIS Alumni

Friends of GIS

GHANA National Anthem

God bless our homeland Ghana

And make our nation great and strong

Bold to defend forever

The cause of freedom and of right

Fill our heart with true humility

Make us cherish fearless honesty

And help us to resist oppressors’ rule

With all our will and might forever more.

GHANA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL SONG

From all the countries of the earth,

We come in turn to you

Of different races, different creeds

And different aspects too.

We learn together day by day,

In time our ways will part,

But with each one of us we’ll take

Understanding of each other.

May we go out from this our school,

In the glory of our youth.

And be prepared to live our lives,

With courage , honour and truth.

And as the days pass one by one

May we be made to see,

The greatest gift in life must be,

Understanding of each other.

Of all the lessons we have learned,

The greatest one must be.

That all the peoples of the earth

Should live in harmony

No need for war, no need for strife,

For we can surely see,

The way towards a peaceful life

Is understanding of each other

APPRECIATIONOn behalf of the Board of Directors, Management, Staff,

Students and the 60th Anniversary Planning Committee of Ghana International School, we would like to express our

sincere gratitude to all who sponsored and supported us in diverse ways to make the programme a success.

CORPORATE SPONSORS

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