Akroso (E/R), July 19, GNA - Mr William Agyepong, an Assembly member for Birim Central Municipality in the Eastern, has urged students to engage themselves in a positive enterprise and adopt positive mental attitude.

Mr Agyepong gave the advice at a durbar to climax the maiden "Homecoming" celebration for old students of the Akroso Senior High Sch= ool near Akim Oda in the Birim Central Municipality recently.

The Assembly member touching on the theme of the homecoming: 93Promot= ing Community Growth through Quality High Education 96 the Role of the Old Students", said a positive mental attitude always resulted in a definite vision of purpose. He added: 93The power of thought is a personal initiative."

Mr Agyepong urged the old students to promote growth in the school and also contribute positively towards the welfare of the students. He told them that spending their money and time in the restructuring o= f the school would be the greatest investment on their part, stressing that a very strong organisation was by restructuring members of a particular community. The Headmistress of the School, Mrs Ablata Ansah, said the school established in 1992 now has a population of 1,004 students and 93 staff including 36 non-teaching staff.

She enumerated some of the challenges that the school was facing as lack of vehicle, encroachment on the school lands, lack of ICT centre, library, laboratory equipment, a standby generator, and renovation of the boys' dormitory and the assembly hall.

Mrs Ansah expressed appreciation to the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) for providing tables and benches for the dinning and assembly halls and called on corporate bodies and non-governmental organizations to come t= o their aid. The President of the Old Students Association, Mr Alex Nkoom, a banker with UniBank in Accra said there was a healthy relationship between the old students and the school.

He said the school had produced prominent people in society such as bankers, administrators and teachers and that as part of their social responsibility they have adopted a five-year development plan. Mr Nkoom said the plan include instituting of an award for brilliant students, providing the school with a bus, garden and lawn benches, construction of visitors lounge and teaching services to students. Long service awards were presented to Mr Julius Akuffo, Mr Michael Frimpong and Mr Richard Neku, all teachers.