Asuom SHS Old Students’ Association Stormed Asuom With Urgency and Fanfare.

The old students of Asuom Senior High school Association, (ASECOSA) in the kwaebibirim district; has just launched a 3-day home -coming and fund-raising event at Asuom SHS, on 27th-30th September, 2012.
The goals of the event were:
1) To interact with the old students (from 1975 to present) and hear their ‘inspirational stories’, in order to prepare for the future.
2) To raise funds to provide for much needed equipment and learning materials like computers, books, etc for the school.
3) To encourage the old and present students to think of the immeasurable role the school has played in their lives.
4) To meet the school’s administrators to hear their concerns for the school and how to strategize them and map out future plans.
The president of the association, Rev Alex Asare, who is also one of the founding members of the ASECOSA, stressed on the need for the former students to look in the rear view mirror of their lives and see where they would have been without Asec. He lamented that all over the country all Ivy League Senior high schools like, Achimota, Presec, Adisadel and Prempeh colleges are big and prosperous because they are endowed with the old students’ financial, material and moral supports .He was engulfed with disappointment when he touched on the deplorable conditions of the school’s Library ,Dining Hall and other areas of importance. He therefore urged the old students to treat the needs of the school with a sense of urgency. “Most of us couldn’t have made it this far had not been the generosity of this school”, he laminated with some amount of sadness in his voice and on his face.
The writer of this article (who is also an old student of the school), had an opportunity to have one- on-one interaction with a group of students and encouraged them to have a bigger dream.”Where you will be ten years from now will largely be depended on how you hold on to your dreams today”, I explicitly told them. I went on to say that to succeed in life they need to have a different attitude and think differently than most people around them. I reminded them that one becomes the product of the ideas he associates with the most. And that the books one reads or doesn’t read, friends and people one hangs around with, TV programs one watches and how many hours one spends on facebook and cell phone; texting and sexting can derail or affect one’s dream. I ingrained in the students to have a sense of appreciation for those who invested their limited resources (time, money, energy and hope) in them when they get to the socio –economic Promised Land.”Your dream can only materialize if you realize that your personal or professional triumph isn’t the product of your own fortitude or effort.” I cautioned them.
“Once you get to the top don’t forget those who sacrificed on your behalf .Our future positions in life will be determined covertly or overtly by the result of special favors or blessings we experienced from other people—former teachers, uncles, parents, friends, aunties or well –meaning neighbors. I strongly and genuinely believe that had it not been the favors or blessings of countless individuals, whose names we sometimes purposely tuck away in our short-memory archives, our paths in life would have been completely difficult, deadly or different.” I summoned them. I also unequivocally emphasized that, “ there is no soul in Ghana who cannot at least, recall the name of one person who played or plays unparalleled role to make one’s empty dream soar with tangible wings—provided the recipient doesn’t have any self-induced amnesia or selective memory. Success has little to do with out-earning and out-buying those around us. It’s the ability to remember those who helped us in our journey to the socio–Economic Promised Land. Therefore, when you get there you shouldn’t only pull the ladder up after you, but leave it for others to climb. To hold on to your dream there is a need to think of your town, village, nation and schools you attended and those who gave you the ladder”.
The occasion was replete with old students who have made it in their various fields in life. Among them was the first Girls’ prefect of the school ;( Janet Okyere who is a proprietor of a private school – by the way, she still possesses her traffic-stopping beauty with enviable humility).
The association’s membership attendees also included a regional police commander(Anane –Appiah), professors, Pastors, accountants in reputable companies, an Mp ,the NPP chairman of kwaebibirim district (Isaac Kwaku Sarpong) and business men and women and many, many more… !
In fact, some of the new and old students of the school were very surprised to learn that the chief of Akwatia and Kurotihene of Asuom, as well as the chairman of the Kwaebibirim bank are also offspring of Asuom secondary school (ASEC). Yes, Professor Obeng- Gyasi of Indiana University, U.S.A is also a product of ASEC.
The guest speaker of the occasion Ms, Adriara Kandilige (Eastern regional Director of Education, Koforidua), touched on the need for the students to excel in their studies in order to uphold the good name of the school.
The headmistress of the school, Mrs. Victoria Agyarpong pledged her unyielding support for the association and thanked it on behalf of the students and teachers of the school for initiating such a laudable event. The chairperson of the occasion was Mrs. Helena Adu-Gyamfi (a chief accountant in Accra) who is also an offspring of ASEC.
The event was well-attended by old students who came from near and afar. However, it was hoped that the next Home-coming is going to be ‘gargantuan’. To boost the membership drive the executive branch of ASECOSA said, a website will be launched shortly so as to enable current and old students of ASEC to register and access other needed information pertaining to the association. It’s believed that the website will help the members to know what is going on within the association and the school. It will also help to monitor the needs and aspirations of ASEC and formulate ways and means to uplift the school to its potentials and glory.

For more information of the Association, please go on to facebook and look for ASECOSA. You can also send an email: ASECOSA@groups.facebook.com
ASECOSA, …in progress!!
Kwaku Adu-Gyamfi -AKA Burger Adu (voice of Reason)
NJ, USA.
*The author is a former student of ASEC, a social commentator and a blogger on Ghanaweb .He’s also the founder of the Adu-Gyamfi Youth Empowerment foundation; to help the Disadvantaged youth of Asuom.