On a gentle hill to the north as one enters Accra on the Winneba road, a tall white tower beshadows the campus of Accra Academy.
Over sixty years ago in the slums of James Town, Mrs. Ellen Buckle let her large two storied house for use as a classroom block to accommodate the newly founded Accra Academy.
A Brief History
It was to satisfy the urgent need for a secondary school which would provide good tuition at a reasonable cost to children from less fortunate homes who had the aptitude but whose parents could not send them to schools like Achimota, Mfantsipim and Adisadel that the late Dr. K. G. Konuah, the late G.N. Alema (BA, Oxon.), the late S.N. Awuletey (inter BA, Durham) and the late J.A. Halm-Addo founded Accra Academy as a private educational enterprise. After repair work had been completed on Ellen House and furniture procured, Accra Academy was officially opened on 20th July, 1931. The school started with a school population of 19 distributed into forms one to three including A.K.
Konuah (later Headmaster), C.S. Duah (later a member of the teaching staff), R.Q.E. Blankson (later Town Engineer, Accra Municipal Council) and F.G.Torto (later Professor of Chemistry at the University of Ghana, Legon).
The original teaching staff comprised the four founders and the two others who had just completed Mfantsipim School. These were M.F. Dei-Anang and S.S. Sackey who for twenty years worked the dual capacity of teacher and school Bursar.
The school offered a wide range of courses in Arts, Science and Business. Mr. S.N. Awuletey taught shorthand and Book-keeping. Today, Accra Academy
stands as one of the foremost institutions in the country, firmly built on the foundations laid by S.N. Awuletey.
Mr. W.K. Lutterodt set up the Science Department and arranged practical lessons at Achimota School at weekends for his students while Mr. G.N. Alema taught Agricultural Science and held practical lessons on his farm In December, 1932, the first batch of ten students were presented for the Junior Cambridge School Certificate Examination. Seven of these passed.
| In 1939, forty five students were entered for the Senior Cambridge School Certificate Examination. Forty two of these passed of whom ten obtained exemption from the London Matriculation Examination. The impressive examination results recorded by the school soon caught the attention of the Department of Education and in 1947, a recommendation was made to the Director of Education to place Accra Academy on the list of government assisted schools and from 1st January, 1950, Accra Academy became a government assisted secondary school. Even though the school started as a day school, accommodation was later on secured in Claremont House, a storey building adjoining Ellen house, to provide limited boarding facilities. In the course of time, the school began to work towards the acquisition of a plot of land for the erection of permanent building structures. Plots acquired at Kokomlemle and later Korle Gonno were given up because of protracted litigation and remoteness of site, respectively. |
The new buildings were officially opened later in February, 1962, by Mr. A.J. Dowuona-Hammond, then Minister of Education. A dormitory block to provide boarding facilities was completed in 1966. By 1965, the student enrolment had risen to nearly 600, one third of whom continued to be day students. Due to its exceptional academic attainments, A sixth Form department was added to help the products of the school who qualify to gain ready admission into this sector. The courses offered initially were the Arts and Science.
THE GREAT ELLEN HALL is the first hall you see when you enter the school. Red is the colour they are known for.
AWULETEY, a hall believed to have produced all the school book worms but I personally don't buy that because they really didn't prove it in our time that's our year. Anyway, its the second hall in Accra Academy and blue is their colour.
ALEMA Alema Alema, the only hall with the strongest students. Even though its tagged with the Stubborn Badge, it is the only hall that produces most of the prefect every prefectorial year and also the best sports boys. Green my favourite colour is hall halls colour as well.
Halm-Addo is the last hall seen in the school because it is situated in the remotest area of the school. its a the hall that contains most of the cool guys seen around in school. their colour is also yellow.
VIEW WITH MORE VIEW OF CLASS
This is the only tower that lightens the streets of Kaneshie and parents get so confused that the make their wards attend the Great School.
To let you alll know of this wonderful view, we begin from the great gate with the emblem all painted blue and yellow. These gates are so strong that it has never been changed and student really hate it when security won't allow them through it.
This is how it looks when you make your first two steps from the gate. Ain't that cool.
Gradually you feel soo happy seeing such beauty and admiration starts to develop into likes.
SOME BEAUTIFUL STATUES IN THE SCHOOL
This is one important statue situated in the fore court of the school and its important because this is the statue of K.G. Konuah, the founder of Accra Academy together with Halm-Addo and Awuletey. The K.G. Konuah hall was named after this great man.
Halm-Addo one of the founding leaders also has his statue carved in the school and he means so much to the school especially to the Halm-Addonesse.
This is a statue of two and have this book they always read. It is believe that, the pages of this book flips overnight whiles no one is around. This was discovered when a student once marked the page and later realised it had changed over night. He did this repeated ly until everyone came to this conclusion.
This is one favourite statue I have in the school. It can be seen in the grass outside the administration block. Soo many student have taken their best picture with this statue, I even have one myself.
