1983 CHOSEN ONES

When we entered St. Rose’s Sec. School, Akwatia in September 1978, the Headmistress was Sr. Beatrix Koob ⴕ , though we had been admitted by Asst. Headmistress Sr. Solamen Ott ⴕ .

Sr. Beatrix Kobb, affectionately called La Tête, was a petite, slight figure, very soft spoken, who always had a smile for the girls. She went to Germany in summer of 1979 but was unable to return to Ghana due to ill health. Sr. Solamen Ott was appointed Acting Headmistress without an assistant for 79/80 Academic Year and was subsequently confirmed as Headmistress the following year with Sr. Zita Simmons ⴕ as her Assistant. House Mistress was Ms. Victoria Mensah aka Ms. Mensah.

The 83-year group was notoriously talkative. We love chatting and laughing and as young teenagers we made up the bulk of the punishment lists for talking in class or during Prep or after lights out. When we were in Form Two, the seniors decided to go on strike because many of the light skinned girls had certain privileges the rest of us didn’t have. We joined in the strike with shouts, yelling and throwing things around. The next day, disappointed Solamen came to our classrooms and asked that we should write down reasons why we were shouting. To convince us that she loved us so much and that we didn’t have to join the others in the yelling, screaming, hooting and throwing things, she stood in front of us, hands clasped, and in her softest voice told us how special we were to her. She chose us, she handpicked us, and of course, she didn’t understand why we had to be part of the strike. Someone quipped: "We're the Chosen Ones" and the whole class roared with laughter. Poor Sola was in tears by the time she left us.

 The bonds we forged at St. Rose's as a year group still bind us together today. After forty years and counting we still enjoy each other's company. We have gathered together in joy and sorrow, to celebrate and to mourn, across continents and oceans. We're knocking on the doors of the Sixth Floor and yet we still go topieces in each other's company, falling about in fits of laughter. It's what has kept us going. It's whathas kept us young at heart. We thank God for inspiring Sola to handpick us and making us her ChosenOnes. 

• A class of unafraid ladies, bold in our mischief but never troublemakers. The year group that reduce Sr. Salomen to tears because when she thought she was scolding us we just laughed at her.

• Form 1 French lesson with Sr. Zita in her gruff, thick German accent and Mary Sappong

Mary: Amalia près de la porte’.

Sr. Zita: ‘Aya Mary, repeat your nonsense.

Mary: Amalia près de la porte.

Sr. Zita: Mary, dranslate (translate) your nonsense now.

Mary (clearly flustered and nervously rocking back and forth): Amalia near to the door! Amalia,

near to the door! Amalia near to the door.’

Sr. Zita exclaims: ‘Mary! Vere (where) is ze werb (verb) in your zentens (sentence)?’

Mary sighs: ‘Amalia EST près de la porte.

• One evening at Prep time, Sr. Zita came to share the physicstextbook, Abbot, to both A&B class. She entered the B-class carrying the Abbot in her hands, placed the textbooks on the front row table looking tired and blushed. She started giving out the books, saying, A gets ‘A-bot’ and B gets...The whole class shouted: “B-bot”. Zita: Will you stop your nonsense!!!

• Conversation between Sr. Zita and Victoria.

When Zita caught Mawusi and Victoria buying kenkey across the fence and they denied it, Zita retorted...

Zita: Wiktoria vere you at the farm sis morning?

Victoria: No Sr. Zita.

Zita: Wiktoria vere you at the farm sis morning?

Victoria: No Sister.

Zita: Wiktoria, vere you at the farm sis morning?

Victoria: No sister.

Zita: Wiktoria I wish God will do to you what He did to Ananias and Sapphira

• There was a banter between Mavis Wereko and Vida Annor at the tap and Mavis accused Vida of calling her a witch. How Zita got to know, we don't remember but, in the end, Zita punished Vida and was made to weed the farm.

Zita: Wida (Vida), vhy (why) did you say she's a vitch (witch)

Zita: Wida (Vida) I said vhy (why) did you say she's a vitch (witch)

Vida: Please Sister I didn't say she's a witch.

Zita: Ayah! big mouse (mouth), always sé (the) same people

Vida (in Fante): Menka d33 oy3 any3n biaa

Zita: Yah! vhot (what) did you say? You sis (this) foolish girl, you foolish one!

• Sr. Zita will come to the bathrooms for inspection and say "you need a mower". We all needed except Felicia, she shaved bald and preached to us how hygienic it was to keep it bald.

• Juanita was sick and could not eat her kenkey one Saturday dinner and Sr. Zita forced her to eat the kenkey, then she started vomiting and Zita kept hitting her as she vomited (vhy are you womitting?)

• “Days of Pawpaw hunts", our little group of hunters was responsible for propagating most of the pawpaw trees that eventually filled the plantain farm. When we started there were only a few trees but by the time we graduated there were dozens of them. Someone from one of the later year groups said they used to be served pawpaw in the Dining Hall when it was in season. And to think we were looked upon with disdain by some of the other students. Yasmin was always on a mission to kill every snake that reared its ugly head because she was nearly bitten by one, on a "pawpaw" hunt. Not only did we hunt for pawpaw, but social duties in the Convent was also a place to look out for, no grapefruits were eaten by the Sisters because we plucked, enjoyed and ate them. 

• The plantains we had in the dining hall came from the school farm. The palm fruit for palm soup also came from the farm. Zita would get really upset when some of us used the bamboo propping up the plantains to pluck the pawpaw and wouldn't put them back correctly.

• The “ahuuuu days and nights of St. Rose’s when some mates were being naughty by trying to go the bathrooms earlier than the said time, their encounter with the sound of bush babies, the scream, and the rush back to the dorm only to be caught by Ms. Mensah and punished. The aftermath of ahuuuu, the scattered and raffled bed sheets, blankets in some dorms, unknown to us, Abena A. classified it as “It’s You”. Mr. Gariba, Gariba as Ms. Mensah screams to the watchman....... This still lingers on in our memory.

• The other funny bit was when we used to have boys' schools visit us, Sola and Zita constantly checking how we were engaging with the boys. Normally at the end of the event there was a music session and we recall Sola and especially Zita trying to space out the closeness to the boys we were dancing with. You would just feel a tap and her arm coming in between the two parties with looks on her face that was out of this world. 

• Sr. Zita was relentless when she tried to teach us impossible songs and we still couldn’t sing them after several weeks. She would still insist on going over them. Again, and again, and again....... “and has fallen down”

• Zita sneaks and spiesfrom the window watching who is talking in the dormitory. Then she walks in like a ghost, pointing to those talking and asking "vere you talking". Then you know punishment is awaiting. Bea of blessed memory and Debbie were often the culprits to be punished "to the pipe" outside of the school.

• House 3, Room 32: After lights out, as usual, the girls are talking when Sr. Zita sneaks in on them. Zita brings them out and lines them up in front of the old bathhouse (now Assembly Hall).

Zita: With whom vere you talking?

Abena S: Please Sister, no one

Zita: Ayah! You mean you are mad!

Oriana and Sr. Zita (blessed memory). Oriana was caught polishing her nails one night in the

dorm and Zita opens the door. Show me your nail (Ori shows one unpainted finger). Show me

the other hand, then Zita slapped her.

Zita – The following people should meet me at the farm with their hoes and cutlasses: Regina

Dodoo, the highest, followed immediately by Rita Duah, Pera Danquah-Smith and Zally

MacBruce. Ayah, always the zame people.