Heritage Academy Graduation

Melissa wore her custom-made traditional Ghanaian dress, made from cloth specially designed for the Heritage Academy students' dress uniforms, and the guesthouse was filled with excitement as the day began.

The first graduating class of Heritage Academy (equivalent to our 9th graders) was 32 girls and boys, and there were about 700 people in attendance. (Word had gotten around that there would be refreshments, and there were: a bottle of cold orange soda and some small crackers for each guest.) This was the biggest thing that has happened in Ajumako in recent history. All the school students were there, in uniform, and proud parents and local dignitaries were dressed in their finest clothes. Some of the honored guests on stage wore traditional garb, and the program was elaborately planned. It lasted for 5 hours.

Kwesi did his best to make it for and about the students. There was both a boy and a girl prefect who delivered remarkable speeches; there were special awards; there were poetry recitations and dancing and drumming, and a drama given by the students which had the parents in rollicking laughter.

There were also lots of long-winded speeches and long-winded prayers; mercifully, they were broken up by the dancing. At one point, a Heritage teacher brought a little girl to me and said that she “wanted to dance with me” so I got up and danced. She looked a bit bewildered. I think the teacher wanted me to dance with her.

When it was time to present the diplomas, Kwesi called me to the podium to give out the “presents” (the calculators I had brought for each child, given in memory of my dear friend George Hindley, CPA). It was an unexpected honor for me to be able to congratulate each student individually.

The program ended with an impassioned speech delivered by the village chief (pictured here).