Annie Walsh Memorial School

The Annie Walsh Memorial School is an all-girls secondary school in Freetown, Sierra Leone. It was established in 1849 originally in Charlotte, a newly established village for recaptives. It is claimed to be the oldest girls school in Sub-Saharan Africa. Over the years, the school has consistently outperformed its peers in terms of academic achievement, making it the most prestigious secondary school for girls in Sierra Leone. The school's Principal is currently Mrs OPhelia Morrison (née Barber).

School history

Annie Walsh Memorial School was named after an Irish or English girl whose dream was to become a missionary to Africa. Unfortunately Annie Walsh died in a tragic accident at the age of 20. Annie Walsh's last few days are described in 'Dear Annie: A Brief Memorial' published for private circulation and undated. On 19 January 1855 she returned from a week in Bath. On 23 January she went, with her father, to a meeting of the Irish Church Missions, despite having the symptoms of a cold. On 24 and 25 January she remained in bed, apparently because of the cold. On 27 January a doctor was called. The next day, Sunday, inflammation of the lungs was apparent. Leeches were applied and again on Monday. On that Monday morning she spoke with her parents - 'that conversation had all the air of a final interview between friends that parting for longish voyage'. She died at 4.30 a.m. on Wednesday, 31 January 1855. Her parents provided substantial funding for the school when it was started, by the Church Missionary Society, which ultimately became the Annie Walsh Memorial School. The present location is a new location as the school quickly outgrew its original building.

Past principals
  • Miss Julia Sass (1849–1869)
  • Mrs. Caiger (1869–1870)
  • Ms. Caspari, (1875-1878)
  • Ms. Bisset (1894-1917)
  • Miss Winifred Hamblet (19**-1930)
  • Miss Pole (1930–1954)
  • Miss Colebeck (1954–1961)
  • Mrs. Lati Hyde-Forster (1961–1975)
  • Mrs. Europa Wilson-Agwu (1975–1985)
  • Madame Gracie Williams (1985–1995)
  • Mrs A. C. Roberts (1995-2005)

House system

The school is divided into six houses, named after the first principals.

  • Dunkley - [Red]
  • Sass - [Blue]
  • Pole - [Green]
  • Caspari - [Yellow]
  • Hamblet - [Pink]
  • Bissett - [Purple]

Notable alumnae
  • Zainab Bangura: Foreign Minister of Sierra Leone, and founder of Campaign for Good Governance
  • Hannah Benka-Coker: educator; founder of Freetown Secondary School for Girls (FSSG) in 1926
  • Sara Forbes Bonetta: African Princess and Queen Victoria's (England) goddaughter
  • Irene Ighodaro: first female medical doctor in West Africa
  • Sia Koroma: First Lady of Sierra Leone
  • Nemata Majeks-Walker, women's rights activist[1]
  • Dr. Estelle Eke: first female aeronautical engineer in West Africa
  • Dr. Lettie Stuart
  • Justice Patricia Macauley
  • Justice Laura Marcus-Jones: Sierra Leone Supreme Court Justice
  • Agnes Taylor-Lewis: first female Minister of Health in Sierra Leone
  • Lati Hyde-Forster: first female graduate of Fourah Bay College, cousin of Thomas Decker
  • Maisie Osora, the English born wife of a Sierra Leonean Anglican clergyman, co-founder of Freetown Secondary School for Girls (FSSG) in 1926
  • Yema Lucilda Hunter, nee Caulker: author and retired WHO Librarian
  • Daphne Pratt nee Barlatt: poet and playwright; Head Teacher of a number of schools including The International School Ltd., and retired as the first principal of Limount College
  • Ethel Ashwood: Founder Red Lion Bakery Official Website
  • Rev Victoria Gladys Wilson-Cole: first female graduate from the Evangelical College of Theology (Sierra Leone Bible College), 1995, B.A Theology - Christian Education. First female missionary assigned from 1999 to 2005 by the Wesleyan Church of Freetown Provional district, to start the first Wesleyan in Dakar Senegal. First African to gain BA honor giving the student speech in International Business Administration in 2010 and double MBA - Healthcare Management and Environmental Management from the Colorado Heights University Denver Colorado USA in 2012
  • Rachel P Coker nee Caulker First female Sierra Leonean Justice of the Peace; AWMS teacher & boarding mistress
  • Filomena Chioma Steady Professor at Wellesley College, USA, and the author of numerous books
  • Dr Belmont Williams Retd. Chief Medical Officer of Sierra Leone
  • Marjorie Jones nee Pratt Artist and editor; joint winner (with Eldred D. Jones) of the African Studies Association of the UK Distinguished Africanist Award
  • Rachel Lulu Wright nee Coker Retd. Head of Modern Languages, University of Sierra Leone; former Vice Principal of AWMS and creator of the school's Orange Belt Award system; one of the first two African students to attend Girton College University of Cambridge
  • Nyamacoro Sarata Silla Head nurse for the International Medical Corps’ Ebola response programme, health and women's rights lobbyist and activist, poet, commentator
  • Gladys Adeyomi Ernestine Rosenior nee Johnson Mother of celebrated professional Footballer Leroy Rosenior and Grandmother of Liam Rosenior
  • Jeillo Edwards: actress
  • Stella Thomas: lawyer
  • Nkechi Agwu: mathematician

References
  1. "Nemata Majeks-Walker". wordpress.com. 7 December 2009. Retrieved 5 November 2017.

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