Faculty Pages

Faculty Pages


	Faculty Pages

I hope to have faculty web pages and CVs to put here in future. There are some wonderful and wonderfully able people who work for Wenchi Secondary School. In the meantime, here are my very incomplete photos of the school faculty and staff. Some of these people may no longer be with the school; some I know are on leave. The reality of the educational system in Ghana is that there is a very high staff turnover at most schools, as people go back to university, move on to other schools or move out of the educational system altogether. I enjoyed working with these people... although I suppose some were easier to work with than others! I know I was probably not the easiest person to work with, and indeed I heard that back from some people. But for all the difficult times that there were, and all the times there were that I got horribly upset or discouraged or just plain angry, I hope I will always fondly remember my three years at Wenchi Secondary School, and my co-workers there. To all of you I say: so long and thanks!... Stay in touch! (The comments on this page should be taken as my opinions alone and in no way reflective either of Wenchi Secondary School or U.S. Peace Corps.) Joel Parthemore, Peace Corps Volunteer at WESS (1998-2001)
Headmaster: Samuel Bannerman-Mensah I came to the school in May 1998; the Headmaster came in March 1999; so I got to work with him for just over two years. I found him a man of straightforward integrity, who seemed genuinely committed to pulling the school out of the difficult times it had been through. He often didn't seem to understand the way things worked locally any better than I did! But he got some things done: most significantly, perhaps, a major overhaul of the school toilets, which had been in a severe state of disrepair. Student enrollment rose significantly over the two years following his arrival; staff turnover seemed to be at least partially reduced, and staff morale certainly improved... which must be at least partially attributable to his efforts. Of course I am personally appreciative of the support he gave to the computer facility, and his vision of it as an essential part of the school curriculum. I only wish we'd found more time for computer lessons!
				Assistant Headmaster Administration: Alfred Mienu Mr. Mienu taking a break from the schoolwork to tend his garden. Like me he was something of an outsider: he came from the North and did not speak Twi, so at the PTA meetings we both needed translators to help us follow the proceedings. Mr. Mienu was my neighbour for nearly the last two years in Wenchi, occupying the other half of the duplex in "Low Cost". I remember him as usually soft-spoken and low-key; but when he got upset or excited about something, he really could get into the discussion! Mr. Mienu, I hope you are looking after my kitten well.
Assistant Headmaster Academic: Alex Adjei-Sasu Along with his administrative duties, Mr. Adjei-Sasu taught science and was in charge of the school's Science Resource Centre, one of 110 established around the country. He advised, and provided support to, the computer facility; and he was my counterpart to Peace Corps events. I wonder how much he appreciated all the times I hauled students to his office for discipline, because they'd infringed one rule or another in the computer lab. I particularly appreciate his support when Peace Corps could not find the paperwork on my extension and insisted that I needed to leave immediately. His timely suggestions led to a successful resolution that could very easily have been a disaster... for me personally, if not for the computer facility as well.
				Assistant Housemaster and Sports Master: Thomas Awiah Mr. Awiah was another of the computer facility patrons and served along with Mr. Adjei Sasu on the computer committee. He was a great fan of my "computer art" books: the kind with all the dots, where if you stare long enough the dots turn into a three-dimensional picture. I think... or I know!... that Mr. Awiah got a little frustrated with me that I didn't offer more evening classes for the masters, or offer them at more convenient times; but I don't think it affected our friendship too adversely!
Maths Master: Stephen Baffoe Stephen was my closest friend on the teaching staff, someone I knew I could go and talk to when I was feeling particularly frustrated and had an issue I could not discuss with just anyone. He and his wife frequently had me over for dinner, usually fufu; I regret that I ran out of time for fulfilling my promise to return the favour! The Baffoes ran a small store from their front porch that was a real life-saver when I would get super busy in the computer lab and not have time to go to town. Steve helped me with proofreading the Peace Corps mathematics manual, which turned into a 600-page headache. He went with me on my belated visit to pay respects to the chief's court in Wenchi. But most importantly he was there to listen.


			Other Masters



Counterclockwise from top left: Mr. Kwame Kwakye; Mr. Oti; Mr. Obeng-Adgei (Reverend); Mr. Asante
				Office Staff
				Other Staff
				Volunteers