Contestants, who represented Keta Senior High Technical School (KETASCO) in the just-ended National Science and Maths Quiz (NSMQ) competition, have returned to campus to a rousing welcome.
The three main contestants, Bright Senyo Gadzo, Francisca Lamini and James Lutterodt, and the entire NSMQ team, who arrived Tuesday afternoon, were met by their colleagues, teachers and the public at Keta Business College (KETABUSCO) Junction for a procession to the KETASCO campus and the School’s cadet guard of honour.
The welcome ceremony, under the auspices of Torgbui Dzelu IV, Dufia of Dzelukope, saw poetry recitals touting the school’s credentials in Ewe and English, cultural performance and the rendition of the Anlo State anthem to celebrate their feat.
Torgbui Dzelu, on behalf of chiefs in the area, presented a citation in honour of each of the three contestants, as well as specially imported tablets for them and an undisclosed amount of money to the NSMQ team for their performance.
Torgbui Dzelu, in a speech, said he was so delighted because the contestants made Anlo, Volta and Oti proud with their outstanding performance and assured that the chiefs would always be behind them and urged them to fly higher as eagles for the trophy to be brought home next year.
Speaking on behalf of the NSMQ team, Mr Isaac Boateng thanked Torgbui Dzelu and other chiefs for making the celebration a success.
He said the team was of the strongest conviction that next year’s celebration would see the coveted trophy brought to the School to make it even more memorable.
Mr Isaac Kofi Dzidzienyo, Headmaster, KETASCO said the performance of the students could not be attributed to sheer luck but a result of great effort from contestants, staff, past students and the School Management.
He said the school was distinguishing itself not just in academics but in sports and culture, noting that it would continue to excel and set itself apart.
A past student of KETASCO, Mr Siegfried Sedziafa said the royal welcome ceremony in honour of “our gallant soldiers” from the “battlefield in Kumasi” was to celebrate the great feat and “encourage the school to aim higher and capture the ultimate the next time the opportunity avails itself.”
“Even as the sea eats our land today with reckless abandon, KETASCO will still remain the beacon of hope for generations unborn. Our token, the eagle, will continue to fly high.”
Francisca Lamini, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, was grateful for the support so far and advised other female colleagues that just as she excelled in the contest, they could also do the same and even better with commitment and determination in whatever they would put their mind to.
The celebration, chaired by Torgbui Hatsu III of Dzita, had prominent Torgbuiwo and Mamawo from Keta, Tegbi, Vui and their environs including Torgbui James-Ocloo V and Torgbui Haxormene IV, past students, and father of Bright Senyo Gadzo, Mr Mawunyo Gadzo in attendance.
KETASCO, the first-ever school from the Volta Region to reach the finals of the prestigious competition, which started in 1993, won a bronze medal after scoring 30 points in the contest against 53 by Prempeh College and 49 by Presbyterian Boys SHS, five and seven times finalists respectively.
