Brief History Of Rosary High School In Recognition Of Uwakpu as Their Host
16th January 1956 saw the opening of Rosary High School, Awgu by His Grace Most Rev. Dr. Heerey (ofblessedmemory). the Catholic Archbishop. It was not an easy task to obtain approval to open' a new school in those days. For some reason, approval for the opening of Rosary High School' was even a more uphill task. His Grace did surmount all the difficulties however and when the approval came, the first set of students, numbering thirty (30) had to use
the present Saneta Maria primary school building on the same compound with Holy Rosary
Training College Enugu, as a classroom block. It was a purely day school.
To Rev.Sister Mary Breda Bird (formerly Sr. Eugenia) 'the first principal of the school, got the deserved credit of shouldering the usually difficult pioneering work of starting a school.
In 1957, urgent missionery matters, compelled Sr. Breda to leave the school. She was succeeded in the sam year by Rev. Sr. Mary Berchmans who having contributed a laudable quota to the development of the school, left in 1959 after two years of service.
She was succeded by Sr. Mary Thecla in the same year. As if to grace the appointment of the new principal, the school was moved to its present beautiful site on the crest of a hill-a citadel. Before the arrival of Rosary High
School, the site had been used by another catholic 'educational institution, the then notable "Regina Caeli Teacher Training College" for
men, with Rev. Fr. J.J. Colman 88 principal. Between 1953 and 1958, this dedicated, resourceful and dynamic Reverend gentleman had organised both his students and the catholic
members of trie community and constructed seven stone buildings comprising classroom and dormitory blocks, designed and constructed the access road as well as planned the general layout of the school compound. The Training College
had to vacate to make way for the new baby, Rosary High School. Sr. Mary Thecla went to work immediately on arrival. Between 1959 and 1966, she added seven more buildings to the existing ones. With the help of her staff which
included Sr. Mary Breda who had come back to Nigeria and to the school, the school was set on its permanent footing.
It is pertinent to observe that the pre-Nigerian civil war students seemed to have had a wider scope of choice of subjects than the present day students of the school.
In addition to offering all the current subjects (excluding chemistry and physics) the then students offered Music, Book-Keeping, shorthand and fine-Arts
The pioneer students could not take the West African School Certificate Examination in 1960 because the school was not granted approval. Consequently the students were spread out to sister schools to complete their course.
Approval came in 1961 hence the second set of students were the first to graduate from Rosary High School. The academic performance of this first and subsequent sets was considerably high.
Discipline reigned supreme and the students distinguished themselves in various extra curricula activities. For instance. for three consecutive years the school came first• in the Eastem
Nigeria 'Inter - Secondary schools Festivals of Arts.
Shortly after the end of hostilities, the East central state government took over aU schools and re-opened them on the 19th of March 1970
The school's share of the devastations of the war seemed insurmountable, with roofs, windows
and doors damaged and the compound overgrown WIth bushes. Mrs. Beatrice Dike who was appointed to re-open the school did the best she could to tackle the problem.
Then on the 30th of April 1970, Mrs. M. Eneasato assumed duty as the first post-war principal. She finally returned .the school to a
habitable shape and organised the re-equipment of the science laboratory with science! equipment supplied by UNICEF. She restored discipline and through her resourcefulness wired the
school compound, bought a 16 .KVA electric generating plant that supplied electricity to the school until 1976 when the then East Central State supplied a 34'4 KVA plant to the school
Mrs Eneasato's efforts were heavily buttressed by aid from UNICEF and His Lordship Most Rev. Dr. GM.P. Okoy,e (CSSP.) (of blessed memory) the Catholic Bishop of Enugu who financed the reconstruction of the school chapel and one other building: The UNICEF and the
East Central State government supplied assorted types of science equipment, crockery and office equipment.
Mrs. M.N. Anyaegbunam took over from Mrs. M. Eneasato in January 1972. Hers was a short tenure for she had to leave in December of tire same year. It was however one short year of purposeful and dynamic leadership.
Rev. Sr. Mirian Therese Ozomma. one of the most experienced principals of her time' stepped into Mrs. Anyaegbunam's shoes in January 1972. She was in the school for only four
months, too sho a time to implement the numerous programmes she had on the planning board. Within the short period however, she had got approval for the construction of the present
class' five block and had set in motion the machinery for other development projects.
Her exit in April 1972 ushered in Mrs. M. lbekwe who served in the school till February 1974 when she left. During the latter's time the class five block was started and the basic recons-
truction of the principal's house was under taken.
The mantle of office fell to Mrs. B.N Ukpabi in May 1974. Hers was the task of , organising the -school for effective academic work and for proper maintenance of discipline
Under her the parents/Teachers' Association once more became a virile body. The Board of Governors became an effective organ of the school. She initiated work on the school's eigh , room staff quarters and saw the project almos
to its completion before she left.
1n August 1975 she handed over to her successor Mrs. E.U. Onwuagha, the present principal, whose special privilege it is to organise this great event - the silver Jubilee of the school.
Apart from Rev. Sr. Mary Thecla, Mrs. Onwuagha's tenure of office in Rosary High School has been the longest since the inception of the school. Hers has been a 'catalogue of efforts. It is easy to see that the school has a tone, a pattern. In these days when students
could get off -hand at ever turn, it is a thing of pride to affirm that ordttr and discipline have become attributes for which students here are
known. All classroom blocks and some staff quarters have been reconstructed. The school new wears a colourful mid beautiful look. Two classroom bllltks, the school dining,' exam hall,
a water system joilet and a library have been constructed during this period. The entire school has been re-wired; thunder protectors have been
installed 'on the compound; a new athletics field has been partially constructed. Over and above all, a grand water project has been planned and executed.
We salute all these great ladies without whom the hisP9ry of this citadel of an institution could none written. We remember all the staff and students whose contributions have made this school what it is today.
We also pay special tribute to the Uwakpu- Mgbidi community in Awgu LGA who pronded the land on which this edifice is erected as well as provided the labour with which all the stone
buildings were constructed.
Like the mustard seed, Rosary High School has grown and will continue to grow by the grace of God. In the words of the school's motto
'In sicero Corde" - "with sincerity of Heart"
the present Saneta Maria primary school building on the same compound with Holy Rosary
Training College Enugu, as a classroom block. It was a purely day school.
To Rev.Sister Mary Breda Bird (formerly Sr. Eugenia) 'the first principal of the school, got the deserved credit of shouldering the usually difficult pioneering work of starting a school.
In 1957, urgent missionery matters, compelled Sr. Breda to leave the school. She was succeeded in the sam year by Rev. Sr. Mary Berchmans who having contributed a laudable quota to the development of the school, left in 1959 after two years of service.
She was succeded by Sr. Mary Thecla in the same year. As if to grace the appointment of the new principal, the school was moved to its present beautiful site on the crest of a hill-a citadel. Before the arrival of Rosary High
School, the site had been used by another catholic 'educational institution, the then notable "Regina Caeli Teacher Training College" for
men, with Rev. Fr. J.J. Colman 88 principal. Between 1953 and 1958, this dedicated, resourceful and dynamic Reverend gentleman had organised both his students and the catholic
members of trie community and constructed seven stone buildings comprising classroom and dormitory blocks, designed and constructed the access road as well as planned the general layout of the school compound. The Training College
had to vacate to make way for the new baby, Rosary High School. Sr. Mary Thecla went to work immediately on arrival. Between 1959 and 1966, she added seven more buildings to the existing ones. With the help of her staff which
included Sr. Mary Breda who had come back to Nigeria and to the school, the school was set on its permanent footing.
It is pertinent to observe that the pre-Nigerian civil war students seemed to have had a wider scope of choice of subjects than the present day students of the school.
In addition to offering all the current subjects (excluding chemistry and physics) the then students offered Music, Book-Keeping, shorthand and fine-Arts
The pioneer students could not take the West African School Certificate Examination in 1960 because the school was not granted approval. Consequently the students were spread out to sister schools to complete their course.
Approval came in 1961 hence the second set of students were the first to graduate from Rosary High School. The academic performance of this first and subsequent sets was considerably high.
Discipline reigned supreme and the students distinguished themselves in various extra curricula activities. For instance. for three consecutive years the school came first• in the Eastem
Nigeria 'Inter - Secondary schools Festivals of Arts.
Shortly after the end of hostilities, the East central state government took over aU schools and re-opened them on the 19th of March 1970
The school's share of the devastations of the war seemed insurmountable, with roofs, windows
and doors damaged and the compound overgrown WIth bushes. Mrs. Beatrice Dike who was appointed to re-open the school did the best she could to tackle the problem.
Then on the 30th of April 1970, Mrs. M. Eneasato assumed duty as the first post-war principal. She finally returned .the school to a
habitable shape and organised the re-equipment of the science laboratory with science! equipment supplied by UNICEF. She restored discipline and through her resourcefulness wired the
school compound, bought a 16 .KVA electric generating plant that supplied electricity to the school until 1976 when the then East Central State supplied a 34'4 KVA plant to the school
Mrs Eneasato's efforts were heavily buttressed by aid from UNICEF and His Lordship Most Rev. Dr. GM.P. Okoy,e (CSSP.) (of blessed memory) the Catholic Bishop of Enugu who financed the reconstruction of the school chapel and one other building: The UNICEF and the
East Central State government supplied assorted types of science equipment, crockery and office equipment.
Mrs. M.N. Anyaegbunam took over from Mrs. M. Eneasato in January 1972. Hers was a short tenure for she had to leave in December of tire same year. It was however one short year of purposeful and dynamic leadership.
Rev. Sr. Mirian Therese Ozomma. one of the most experienced principals of her time' stepped into Mrs. Anyaegbunam's shoes in January 1972. She was in the school for only four
months, too sho a time to implement the numerous programmes she had on the planning board. Within the short period however, she had got approval for the construction of the present
class' five block and had set in motion the machinery for other development projects.
Her exit in April 1972 ushered in Mrs. M. lbekwe who served in the school till February 1974 when she left. During the latter's time the class five block was started and the basic recons-
truction of the principal's house was under taken.
The mantle of office fell to Mrs. B.N Ukpabi in May 1974. Hers was the task of , organising the -school for effective academic work and for proper maintenance of discipline
Under her the parents/Teachers' Association once more became a virile body. The Board of Governors became an effective organ of the school. She initiated work on the school's eigh , room staff quarters and saw the project almos
to its completion before she left.
1n August 1975 she handed over to her successor Mrs. E.U. Onwuagha, the present principal, whose special privilege it is to organise this great event - the silver Jubilee of the school.
Apart from Rev. Sr. Mary Thecla, Mrs. Onwuagha's tenure of office in Rosary High School has been the longest since the inception of the school. Hers has been a 'catalogue of efforts. It is easy to see that the school has a tone, a pattern. In these days when students
could get off -hand at ever turn, it is a thing of pride to affirm that ordttr and discipline have become attributes for which students here are
known. All classroom blocks and some staff quarters have been reconstructed. The school new wears a colourful mid beautiful look. Two classroom bllltks, the school dining,' exam hall,
a water system joilet and a library have been constructed during this period. The entire school has been re-wired; thunder protectors have been
installed 'on the compound; a new athletics field has been partially constructed. Over and above all, a grand water project has been planned and executed.
We salute all these great ladies without whom the hisP9ry of this citadel of an institution could none written. We remember all the staff and students whose contributions have made this school what it is today.
We also pay special tribute to the Uwakpu- Mgbidi community in Awgu LGA who pronded the land on which this edifice is erected as well as provided the labour with which all the stone
buildings were constructed.
Like the mustard seed, Rosary High School has grown and will continue to grow by the grace of God. In the words of the school's motto
'In sicero Corde" - "with sincerity of Heart"
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