Here stands O’Reilly Senior High School a beacon of education. It’s located in Okpoi-Gonno in Accra Ghana. This school also known as O’REISCO has a story that stretches back nearly a century. Rev. Ezekiel Festus O’Reilly founded O’Reilly Senior High School in August 1925. He was a Sierra Leonean Anglican priest. The school is the fourth oldest senior high school in Ghana. It is the second oldest in the Greater Accra Region. Accra High School Adisadel College and Mfantsipim School are older.
O’Reilly Senior High School began as the O’Reilly Educational Institute. Its mission was clear. It aimed to educate ambitious lads from poor families. The school offered a complete twelve-year course. This ran from kindergarten to the school-leaving examination. The kindergarten section opened first in 1925. By 1927 it had 200 small children.
The school first resided in Korle Wokon. This was north of Ussher Town. It was in the basement of a large house. Barrister Silas Dove owned this house. As the school grew it needed more space. In 1926 Rev. O’Reilly toured the Gold Coast and Nigeria. He raised funds for a new site.
Francis Dove gave him a large plot at Tudu. Francis was the elder brother of Silas Dove. Rev. O’Reilly with teachers and pupils built new buildings by 1927. On October 20 1961 O’Reilly Senior High School moved to James Town. The building had been occupied by Accra Academy. This was supposed to be temporary. The school planned to acquire a permanent site at Kokomlemle. This did not happen.
The school’s population increased. Facilities needed expansion. O’Reilly Senior High School moved to rented premises at Kokomlemle. In the mid-1980s the landlord ejected the school. This led to the loss of documents and properties. By the Grace of God the school settled at Adabraka. It occupied a three-story building. It was behind the Holy Spirit Cathedral.
In August 2010 the Ghana Education Service told the school to stop admitting students. Closure seemed imminent. The building’s owners would no longer lease it to the Service. In December 2010 the Service planned to relocate the school. The new location is at Teshie Okpoi-Gonno. The building is suitable for teaching.
O’Reilly Senior High School offers various courses. It engages students in sports and debates. Quizzes are also popular. The school’s motto is Ztmkete which means Steadfast. The school song is We are Students of O’Reilly School. The nickname is O’REISCO. The publication is The O’Reiscan.
O’Reilly Senior High School values accountability. It respects diversity. Teamwork is essential. Dedication is key. Integrity matters. The school’s mission is to train learners. It aims to unearth their potential. It instills excellent values through teaching.
Consider the long line of past heads. Rev. Ezekiel Festus O’Reilly led from 1925 to 1944. Mr. E. L. O’reilly Wright followed from 1957 to 1961. Mrs Nadia Lartetsoo Anang is the current headmistress.
O’Reilly Senior High School stands tall. It represents resilience and commitment to education. From humble beginnings to its present-day campus O’Reilly Senior High School continues to shape the future. Its graduates carry the torch of knowledge and service. They embody the school’s motto Steadfast.