Alliance High School (Kenya)
The Alliance High School (or AHS) popularly known as "Bush", was the first school in Kenya to offer secondary school education to Africans. It was founded on 1 March 1926 by the Alliance of Protestant Churches - The Church of Scotland Mission (later known as the Presbyterian Church of East Africa or PCEA), Church of the Province of Kenya (CPK), African Inland Church (AIC), and the Methodist Church.
The school is situated in Kikuyu, about 22 kilometers (12 miles) from Nairobi's central business district. The school is a 10-minute walk from the Alliance Girls' High School, which has been its sister school.
It has always been ranked within the top ten best schools in each year's National Examinations. It was ranked first in the country from 1960 to 1985. In 1986 it lost its top ranking for the first time in 25 years, slipping to third. It was ranked first in the country in 2005 based on the results of the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE). In 2006 its rank dropped to third. In 2009 and 2010, the school emerged top in the KCSE results posting sterling performance. In 2011, the school dropped one place to second. In 2013 the school was on top again with a mean grade of A- beating other famous schools like Starehe Boys' Centre and School
The school motto is "Strong to Serve". The Old Boys association has a website and a Yahoo group known as Bushfire.
The school's principal is David Gideon Kariuki.
Contents
School prayer
Have in thy keeping O lord, our God, this school;
That its work may be thorough and its life joyful;
That from it may go out,
Strong in body, mind and character, men who
In Thy name and with Thy power,
Will serve their fellows faithfully, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
School anthem
Lord while for all mankind we pray,
Of every Clime and coast,
Oh hear us for our native school,
The school we love the most x3
Academics
The school is the highest performing high school in the country academically, always being ranked amongst the top 10 positions every year.[2] The school holds the country record for most consecutive years holding the pole position in the national exams (1960–1985). In the K.C.S.E results announced in 2011, the school emerged top in the country. In that same year, the school had more than 100 students scoring a mean grade of A in the national exams.
Every year, over 98% of the school's graduates get admission to Kenyan universities.[citation needed] Students from the school also proceed to join Ivy League Universities, such as Princeton, Harvard, Yale, Columbia and Brown University. Many attend other prestigious American universities like Stanford University, Duke University, Williams College and MIT. Others go on to attend universities in Australia, China, Japan, Malaysia, South Africa, the United Kingdom and other countries.
In 2009 and 2010, the school emerged top in the K.C.S.E results posting sterling performance. In 2011, the school dropped one place to second.[3]
Admission
Every year, hundreds of thousands[citation needed] of primary school students select Alliance High school as their first choice. However, only 200 students are selected based on academic merit and quota as per the education policy. Academic merit is based on performance of the K.C.P.E exams. Its quota system sees to it that the school admits boys from every county in the country though with bias to students from public schools as the current education policy requires.
Students are admitted on a need-blind basis. At any given time, there are needy students whose tuition and boarding fees are paid by parties other than their parents or guardians. This is thanks to the school’s strong alumni network (the Old Boys Club)[4] as well as the large number of friends the school has around the world.
Sports
The school is a participant in the national sports festival. The following games are offered at the school: athletics, badminton, basketball, football (soccer), handball, hockey, lawn tennis, rugby football, swimming and table tennis.
The school has three basketball courts, two football pitches, two hockey pitches, a swimming pool, a handball field, an athletics track and a gymnasium with table tennis table.
The school's routine includes a games period every weekday from 16:15hrs to 17:40hrs. On Tuesdays the program is suspended for clubs’ and societies’ meetings. There are inter-house sports competitions spread across the three school terms.
During the second school term, a mini Olympics is held in the school. During this event, the nine houses compete against each other in track and field events. The winning house receives the Standards Trophy and gets to feast on a bull during the end of term school dinner.
There is also a compulsory cross-country jog on the first weekend of the school term. This event is particularly popular yet unpopular among the students; many approach it with zeal while many an A.H.S student approach the games master with an excuse in an effort to avoid the jog.
Clubs and societies
There are over 20 clubs and societies including the Research Club, Debating Society, the Scouts Movement, the International Information Exchange Program Club, the school choir, the Science and Engineering Club, the Integrity Club, the Writers’ Club, the Poetry Society, Kiswahili Club, the Model United Nations, the Seventh Day Adventists(S.D.A) Society, the Christian Union, Muslim Association among many others. These clubs usually meet on Tuesdays from 16:16hrs to 17:30hrs.
The Alliance High School Scouts is one of the first troop of African scouts in the continent.
Exchange program
The school has several exchange programs but the longest running ones are the Brooks Exchange Program and the Sir John Leeman Exchange Program. There is also the Governor's Exchange Program.
Every year, two form 3 students of outstanding character both inside and outside the classroom are chosen to participate in the Brooks Exchange Program. The two students usually serve as hosts to two other students from Brooks School. Unlike the Brooks Exchange Program, the Sir John Leeman Exchange Program takes place once every 2 years.
Houses
The school has nine houses which house almost 1500 students. The houses are, in order of age, and with the reason for the name:
- Livingstone House: Scottish explorer Dr. David Livingstone.
- Aggrey House: Dr. Aggrey of Achimota
- Wilberforce House: Scottish abolitionist Sir William Wilberforce
- Grieve House: first principal of the school George Arthur Grieve
- Arthur House: Scottish medical missionary John Arthur
- Francis House: school’s second principal Edward Carey Francis
- Smith House: longest serving member of the teaching staff Mr. James Stephen Smith
- Sellwood House: Major Sellwood.
- Campbell House: school's third principal Mr. L.J Campbell.
Many activities within the school are based on the house system. This includes the arrangement at the parade ground where assemblies are conducted every morning and role call parades conducted. Inter house competitions include music and elocution, drama, math contest,swahili contest, essay writing contest, battle of the blocks writing challenge, cleanliness competitions, and sports such as soccer, rugby, racquet games, swimming, etc.
At the end of every term, during the school dinner, awarding sessions are held where the winning house in every category receives a carton of biscuits. First and second runners up receive half and quarter a carton respectively. The winning house in standards and athletics,K.C.S.E. and cross country is awarded a bull which is slaughtered and offered for a party.
The houses have a committee of form 3 students who run the house's day-to-day activities. This committee is usually chosen by the house prefects and the house master. It is made up of the chairmen, V. Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, V. Treasurer, Resource manager, etc. In most cases, these committee members end up as the house prefects. However, this trend is changing to incorporate students with impeccable leadership qualities who did not make it to the house committees into the prefecture body.
Students in these houses are housed in hostels. The hostels are structured into cubicles where four students occupy one cubicle. The hostels have wash room facilities with hot showers, laundry areas, ironing bays, a common room and open lawns. Due to the current high population old houses have been renovated to house the rapidly growing population.
Prefects
Prefects at the school are usually form 3 and form 4 students who have shown outstanding leadership abilities at the house level. Most of them are chosen from the house committees. During the second term of the academic year, they are appointed to be prefects by the principal after being nominated and vetted by the house masters and current house prefects. They are then put through a rigorous training session by their fourth form counterparts in preparation for running the school the following year.
The prefects are key to the running of the school. It is they who see that the school routine and school rules are adhered to. They have the authority to punish culprits via the prefect’s punishment department. Punishments include washing corridors and rooms, slashing fields and in some extreme cases, working in the school farm or uprooting tree stumps.
The prefects enjoy privileges over non prefects. These include walking while changing classes (while other students run), wearing grey trousers on weekdays (while the non prefects wear khaki shorts) and they have a special table in the dining hall.
A total of about 90 prefects are chosen each year and among the 90, 24 of the most outstanding prefects are given top honors in becoming Senior Prefects or Captains. These Captains are allocated various major departments in the school. The schools departments include:
- Dining Hall
- Entertainment
- Games
- Compound
- Library
- Chapel
- IT and Links
- Medical
- Protocol
- Utilities
- Sponsorship
- Academic
Each department has its department members which vary with the demands of the department. Each house similarly produces a House Captain to be assisted by his Dorm Prefects.
The top five captains are referred to as the Pentagon. They are the School Captain, the Deputy School Captain, the Dining Hall Captain, the Entertainment Captain, and the Games Captain.The prefects' body is given a name each year, e.g. Martinets (2014), Autocrats (2015) ,Acculturates (2016), and is governed by the School Captain (The Governor General) and the Deputy School Captain (The President).[5]
Principals
The school’s principals, in order of service are:
- George Arthur Grieve (1926–1940)
- Edward Carey Francis (1940–1962)
- L.J Campbell (1963–1970)
- A.C.E Sanders (1970–1973)
- J.M Githaiga (1974–1975)
- Mr. Wangai (1975–1976)
- J. M Githaiga (1976–1980)
- S.S Maneno (1981–1985)
- M.K Wagitu (1985–1996)
- C.G Wahome (1996–1998)
- Christopher Khaemba(1998–2007)
- D.G Kariuki (2007 - to date)
Alliance Girls High School.
The Alliance High School maintains strong ties with its sister school, Alliance Girls High School, ever since the latter was founded as the African Girls High School in 1948. Each of the nine houses at the Alliance High School have sister houses at Alliance Girls High School. The houses usually participate in an event called Socials that takes place at the end of first and second terms. There is also a joint Christmas Carol service held in the school chapel towards the end of the third term. On Sunday mornings, Muslim students from the girls’ school usually congregate with their male counterparts at the Alliance High School’s Carey Francis Memorial Lecture Theater. Mail correspondence between the two schools takes place on a daily basis and is free of charge.
Faith
Having been founded by Christian missionaries, most notable of which was Revd Dr John Arthur, the school holds Christian values with high esteem. The school’s badge is embodied with the cross; students say grace before partaking any meal; daily Chapel Service (except on Saturdays) is compulsory for all Christian students.
However, being a national school that draws students from all over the country, Alliance High School has a small population of non-Christian students, mostly Muslims. These students have the liberty to practise their faith. When the Christian students attend the daily morning chapel service, Muslim students congregate separately to carry out a religious service of their own. Although there is no permanent mosque in the school, there is always a room set aside that serves as a mosque. Due to Islamic Sharia dietary requirements, Muslim students have separate tables in the dining hall.
Culture
The Alliance High School community is rich in culture. The form ones take the unpopular tie test before they can be issued with the school’s blue tie. This test serves to educate the freshmen on the school’s history and current affairs at the school. Upon arrival, every form 1 student is assigned a ‘guardian’ who is a form 2 student who will help the new student find his way around the school in the first few weeks.
The art of 'lifting' is a common practice especially among form two and three students. Lifting is the process of one showing their leadership qualities through various ways so as to be considered for various leadership positions especially as prefects.
Over the years, the school has opened and closed its term calendar on Thursdays. The first Saturday is often marked with a cross-country race. Closing days are characterized by a school dinner on the closing eve, where students are treated to a sumptuous meal and an award ceremony held. The school is then closed early next morning through a final assembly where the students sing the dismissal hymn, "Lord dismiss us with thy blessing."
Thursday is a special day at the Alliance High School. On Thursdays, students conduct hymn practice in the chapel, students speak Swahili, fish is served during dinner, among other activities.
The most popular form of entertainment in the school is the Saturday movies. Every Saturday the entertainment committee, consisting of Form 2's and 3's and the entertainment department, consisting of about 5 prefects, organizes and prepares the Saturday Movies plus the Saturday Evening Paper (SEP). School movies held in the school hall are usually charged sh 20. However, the most popular movies are the joint movies that are usually held termly with the Alliance Girls’ School. These used to be held at night but have since been changed to afternoons.
The high school life is fun and exciting. Various platforms like the drama and music competitions provide students with a chance to showcase their talents. The Drama Club organizes the hugest Comic Show of the entire year called "Span One" where students simulate the Monday morning School Assembly and try to imitate their teachers. The School Choir also organizes the Music Night which features presentations not only from the choir but also dances from all the communities in the country.
Uniform
Boys at the school wear white shirts, khaki shorts, grey stockings with two red stripes on either side of a blue stripe; black or brown shoes; jungle green pullovers and a blue tie. Grey trousers are worn on Sundays, Wednesdays and school events such as on Founders Day Celebrations. Prefects wear ties with red stripes rather than the conventional blue one.
Notable alumni
- Johnson Gicheru: former Chief Justice of Kenya.
- James Gichuru. Former Finance Minister, and Defence Minister, and among the founders of the Kenya African National Union (KANU) party
- Margaret Kenyatta: first woman mayor of Nairobi; Kenya’s ambassador to the United Nations (1976–1986) and President Jomo Kenyatta's daughter
- Maina Kiai: former Chairman of the Kenya National Human Rights Commission.
- James Ole Kiyiapi: Presidential election candidate, Kenyan presidential elections 2013.
- Mbiyu Koinange: the first Kenyan African to hold a degree, and Minister for Foreign Affairs
- Wambu Mathu: the first African Member of the Legislative Council.
- Kenneth Matiba: first African Permanent Secretary in Kenya and prominent opposition figure in the 1980s and 1990s. Second in the 1992 presidential elections.
- Dr. Njoroge Mungai. Former Health, Foreign Affairs and Environment Minister, and a recipient of the Commander of the National Order of Merit of France.
- Danson Mungatana: Member of Parliament representing Garsen Constituency in Coast Province
- Kiraitu Murungi: Former Minister for Energy, currently Senator representing Meru County
- Makau W. Mutua: Dean, University at Buffalo Law School and Chairman Kenya Human Rights Commission.
- David Mwiraria: former Finance Minister
- Ronald Ngala: first and only president of the first opposition party in Kenya the Kenya African Democratic Union (KADU).
- Paul Ngei: Kenyan freedom fighter, a member of the Kapenguria 6 and former minister.
- Charles Njonjo: first Attorney General of Kenya and also Minister for Constitutional Affairs
- Jeremiah J.M. Nyagah Kenyan freedom fighter who later served in several key cabinet positions.
- Peter Anyang' Nyong'o: Kenyan politician and prominent multi-party activist in 1980s and 1990s Kenya
- James Orengo: Prominent Lawyer and Senator representing Siaya County
- Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o: author, novelist and playwright; the most prominent figure in Kenyan literature; has taught at Yale University currently at University of California, Irvine
- Amos Wako: Former Attorney General of Kenya,currently Senator representing Busia County
- David Wasawo: zoologist and educationist
Further reading
- J. Stephen Smith, The History of the Alliance High School (Nairobi: Heinemann, 1973)
- Alliance High School, Alliance High School: 75th anniversary, 1926 to 2001. (The School, 2001)
References
External links
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