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BRIEF HISTORY OF THE WEST AFRICAN METHODIST COLLEGIATE SCHOOL . MOTTO : PLUS ULTRA , MORE BEYOND .

The West African Methodist (WAM) Collegiate School is the product, not of missionary work in Sierra Leone, but of a very revolutionary idea by indigenous Africans.

After the abolition of slavery, missionary work was intensified, and accompanied by a prime objective of spreading western education. Various missionary schools were established under the auspices of different denominations, at a time when allegiance to religious sects was a very serious matter.  

However, the call came to Afric sons to spread education,

the revolutionary idea, which brought the Collegiate School into being, was pioneered by some Liberated Africans who felt deprived and discriminated against by Nova Scotians.  

These Africans were not ordained as Priests, or permitted to pray freely with the Nova Scotians.

In 1844, they formed the West African Methodist Society (WAMS), not only for the enjoyment of their religious freedom, but to educate their sons.

Starved of cash to meet the task at hand, the members of the WAMS appealed to the United Methodist Free Churches (UMFC) in England for support.  This appeal resulted in the amalgamation of the WAMS and the UMFC.

  In 1907, two European Methodist bodies also joined the union, and the Free was dropped.  Hence, the acronym UMC.  To expand the missionary work of the denomination in the Colony and Protectorate of Sierra Leone, the Collegiate School was established on June 1, 1911, as the United Methodist (UM) Collegiate School, at 8 Pademba Road.  The school had a checkered history for several years, and was first shut down in 1927.

For sixteen years, the school had as principals: Archideacon C.A.E. Macauley, BA (1911-1915); Rev. J.B. Nicols (Ag. 1916, and 1919-1922); Rev. Prof. Orishatukeh Faduma, Ph.D (1917-1918); and Rev. J.M. Asapansa Johnson, MA (1923-1927).  

It started with a boarder (especially to house students from the Protectorate), and later developed a diverse curriculum, to include procedures in Telegraphy, directed by Rev. W. Micklethwaite, who was nicknamed, Rev. Eat Broke Plate; and Mende.

After the closure in 1927, there was an inter regnum of twenty one years, before the school was reopened under severe hardship.

Until the late 1940s the colonial government ensured that permission was not granted to reopen the school.  The resolve of the government was even made stronger by some other schools in the colony, which agitated to keep the Collegiate School permanently closed.  

In the late 1940s, though, the UMC members, and the alumni association of the Collegiate School, pressured the government, again all odds, to grant permission to reopen the school. When eventually permission was reluctantly granted, there was no physical structure readily available to be utilized as a school.

The proprietors were not only frustrated by intransigence, they had insufficient funds, especially when the school was not classified as “Government-Assisted.”  Precarious financial situation made it difficult to provide for a staff, or retain a staff.  For example, the salary of the principal was fifty Leones, and teachers had to subsidize the expenditures of the proprietors.  Of all those suggested to be principal of the resurgent school, only the altruistic J.A. Garber, MA, was included to take up a challenge which surpassed monetary reward.

  With very little funds, and no physical structure to be called a school, the members of the church, including J.A. Garber, made a delegation to one of their own, by the name of Mrs. J. Butcher, the owner of 162 Circular Road at the time, to explore the possibilities of a lease of the structure, as an expedient for a school.  Mrs. Butcher consented, but not withstanding her approval, arrangements for the reopening of the school, which was scheduled for February 3, 1948, was temporarily brought to a halt, pending an inspection from the Divisional Engineer.  

The school eventually reopened on February 3, 1948, with forty foundation students, but with the acronym, WAM, owning to changes in the UMC constitution during the late 1850s, which angered the African Methodists sufficiently in the 1940s, to cause their secession.  

The school at Circular Road exemplified their struggle, and unparalleled courage.  It produced a legacy which will always be identified with the immoral name of J.A. Garber, the man who was ever so willing to make the ultimate sacrifice.  It was during this period that the crest, school song, and motto-Plus Ultra (more beyond), were provided.  

The motto is a derivative of lessons learnt by early Greek explorers.  It reveals what was belatedly learnt by them, that “uttermost achievement” in their limited world (Oikumene), symbolized by the inscription, Ne Plus Ultra on what was believed to be the Pillars of Hercules (two rocks flanking the entrance to the Mediterranean), cannot be attained in the life time of any individual, for which the effort to acquire optimum knowledge should be interminable.

Circular Road was a place of prefabricated structures, and expedients.  It was not until 1955, that the school was pronounced eligible for full government grant.

With that pronouncement, an era of reconstruction was made feasible.  The 1955 pronouncement facilitated the purchase of land, and the reconstruction of the school at its contemporary location, Wilkinson Road.

By the second half of 1961, the school moved over from Circular Road to Wilkinson Road, and since then, it has careered under the administrations of Mr. J. A. Garber Principal and Mr. V. J. Hastings-Spaine (Vice Principal) now Rev. Hastings-Spaine (1966-1971); Mr. L.B. Rogers-Wright (1971-1978); Mr. B.A. King (1978-1980); Rev. Z.S.F. Smith (1980-1997); Beary (1997-1999); and Nathaniel Davies (1999)

Christopher Warburton, BA Hons., MA, PhD.

POWERED BY THE OLD BOYS ASSOCIATION.

SCHOOL SONG:

1: THE CALL HAS COME TO AFRIC’S SONS TO DO AND TO ENDURE THE LIGHT OF KNOWLDGE AND OF POWER SHE STANDS TO SPREAD ABROAD OUR HEARTS WE RAISE IN SONGS OF PRAISE FOR WISDOM’S PUREST RAY WHILE YOUNG AND OLD IN JOY ACCLAIM COLLEGIATE RAH! COLLEGIATE RAH!                                                                                                                                                 

2: A BAND OF FEW HAVE DARED TO RAISE ON THIS OUR SUNNY SHORE THE BEAM OF AFRIC'S DOME SUBLIME SUPPORTED BY THESE FOUR TRUTH, JUSTICE, HONOUR, LOVE FOR ALL IN EVERY AGE OR CLAIM THIS HOME OF LEARNING SHALL UPRAISE THE TRUE COLLEGIATE RAH! RAH! RAH!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

3: NO FAILURE SHALL OUR COURSE IMPEDE NO CLOUDS OUR SKY O' ERCAST ONWORD WE MOVE TO VICTORY NORTHWARDS WE TURN OUR STEPS TILL AFRIC'S SONS IMBIBE THE BEST OF GOODNESS & OF PEACE & FATHERS TO THEIR SONS BEQUEATH THE TRUE COLLEGIATE RAH! RAH! RAH!                                                                                                                                                 

4: FRANKNESS AND HONOUR, REVERENCE FOR ALL LOVE FOR OUR FATHERLAND, LOVE TO MANKIND JOY IN OUR COUNTRY'S GOOD, WREATHS FOR THE GREAT THIS BE THY CHARACTER O COLLEGIATE RAH! THESE SHALL THY OFF-SPRINGS DRINK FROM THEY HOLY STREAM O RAH COLLEGIATE- RAH! RAH! RAH!                                                                                                                                                 

5: YE FORWARD SONS OF YORE SHOW US THE WAY YE BUILDING SONS OF AF'' FOLLOW THE PATH THE BEST THAT BE IN EARTH'S DOMINION THIS AFRIC'S SONS SHALL PRIZE TILL YOUTHS ATTAIN TO HEIGHTS UNTROD TO REALMS UNKNOW BEFORE AND SEE NEW VISTAS OF RENOWN WITH THE TRUE COLLEGIATE RAH! RAH! RAH!