Our Lady of Lourdes College Mankon

Our Lady of Lourdes College (previously known as Our Lady of Lourdes Secondary School), Mankon, is a Roman Catholic, all-girls secondary school located in Mankon, Bamenda in the North-West Region of Cameroon. It is run by the Holy Rosary Sisters under the authority of the Archdiocese of Bamenda. The school is reputed for producing some of the best results in the General Certificate of Education Ordinary and Advanced Levels in Cameroon .[1]

Our Lady of Lourdes College Mankon
Location
Bamenda
,
North-West

 Cameroon
Information
School typePrivate, All-girls Boarding school
MottoTo Serve With Love
Religious affiliation(s)Roman Catholic
Established1963
FounderFr. Nabben
AuthorityArchdiocese of Bamenda
School codeCenter N° 1025
PrincipalSr. Eucharia Ndidi
ClassesForms One to Upper Sixth
Average class size50
LanguageEnglish
Hours in school day7
HousesImmaculata, Rosary, Fatima, Bernadette, Shanahan, St Paul
Color(s)Cream and Red         
NicknameOLLSS, OLALOCO, ALADI, Spain city
NewspaperSchool magazine
Graduates~3200
AlumniLourdes Ex-Students Association (LESA)
AnthemCome Children of the Rosary
Websitehttp://lourdescollegebda.com/

History

Our Lady of Lourdes Secondary School was founded in 1963 by Father Nabben who was a Parish priest for St. Joseph's Parish, in Mankon, Bamenda. He wanted to offer education for girls, especially at a period when female education was not a priority. Upon completion of a school building in 1963, he asked Bishop Peeters, the Catholic Bishop of West Cameroon, permission to open the school. St. Joseph's Parish, Mankon generously donated a building and the establishment was named and entrusted into the care of Our Lady of Lourdes.

On 15 October 1963, its doors were opened to the first 35 girls. Our Lady of Lourdes College joined Saker Baptist College and Queen of the Rosary College, Okoyong, as the only all-girls secondary schools in Cameroon.

Throughout the years Our Lady of Lourdes College has expanded with new buildings, facilities and programs serving about seven hundred students.[2] The association of ex-students (or alumni) is known as the Lourdes Ex-Students Association (LESA) and ex-students are called LESANs.[3]

Since the school was opened in 1963, it has undergone dramatic changes to date. As a boarding school, it first included four dormitories for the students called: Immaculata, Rosary, Fatima and Bernadette. In 2005, a high school was built and opened under the school's principal, Sr. Eucharia Ndidi. With the addition of the high school came a change in the name of the school to Our Lady of Lourdes College. Furthermore, two more dormitories were built to accommodate the new high school. The new dormitories were named: Shanahan and Saint Paul.

Golden Jubilee (1963-2013)

The college celebrated its 50th anniversary on 5 January 2013. Preparations for the Golden Jubilee celebration were launched in Cameroon on 28 January 2012 at the college campus.[4] Other LESA branches all over the world also launched activities in 2012 in preparation for the Golden Jubilee in 2013.[5]

Administration

Principals:

  • Rev. Sr Mary 2016-present
  • Rev. Sr Eucharia Ndidi 2003–2015
  • Rev. Sr Bernadette Ukadike 1995 - 2003 (RIP)
  • Rev. Sr Mercy Ani 1992 - 1995
  • Rev. Sr Nuala Lahert 1985 - 1992
  • Rev. Sr Mary Neville 1978 - 1985
  • Rev. Sr Margaret O'Keeffe 1978
  • Rev. Sr Mary Hewson
  • From 1963- 1978


Dormitories: The school's 700+ students live in six houses, each of which is made of one or more dormitories. Immaculata, Rosary, Fatima, and Bernadette house students in form one through form five; the two high school houses Shanahan and Saint Paul house the Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth students respectively. Each house has an assigned color - sky blue, green, red, yellow, violet and deep blue.

Prefects: Each year, students from the higher forms are appointed as prefects, and given limited authority over other students. They help run the school alongside the school employees. The primary posts are those of the Senior Prefect and Assistant Senior Prefect. Other prefects include House and Dormitory Captains who help run the dormitories; Sports Captains who help organize and run sporting events; Refectorians who ensure food is served to students as expected. There are also Sanitarians who ensure dormitories, facilities and school grounds are clean, Infirmarians who make sure students with health problems are promptly attended to, the Labor Prefect who makes sure students attend to their daily chores, Religious Prefects who assist staff with religious activities and events such as celebrating mass, Choir Prefect who helps runs the school choir including rehearsals and lessons, the Time Keeper who makes sure everyone is on time to the next daily activity. Class Prefects, and Study Prefects help with class and study-related activities for their assigned class.

Admission: Exams and interviews for admissions into the school are highly competitive with hundreds of potential students coming from all over Cameroon and beyond (accompanied by their parents and guardians) hoping for placement. The admissions process usually takes place on campus prior to the beginning of the next academic year.[6]

Spiritual life
  • Daily mass celebrations at the school chapel on weekdays and at the St Joseph parish on Sundays.
  • Retreats: Retreats are organized for all classes in order for students to retreat from other school activities for a few days to commune with God in prayer and reflection.
  • Students from other Christian denominations are allowed to worship in nearby churches on Sundays (or for other holy obligations).

Clubs and social activities
  • Daily activities: From 5am until 10pm the following daily activities typically occur: Mass celebration, breakfast, chores (charges), classes, lunch, siesta, afternoon prep (or study), sports, supper, evening prep.
  • Sports: volleyball, basketball, handball, lawn tennis, table tennis.
  • Clubs: Music, Drama, Dancing, French, Drawing, Science, Health, Environmental, and Judo.
  • Inter-house/inter-dormitory competitions.
  • Inter-school sporting events.
  • French cultural evenings.

Feasts
  • School feast :February 11, Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes
  • Rosary feast :October 7, Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary
  • House feast : Celebrations with any school
  • Fatima feast : May 13, Feast of Our Lady Of Fatima

Graduating classes from 1968

High School batches since 2005

References
  1. The Cameroon GCE 2012 Online Results Centre Number 1025 (search "1025" for lourdes )
  2. http://lourdescollegebda.com/
  3. The Our Lady of Lourdes Ex-students website (graduating classes from 1968 )
  4. "Bamenda is Sizzling: Lourdes Launches Golden Jubilee on Saturday: Jan. 28". archive.constantcontact.com. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
  6. http://lourdescollegebda.com/

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