B.W. Harris Episcopal High School

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The early history of B.W. Harris Episcopal school could be dated as far back as March 1954,when the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church headquarters in New York sent Dr. Joseph G. Moore to Liberia to evaluate the work of the Episcopal Church. This was at the request of the late Bishop Bravid Washington Harris .

After a long and tedious study, he came with the decision that the Trinity Parish Day and St. Thomas Parish Day School, elementary and secondary respectively, should be consolidated: and that the programs should be enriched to train Liberians and give them a well rounded, balanced education. These programs were designed to prepare young people of Liberia for higher and professional vocation at the university level. The Episcopal Church of the United States of America (ECUSA) provided the initial funds to facilitate the consolidation and training. Most of the teaching staffs for both schools were retained, except for a few , who were laid off due to reorganization. Mrs. Caroline Cole faithfully served as the first principal of Trinity Parish Day before the merger. Her tenure helped the transition and aided in the training.

In 1958 , Mr. Emmanuel W. Johnson, having completed his master's degree at Roosevelt University in Chicago, was recommended by the late Bishop Harris to be the first principal. As part of his orientation to enable him pattern the school after the administrative , operational and other programs in the Kent School for boys (Kent, Connecticut), Mr. Johnson was sent to under-study their system in 1959. Mr. Johnson returned home in June 1959, and became the first Principal of B.W. Harris Episcopal Elementary and Junior High School, which officially opened on June 29,1960. There were then a total of 250 students, and classes ran up to the eight grade, and an additional grade was added every year.

B.W.Harris Episcopal school produced her first set of high school graduates in 1966 namely Alpha Brownell, Joshua Cooper Jr., George Gooding, Thomas Gooding, David Gray and James Gray.

In 1964, St. Thomas Church pulled out of the consolidated system, leaving it only as a Trinity School Project. The annex building on the campus, accommodating the science laboratory, library and other facilities was constructed in 1965 through the magnanimity of the Episcopal Church Women (ECW) of the United States who donated $65,000 as a result of representation given by the Principal and other stalwart associates of the school. We refer here to Dr. Christian Baker, former President of Cuttington University College, and the late Hon. Emmett Harman, the President of the Episcopal Diocese of Liberia, and the school continue to grow steadily in structure.

In 1968, Mr. Johnson was appointed the first Superintendent of the Monrovia Consolidated School System (MCC), and the then Vice-Principal, the late Mr. Edward G.W. King was immediately declared as principal by the Board of Trustees. Before this, Mr. King was Dean of the Science Department and Head of the Mathematics and Physics Department at the University of Liberia ; he had to resign this position to come and serve as Vice-Principal. The school soared to admirable heights under the principalship of Mr. Edward G.W. King, and many brilliant young men and women were produced. It is indeed necessary to remark here that Messrs. Edward G.W. King and Emmanuel W. Johnson were ordained to the Deaconate in 1968 and advanced to Priesthood in 1970.

In 1980, Fr. King officially resigned and turned over the administrative and operational duties to another veteran educator, Mr. J. Wah Doe Bedell. The elevation of Mr. Bedell was not accidental, as he had served as Vice-Principal in the school all along.

J. Wah Doe, as he is affectionately called, is a product of Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts, where he earned with distinction a Master's Degree in Education. His tenure lasted until 1985, when he was succeeded by Mrs. Zoe Davies Traub; Ms. Daisy Ricks served as Coordinator of the school for a few months before Mrs. Traub's appointment.

As part of the revolution that characterized the 1980s, the Board of Trustees, headed by Mr. Emmett Harmon since 1960, was dissolved by Bishop George Browne and an interim Board was reconstituted in 1985, namely: Cecelia Bull (elected President), Rev. Fr. J. Jellico Bright, Alpha Brownell, Robert Ellis, Jr., James Gittens, Jr., Doris D. Grimes, Emmett Harmon and the Dean of the Cathedral. Bishop Browne appointed another corps of Board members who were installed at the Trinity Cathedral on Sunday, May, 25, 1986. This time, the composition was rather broad-based, and consisted of:

Mr. Francis Cooper

Mr. Jallah Prall.

Mr. Daniel N. Jappah

Rev. Fr. J. Jellico Bright

Mr. J. Vromant

Rep. The Diocesan Board of Education

Rep. the Non-Episcopalian Liberian Community

Rep. B.W. Harris Alumni Association

Rep. The Episcopal Church at large

Rep. The International Community through the Chamber of Commerce

Dr. Albert Coleman

Mrs. Doris D. Grimes

Rep. the Government of Liberia through the MOE

Rep. the Executive Committee of the Trinity Cathedral Chapter

• Mrs. Doris D. Grimes was elected president of the Board by the members.

The Principalship of Mrs. Zoe Davies Traub was rather short-lived, because she submitted her resignation in 1987. Mrs. Wokie Mae Roberts was appointed as Coordinator of Educational Services thereafter to run the school and was inducted as Principal in May 1988 by Bishop Browne, a position she held until the civil war. In 1990, the school was forced to closed down, due to the terrible civil war that hit Monrovia, and everyone in authority, the Administrators, teachers staff, and even Board members, fled. It was by the Grace of the Almighty God that buildings were not totally destroyed as a result of the war, but a large portion of the infrastructure was looted, except for the register's records. Special mention should be made of Mr. Andrew O. Afolabi, (now Reverend Father) and formerly the Business Manager, who risked his life on many occasions to help secure the school's properties, through the instrumentality of the Nigerian-dominated peace-keeping force, who was assigned to protect the building. The interim President then, Dr. Amos Claudius Sawyer, an Episcopalian, must also be commended for special interest manifested, especially when the school was rehabilitated in 1993.

By this time, the Diocesan Bishop, the Most Reverend George D. Browne, who was also the Archbishop of West Africa, had passed into transition, and the incumbent, the Rt. Rev. Edward W. Neufville, I, was feverishly trying to put together again the many broken pieces of the Diocese. Bishop Neufville was most instrumental to have B.W. Harris start again in 1993 and he appointed the Reverend Father Dee Wellington Bright as Coordinator and Principal. The Interim Board of Trustee, appointed by Bishop Browne, steered the operations and it consisted of:

Mr. Francis Cooper
President

Mr. Emmett Gooding

Vice President

Mr. Joseph Brent

Treasurer

Counselor Cassella Stewart

Mrs. Frances Greaves

Rep. the Alumni Association

Mr. Stephen Kolison

Rep. the P.T.A.

Mr. Peter Ben

Rep. the Government of Liberia from the MOE

Canon J. Jellico Bright

Rep. the Episcopal Church at Large

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel D. Hodges

Rep. Trinity Cathedral

The school started again, running Grades 1-9 and a class was added every year. The staff was practically new, because most of the old ones were away, but the standard was kept high, as usual, obtaining a hundred percent pass in the grade 9 National Exams in the first year. In 1994, the kindergarten division was rehabilitated and graduates that year were also of a commendable standard, with Mrs. Delicia Klemie (Nee Roberts) as the Head. Teacher.

In 1996, the school was forced to close down again this time because of the infamous April war in Monrovia, when looters made away with major materials that have been secured through the kind donation of Alumni/ae in the Untied States. For instance, only one typewriter was left in the whole school, and chairs as well as instructional materials were desperately needed. This, along with the fact the Principal and most of the Board members had eloped, caused the school to close down until August 1997, when a tutorial program was run under the supervisiorship of Mr. Samuel B. Cole, the Vice Principal.

In 1996, the Diocesan Bishop reconstituted the Board, and the new composition became:

Mrs. Juanita E. Mason Neal
President

Counselor Casella Stewart

Vice President

Mrs. Ida Burphy Ajavon

Treasurer

Rev. Fr. Jonathan B.B. Hart

Rep. of Trinity Cathedral

Counselor L. Korboi Johnson

Rep. of the P.T.A.

Mr. Peter Ben

Rep. the Government of Liberia from the MOE

Counselor Cyril Jones

Rep. the Alumni Association

Mr. C. Gyude Bryant

Rep. the Episcopal Church at large

Mrs. Violet Bedell

Rep. Trinity Cathedral

It was indeed very difficult to get things started in 1996 because most of these Board members were out of the country, and Bishop Neufville had to make some donations to start off the tutorial program.

In 1997/98 academic year smoothly followed the tutorial program, and was especially significant, as the first set of post-war-graduates was produced in June 1998. Thirty-three were graduated, being the same number of successful candidates obtained in the National Exams. In December 1997, the Diocese, through the Board appointed Mrs. Gertrude Findley as Principal.

Mrs. Gertrude Araminta McGill Findley is a graduate of the University of Liberia, Liberia College in 1954 where she earned a degree in Sociology. She is a career educator and has to her credit over thirty years of experience as a teacher, supervisor and principal at the Monrovia Consolidated School System. Mrs. Findley is a Episcopalian and is married to the renown Counselor Joseph P. H. Findley, former Registrar of the Episcopal Diocese of Liberia.

B.W. Harris Episcopal School now promises to continue to press forward under her principalship as she plans to bring about several innovations, including elevating it Junior college Status.

PROSPECTS AND FUTURE PLANS

The somewhat bleak future the school tended to have, especially during the war years, is gradually giving way to something golden, and the dream of our late illustrious Bishop Bravid Washington Harris will hopefully be realized. It did not take very long for B.W. Harris Episcopal school to rank among the best high schools in the country, and now, the potentials is high for the school to lead the nation in modernizing education as we march into the next millennium .

Thanks to the ever zealous Alumni/ae, known far and wide as SPARTANS, for through their grand chapter in the United States we now have a new generator to supply copious electricity. Consequently, our plan to offer "computer software," in keeping with modern trends, will soon be a reality. Furthermore, our extension of the present curriculum to include music and other segments of the fine-arts will also be possible.

But the greatest need of the school is funds to expand the present facilities to accommodate more Liberians who are awaiting and praying to be equipped with necessary skills for national reconstruction.

Materials and equipment will also be welcome, and the individuals or institutions are cordially invited to kindly join hands with us to foster the realization of the noble dream of the late Bishop Bravid Washington Harris. All contributions can be channeled through the National Alumni Association in the United States.

Culled from: www.bwharrisalumni.org