St. Mary’s senior high school is an all-girls second cycle institution established on 6th February 1950 by Catholic missionary sisters known as sister servants of the Holy Spirit.
Popularly called “Merries”, they are one of the three girls schools located in the Greater Accra region hence their other nickname ‘City Girls’. St Mary’s believe they are the best Catholic school in Ghana beating competition from St. Augustines, Holy Child School, Pope John Senior High School and St. Peters.
According to school records, Merries began with ten girls and two Reverend Sisters in the persons of the late Reverend Sister Jane and Rosette in Korle Gonno. The school’s motto is Truth and Virtue and their colours are blue and white.
St Mary’s has a proud and thriving alliance with the boys from Kaneshie, Accra Academy and are considered as their “Sister” school. ACASMA’s slogan is A mark of intellectual friendship; however, it formerly used to be: ‘obaaworbleoo.’
Prior to their alliance, St. Mary’s Senior Secondary School was affiliated to the St. Thomas Aquinas Senior High School. The alliance began when some students of Accra Academy in the 1970’s offered to teach their colleagues in St. Mary’s SHS during the nationwide strike.
READ MORE: 8 popular high school alliances that are still going strong in 2020
The goodwill demonstrated by these students from the Accra Academy won the admiration of staff and students of the St. Mary’s Senior Secondary School and resulted in the formation of the alliance to foster stronger ties between both secondary educational institutions.
The school offers Home economics, General science, General arts, Business, Accounting, Visual arts and Agriculture science.
Merries has produced topnotch students who have gone ahead to occupy positions in law, government, fashion, education and entertainment.
Here are 12 Inspiring Ghanaian women who are old girls of St. Mary’s Senior High School.
MzVee
Vera Hamenoo-Kpeda popularly known as MzVee is a Ghanaian musician attended St Mary’s senior high school. She was the winner of the new artist of the year award at the 2015 Ghana Music Awards.
Shirley Ayorkor Botchway
She is the current foreign minister of Ghana. She is a member of parliament for Anyaa-Sowutuom and once served as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Dzifa Affainie
Mrs Dzifa Affainie is a television presenter, producer and radio presenter. Dzifa is the current host of “The Late Nite Celebrity Show”. Dzifa started her television career in the mid-1990s on Teen Beat on Ghana Television (GTV), where she excelled and won the hearts of many Ghanaians as a teenage TV celebrity.
She was also the former host of Obaa Mbo and Day Break at TV Africa.
She was nominated for the City People Entertainment Award for television hostess of the year.
Dzifa is married to Lt. Col (Rtd) Edward Affainie currently with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan. She has won several awards including Television Presenter of the year 2007 at the Ghana Cultural Awards, Most Promising Television Presenter at the RTP Awards in 2011.
Ophelia Crossland
Ophelia Crossland who is an award-winning fashion designer in Ghana and the creative Director of Ophelia Crossland Design Limited. She is known as a Pan-African and a luxury fashion designer who has made clothes for the likes of Mrs Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, Joselyn Dumas, Georgina Woods and many others.
Elsie Addo-Awadzi
Elsie Addo-Awadzi is a Ghanaian international economic and financial lawyer. She was the second deputy minister of the Bank of Ghana in February 2018 the second of female in the history of Ghana to hold that position.
She was the chairperson of the alliance for financial inclusions gender-inclusive financial committee in 2020.
Jean Mensa
Jean Adukwei Mensa is the chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Ghana and the second woman to hold the position. She had her university education at the School of Law, University of Ghana.
She was the former Executive director of the Institute of Economic Affairs. Jean Adukwei Mensa has been involved in the development of policies such as the Presidential Transition Act of 2012, the Revised 1992 Constitution of Ghana (draft), the Political Parties Funding Bill, and the Revised Political Parties Bill.
Cookie Tee
Shirley Tibilla popularly known as Cookie Tee is the host of Starr FM’s Mid-Morning Show, ‘The Zone’ and Life’s Tales. She is also an event host.
Regina Van-Helvert
She is a Ghanaian actress, television and radio personality. She is the host of Miss Malaika, a pageant she participated in 2012 and was also the 1st Runner Up. Her movie Jungle Justice was selected to screen at the largest black film festival in the world — the Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles.
Rev. Mrs. Rita Korankye Ankrah
Rev. Mrs. Rita Korankye Ankrah is a Ghanaian career and guidance adviser, motivational speaker, entrepreneur, conference presenter and also a prophetic ministry revivalist. She is married to Apostle Sam Korankye Ankrah of Royal house Chapel.
Christabel Ekeh
Christabel Ekeh is a Ghanaian actress and a model. She has featured several Ghanaian and Nigerian movies and has won several awards.
Vivienne Achor
Vivienne Adjo Achor is a Ghanaian actress who is noted for stellar roles in movies including Bleeding Love (2003), True Colors (2008) and Darkness of Sorrow (2006). She currently plies her trade in Hollywood.
Habiba Sinare
Habiba Sinare she is an actress, humanitarian, producer and beauty entrepreneur. Habiba was married to Ghanaian footballer, Majeed Warris and they have a son together.