1. Up Santaclausians! stand up to honour
Those who have gilded the School with their fame;
Our Alma Mater - a blessing upon her!
Bids us remember the strength of their name.
Others have laboured and we share their glory,
Ours to do exploits and add to their gain.
Those who come after will take up our story,
May it be worthy of singing again.
CHORUS Play up, play up Santaclausians!
Play up and play the game!
Give nothing but your best
And never think of rest,
Play up for the School's great name!
2. Nicholas, the Saintly Bishop our Patron,
Prays that his sons may be good men and true
Hamlyn, our Founder, rests all his hopes on
You, and the big things that you want to do
Gird up your loins, let the watchword be Forward;
Give of your best and the School, you will see,
If you will pray hard, and work hard and play hard,
Either "primus" or "cum primis" will be.
CHORUS
Note: The original 'Ode' has six stanzas or verses and a chorus,
according praise and honour to St. Nicholas as well as Bishop Hamlyn, the
Founder, Phillip Quaque, the first African to take Holy Orders in the Anglican
Church in England after the Reformation and Clement Henry Elliott, `the First
Fruit of orders', the first Old Boy of the School to fulfill the hopes of the
Founder, by becoming a Priest of the Church, after whom the three original
School Houses are named.
Apart from extolling the glories of the School, the Ode with its theme on
Honesty and Service is designed to re-edify the hopes and buoy up the spirits of
all Santaclausians (past and present), inspire them to have a vision of what is
expected of them and also to enable them to do their best in whatever sphere of
labour or activity they may be engaged after they had left the School. In other
words, the 'Ode' exhorts all Santaclausians to lead a useful and purposeful
life, always seeking to serve and dedicated to to worthier and noblier ends.
However, under present circumstances and in light of rapid developments at
the School which have necessitated the creation of five other School Houses
named after equally great and noble Spirits, closely associated with the School,
it has been found expedient on all occasions, to sing only the first two
portions of the Ode. and the Chorus as above for good effects.
Adisadel, once St. Nicholas' Grammar School,
Thy humble bard sings aloud Thy praises once more;
Now crowned and sceptered, high on a Golden Stool
May Thy Spirit wax stronger as ne'er before.
Still bring up the young to join the able throng,
Of fine men with `Service' as their magic wand
Men with the will to tune the inspiriting song,
The real song that makes the Nation great and grand.
Fellow Santaclausians all, of every age,
Let's now proudly laud the School's great name at length,
For ours, indeed is the rare, rich heritage -
Of knowledge and wisdom, dignity and strength.
Let's hold fast then those rare gifts and wisely serve,
Still striving for the best and playing up the game,
Let's all labour so earnestly and full of verve -
With garlands wreathe our good Old School's glorious name!
O Come! all who rejoice to hear
The name of Santaclaus - and feast,
Come now, from home, from far and near,
From North and South, from West and East,
Where'er the name is called with glee
This time of Golden Jubilee!
Reclothe yourselves in spirit old –
The noble one of Santaclaus,
To sing in concert anthems bold With mind and soul set free from flaw,
Or else your glory goes to sleep,
This hour of Golden Jubilee!
O Come, Great God, to this old Hill!
Our work, our School, our lives to bless,
Imbue our minds with love, and fill Our hearts with light, Thy Holiness
To see; our duty not to flee,
This hour of Golden Jubilee!
Arise, O Santaclausian!
Assert yourselves, let Nicholas lead;
And show your virtues - let them shine –
The beacon light for doubtful feet
Awake the world with voice of zeal
And shout, `My School, all fame for thee!'
Note: Two Sixth Form students of the School composed this Golden Jubilee
Song to commemorate the occasion in 1960. J.A. Asamoah wrote the words and G.S.
Darko set the words to music.
A meed of thanks to the heavens we raise L lo, all Santaclausians sing thy praise A nd with gratitude, with one accord, N ow thy selfless deeds we do record.
J oy rings and ripples o'er the rill O `er Adisadel on the Hill. H ere, youngsters, vigorous and agile, N eatly sip the Pierian Spring awhile.
K night, beloved Father in God, thy name, N ay, thy mem'ry shall live in fame I n our hearts and minds for ever more: G od grant thee strength and more years to score, H ealth, all-abounding, vigour and luck, T he Word of God to proclaim with pluck!
-G. McLean Amissah
Adisadel College,
Cape Coast,
March 12, 1977.
Note: Written as a Tribute to `Father Knight' the Creator' of
Adisadel College and to commemorate the Archbishop's FORTY YEARS Episcopal
Service as Bishop of Georgestown and Archbishop of the West Indies. (1937-1977)
Headmasters of Adisadel College
Head Prefects
Hare’s Classics Prize
Hamlyn Greek Prize
Fisher Mathematics Prize
The English Prize
Science Prize
The French Prize
Victores Laudorum
Note: The original book lists all the headmasters of the school and
various award recipients in Appendixes V and VI. An updated list can be found at
the following URL: http://www.adisadelcollege.net/awards.htm
POSTSCRIPT:
It is disheartening to observe, from the above records, that the time
honoured competitions for special prizes, so traditional to Adisadel, have been
left to fall into abeyance! Old Santaclausians of past generations will recall
with evident nostalgia, the lure and fascinations of those competitions in their
days. Is not it, refreshingly, a matter for real pride and satisfaction that
many winners of those `gilt-edged' prizes have made their mark in the world of
learning, as outstanding scholars and as capable men in various spheres of
endeavour? This indeed sums up the validity and value of the prizes which
certainly serve as great spurs to learning and scholarship . In this sense, the
apparent neglect of this Old tradition of the School is much to be regretted.
Concerned Old Santaclausians as well as friends and well-wishers of
Adisadel should feel obliged to make generous contributions, in cash or in kind,
to help restore and maintain this vital institution which intrinsically, is one
of Adisadel's most prized heirlooms!
