FIRST TERM NEWSLETTER - 2018/2019 ACADEMIC SESSION

HOW I MADE IT IN LORETTO

Whenever I am asked how I made it in Loretto, I become quite flustered. Indeed such questions in the past tense awaken me to the reality that I have really graduated from Loretto. Oh, how time flies! Three years come and gone, yet my first day in Loretto is so fresh in my memory like it happened the day before. Most success stories are personal eulogies but the account of my momentous stay in Loretto is not essentially a success story. Rather it is the story of a young girl who like Abraham Lincoln was a slow walker who never walked back in her 3 years in Loretto.

I still remember the feeling of euphoria with which I walked into Loretto in September, 2015 in my immaculate white gown. Truly, it was a dream come true for me. I was lost in reverie until the admission process was over and my mother said her goodbyes. Once my mother’s back was turned, it dawned on me what I had got myself into. My beloved mother had come and gone leaving me alone in this new world without prior experience of boarding school life to recourse to.  Indeed, nothing can be more intimidating than a transition into the unknown.

However, due to the benevolence of the older students; especially those who were also from my Alma mater, Girls’ high school, now Rosa Mystica High school, Agulu, one of whom became my school neighbour and bunk-mate;  I soon settled into my hostel. As if to stress the fact that Loretto was not a playground, I received a long list of the names of school prefects and the school ethos on the marble from my ever so kind neighbour who patiently explained that it was imperative for all new students to learn those by heart in order to avoid punishment for both themselves and their neighbours. My shock was beyond words, as I could not bring myself to conceive how one would expect a human being to learn that much seemingly useless data in a day. I later learned that it was all for our own good.

Acclimatising to the ambience of the school was an uphill task. The food rations were smaller than what I was used to at home and the school timetable was so full of activities. Then there were the issues of stipulated sacrosanct lights-out bells, rising bells, siesta bells second bells for prayers and the novelty called “Night Prep”. All these buzzing disruptions, which we have been made to understand as voco Dei, (voice of God), nonetheless, I grew with the understanding and awareness of what Abraham Lincoln said, “that the best way to predict your future is to create it”. Conscious of this, I decided to create an enviable future by abiding by the school rules, eschewing bad company, making excellence my lifestyle and staying committed to my relationship with God. Today, I can proudly say that I have never regretted that decision.

In my resolve to thrive in this new world, I had other challenges. Really, in Loretto we studied, we worked, we prayed and we graduated. Before I became a student of Loretto, I used to admire the beautiful flowers and the celestial landscaping in the school premises without realising the effort it took on the part of the management, staff and students of the school. Indeed, it is just as Michelangelo said, “if people knew how hard I worked to achieve my mastery, it wouldn’t seem so wonderful after all”. On our first Saturday in the school, my class, SS.1D was to transport heavy stones in bags from one end of the school to another. Most of us were not used to such hard work and we worked until we felt faint. We resorted to composing a new anthem with a name we felt suited the school better, so that day, Loretto Special Science School, Adazi became Loretto Special Labour School to us. Just when we thought it could not get any worse, the school manager, Fr. Hilary Nwajagu informed us that we were also to weed the nearby grasses and transport the sand beneath the stones! You can imagine our disillusionment. We felt we were princesses turned labourers. However, when I look back now, I am full of thanks to the school manager and staff for equipping us for life after graduation.

Amidst all this, the sequential school timetable, the incessant calls for “any SS.1” from the seniors, as well as the routine labour and hostel work, I began the battle with sleep, (Morpheus) during prep. In fact, I was a usual practitioner of 'sleep-reading' known as “Atipenku” in Loretto. After the first term examinations, I took the second position overall. I was happy because I had proved wrong the predictions of some older students (who knew that the first position had become something of my birth right in my Alma-mater) that had told me that I would be lucky to find myself among the first twenty students due to the competitive nature of Loretto. But I resolved to become the best student in my class the next term. My resolve was brought to fruition when I came first in the second and third terms. Subsequently, I emerged the overall best student in SS.1 and by the grace of God; I maintained that position in SS.2.

Worthy of note are the challenges I faced in combining the preparation and participation in competitions with school work. In this area, the teachers were most considerate. They offered to teach me topics taught in my absence and allowed me to submit assignments and projects, as well as write tests done in my absence. In the third term of SS.2, I was made the general disciplinarian/study prefect of the school. Initially, I found it difficult to combine school work with the post. Anyone who has not experienced life as a school prefect may not fully appreciate what a privilege and enormous task it is to be a Loretto prefect. But in time I adjusted to the needs of the moment with the ultimate goal of getting a good WASSCE result, which thankfully I have achieved.

At this juncture it suffices to say that success and failure are both predictable as they are results of the self-same thing: “a decision for or against discipline”. The sum total of a person’s life particularly students is a result of the decisions they make daily. As a student, I resolved to learn new things daily in the light of Albert Einstein’s statement, “you start dying when you stop leaning”.

In a nutshell, there are no hard and fast rules as to how I made it in Loretto, but to the younger stars of this great citadel of learning I will say this: juxtapose a daily strive to make investment in your future as regards academics with a well-guarded, intimately built relationship with God almighty. Live a life worthy of the title “princess of Loretto”. Imbibe discipline as a lifestyle because the future of our generation and posterity is dependent on us.

Finally, keep to heart the words of Ella Wilcox, “there is no chance, no destiny, and no fate that can circumvent or hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined soul”.

Oguadimma Deborah Chioma

Best graduating Student

2017/2018 academic session

A group known as Swiss Friends of Nigeria, on Monday, January 6, visited the Catholic Diocese of Awka-owned Loretto Special Science School, Adazi-Nnukwu, Anaocha LGA, during which the group sensitized the students and teachers on health and resilience, and donated five brand new laptops and an interactive white board to the school.

The Swiss Friends' group which was formed by a Switzerland-based Awka Diocesan Catholic priest, Rev Fr Ignatius Okoli, at the visit, educated the Loretto Family on causes, prevention, care and possible eradication of the killer malaria disease.

One of the speakers, Dr Helen Hochreutener, observed that Nigeria had a high maternal mortality rate. She noted that to ensure good health, there was an urgent need to address the high maternal mortality rate, which, according to her, was often caused by malaria and other health problems.

Dr Hochreutener described resilience as the science of mastering life's greatest challenges and identified the ability of people to confront their fears, maintain an optimistic but realistic outlook, imitate sturdy role models, attend to their health and well-being, and through exercises and healthy feeding, stay physically fit, as some of the resilience factors.

Another speaker, Elizabeth Rosario Rivos, who spoke on Dreaming big, setting goals and taking actions; identified defining one's goal, making a plan, staying focused and celebrating each achieved step, as the steps to success.

Speaking on the occasion, the school proprietor and Catholic Bishop of Awka Diocese, Most Rev Paulinus Ezeokafor, thanked the group for the visit and their donations in support of educational development

In their various speeches, the Manager/Principal, Loretto Special Science School, Adazi-Nnukwu, Rev Fr Arinze Udeh, and the senior prefect of the school, Jennifer Ezenwote, commended the Swiss Friends for what they described as their special contributions to educational development in Loretto.

For his part, the initiator of the Swiss Friends of Nigeria, Rev Fr Ignatius Okoli, said the group which was officially one year old, came into being to encourage interaction as well as contribute to human and societal development.

Rev Fr Okoli said the group also as part of its 2020 Health Outreach Programme had earlier organized a 2-day free health care programme for the people at Ezira, Orumba South LGA, Anambra State.

The Swiss Friends with some of the Loretto students and the School Management Team. 1st right (front row) is the School Principal, Rev Fr Francis Arinze Ude, 4th right is Dr Helen Hochreutener, 3rd left is the leader of the Swiss Friends, Rev Fr Ignatius Okoli.

AN ADDRESS PRESENTED BY UDE, FRANCIS ARINZE (REV. FR.) THE MANAGER, LORETTO SPECIAL SCIENCE SCHOOL, ADAZI-NNUKWU ON THE INAUGURATION OF THE NEW ACADEMIC YEAR, THE INVESTITURE OF THE NEW STUDENTS AND THE AWARD GIVING DAY ON SUN 18^TH NOVEMBER, 2018.

………….AND THE STRUGGLE FOR EXCELLENCE CONTINUES.

Today marks a memorable day in the academic life of the new students, the older students and also the out-gone students. For the new students, mark it, the school has armed you with the full accoutrements and arsenals of excellence. You are equipped to excel and there is no other option than to succeed. In Loretto, failure is not and shall never be an option; so you owe your parents the debt of justifying all the efforts they make to keep and sustain you here.  To older students, we look up to this day as ‘a harvest of laurels’. It is a day for reward and awards. On such day, industry and excellence are not only announced but they are equally celebrated with pomp and pageantry. For the out-gone students, today, the 18^th of November 2018 is a day of reckoning. Far from being a day of judgement, it is a moment of truth. Yes, on the pedestal of these tripartite events, we have gathered to welcome the new students and assure them of the fulfilment of their dreams, for the older students, ‘it’s never too late to start afresh’, and to the QUEEN OF THE PHENOMENAL SET, thanks for being worthy ambassadors of Loretto.

THE INVESTITURE

My lovely little ones, see this momentous phase as historic; a transition from a peasant to a royalty. Yes, you have graduated from your junior secondary school to this great citadel of learning, but you must have noticed that Loretto is a different ball game. Here in Loretto, the game is the same but; the rules of the game have been altered. There is no extra time, no half-time; we go the full length without rest. This is a moment of endowment, as the blue blood of the Loretto royalty is being infused into your veins, the moment to prove your royalty has just started. Shy not away from the task of conquering any obstacle on the way to success. I would wish you to adopt these nuggets as a rule of thumb:

• DARE TO DREAM GREAT DREAMS AND SET TARGETS.
• BE RESOLVED TO ACHIEVE YOUR DREAMS AND TARGETS.
• THE SHORTEST ROUTE TO SUCCESS IS THROUGH HARD-WORK.
• WORK AS IF EVERYTHING DEPENDS ON YOU
• WALK WITH GOD AS IF EVERYTHING DEPENDS ON GOD.

In Loretto, only the best is good enough for the princesses; therefore strive for nothing but the best.

THE INAUGURATION

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a step, says the Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu. My glorious princesses, in the past academic year, you have put in your best both in your academic life and other aspects of your formation here. You have laboured like one who has a target; while some of you targeted the stars, some had the outer space as their target. The die is now cast, this is the moment for a holistic evaluation, a time to appraise the actions you posited and the ones you left undone. To review the hours you put into good use by studying and the many golden opportunities you might have squandered.

Its worthy of note to observe that while so many of you showed great signs of improvement, majority still displayed superlative accomplishment. This is a welcome development and since we believe in a reward system that encourages and appreciates, we shall honour you not just because you are a princess but you also behave like one. Keep it up. To those who are yet to make an impression, I urge you princesses to lift up your head lest your crown will fall. Remember that a princess is destined to become a queen; therefore you have begun to write your own unparalleled story. Your ‘once upon a time’ is now.

THE HARVEST OF STARS

Essentially, we gathered to celebrate resounding success, to dole out great awards to great minds that once hallowed this moulder of queens. Better still, we shall witness a harvest of stars. I am a believer in these quadruplets: dreams, dreamers, dream chasers, dram achievers. Every great dream begins with a dreamer; and when there is a dreamer, there is a dream chaser and also the possibility of a dream achiever. These out-gone ambassadors of ours never slept because dream chasers are always awake, working hard, refusing to give up but will always achieve their dreams. They came, they saw and they have conquered. We shall present them as great minds of sterling qualities; we urge them to remain worthy ambassadors of Loretto.

THANKS YOU TEACHERS 

There is the saying, “when the students are ready, the teacher will appear”. The first appreciation goes to Very Rev. Fr. Hilary Nwajagu for making Loretto, ‘primus inter pares’; yes we are the first amongst equals. May the good Lord lead you to achieve even greater exploits in Jesus name, Amen. We have a crop of erudite and dedicated staff; ever ready to go the extra mile to give the students the best. Even as we appreciate the students, we cannot lose sight of the fact that behind every success story is a tactful story writer, the teacher. They initiated the story-line, continued it and saw to its completion. Our teachers here have toiled and moiled; they have burned the midnight candle and have supported the students in all facets of their formation. They deserve our respect and ought to be celebrated too. Once more, thank you teachers, you are the best.

LORETTO ENTRANCE EXAMINATION FOR 2020/2021 ACADEMIC SESSION - POSTPONED INDEFINITELY

This to inform parents/guardians of prospective students and indeed the general public that the Entrance Examination into the school (Loretto Special Science School, Adazi Nnukwu) earlier scheduled to take place on Saturday 18th April, 2020 has been postponed indefinitely. 

A new date will be communicated when the scare and reality of COVID-19 pandemic is contained and restrictions lifted. 

THE STANDARD REMAINS BUT POWER HAS CHANGED HANDS)

After 8 years of intensive administrative work, building the broken, character formation and raising the standard of education to its present height by the first manager, Rev. Fr. Hilary Obinna Nwajagu, since the return of the school to the mission, under the proprietorship of the Catholic Bishop of Awka, His Lordship Most Rev. Dr Paulinus Ezeokafor, it is now time for a the baton to be handed over.

The bishop after the transfer of priests in September, 2018 has posted to the school (Loretto special science school, Adazi-Nnukwu, a new manager in the person of Rev. Fr. Francis Ude (former assistant manager Holy Child, Isuofia) and Rev. Fr. Daniel Odumegu to assist him while the former manager Rev. Fr.  Hilary Nwajagu, is now the Education Secretary, Awka diocese and his assistant Rev. Fr. Jeremiah is now a  parish priest

The Loretto family which includes Staff, Students and members of the P.T.A welcome you Rev. Fr. Francis and Rev. Fr. Daniel and we promise to support you and we pray and hope for more support from everyone who has the interest of the school at heart.

We also used the opportunity to say well-done to the managers emeritus Fr. Hillary and Rev. Fr. Jeremiah. You have ran the race to the end, the fight you have fought to the finish. May God give you that crown, bless and reward you as you move to work in his vineyard in another capacity. Amen. We are certain Fr. Hillary will do well as the education secretary as one who believes that education indeed has a standard that not only must be attained but maintained. We know that Fr. Jeremiah will also be do very well at the parish having served us well here. We will indeed miss your physical presence.

The handover was successfully done at the last PTA meeting which took place on the 6^th of October, 2018. 

Pictures from the handover event on the 6^th of October, 2018

THREE WEEK WITH REV FR FRANCIS UDE AS MANAGER....