Encomiums as Atlantic Hall School marks 30th anniversary

It was glitz and glamour last weekend, as eminent personalities converged on The Bell Events Centre, Campbell Building, Lagos Island, to celebrate the 30th anniversary gala of Atlantic Hall School, Lagos.

The evening saw guests poured tributes and encomiums on the founders of the school, their products and achievement so far in the country’s educational scene.

There was also award presentation to some of the distinguished alumni of the school, dubbed “decade’s ambassadors of Atlantic Hall.”

Guests from different walks of life, who honoured the school, affirmed that it was indeed, 30 years of outstanding service to human capital development.

They narrated how the vision and insight of five women, the founders, transformed lives and changed the face of teaching and learning in the country.

The five women are Chief Taiwo Taiwo; Mrs. Eniola Fadayomi, Gbeminiyi Smith; Dr. Kehinde. O. Dina and Mrs. Olabisi Towry-Coker.

Later on, Ms Lola Aboderin; Chief Marlies Allan; Chief Abimbola Bode Thomas; Chief Keji Okunowo and Mrs. Grace Fadayomi, were also invited to join the team. Together they formed the 10 trustees who are owners of the school.

Vice president, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, was a special guest of honour at the colourful event, which also attracted Chairman of The Guardian Newspaper Limited, Lady Maiden Alex-Ibru, members of the school’s board of trustees, the staff, the students and alumni of the school, among numerous others.

Osinbajo commended the selflessness and enterprising spirit of the founders, whom he said did not only dare to envision the great institution but committed their lives and resources to give birth to it.

He said: “Five, and then 10 extraordinary women, who after making a success of their lives and careers, cared to look back and give back. But it is to the staff of the school that we owe that special debt of gratitude for running with the vision and executing the mandate of moulding and developing the many young talents for which they were custodians, and doing so, so masterfully in the past 30 years.

“But a school is ultimately about its students; what they become in character, values, and learning and especially what difference they make in their societies. Almost invariably, we are all products of our environment, especially our schools. There, our worldview is formed, our ethics are shaped, our sense of fairness, right and wrong is honed, our fidelity to principles, loyalty to family, friends and the nation is defined. Indeed, all that ultimately makes us who we are is developed in school.

“So not surprisingly as a part of this event, you are unveiling the school’s ten ‘ambassadors of the decade,’ made up of some particularly exemplary former students whose remarkable achievements in their various fields of endeavour are the pride of the school and indeed the nation.

“Each of these outstanding individuals is a product of the nurtured skills and solid foundations, of years in a school environment that valued their talents, celebrated their skills and cheered them on. “

Chairman of the school, Taiwo, said the event is a climax of the year-long events marking three decades of the school’s existence.

Recalling the passion behind the establishment of the school, Taiwo said: “In embarking on this pervious journey, we (the 10 founding trustees) were greatly encouraged by the roles that women had played historically as change agents in the history of Nigeria education. Lady Oyinka Abayomi started Queens College; Corona Schools had bee established by women of the Corona Societies. We recognised that this was our call to duty, our call to be inspirational change agents that destiny had placed in our hands.

“We conducted research on the legal frame that had been used in the establishment of Grange. We decided to use their model and proceeded to register the school under the land succession acts charity. We had a name Atlantic Hall, never did we imagine that even in choosing that very name, was prescient.