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TARPSA climaxes 60th anniversary in grand style
• Nana Abena Boaduwaa II (fouthfrom right) flanked by the dignitries
to unveil the dining hall project
Members of the Past Students’ Association of Tarkwa Senor High School (TARPSA), last SaturdaY took Tarkwa by ‘whirlwind’ when they celebrated their 60th anniversary in a grand style.
Th event, on the theme ‘Achieving academic excellence evoked a cocktail of memories flavoured with joy, merry making, and reminisces of the period gone, but not forgotten.
As former classmates embraced and shouted , they reflected on forbearers, who slept on the floor, fetch the only source of water from Bediabewu stream nearby, and the disciplinary regime that moulded their future.
It was a moment of laughter and tears of joy.
Former Mates were also heard re-echoing nicknames they gave teachers and also solemnised those who had passed on. It was a celebration of fashionable style, as past students and guests, clad in anniversary cloth waxed with the motto ‘Carpe Diem’ – seize the opportunity.
Indeed, it was a goose – pimpled occasion that unfolded at the Tarkwa Senior High School (TARSCO) park.
It was an event that witnessed the blend of martial march and traditional dances spiced with peals of hymns from the school choir.
The school’s naval cadet, under the command of Under Officer, Sandra Ntiakoh, exhibited a splendid performance that exemplified the maxim of preparedness, martial discipline and the character for future leaders.
Undoubtedly, the 51-member contingent showed dexterity in time, marksmanship, precision and espirit de corps.
Indeed, they gave an eloquent testimony, that these were next corps TARPSCANS ready to lift the banner and hold the torch of TARSCO in the next century.
What increased the crescendo was the splendid performance by the band. They never wavered when even Master of Ceremonies (MCs), including Fiifi Boafo of COCOBOD, in ‘violation’ of military protocol, prompted them to leave the quadrangle.
Led by the Drum Major, they remained resolute and resumed their antics before returning to base, in style. And the applause from the gathering was deafening and echoed which could even be heard down valleys of TARSCO and beyond the mining enclaves.
The cultural troupe also mellowed and melted the hearts of the guests including the Queenmother of Apinto Division, Nana Abena Boaduwaa II, Apinto Gyaasehene, Nana Dr Adarkwa Bediako III, Coordinator, Technical Division Ministry of Finance and TARPSA National President, Mrs Hannah Owusu-Koranteng.
They cruised on cloud nine while the atumpan and fontofroms pumped the air with throbbing rhythms. Indeed, the ecstasy was fantastic.
Ms Mends, who could not hide her joy, recounted her stay at TARSCO and mentioned that “it was all joy to be here again.”
She revealed how she swept the hen coop of one housemistress, Miss Adjei and benefitted by enjoying chicken soup on Sundays.
“It’s great to be in TARSCO. You might come here with no dreams, but, with time, you find friends, who will stand by you, nurture and inspire you. House mistresses may be strict on you, but, ultimately, it’s a good habit not just for today, but, also for tomorrow,” she recollected.
Thanking stakeholders, especially TARPSCANS, Mrs Owusu -Koranteng, prayed that God should guide them for another successful anniversary.
She said “ It has been a very wonderful week full of events, excitement, and challenges that have almost threatened our ability to succeed. We made it and it is a success that each one of us can identify with.
“It is the Lord and the spirit of team work. All I can say is Ayekoo because there is nothing more beyond that. I am trusting that this is just the beginning of bigger things to manifest.”
Mrs Owusu-Koranteng continued “What we set out for ourselves appears to be huge. We can achieve this goal and it is my prayer that when we plan for the 65th anniversary, the uniting force would be how we will be handing over the flagship to our alma mater.”
The Headmaster, Mr George Oduro, celebrated the collectivity of the TARSCO spirit of Carpe Diem, especially from staff and TARPSA for their efforts in development, stressing that, “the toils of the founding fathers continue to bear fruits.”
TARSCO charted its future in September, 1961, with 59 pioneers- 46 boys and 13 girls, who had no dormitories at the time, under the tutelage of the strict, principled headmaster, late Charles Kodwo Enyawosika Stephens.
From Clement Adzei Boye, Tarkwa
The professor who spends his days exploring the intricacies of African languages found himself at the centre of a different kind of lesson on Friday, October 2, 2026. 
This time, there were no lecture notes, academic arguments or university classrooms. Instead, there was the weight of tradition, the rhythm of a community celebration and the solemnity of an oath at a royal palace.
Professor Ọbádélé Kambon, a full Professor of African Linguistics at the University of Ghana, was enstooled as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene of Akuapem Mampong in the Eastern Region in a ceremony that brought academia and traditional authority together.
For the professor, the occasion was more than a new title. It was a moment that connected his academic interests in African languages and indigenous knowledge with the living traditions of an Akan community.
The day’s events unfolded through a series of customary observances. Kambon was first taken to the compounds of the Ɔkyeamehene and Gyasehene, where the preparations for his installation continued.
Then came the application of hyire, the white kaolin powder associated with traditional rites.
With the customary proceedings underway, the new chief was lifted onto the shoulders of celebrants and carried along the main thoroughfare of Akuapem Mampong.
The procession transformed the streets into a public stage for a ceremony rooted in the community’s traditional institutions.
There was something striking about the image, a university professor, accustomed to the measured language of academic discourse, being carried through the town in a display of traditional recognition.
Yet the celebration was not complete with the procession.
A ram was sacrificed at the Mamponghene’s compound before Kambon was taken to the palace, to swear the oath associated with his new offices.
The ceremony brought him formally into his roles as Apagyahene and Sunsum Ɔsahene.
Beyond the colourful proceedings, the titles themselves carry layers of historical meaning.
Kambon in his research explores the historical connections between Apagya and Akan political and military organisation.
Accounts cited in his work linked Apagya to an asafo, or military company, while historical writing traces an Apagya stool in Asante to the reign of Opoku Ware I in the eighteenth century.
These historical associations offer a glimpse into the institutions that have shaped Akan society over generations, although they do not automatically define the precise responsibilities of the office in Akuapem Mampong.
Kambon’s own professional life reflects a similar interest in preserving and examining African knowledge.
His work encompasses Akan language structure, naming practices across the Black world, proverbs and indigenous intellectual traditions.
Through Abibitumi, the platform he founded, he also promotes language learning, scholarship and cultural engagement.
But tradition was only one part of the story that day.
When the formal ceremony gave way to a reception, the occasion expanded into a celebration of three milestones: Kambon’s enstoolment, his promotion to full professor and his daughter Ama’s admission to the University of Ghana.
The gathering therefore carried a personal significance that went beyond the honours bestowed on one man. 
It celebrated professional advancement, the continuation of family aspirations and a connection to cultural heritage.
For a father, seeing a daughter gain admission to the same university where he holds a distinguished academic position offered another reason to celebrate.
For the professor, the moment placed family achievement alongside his own professional and traditional milestones.
Kambon had already established a place in the traditional life of Akuapem Mampɔn through an earlier installation as Banmuhene Kyidɔmhene, recorded in 2017.
His latest enstoolment adds another chapter to that relationship.
In Akuapem Mampɔn, the day brought together the university, the palace and the family table in one celebration. And for Kambon, the journey from the lecture room to the traditional procession showed how scholarship, cultural responsibility and family achievement could converge in a single memorable occasion.
By Enoch Ntiamoah Siaw
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By: Jacob Aggrey
