Ghana Together Science Projects
Axim All-Girls High School Science Center
Initiated in 2010, the Jerome Chandler Science Resource Center was first housed in the WHH Heritage Building and students and teachers from various schools trekked up the hill to "do science."
Fast forward to 2014! When the AGSHS was fully accredited, community leaders decided to move it to their campus, believing the science education was vital for Ghana's young women.
As of 2018 AGSHS had almost 500 students. They teach basic science, but take a bus to the Nsein Senior High, which has a more developed lab, for advanced sources. They use the Internet-in-a-Box we provided, thanks to Unleash Kids, which contains about 1200 Kahn Academy Math and Science videos. We bring Science News and other resources.
Jerome Chandler Science Resource Center Project Background
Just a little history here: When Maryanne Ward and Leif Pederson visited Axim in 2010, Mr. Hayford, the Nzema East Education District's Science Coorindator, proposed that Ghana Together help them put together a fully outfitted Science Resource Center.
Maryanne worked with the Nzema-East/Axim Education Service, WHH Board members, and the Municipal Chief Executive of Axim to get agreements in place for respective responsibilities.
Ghana Together Director Jerome Chandler accepted the challenge of Project Manager. He used the Ghana Education Service Science Curriculum as his guide, and went to work!!!
We purchased about $8000 worth of science materials in the US (not available in Ghana).
In Ghana, we bought all the plastic tubs to be found in Takoradi, a city of some 400,000!
We carried science materials in luggage, shipped some, and purchased some in distant Accra (capital city) and thanks to James Kainyiah got them transported to Axim.
Carpenters in Axim made tables, benches, and storage cabinets.
Axim businessman and WHH Board member Isaac Bentil coordinated most of the effort locally.
Jerome wrote some 60 science experiments from scratch with the help of Rich Ward who was the stand-in student, testing the experiments!
Finallly, in fall of 2011, Jerome travelled to Axim and spent a month setting it all up and training Eric Jim (Jimpetey Djan), whom the Education Service had positioned as the Jerome Chandler Science Resource Center Supervisor.
(By the way, we built the water tower in the photo, too!! Thank you Mercer Island Rotary!)
JHS Science Teacher Workshops
This story of Ghana Together and science has a long history.
Back in 2009, Jerome Chandler spent a month in Axim conducting workshops for science teachers from about thirty schools in the Nzema East District.
In Ghana, all university graduates must perform two years of National Service, and many are placed as teachers. Many science teachers have themselves had little science education, especially at the junior high level---hence the invitation to Jerome from the Science Curriculum officer.
Jerome, a retired Skagit Valley Community College science instructor, had spent a decade in his early life teaching science and as headmaster of St. John's School in Sekondi, Ghana, was ready to answer the call! His early experience with the culture and educational customs is invaluable.
Manye Academy Science Materials
And, shortly after Jerome returned home from the workshops, a group of us travelled to Axim bringing some 500 lbs of science materials/equipment for Manye Academy, a local primary/JHS school.
We---especially Jerome Chandler, and in the early days, Susan Hirst, and Jeanie Birchall--- together with Western Heritage Home and Axim/Nzema East Education Service leaders have worked together on science for a long time.
And we're not done yet!!
AND, have we thanked you enough, you many generous "science investors?" Can we ever thank you enough?