Proprietress of Sunnydale School, GRA, Ikeja, Folakemi Osisanya, may have infected hundreds of teachers, pupils and parents, who have something doing with the school, with a love bug.
It radiated during a press conference to announce activities lined up for the school’s 20th anniversary last Wednesday.
Mrs Osisanya needed not to labour much in talking about the school’s achievements in its two decades of existence. She got ample help from parents and teachers, who were excited as they gave reasons why Sunnydale stood apart from other schools.
Mrs Bisola Longe, chairman of the 20th anniversary committee, ordinarily has no business playing such role since her three children have completed their primary education at the school. However, she said she was not willing to end her 17-year relationship with Sunnydale anytime soon.
“I have been a parent in this school for 17 years. I have been doing school run to GRA from all the locations I have lived; and I have no regrets,”she said.
She added that the anniversary would provide opportunity for the school to blow its trumpet to high heavens to call attention to its understated achievements over the years.
Head of School, Mr Gboyega Fadare, said Sunnydale is unique for its policy of maintaining a fixed population of pupils, who are so well-known by their teachers and other members of staff that none is left behind.
“It is part of our policy that on no account should the school have more than two arms of any class. We do not have more than 20 children to two qualified teachers in each class. This is a school where profit is not the main thing. With this, every staff is able to identify every child by name, character, strengths and weaknesses such that every teacher is able to address the child according to his needs,” he said.
Fadare added that all workers of the school, irrespective of their level, enjoy a generous discount of 85 per cent to enroll their wards in the school, praising Mrs Osisanya for being an exemplary leader.
“We all have our children here. We can afford it because we pay only 15 per cent of the fees,” he said.
Testifying to the magnanimity of Mrs Osisanya in boosting workers’ morale, Mrs Adenike Olawale-Edun, Head of Department Key Stage 1, said workers get a generous health insurance and regular training within and outside Nigeria yearly.
“I have worked almost 10 years and I am very comfortable working here. It is the investment Sunnydale School made in my life. Every member of staff attends at least two trainings annually; we are packaged to take care of our health and that of our families because Mrs Osisanya believes you have to be healthy to work,” she said.
Deputy Head of School, Mrs Ade Fakoya, said the school’s curriculum was also unique – a blend of the best of Nigeria, Britain, United States and Australia. Unlike other schools that pride themselves in running a foreign curriculum, Fakoya said Sunnydale pupils are groomed to thrive both locally and globally.
“We call our curriculum a bouquet curriculum; we created it. We have partners in the U.S., UK, Australia and the rest of the world. We created our own curriculum to make sure it meets the needs of the globalised child. If you meet a Sunnydale child, they will tell you about Nigeria; but also tell you about the world,” she said.
Chairman of the school’s Parent-Teacher Association, Dr Arinola Fetuga, praised Mrs Osisanya for treating everyone with “unconditional positive regard”. She said her processes reflected the school’s core values of hard work, enthusiasm, integrity and respect, which everyone is encouraged to imbibe.
To mark the anniversary, Mrs Longe said the school resumed the new academic session on September 11 with style; restyled and restocked the library of the Lagos State Model Primary School, GRA, Ikeja as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) last week.
“We are going all out to celebrate the 20th anniversary of this great school. We started on the 11th of September when the school resumed. It was fanfare. We are also supporting the Lagos State Model Priamry School to re-style and re-stock its library. We changed the furniture and took donations of books,” she said.
On October 2, Mrs Longe said the school would hold a special cultural programme that would feature food, fashion and various traditional activities like dancing. This will be followed by a thanksgiving service and reception at the Shiba Hall, Ikeja four days later.
Mrs Longe said the school also plans to visit the Ba-Salaam Orphanage, Ikeja – to show its pupils that there are less privileged children who need their empathy.
