WHO WE ARE
The Association is comprised of ex- pupils of the Bishop Johnson Memorial School Freetown, Sierra Leone. Founded in 2016, by a group of Bishop Johnson Memorial School members who wanted to play an active role in supporting the school, its teachers and pupils. The group started with eleven members and has now grown to twenty seven active members.
Over the years, the association has undertaken a number of fundraising activities. This includes but is not limited to annual subscriptions, annual thanksgiving services, luncheon sales and our first Africana extravaganza night. Proceeds from these have gone to the school to be used in a variety of ways including restoration of the roofing of the form two block, along with the refurbishment of two classrooms from the same block.
Our aim now is to continue with refurbishments to the school, bringing it to the best standard possible.
OUR HISTORY
Founded in 1962 under the Leadership of Rev Samuel Ojumiri Green a British trained educationist who was dedicated to building on Sierra Leone’s educational standards within the former Anglican Diocese of Sierra Leone.
(The then Anglican Diocese of Sierra Leone included Diocese of Freetown and the North and the Diocese of Bo)
The school located in Bishop’s Court, started off using the old building of a wooden construction previously used by the Sierra Leone Grammar which had relocated itself to Murray Town in the far western part of Greater Freetown. BJMS was located at 105 Fourah Bay Road past the Princess Christian Missionary Hospital and Ola During Children’s hospital and Bishop’s court the residence of the Bishop of Freetown and the North. The site was seen as having an historic link to education as tourist use to plot their way to the old Fourah Bay College site in Cline Town.
Established as one of the few co-educational secondary schools in Sierra Leone during the 1980’s, it soon developed as an educational centre of repute. By the fourth year of the school’s existence, pupils were taking the West African School examination. The school gave opportunities to young teachers and blooded young minds in teaching with the sole purpose of ensuring that the teaching and educational style within this new institution was uniformed.
The school was designed to offer a range of educational attainment and learning by offering diverse subjects like Wood working and Domestic Sciences. Before long, the school became competitive in athletics, football and cricket to name but a few activities. There was a debating society, an arts club and drama group which provided people who joined local drama groups trading publicly. The school later provided accommodation for the Freetown Teachers College amongst other activities that made the school a focal point.
Bishop Johnson Memorial Secondary School was ably pioneered by a dynamic chair of governors. The Rt Rev Dr Moses O Scott who was Bishop of Sierra Leone and Archbishop of West African Anglican Church.
The first co-educational secondary within the Anglican church quickly established itself as a centre for hosting public debates and small conferences. The highlight of the place was its community use as East End Lions and clubs from the Fourah Field league used the site for training after school.
Before long, there was an active Girls Guide. Boys Scout and Boys Brigade groups within the school, the school also served as an active community accommodation. The school operated as a single secondary school with a very good record in the Form 3 or Middle School Examinations. There was an effective house system that was the feature of the Inter House Sports held at the then Recreation Grounds in Brookfield’s from where talented athletes were selected to presented the school in the Annual Inter-school’s sport meeting.
The school is named after Bishop T S Johnson, the first Sierra Leonean Assistant Bishop of Sierra Leone who died in 1961.