Cape Coast — A total of 72 students of the University Practice Senor High School (UPSHS) in Cape Coast were on Friday presented with certificates and decorated with Bronze medals under the Head of State Awards (HOSA) for participating in a prescribed community voluntary activities outside the classroom environment.
The Headmaster of the School in the Central Regional capital, Charles Agyapong-Boamah, assisted by other dignitaries, presented the certificates and decorated the students with the Bronze medals at a brief ceremony in the school.
The students undertook expeditions to deprived rural communities in the region to engage in communal activities aimed at giving back to society and developing positive attitudes.
Ms Evelyn Grace Annan, leader of the HOSA team at the ceremony and 2004 Gold medalist, encouraged the students to aspire higher to engage in other activities in the years ahead to win the silver and the ultimate Gold medals to have the opportunity to be decorated by the President of the Ghana.
The HOSA scheme is an affiliate of the Duke of Edinburgh's International Award, a world leading youth achievement awards founded by His Royal Highness Prince Philip, which was first introduced in 1967, aimed to equip young people with skills and positive attitudes for life and work.
Mr Agyapong-Boamah commended the students for working so hard to bring "honours and trophies to the school but not troubles" and encouraged them to work harder towards the ultimate Gold Medal.
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"These awards should spur you on to do greater things than you have done. We hope that when you complete, you will put into practise the values you have acquired wherever you find yourselves to make society better," the headmaster added.
Kwadwo Abedi-Lartey, the HOSA Coordinator for Central Region, said the awardees must be proud of sacrificing their leisure for a programme that was worth undertaking.
He observed with worry that young persons were at the risk of being lured into fraud and "sakawa" and being polluted with negative thoughts.
He entreated them to "stand out to believe in themselves and believe in Ghana" that they could do better things in life, by engaging in the prescribed activities under the programme to develop and equip themselves with life skills for a better future."
Daniel AppiahEssuman, a HOSA leader, in a congratulatory message, said the students had gone through "thick and thin" of adventurous activities toget equipped with other skills to complement formal education to resolve some of the unemployment challenges.
The President of the HOSA UPSHS branch, Cherise Boatemah Asare, said they were elated to be recipients of the awards and urged his mates to be more dedicated to win the ultimate gold medals.
