St. Mary’s School Yala is a provincial

Province

A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...

 school

School

A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...

 for boys situated along the Kisumu-Busia highway

Kisumu-Busia highway

B1 road is a major road in Kenya connecting Nakuru to the Ugandan border. The road can be divided into two distinct parts: Nakuru - Kisumu highway and Kisumu-Busia highway....

 in Yala Township in the Nyanza

Nyanza

Nyanza may refer to:*Nyanza, Rwanda**Nyanza District, the district surrounding Nyanza, Rwanda*Nyanza Province, Kenya*Nyanza Lac, Burundi*Nyanza, the Bantu word for lake, in particular:**Lake Albert **Lake Edward...

 Province of Western Kenya

Kenya

Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

.

The school was founded in 1927 by the Mill Hill missionaries

Mill Hill Missionaries

Mill Hill Missionaries is a society of Catholic missionaries founded in 1866.-External links:* * * http://www.vocationsireland.com/missionpriests/millhill.html...

 notably Msgr. Brandsma who wanted to start a teachers college for catholic schools. Yala School was opened in 1927 making it one of the oldest schools in Kenya.

It was noted that not many students were keen on becoming teachers and so it become a full primary school and junior secondary school that expanded to become the current St. Mary’s Yala. 700-730 students attend the school each year and it has a teaching staff of 40.

Student life

The student body is headed by the School Captain

School Captain

School Captain is a student appointed or elected to represent the school.This student, usually in the senior year, in their final year of attending that school...

 (Head Boy

Head boy

Head Boy and Head Girl are terms commonly used in the British education system, and in private schools throughout the Commonwealth.-United Kingdom:...

) together with prefects. There is an Old Boys Association "Yala Old Boys Association. (YOBA)", which is a social gathering of old boys.

Co-curriculum activities

The school offers various sporting disciplines, which include rugby, athletics, soccer, basketball, handball, indoor-games, volleyball, badminton and hockey. The rugby team won the national secondary school rugby championship in 2003.

Administrative structure

The school was headed by Mr. Marcellous K’ojwang as the Principal until 2005 when Mr. John Awiti replaced him in that capacity.Mr Awiti brings on board a wealth of experience from St. Joseph Rapogi in Migori District. Mrs. Rosemary Abuodha Omogo (Deputy Principal) deputized him till 2006 when Mr. Sammy Onyango took over as deputy Prinripal, Mrs Rosemary was promoted to the position of principal head on a different school. Mr Sammy Onyango too has been promoted to Kilgoris Boys High school as the new Principal and his place taken by Mr. Peter Auma with effect from May 2010.

Facilities

Since the arrival of the new principal Mr. John Awiti,the school has undertaken several projects and the school has been given a complete facelift. The days when boys waded in muddy red soil to and from their dormitories are long gone. Slabs have been laid on all the pavements connecting classes, labs and dormitories. Beautiful landscaping has been done at the assembly area. Other projects accomplished include Purchase of a new school bus, departmental offices, the water project, a sick bay for the students and a laboratory named Yoba House, renovation of all the dormitories and renovation of staff houses . Current on-going projects include Construction of a new dormitory with a capacity of 900 students. The school has been upgraded to a five stream school with 880 students.

Notable alumni

Kenyan politician Tom Mboya

Tom Mboya

Thomas Joseph Odhiambo Mboya was a prominent Kenyan politician during Jomo Kenyatta's government. He was founder of the Nairobi People's Congress Party, a key figure in the formation of the Kenya African National Union , and the Minister of Economic Planning and Development at the time of his death...

 and Former Assistantt Minister for Foreign Affairs, Richard Onyonka attended the school. Several Academicians have attended the school as well, most notably Prof. John Odhiambo and Prof V. Onyango, both of Strathmore, and Dr.Charles Olunga of UON. Other notable in cutting edge scientific research include Dr. Dennis Ndolo (ICGED), Dr. Spala Ohaga (Kisumu), Dr. Bonaventure Aman and Dr. Steve Ger (ICIPE). Judges and prominent lawyers also went through this school, most notably the late J.O Masime, Lawyer Kopot,and Justice Emmanuel O'kubasu, Prominent Kenyans and government officials, including former PC Paul Olando,Stanslas Oduor, Former PS Youth Ministry in the government of Kenya, James Waweru, PS ministry of Industrialization, and Prof. John Lonyangapuo.

Others include Jack Onyando, a Health Systems Specialist in Uganda

External links

• YOBA