When school culture rules
Nov 02, 2006
WORD in my school days was that SMACK, (St. Mary’s College Kisubi), bred perfect gentlemen — brilliant, smart and cute — every lady’s dream. How we loved to be associated with SMACK.
By Stephen Ssenkaaba
WORD in my school days was that SMACK, (St. Mary’s College Kisubi), bred perfect gentlemen — brilliant, smart and cute — every lady’s dream. How we loved to be associated with SMACK.
Then came the
Ngonians — the Namilyango College students. Their “beef†with SMACK was that not to have attended SMACK is to have missed an important step in one’s life. Back in the day, Smackists wore black jackets and black bow ties on white shirts to social functions. Some people, probably Ngonians, befittingly baptised them “weevilsâ€.
We thought this hullabaloo about schools is hot air. How wrong we were.
There is such a thing as a school’s culture and it is manifested in a school’s products.
Gentility is an integral part of SMACK. If you saw a “gentleman†braving the rain as everybody else is scampering for shelter, chances are that he is from SMACK.
SMACK is to “gents†as Gayaza High School is to ladies. A Gayaza girl never engages in cheap talk. She is the essence of perfection — clean, polite and spiritual — the kind that will frown on every little mistake and punctuate every conversation with a Jesus Christ exclamation. If you found them talking about another girl, Gayaza girls wouldn’t be gossiping, they would be discussing issues.
A Gayaza girl never ogles at boys, let alone make a first move, that is not lady-like. Slits are for sluts, so are see-throughs and peeping G-strings. These girls choose their friends carefully.
Gayaza has a long affinity to King’s College Budo. This school grooms snobs — pompous and sometimes selective. Budonians walk and act as if they own the world. Granted, they form part of the country’s best brains, but are they the only ones? At work, at home, in the bar, they are the bosses, literally living the ‘Budonians-lead-and-the-rest-follow ethos. They love to be different, indifferent and expect to attract attention. The BUDONIAN sticker emblazoned on many of their cars is a screaming reminder to whoever cares — how else would they know that you went to “the school�
However, despite that feel-good attitude, Budonians are still the most conservative lot stuck in tradition. If the Budonians relish tradition, Namasagali College products are the opposite. No matter their status and age, typical Sagali products live large. They drive flashy cars, dine and hang out in cozy places. They love to hug and kiss. Can’t blame them because their education entailed much more than classroom work. That is probably why many of them have made a living out of show biz, sports and music. That is probably why the school has produced more dance queens than community psychologists.
How do you get into the psychology of a Busoga College Mwiri product? Take him to a cricket field and then shower him with booze. Mwirians are stuck in their school days. They love to hang out together and remind themselves of the good old days — when they messed up Wanyange girls and fell over each other at the school mess for food. They love to tease their contemporaries. There is an active child in every Mwirian. When with one such friend, expect anything.
Just like you should expect anything from a Ngonian. These boys booze, smoke and shout all the way to the bar. They love violent games like rugby. They are stubborn, passionate and have no time for playing nice. They fumble their way through life, thus the name ‘fumblers’. At a party or in the bar, look out for Ngonians — they are attention seekers. Ngonians are popular with women, because of their laissez-faire disposition.
Ask the Nabisunsa girls, their partners in crime. Stubborn and loud, these girls are the Ngonians’ perfect match. They will dance the night away, catch a few pints of beer, have fun with the boys and laugh about it afterwards. Enjoy life while it lasts seems to be their slogan.
Piety is a difficult virtue to live, but to many Mt. St. Mary’s Namagunga products, it is second nature. Schooled in a Catholic atmosphere, raised by strict parents, many of them have a sober lifestyle; they maintain close links with the church. However, give them some breathing space and you will see their true colours.
The “Lion of the Westâ€, Ntare school is probably the best in the region. Ntare boys think they are the only bulls in the Western kraal, giving them a monopoly over the Bweranyangi and Mary Hill girls. Ntare’s claim to fame is having groomed two presidents (Uganda’s Museveni and Rwanda’s Kagame) and other leaders, just like many other schools have anyway.
All these may be stereotypes – perhaps too general to apply to each student. One thing is for sure: these traits symbolise the different schools’ philosophy and go a long way to shape individuals’ and society’s destiny.
WORD in my school days was that SMACK, (St. Mary’s College Kisubi), bred perfect gentlemen — brilliant, smart and cute — every lady’s dream. How we loved to be associated with SMACK.
Then came the
Ngonians — the Namilyango College students. Their “beef†with SMACK was that not to have attended SMACK is to have missed an important step in one’s life. Back in the day, Smackists wore black jackets and black bow ties on white shirts to social functions. Some people, probably Ngonians, befittingly baptised them “weevilsâ€.
We thought this hullabaloo about schools is hot air. How wrong we were.
There is such a thing as a school’s culture and it is manifested in a school’s products.
Gentility is an integral part of SMACK. If you saw a “gentleman†braving the rain as everybody else is scampering for shelter, chances are that he is from SMACK.
SMACK is to “gents†as Gayaza High School is to ladies. A Gayaza girl never engages in cheap talk. She is the essence of perfection — clean, polite and spiritual — the kind that will frown on every little mistake and punctuate every conversation with a Jesus Christ exclamation. If you found them talking about another girl, Gayaza girls wouldn’t be gossiping, they would be discussing issues.
A Gayaza girl never ogles at boys, let alone make a first move, that is not lady-like. Slits are for sluts, so are see-throughs and peeping G-strings. These girls choose their friends carefully.
Gayaza has a long affinity to King’s College Budo. This school grooms snobs — pompous and sometimes selective. Budonians walk and act as if they own the world. Granted, they form part of the country’s best brains, but are they the only ones? At work, at home, in the bar, they are the bosses, literally living the ‘Budonians-lead-and-the-rest-follow ethos. They love to be different, indifferent and expect to attract attention. The BUDONIAN sticker emblazoned on many of their cars is a screaming reminder to whoever cares — how else would they know that you went to “the school�
However, despite that feel-good attitude, Budonians are still the most conservative lot stuck in tradition. If the Budonians relish tradition, Namasagali College products are the opposite. No matter their status and age, typical Sagali products live large. They drive flashy cars, dine and hang out in cozy places. They love to hug and kiss. Can’t blame them because their education entailed much more than classroom work. That is probably why many of them have made a living out of show biz, sports and music. That is probably why the school has produced more dance queens than community psychologists.
How do you get into the psychology of a Busoga College Mwiri product? Take him to a cricket field and then shower him with booze. Mwirians are stuck in their school days. They love to hang out together and remind themselves of the good old days — when they messed up Wanyange girls and fell over each other at the school mess for food. They love to tease their contemporaries. There is an active child in every Mwirian. When with one such friend, expect anything.
Just like you should expect anything from a Ngonian. These boys booze, smoke and shout all the way to the bar. They love violent games like rugby. They are stubborn, passionate and have no time for playing nice. They fumble their way through life, thus the name ‘fumblers’. At a party or in the bar, look out for Ngonians — they are attention seekers. Ngonians are popular with women, because of their laissez-faire disposition.
Ask the Nabisunsa girls, their partners in crime. Stubborn and loud, these girls are the Ngonians’ perfect match. They will dance the night away, catch a few pints of beer, have fun with the boys and laugh about it afterwards. Enjoy life while it lasts seems to be their slogan.
Piety is a difficult virtue to live, but to many Mt. St. Mary’s Namagunga products, it is second nature. Schooled in a Catholic atmosphere, raised by strict parents, many of them have a sober lifestyle; they maintain close links with the church. However, give them some breathing space and you will see their true colours.
The “Lion of the Westâ€, Ntare school is probably the best in the region. Ntare boys think they are the only bulls in the Western kraal, giving them a monopoly over the Bweranyangi and Mary Hill girls. Ntare’s claim to fame is having groomed two presidents (Uganda’s Museveni and Rwanda’s Kagame) and other leaders, just like many other schools have anyway.
All these may be stereotypes – perhaps too general to apply to each student. One thing is for sure: these traits symbolise the different schools’ philosophy and go a long way to shape individuals’ and society’s destiny.