It must have been 1932 when I first came to Sakeji at the age of seven. Mr. Nightingale was the principal, and Lindon Hess one of the teachers. We were not more than 20 or so students at that time, and the dscipline was stiff "British military". But we all survived, and even profited ! I am now 93 years old, having retired in 1991 from running the "Institut Emmaüs" for 27 years (a Bible and Missionary training institute here in francophone Switzerland).

I attended Sakeji from1976 to 1982 and have incredibly fond memories of so many things which shaped my future. I am a primary school teacher and often think back on the amazing experiences that the teachers and staff of Sakeji went out of their way to provide. Half term, backwards beds, trips to the rapids, rice cakes, Sakeji beans, fruit hunting, Christmas pudding, flame lillies and so many more memories which are as vivid today as they were then. God bless the work that you are doing in that amazing school and know that the influence you have had on God's kingdom has spread worldwide. Thank you!

Great to see Sakeji still growing and changing for the better by the look of it. I attended Sakeji from 1983-89 with my two sisters. I seem to have so many memories from that time as a kid compared to the rest of my life. I have many happy memories but also quite a few not so happy. I hope this school continues to grow and change and provide a safe stable environment for the kids that call it home. I also pray that the staff will continue to be led by the Holy Spirit to make this school even better as they strive and serve God. I still remember Guy Fawkes night , I don't know if they still do it today but it was a big event when I was there. Gotta love a bonfire and fireworks! God bless.

My Greetings to the 90th Anniversary Celebrations of Sakeji School. Whenever I think about Sakeji, my heart is filled with love, longing and gratitude. The manner in which we came to Sakeji is a testament to the beloved hymn: God moves in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform, He plants His Footsteps in the sea and rides upon the storm. Our family arrived in Zambia in October 1964 at the time of Zambian Independence from Britain. Since my father was a physician, trained in South Africa, he very soon found work with the Ministry of Health in Zambia. He was the Provincial Medical Officer (PMO) for the NW Province. As such, he was responsible for overseeing all the hospitals, both government and missionary ones, to ensure that they had enough equipment and were adequately and sufficiently staffed. We were stationed in Balovale and we lived in government housing. Our neighbors were the McQillans, missionaries in Zambia. My father visited them to inquire where they sent their children to school. My own parents had been educated in South Africa but we ended up leaving there as my parents had no wish for us to grow up under Apartheid. The McQillians informed him that they sent their kids to Sakeji. Dad wrote to Sakeji and applied for us to attend there. We were accepted. Years later, Matthew Raymond, who was visiting with us in Pasadena, California, told us that the teachers at Sakeji had held a meeting to discuss whether there was any reason why they could not accept the twin daughters of Dr. Harry Willard Bwanausi? You see, if accepted, we would be the first African students ever to attend Sakeji School since its inception in 1925. As it turned out, we were accepted for a probationary period of six months. Little did the teachers know that my mother had trained as a teacher in South Africa and she had been teaching us our ABCs and 123s at home. According to Miss Joan Hoyte, who is the official historian of Sakeji School, we started at Sakeji in January 1965. (When at Sakeji we used to love the stories that Miss Hoyte would often tell of the olden days at Sakeji of children travelling from as far away as Chad by hammock to come to school). We must have passed the probationary period with flying colors since my twin sister and I stayed at Sakeji until the end of Form 11. When we graduated in December 1972, there were five girls in our graduating class: Sharon Rose (Howell) Geesey, Joy (Wilson) Peter, Audrey Wood, my twin sister, Kumi (Bwanausi) Tommerbakke and myself Chenga (Coco) Bwanausi. When we graduated, my twin, Kumi, won the Milligan Prize. Americans have a very different view of boarding school. In the movie: The Sound of Music, the Barroness (who had obviously tipped her hat towards Captain von Trapp but cared little for his children) when asked about those children uttered the infamous line: My dear, have you ever heard of boarding school? I, myself, heard some short term missionaries from my home church, Lake Avenue Church in Pasadena, speak about how they would be visiting children who attended a boarding school in Kenya (was it RVA?). The gist of their talk was: They have no family life because they attend boarding school so it would be up to them to demonstrate to those poor children the benefits and pleasures of family life! I got the distinct impression that they thought that children were sent to boarding school because they were difficult to handle or that their parents did not care for them. We know this not to be true. Students were sent to Sakeji so that their parents could continue their missionary work without having to worry about their children's education. When my father worked for the Zambian Government we were transferred every two years. First, we lived in Balovale, then Solwezi, then Kabwe, then Lusaka, then back to Solwezi, then back to Lusaka once again. By this time, my parents were weary of al the transfers and so my father resigned from government service and started his own private practice in Lusaka. The year was 1970. For me, Sakeji was a safe harbour, a shelter from the storm, if you will. It provided a permanent fixture in our lives of constant moving. Sakeji was a place where I came to love life, to love learning, and to know and love the Lord. When people ask me what I came away with from boarding school I tell them discipline and independence and the value of hard work. These values and principles served me well when I went to school in England and later to university at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). In college, I frequently received the highest marks on tests and examinations, sometimes even 8-10 points higher than anyone else in the class. When I graduated UCLA I was inducted into the National Dean's List because I had made the Dean's List so many times throughout my college career. People notice the Sakjei difference. At school in England, the teachers frequently remarked that we performed and behaved better than the other girls in school. This they attributed to the Sakeji influence. Once there was a missionary who visited Clarendon who showed us slides of Sakeji. People were awestruck at how happy the students seemed to be. Now I know that this is a controvesial subject as some people had a difficult time at Sakeji. I am not saying that Sakeji was perfect; it wasn't a perfect experience but then nothing in life seldom is. Like everyone else, I had my moments and my run-ins with some teachers and a student or two. People have different personalities and sometimes they click and sometimes they clash. But taken on the whole, there is no other primary school I would rather have attended than Sakeji. Whenever former Sakejiites meet each other we pick up just where we left off as though we had never separated. The friends I made there I consider to be friends for life. I am eternally grateful to the Lord Who deemed it so that we attend Sakeji School. I am equally grateful to my parents who had the vision to send us to Sakeji and, in so doing, thought outside the box thus pioneering and paving the way for other African students to attend Sakeji. What can I say about all the teachers and staff at Sakeji who through their devotion and dedication, hard work and sacrifice enabled us to have such an unforgettable life experience - that of being a student at Sakeji School. Thank-you from the bottom of our hearts. The Lord bless you all. Congratulations on the 90th Anniversary Celebrations of Sakeji School. I eagerly look forward to joining you all for the 100th Anniversary Celebrations. Blessings, Coco (Chenga) Bwanausi.

I have many fond memories of Sakeji having been there from 1967 until the Golden Jubilee. I grow Doctorsjoy and Fireballs in my house every year and they are flowering now. I used to love the lorry trips on a Sunday, fudge, swimming, reading books from the library. My daughter Esther was born at Kalene when we went back as staff. She was also a student there for a couple of years. My parents Dr & Mrs P Coates recently went to see Miss Hoyte and we still keep in touch with Miss Deacon & Andrews. I do hope you have a wonderfull time of celebration in August.

I was a pupil at Sakeji from 1944 to 1953 and remember my life there and at Kalene with great nostalgia. I am in touch with ex-pupils like the Masons, Raymonds, Reeds, Jean Fisher, and Donald Davidson amongst others.

Doug Hanna - Attended Sakeji from 1985 to 1989 before going on to RVA. Working at Sakeji from 2011 to present with wife and daughter. Still enjoying Rice Cakes, Whoppie Pies, Sakeji Mud, Fudge and Ice Cream.