Brief history of our school
From 1959-1962, the school had three principals, but it was under Reverend Sister (Dr.) Henrietta Powers (1962-1985) that the school attained its highest glory. It achieved great academic records becoming the overall best girl's school by West African School Certificate grade evaluation in the then Western region, and consistently produced some of the highest scoring students in old Bendel State. Several of these students went on to achieve academic laurels, and the school has churned out a great number of professional women in the country and abroad.
Today, the general decline in educational standards in Nigeria has left its debilitating mark on our beloved St. Maria Goretti, which now has three junior secondary schools and one senior secondary school. In spite of this, it remains the first choice for girl's schools in Edo State. |
Bishop Kelly of the Catholic Diocese of Benin founded St. Maria Goretti Girls Grammar School on March 4th, 1959. It was the 1 st girls secondary school in Benin City and was named the same year that after St. Maria Goretti, a young girl who stood for purity in body and mind, was canonized. The school was briefly named in the late 1970s Iden Secondary School after it was taken over by the state government.
A firm believer in being well rounded, the school won state and national prizes in sports, music, quizzes, debates, arts, and cultural festivals. The school constantly won the first prize in March Past competitions and became the undisputed state champion of the female hockey team for many years. It is on record that St. Maria Goretti produced most of the State's female hockey and tennis players.