HARBEL, Margibi – Firestone Senior High School is building itself a reputation as a school of high achieving students.

Besides producing the best performing student in this year’s WAEC exams in Kezelee Koiwu, the high school produced four of the ten students scoring high enough in multiple subjects to be placed in division two. The next closest school only produced two candidates in division two.

Firestone Senior High School was founded in 2006 and had its first commencement in 2009. Since then, the school has produced more than 2,000 graduates, some of whom are pursuing higher education in and out of the country.

Firestone’s students do not only produce well at the school, but they also seem to top the classes at the universities they attend. Case in point, in Cuttington University’s class of 2015, the valedictorian was a product of Firestone. Additionally, two other alumni graduated summa cum laude.

That academic brilliance was on display last Friday when the Forkpah Pewee Educational Foundation hosted its second annual award ceremony.

The honorees were recent graduates of Cuttington University, Stella Maris Polytechnic, and top performing students from the last WAEC exams at Firestone.

Firestone Senior High School students at the program. Photo: Gbatemah Senah

Graduates of Firestone who were presented awards included Joseph Charles, the valedictorian; Emmanuel Bestman; Oliver Vaye; Saah Chowoe; and James Momo Jr. All of the Firestone High recipients graduated magna cum laude or higher.

Speaking at the ceremony, Firestone’s Principal Gayflor D. Mulbah praised the graduates for continuously defending the institution’s academic quality.

He said since 2013, Firestone Senior High School has been the only institution in the country that has kept itself on what he called WAEC’s honor roll record, in addition to having highly performing alumni at tertiary institutions in and out of the country.

“Today, we have seen a living testimony of our work here,” Gayflor said.

Firestone, which operates a rubber plantation, has not wasted time in taking advantage of the high caliber of graduates its high school is producing. It has become customary for the company to award scholarships to the top five students at the senior high school wishing to pursue a college education. The company has also begun to provide employment opportunities to its scholars.

Ben Berrian, who holds a master’s degree in environmental science from Cuttington, is now employed as a superintendent in Firestone’s estates department.

The 27-year-old said he started with the company last year as an intern and was later given full-time employee status as a junior superintendent. He encouraged students of Firestone Senior High School to be focused in achieving their academic dreams.

Ben Berrian, Firestone Estates Department superintendent and 2009 graduate of Firestone’s high school. Photo: Gbatemah Senah

Oliver Vaye, who majored in chemistry and mathematics as an undergrad at Cuttington, was announced as the new chemistry instructor of Firestone High, where he graduated in 2011.

“I see myself as a motivation to the students because I am a graduate from there,” Vaye said.

He believes Firestone selected him to present him as a role model to the students. The 25-year-old said while he still believes in furthering his education, it is an honor to give back to his former institution.

Despite his age, Vaye has promised not to portray weakness in his classroom: “I don’t take chances for students to use my age as an [opportunity] to overlook or disrespect me.”

Oliver Vaye, chemistry instructor at Firestone Senior High School and 2011 graduate. Photo: Gbatemah Senah

Not all the former Firestone High students end up working for Firestone, however. Another honoree, Aaron Mineen, graduated this year from Stella Maris with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. Mineen is a former Firestone High student who scored in WAEC’s division two.

He now works with USAID’s Beyond the Grid energy project as a construction inspector. Mineen praised Firestone for providing him with what he termed as the best opportunity and environment to achieve a high-quality education.

“It was the foundation I got from here that pushed me to the top while in college,” he said.

Aaron Mineen, Firestone 2010 graduate and WAEC Division Two honoree. Photo: Gbatemah Senah

Among other Firestone graduates, Moses Flomo and Eddie Zomonway, also have a master’s degree and are currently lecturers at Cuttington and Bong Community College, respectively, while another, Sullivan Boakai, is pursuing a doctorate in Turkey.

Meanwhile, WAEC’s top performing student in Liberia, Koiwu, encouraged students to sacrifice their comforts for education.

He said foregoing play, pleasure, and weakness while in high school placed him high above thousands of other students in the country.

“I encourage you to make the needed sacrifices if you must make a difference,” he said.

2016 WAEC top performing student, Kezelee Koiwu. Photo: Gbatemah Senah

Featured photo by Gbatemah Senah