St. James Seminary Senior High School is aiming to lift its first national trophy of the National Science and Maths Quiz this year as they commence a definitive campaign of taking its rightful place as one of the best science schools in Ghana.

In a spectacle of academic prowess, the boys from Abesim beat competition from Sunyani Secondary School, Akumfi Ameyaw SHS and Berekum Methodist SHTS to clinch the Bono-Ahafo zonal trophy for the second consecutive year.

In the previous championship, the SAINTS as they are known had to end their campaign of winning their first national trophy after losing to PRESEC- Legon at the semi-final stage of the competition.

They won the zonal championship with a 14-point margin ahead of their closest contender, Sunyani Secondary School (SUSEC) who managed to garner 27 points.

Akumfi Ameyaw SHS who proved formidable at the first and second rounds came third with one point behind SUSEC.

Meanwhile, debutant zonal finalist Berekum Methodist SHTS ended the contest with negative two points.

The first round did not end as expected for the Seminarians as they trailed SUSEC and Akumfi Ameyaw SHS by two points.

But with a composed attitude, the boys dominated the second round as they swiftly picked questions to sprint past their contenders and extend their lead.

The school boasts of producing some of the best WASSCE students after two of their boys were recently recognised at the WAEC Excellence Awards.

Alex Opoku Manu and Benjamin Eyram Degbey were respectively adjudged the first and second 2022 best WASSCE students.

Since their reorganisation to officially enter the national tournament in 2020, the school has over the years proved to be among the fiercest contenders with their improved performance year-on-year.

“We are hoping to win the trophy this year. And that is not going to end there, we are seeking to maintain it just like PRESEC-Legon,” one of the contestants said.

Teachers and students of the school say they want their undeniable academic supremacy in the WASSCE to reflect in the NSMQ.

Although their trophy shelf harbours laurels from other academic decathlons and related recognitions, it thirsts for an NSMQ trophy to seal their academic supremacy.