Mfantsipim is an all-boys boarding secondary school in Cape Coast, Ghana, established by the Methodist Church in 1876 to foster intellectual, moral, and spiritual growth on the then Gold Coast. Its founding name was Wesleyan High School and the first headmaster was James Picot, a French scholar, who was only 18 years old on his appointment. After changing its name to Wesleyan Collegiate School and Richmond College, the school, in 1905, merged with another Cape-Coast-based public high school established by John Mensah Sarbah (an old student of Wesley High School), who had established his own school called "Mfantsipim" as a rival of the Methodist-run school. John Mensah Sarbah died five years after the merger, at the age of 46, leaving the school wholly in the hands of the Methodist Church. Mfantsipim is nicknamed "The School" because it gave birth to other prominent schools such as Prempeh College. Other schools, such as Ghana National College, were started with students from Mfantsipim. Schools established under the Mfantsipim blueprint include Achimota School, Mawuli School and Ghana Secondary Technical School. Mfantsipim trainers also started Wesley Girls High School, the nation's most prominent all-female second cycle institution. Mfantsipim, since Ghana's independence in 1957, has produced 3 Bank of Ghana Governors, 3 Vice Presidents, and 1 Head of State. History The idea of establishing a collegiate school to raise educational standards in the Gold Coast was first mooted in 1865 but was not realized until 1876 when the Wesleyan High School was established in Cape Coast with donations from local businessmen and the support of the Methodist Missionary Society in London. The school was established to train teachers and began with 17 pupils. It was originally planned to be sited in Accra because the British Government had, by 1870, decided to move the capital of the Gold Coast from Cape Coast to Accra. However, local agitation and the urgent need to put the idea into practice after eleven years of debate pressurised the government to allow the school to begin functioning, but on the understanding that it would later be moved to Accra, though no such move ever took place. The founding name of Mfantsipim was Wesleyan High School and it was established on 3 April 1876. In 1905 a graduate of the school, John Mensah Sarbah, founded a rival school named Mfantsipim; the name derives from "Mfantsefo-apem", literally meaning "thousands of Fantes" but actually meaning