Linet and Moses Masai's school - Bishop Okiring Secondary School, Kenya

World Class 2012 in partnership with the British Council tell the stories of the schools where the dreams begin.

Bishop Okiring Secondary School is twinning with Bedford Academy, Bedford

Form 3, July 2010

Bishop Okiring Secondary School

SCHOOL STATISTICS

Students - 128, ages 14-18

Teachers - 11

Where in the world? Mount Elgon District, Western Province, Kenya

Languages - English and Kiswahili

Moses was at the school from 2001 to 2004, Linet from 2002 to 2005

Bishop Okiring pupils are encouraged to perform well academically and make the best use of their talents to become role models to the rest of society.

The school is in a rural agricultural area of Kenya's Western Province near the slopes of Mount Elgon on the Kenyan-Ugandan border. Crops include onions, potatoes and maize which are all vitally important to the local economy.

Naboth Okadie, the head teacher, says that they would give visitors to the school sour milk and local honey to remember them by. Both local foodstuffs are an important part of the area's culture and identity.

Linet and Moses Masai's school days

Big brother Moses is three years older than Linet and their time at the school overlapped from 2002 to 2004.

Teachers and fellow pupils supported and encouraged the siblings to pursue their athletic ambitions.

In 2004 Moses competed in his first international events at the World Junior Championships in Italy and the World Cross Country Championships in Brussels.

Talking Teacher

With humble facilities we have produced world class athletes. We look forward to watching our old boy and girl compete in 2012

Naboth Okadie, head teacher

Linet's first international athletics success was winning gold in the junior race at the 2007 World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa.

As well as being a talented runner, Linet was one of the school's star netball players.

The Masai siblings were the school's first representatives at national and international sporting events, and their achievements inspire current pupils to aim for the same level of success.

The Masai siblings continue to visit their old school.

Bishop Okiring school buildings

School challenges

At Bishop Okiring, the 128 pupils work hard to overcome the challenges of life and education in this often cold region of Kenya's Western Highlands.

The school would like to see pupils realise their potential in sport, music and academically but acknowledge that the school's limited facilities and resources can sometimes limit their pupils achievements.

As Mr Okadie explains, the lack of a school bus makes participating in things such as sports fixtures and competitions very difficult.

Athletics is the most popular sport at the school, so it is no surprise that Bishop Okiring is so proud of producing not one, but two world class athletes with limited facilities.

Kenya's Olympic hopes for 2012

Moses' and Linet's success means a great deal to everyone at the school. Cheering them on at the Olympics will be a priority and the school hopes to be able buy a large screen TV to make this possible.

The prospect of Moses and Linet's participation in London 2012 is already inspiring pupils to work hard to realise their ambitions. Mr Okadie explains that the school is also excited at the prospect of communicating with the world through BBC World Class.