New Life School celebrates Culture Day
The school has been conducting the activity for about five years, drawing a wider range of cultures to the fore with the activities and exhibitions.
The school's Director Ms Yonette R. Adams-Wintz said that considering the various cultures that exist in the Virgin Islands (VI) and owing to the fact also that the students attending the school come from not only the VI but other places, they observed the month of culture differently.
It was a day when the VI culture was showcased with the children being in the national dress, the lifestyle of the older folks were displayed through the art works of the children. Also various herbs that were and continue to be used in the VI were on display.
"Our highlight this year is 'The BVI the way it used to be' so instead of having the children dressed and portraying the cultural wear, we have a boy and a girl who were dressed like the people of old in a house setting the woman doing her knitting while the pot was on the coal pot boiling the herbs and the man on the other side sitting reading the papers," explained Adams-Wintz to this news site.
There were also many pictures on display dating as far back as the 1950s. "We had a table with some of the things which were used in the BVI many years ago," she said.
Other cultures were on show with the wide variety of foods of the various nations.
Supervisor of the school Ms Nora Ferrol-Potter highly commended the parents who turned out to give their support but was very disappointed by the fact most parents did not come out to show their support for the children’s efforts.
Most of the art works were done by the children themselves, something that would have been a good thing for parent to see in the presence of their child or children. "The turnout was good but it could have been better because we were looking for more parents to support and come and see what their child did. We want parents to be involved in whatever their children are doing at school," said Ms Ferrol-Potter.
However of those who were present many were impressed with what the teachers as caregivers have been doing with their children. Speaking of her impression of the day's activities one parent spoke with Virgin Islands News Online.
She was Ms Kim S. Pemberton who said, "It's good, it great to see the kids get involved in culture because the culture is being lost. So it's good that the school is incorporating these aspects so our kids can grow up with some appreciation and knowledge of the culture of the place where they live."
The school is located in the Save the Seed Energy Centre in Duff's Bottom, Tortola and is for children no older than age seven.
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