Under the guidance of Principal Vansittart Huggins, the students of the special needs school along with members of BVI Services, the institution that caters to adults with disabilities, took part in a march around Road Town.

Using the theme for Commonwealth Day, “Connecting Culture”, each student carried two flags, one of the Virgin Islands and the other of a Caribbean country to depict that while persons may be from various countries they are still connected through the Commonwealth.

Led by the Althea Scatliffe Drum Core, the students marched briskly from the school down towards the Road Town Police Station, towards the High Court and unto Fishlock Road before making their way onto the High way and back to the school. They did so with so much energy and pace that many including this reporter, had a hard time keeping pace to capture them on camera.

According to the proud principal Ms. Huggins, the theme for Commonwealth Day, “Connecting Culture” is so fitting because it fits in to the children from different nations in the society and the message she wanted to leave with them is that although they may be different because of the geographical areas they are from, they still have something in common and that is the Commonwealth.

“Even though our kids have special needs, we don’t talk down to them and we know they will be able to grasp something,” she said. “Some felt the kids could not have made it but they did and in good time.”

She said this was just another initiative of the school to get the children into the public and integrating them into society. “We don’t want to know they are in isolation, gone are days when keep kids with disabilities stayed at home.”

Georgene Henry, Product Assistant of BVI Services said she is pleased that they were asked to participate and they had a great time. “I like the idea that they are able to go out and take part in the community and be able to join other groups and participate. Instead of having them enclosed it’s good to take them out,” she said noting that BVI Services have some 13 persons in the programme which provides various services to the community.

“Just name it and we can do it,” she said, throwing in a small promo for the group, which according to her, are very good at many things including tailoring.

Commonwealth Day is the annual celebration of the Commonwealth of Nations held on the second Monday in March, and marked by a multi-faith service in Westminster Abbey, normally attended by HM Elizabeth II, Head of the Commonwealth, with the Commonwealth Secretary-General and CommonwealthHigh Commissioners in London. The Queen delivers an address to the Commonwealth, broadcast throughout the world. Also, in the year before the quadrennial Commonwealth Games, the Queen starts the Queen's Baton Relay on Commonwealth Day at Buckingham Palace, handing the baton to the first relay runner to start a journey that will end at the Opening Ceremony of the upcoming Games.

While it has a certain official status, Commonwealth Day is not a public holiday in most Commonwealth countries and there is little public awareness of it.

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