Schoolchildren countrywide got the royal treatment today in observance of children's day 2010.
The theme is "Teach our Children, Build our Nation" - and at St Luke's Methodist Primary activities started on Monday leading right up to the official programme where Minister of Education, Patrick Faber declared it " Children's Day 2010". Here's how that went:…
Hon. Patrick Faber, Minister Of Education
"Well let me begin by wishing all our children a happy children' day. It is indeed a very important event in the calendar year, a day when we celebrate children given that so much is happening to our children and how much we are relying on them to make sure that the communities all over this country develops. They are really the most important factor and we see so many things happening. I was just commenting on the former student of this school St. Luke who went on to Sadie
Vernon and was recently killed and of course you know that a few of our young children have been killed and so we really must make greater efforts to protect our children and I am not only talking here about the government and the crime issue I am talking about parents making sure that they make themselves available for their children to assist in their education, to assist in their health wellbeing as well, to make sure that they are eating properly. All of those things are important factors when we consider taking care of our children and putting them at the forefront of our nation."
Pamela Bodden, Principal
"Today is the final day and we've made it very big as you can see. We have a full program that is packed with all the people presenting and we have tied in the cultural seeing that we are celebrating Garifuna Day tomorrow as well. Then we have our minister come in being our guest speaker and that really made our day because we feel special, I know the children feel so special today because he has all the other activities just to come here and address us and grace us with his presence."
Andrea Polanco
"Are you enjoying children's day so far?"
Student
"Yes ma'am."
Andrea Polanco
"What you enjoy today?"
Student
"The singing and the teacher doing the jerk."
Andrea Polanco
"What you think about children's day today?"
Student
"Miss, to tell you the truth it's kind of fun but the weather is in the way right now."
Andrea Polanco
"So what did you enjoy so far today?"
Student
"The songs that Shawn sung, Mrs. Martin, everything right now is going good so far."
Students
"Happy Children's Day Belize."
And while St. Luke's celebrated children's day with a show of multiculturalism - at St. Ignatius and many other schools - they inter-mingled it with a nod to the Garifuna Culture - in anticipation of tomorrow's settlement day holiday.
We caught the young ones doing their thing on Euphrates Avenue….
