Newton Ground Primary hosts cultural show

By VonDez Phipps
Reporter-SKNVibes.com

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – The sounds of string bands and African drums attracted hundreds to the Newton Ground Primary School’s 50th Anniversary Cultural Show held in the school’s auditorium on Saturday January 17.

The event, ending the school’s week of activities, saw both students and parents actively involved in the various cultural presentations and provided live entertainment to past students, teachers and community members.

The school’s choir opened the night with ‘Oh Island in the Sun’ and prepared the stage for a reflective dialogue entitled ‘Fifty long years’. A parent’s rendition of her calypso ‘Respect’ along with ‘Celebrate’ and ‘Happy Birthday’ rendered by Grades Four and One respectively, commanded the full attention of the audience, while Zack Nisbett’s clown presentation brought the audience to its feet offering roaring applause. Modelling by the Kindergarten students was a major feature as the infants strutted their Sunday wear across the stage.

Folk songs including ‘Kerosene pan’, ‘Old Poor We Man’ and ‘Chinie man fan me’ not only kept the spectators on the edge of their seats but also reminded the older ones of games and songs from yesteryears. The students offered a spellbinding performance during the May Pole dance, twining multi-coloured ribbons around the central pole to symbolically represent the many years in which the school has been serving the rural communities.

Locally renowned ‘Doctor of Culture’ and coordinator of the cultural show Zack Nisbett said the performances were of a very high quality and that he was particularly pleased with how well the children presented themselves. ~~Adz:Right~~

“The students only had a very short time to learn the songs but they were very enthusiastic about the presentation. The school has a lot of potential and it shows that after 50 years, the school is still doing well. 

“The cultural show has created a change in the psyche of the students and has definitely impacted the community. The students were very excited to learn so much about their history as they would now be able to use it as a stepping stone. Our culture needs to be taught more in our schools and we need willing persons who would be able to provide the cultural environment to ensure that our heritage is remembered,” Nisbett said.

Principal of the school Violet Jones-Mawnlaude said she is very satisfied that the series of events ended on such a high note. She added that the cultural and heritage presentations “took the children back 50 years and allowed them to have some appreciation for the types of songs we sang back then”. She added that the event helped to bring the children and adults closer together as the older ones were able to relate to the choice of songs and dances.

Mawnlaude informed that the past 50 years have set the framework to build upon and stressed that “as the world changes, this school will continue to strive to ensure that our approach to education remains relevant”.