Students shine on Jamaica Day

Marcia Meredith, principal of Our Lady of the Angels Preparatory School is urging adults to continue to encourage and support children in their education and development, not just in May when Child Month is observed, but throughout the year.

She made the appeal during the observance of Jamaica Day at the institution on Molynes Road in St Andrew. Meredith went on to explain that for all its pageantry, flair, and colour, this annual one-day event reflects an entire school year of work, charting the students' educational progress over this period.

"The children are our main focus because they are the ones whose skills we want to showcase, and the parents to see when the school year is finished, how developed, how mature, the growth, the exposure, the full holistic development of their child within the 10-month period. And it motivates the children because you are showcasing them - what they can do and how well we allow them to express themselves in different forms," the educator said.

The exposition, which highlights the children's creativity in art, dance, writing skills, poetry, research, food, and clothing, among other areas, also has the added benefit of highlighting different aspects of Jamaica's rich ethnic mix.

motivate students

Meredith was keen on sharing the benefits to her charges, aged between 24 months and 12 years, noting that over the many years, Our Lady of the Angels Prep has been observing Jamaica Day.

"We try to maintain it because we see the importance of what it does for them at this point - the motivation - and the appreciation that is shown or given to them. Some of them actually stand by their exhibits and explain how they made this thing. For example, there are classes that have volcanoes made up and they are there demonstrating and explaining how a volcano works, how it explodes, what happens after a volcano erupts, that kind of thing," an obviously proud Meredith shared.

"It gives them a sense of achievement, it helps their confidence, and the ultimate thing is that they feel that they are learning and have matured over the period of that given year in order to move on. So it's a true reflection of what they have done and is heavily curriculum based."