For the third consecutive year, the students and teachers of the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School have been the proud presenters of what they coined as Heritage Fest.
The event, on Thursday, May 29, the day before the official Anguilla Day celebration, could not have come at a more opportune time. It was a riot of national colours throughout the campus grounds; an abundance of food stalls, many featuring the island’s traditional dishes; delicacies and drinks; and inside some of the classrooms were a variety of exhibits. The displays included some of Anguilla’s best known household heritage artifacts and replicas featuring the life, culture and customs of the island’s early inhabitants; as well as modern-day exhibits of arts and crafts.
The section of the exhibition about the early inhabitants focused largely on models of the Amerindian villages and examples of what the sugar plantations looked like. According to the history teacher, Ms Velda Blackett, the students were very enthusiastic about the exhibits which reflected the daily lives of the island’s early indigenous people.
Mrs Rita Celestine Carty, Head of the school’s English Department, described the entire exhibition scenes for The Anguillian. “It is the third time that our school is putting on an event called Heritage Fest,” she stated. “Usually, the day before Anguilla Day, is not a usual day in school. We are accustomed to having an assembly and inviting somebody to speak to the children; and long ago they used to get a treat, but about three years ago we decided that we want them to experience Anguilla’s culture more fully. Accordingly, we started to have different activities which would help them not only to express their national pride, but also to experience different aspects of Anguillian history and heritage.
“Today we decided to have displays as well as activities and an assembly. This time, at the assembly, we had young speakers like Shellya Rogers, Programme Officer at the Department of Youth and Culture, who addressed them; and Tahirah Banks who sang for the students and gave them an exhortation. In seven classrooms we have displays. In room one, we have an Amerindian village where the model houses were made by history students. In room two, we had a workshop by members of the Mayoumba Folkloric Theatre Company who engaged our children in teaching them dances. It was a very interactive session. In room three we have the Campus B Physical Education students of forms one and two displaying their handiwork over the years. In room four we have the Visual Arts Department as well as W.I.S.E. and the PRU classes displaying their work. Room five has become known as the Heritage Room in which we showcase artifacts from long ago. There we have various items that are manipulative – items that the children can actually see, touch and interact with. The items include a corn mill and some actual corn which they can grind. There is a sewing machine; an old goose, old radios, an old telephone where you have to spin the numbers around; a typewriter and various utensils. The daily life in Anguilla long ago was very different than what it is now so these artifacts will help the students to appreciate that.
“We also have a reflection corner. We made a little booklet entitled ‘This Land Is My Land: I’m Its Future’, and we want the students to react to that and record their reactions. We have a thought-provoking population and we need citizens of sound character who reflect on things, and who are critical and evaluative thinkers … There are also different food stalls, local drinks, a hat competition featuring the work of students at Campus B under the direction of Teacher Sherise Gumbs; displays by the Business Department, the Science Department and the Environmental Club; and we also have an iconic rock wall and turtle dove cake. Our first cake was in the shape of Anguilla, and last year’s cake was in the shape of an Anguillian flag.”
Mrs Carty added: “Our theme for day is ‘celebrating our past and looking forward to our future.’ We wanted our children to really feel a part of that. So that was what Heritage Fest 2014 was all about. We put a lot in it and we see it as an investment in Anguilla.”
