NEGRIL, Westmoreland — Over 2,000 students and teachers from 36 schools in Hanover joined with team members and guests from the Beaches Negril and Grand Pineapple Beach resorts on October 14 to celebrate Jamaica’s Heritage Week, raise funds and ring in Heroes’ Day in fine style.

The celebration, which is in its third year, was organised by the Hanover Principals’ Association.

The Beaches and Grand Pineapple resorts participated as part of the Sandals Foundation’s weekly community tour initiative, which serves as one means of getting guests to recognise the needs of different communities and institutions in Jamaica and help the foundation to contribute to their development and meet these needs.

The Esher Primary School in Hanover was the venue for the cultural showcase about Jamaica, its six national heroes and one heroine and the importance of recognising and keeping the history of the nation alive. The early-morning traffic which lined the roadway at the entrance of the school was evidence of the overwhelming support for the day’s activities. The principals set up colourful and informative display booths, and students — many clad in Jamaica’s national colours — entertained with song, dance, storytelling and poetry. The highlights of the show were the Pondside Primary School Dance Troupe’s energetic and animated delivery of traditional folk dances such as Dinkimini, a flag-raising ceremony and a fashion show to exhibit Jamaican fashion from the last five decades.

In keeping with the objective of the Sandals Foundation community tours and outreach, the guests from the Beaches Negril and Grand Pineapple resorts made donations of stationery and games to host school, Esher Primary. They also expressed an interest in establishing a connection with the institution, through the Sandals Foundation, to donate where the need arises. Beaches Negril guest Laura Patacca-Kerr, a school teacher from the United States, said she was happy to share in the cultural experience.

“Attending the Heritage Week celebration gave me and my teenage son the chance to recognise and appreciate several aspects of Jamaica that most visitors to the island are not fortunate to see. One thing I hope to do now is build relationships between my students and the students here by starting a pen pal exchange programme,” she said.

Patacca-Kerr, along with the other Beaches Negril and Grand Pineapple guests, also tried to blend into the festivities with their own attempts at singing national songs, such as Jamaica Land of Beauty.

The president of the Hanover Principals’ Association, Phillip Hall, said the day’s activities were not all about entertainment and sharing information.

“We are really happy to see the Sandals Foundation take to the time to participate in this programme, especially because of what it represents,” Hall said. “Each year the schools in Hanover use this event to raise funds so that six outstanding and financially challenged GSAT students may benefit from scholarships for their secondary education. It is good when other organisations like the Sandals Foundation can also come out, see what we are doing, and recognise other areas where they can lend a hand.”