Independence City Primary School in St Catherine was alive with cultural excitement on Friday, celebrated in schools across the island as Jamaica Day 2018.

Students and teachers showcased aspects of the country’s rich and diverse cultural heritage through dance, music, drama and poetry.

Special emphasis was placed on protecting the country’s natural environment as well as preserving rich traditions, which were underlined by the theme, ‘Celebrating Jamaica: Nurturing our Natural and Cultural Heritage.’

The activities also highlighted the teachings of Jamaica’s first National Hero Marcus Garvey, traditional Jamaican menus such as ackee and saltfish, rundown, dukoonu and various puddings; as well as traditional dance forms including kumina and dinki mini.

There was also a mini-savings expo from a booth mounted by JN Bank, and the JN School Savers’ mascot, “Ca$h Kid,” interacted with the students.

Laurel Whyte, promotions and events officer at JN Bank, welcomed the opportunity to encourage parents to nurture the habit of saving in their children through the JN School Savers’ Programme, in which Independence City Primary is an active participant.

She pointed out that saving was also a part of the country’s cultural heritage, as Jamaicans are accustomed to putting aside “a little money for a rainy day”.

Ann-Marie Robinson, a parent who registered her son in the programme, said she was helping him to save for his secondary and tertiary education.

“My eldest daughter recently graduated from high school with 11 subjects and I can hardly find the funds to send her to college. I don’t want the same thing to happen to my son. Therefore, I’m going to put aside a little every month so that when his time comes, he will be able to attend high school and university,” Robinson declared.

In her remarks, Ann Geddes-Nelson, principal of Independence City Primary School, encouraged Jamaicans, young and old, to embrace their uniqueness and achievements.

“Jamaica Day is an important celebration, not only for our schools and our children, but for everyone in the wider society. It is an opportunity for students and others to focus on what it means to be Jamaican, and to promote those qualities,” she said.

Geddes-Nelson further noted that Jamaicans must reclaim and revive their rich cultural heritage and traditions.

“We’re losing ourselves. We’re losing the values and attitudes that truly make us Jamaican. We need to look back at the days when we cared about each other, when the community played an integral role in the school, and when the entire community saw each child as its own,” she stated.

The celebration of Jamaica Day started in 2002.