Parkinson Memorial Secondary students stand in formation of the Broken Trident and 50 on the grounds of the school as part of the opening ceremony under the theme ‘Barbados Ah Come From – Celebrating 50 Years of Nationhood’.
Parkinson Memorial Secondary School student, Jaeesha Samuel, performing at the school’s 50th Anniversary of Independence Opening Ceremony.
By:
Krystal Penny Bowen
ON Tuesday, teachers, students, the board of management, alumni and sponsors of the event celebrated Barbados’ 50th anniversary of Independence through a spiritual and cultural presentation recognising the creative talents of past and present Parkinson Memorial family.
The opening ceremony began with a moving sermon from the Spiritual Baptists of Barbados, who sang and danced while captivating the students with lively hymns. Captain Eddie addressed the audience and called the children, “princes and princesses” of a great institution and encouraged them to focus on their school work, create a positive attitude while remembering the importance of spirituality and faith in God.
Throughout the event, Master of Ceremonies, Sheldon Hope, paused to give a Bajan proverb and a video presentation to students. The school took this special occasion to acknowledge the contribution of former teacher of the Parkinson Memorial, the late Grantley Prescod, by giving a tribute to the man who created the national flag in the art room at the school. This design was selected from “over 1 000 entries in an open competition organised by the Government of Barbados”.
Relative of past principal (Ms. Maxine Mayers), Ms. Deborah Lynch-Theobalds accepted a plaque from the Principal of Parkinson Memorial, Ian Holder, to remember Mr. Prescod and she spoke briefly about his artistic contributions, which include creating the mould of the right foot of Bussa at the school. This mould has since been donated to the Barbados Museum and Historical Society.
Another acknowledgement was made of the Parkinson’s Alumni Class of 1977, who have made donations of their labour, supplies and financial aid to the school’s infrastructure.
The opening ceremony featured performances from poet Adrian Green, the Tuk Band, traditional Bajan characters, members of the student body, Jaeesha Samuel, Tyra Roberts and Selwyn Sivers, and old scholar, Tamera Byer.
After the ceremony, the students were invited to the main square to form “50” and the Broken Trident, which was photographed for posterity by a drone overhead. In addition to celebrating the nation’s 50th, the Parkinson Memorial is also acknowledging their 55th anniversary as an educational institution.
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