COUNTRY’S GLOBAL IMPACT, OLD TIME LIVING HIGHLIGHTED
ST ANN’S BAY, St Ann; March 6, 2026
The campus of the Steer Town Primary and Infant School in St Ann was transformed into a vibrant showcase of Jamaican culture and heritage in celebration of Jamaica on Friday, February 27.
The day’s activities included a colourful parade highlighting Jamaica’s immense global impact through music, athletics, and cultural achievement.
(Students in the national colours, participate in a parade showcasing Jamaica’s immense global impact through music, athletics, and cultural achievement, during Jamaica Day celebrations at Steer Town Primary and Infant School.)
A high-energy concert saw students and teachers expressing the culture through the performing arts. There were skits, folk songs and dances from ska and reggae to dancehall.
A display of items that formed part of everyday life in days of yore, such as lanterns, enamel and ceramic basins, cast-iron pans, chamber pots, and washing boards, took students back in time to see how their grandparents and great-grandparents lived.
(Teacher Millicent Wilmot explains exhibits of what were once everyday items, pointing to the past)
There were also educational exhibits on prominent Jamaicans.
Parents and residents came out to witness the event, creating a spirit of community unity in keeping with the Jamaica Day 2026 theme, ‘Celebrating Jamaica, Championing Kindness, Courage and Community’,
For Principal of Steer Town Primary and Infant School, Michelle White-Guy, Jamaica Day is one of the most meaningful events on the annual school calendar.
Mrs White-Guy said that the day’s activities were carefully curated to not only entertain but also educate, giving students “the kind of hands-on history lesson that no textbook can replicate”.
(Students with the hoolahoop performing)
Leading up to Jamaica Day, the students spent weeks learning about the country’s reggae icons in observance of Reggae Month, which is also celebrated in February.
In keeping with the theme’s focus on community, health teams from the St. Ann’s Bay and Steer Town health centres were on hand to provide free blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol tests for staff and community members.
For grade-five teacher and event coordinator, Tash-Marie Anderson, the presence of the health team showed students that community partnerships can also make a difference in people’s lives.
An annual initiative of the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information,
Jamaica Day aims to foster national pride, patriotism and enable students to have a deeper understanding and appreciation of their Jamaican identity.
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Photos and text by Okoye Henry, JIS
