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PHILIPSBURG--An estimated 1,411 pupils and 145 teachers, primarily dressed in the colours of the St. Maarten Flag, participated in a vibrant walk through Philipsburg on Friday, as part of the annual pre-St. Martin/St. Maarten Day Unity Walk.
Pupils and their teachers snaked through the streets of Philipsburg in their colourful attire, adding a dash of colour to the streets as they walked. Persons stopped along the route to watch the youngsters walk and the island prepare to celebrate St. Martin/St. Maarten Day on Tuesday, November 11.
Participating in the walk were pupils and educators from Leonald Conner School (former Lionel Conner School), which hosted the event this year; Charles Leopold Bell School; Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School; Marie Genevieve de Weever School; Ruby LaBega School and Oranje School.
The walk was intended to showcase public school's knowledge about St. Maarten's historical facts and icons, representative of the host school Alia Mathew-Young told The Daily Herald.
It was also aimed at re-enforcing an awareness of the importance of unity and cooperation amongst public schools and expose pupils to parts of the country's cultural traditions. This is the fifth year the walk was held. "All in all, the walk was fantastic, all the students were excited," Mathew-Young said.
The walk was preceded by remarks from Head of Public Education Glenderlyn Davis-Holiday and Education Minister Patricia Laurence-Philips and the singing of the St. Maarten Song.
The walk started at St. Maarten Festival Village, the procession turned left onto Soualiga Road toward the Salt Pickers round-a-bout; turned left past the Philipsburg Police Station and Windward Island Bank towards Cannegieter Street; right on Cannegieter Street, down towards utilities company GEBE; left onto Schoolsteeg (Oranje School Alley) to Front Street; left onto Front Street toward Emmaplein; left onto W. G Buncamper Road towards Freedom Fighter round-a-bout; right onto Walter A. Nisbeth Road towards the Salt Pickers round-a-bout; right onto Soualiga Road and back to the starting point at St. Maarten Festival Village.
