On Monday 26th July, Lady Bay Primary organised a Guatemalan extravaganza in support of the students at The School of Hope in Jocotenango.
The wonderful day of music, arts and celebration included:
- Royal Birmingham Conservatoire’s Marimba players, Alex Henshaw and Nick Cowling who performed and led each year group in a 60-strong xylophone ensemble extravaganza
- Rikki Thomas-Martínez from local Latin band Mas Y Mas who led Latin guitar workshops
- Kate Hendry and Boo Somers from Education For The Children who shared stories of the life of students in Guatemala
- Every child also made ‘Quetzal’ headdresses, the Guatemalan national bird famed for its incredible green and red plumage
- KS1 children received Guatemalan ‘blind bags’ containing a traditional Guatemalan worry doll and local crafts
- The children all wore bright coloured non uniform to add maximum colour to the day
The day raised over £1000 for Education For The Children, the West Bridgford based foundation who founded and run The School of Hope is one of three charities supported by Lady Bay Primary.
The school was chosen because it aligns with Lady Bay’s Global Citizenship and Spanish curriculum. Guatemala has been hit extremely hard by the pandemic, where cases are rising fast and access to vaccinations is severely limited.
Jocotenango is an area where extreme poverty, gang crime, domestic violence and alcoholism are everyday realities. Food, healthcare, counselling and career guidance at the school remove obstacles to education and enable the students to realise their potential. Every penny donated by parents and careers in support of Guatemala Day will go towards students’ education, food or healthcare in Guatemala.
Tracey Keane, Deputy Head at Lady Bay Primary Day said, “Our students were so excited to take part in Guatemala Day and enjoyed a wonderful sea of colour, music and art. It was a fitting celebration of togetherness and community collaboration at the end of a term where everyone has pulled together to continue learning”.
Boo Somers, Foundation Manager at Education For The Children said, “We were delighted to be a part of Guatemala Day and see all of the students and staff enjoyed all of the different workshops. Raising over £1000 is just wonderful and will provide educational resources and nutritious food for our families who are struggling with the effects of the pandemic on their livelihoods and childrens’ education”.
