Marching with purpose: St Giles students step up for Independence

Excited chatter, crisp uniforms, and the steady beat of marching feet set the tone for a new generation’s display of national pride, as St Giles Primary pupils geared up for their Mini Independence Parade on November 21 — not just rehearsing drills, but embodying the values of teamwork, discipline, and national pride that march alongside them.

The school’s guard, Lyndon Alkins, who has been training the school’s Colour Party, stood by giving steady instructions to a small group of students practising their drills.

“I usually prepare the children,” he explained, watching closely as the students straightened their lines. “These are different because the last ones in Class 4s — they’re gone on to secondary school.”
This year, the Colour Party includes members of the Cub Scouts and Brownies, all taking their roles seriously.

“They’re going to do some fancy work,” Alkins said proudly. “We’re having a principal salute. They’ll be decked out in their Brownies and Scouts uniforms. The young lady who is at the front, she will be the commanding officer as well.”

For Alkins, who has worked with the Colour Party since 2018, training the students has become a yearly tradition — and a moment of pride.

“Every year they’re new,” he said with a small smile. “They have to prove themselves first, like going through handing over the flag and stuff like that, so there’ll be no hiccups.”

The preparations have brought a sense of excitement across the school. Nearly half of the students are involved, from the Brownies to the confident Scouts leading the parade.

“Probably about 17 members,” Alkins estimated. “But we may not have 17 by then — it’s not up to me to choose. The Scout leader and the Brownie leader will decide who will bear the flag and who will bear the colours that day.”

As the Literacy Week activities continue at the Ivy, St Michael school, the pupils are also learning lessons that go beyond the classroom — teamwork, discipline, and national pride. On November 21, the school grounds will transform into a celebration of Barbados’ spirit, with cars cleared from the yard, flags raised high, and the boys and girls of St Giles marching to their own rhythm of independence.

(LE)