Juanita Gardine School Students Perform For Herbert Grigg Home Residents

ST. CROIX — Students at the Juanita Gardine Elementary School (JGES) are incorporating caring for others as part of the school’s overall learning and recovery process following the 2017 storms, according to a recent Department of Education release.

A group of about 21 students performed in the courtyard at the Herbert Grigg Home for the Aged on Wednesday, May 30, surrounded by residents and staff, along with preschoolers attending a nearby Head Start program.

The team of talented Gardine students are called the “Juanita Gardine Elementary School Culture Bearers,” according to Assistant Principal Ann Marie Gordon. They pooled their talents to put on a first-class act for audience members in dance, song, poetry and drama with all performances woven together with a cultural theme.  First, the JGES Quadrille Dancers performed several popular numbers, setting the atmosphere for the joyous occasion that followed:

• Song, “Clear de Road” sung by 3^rd grader Kioni Leon;
• Poem, “Turtles” recited by 3^rd grader Adejeah Hamilton;
• Storytelling, “Huss,” told by Kg. student Jahkim Williams;
• Skit “Cultural Bus Tour,”  performed by Kg. students Cetoute Williams, Shayla Ayala and Anaiyah Burroughs;
• Poem, “I Love My Islands,” recited by 4^th grader Mellissa Knight;
• Storytelling, “Anansi at the Tug of War,” told by 6^th grader Tyashte Jackson;
• Poem, “I Sing of,” recited by 6^th  grader Ameer  Norman;
• Song, “We Will Rise,” sung by 4^th grader Jahnyah Greenidge;
• The JGES Quadrille Dancers closed the program with a final dance selection

“Let our gems shine!” declared Assistant Principal Gordon after the students’ performances. “We want to keep nurturing them to their fullest potential. That is the culture that we are striving to build.”

Assistant Principal Gordon explained that the event was a part of a celebration of Senior Citizen Month. “Our students were cultural bearers showcasing their cultural gifts and talents to bring joy to the residents of the Herbert Grigg Home in honor of Senior Citizens Month.”  Pat Browne, a retired Gardine computer teacher and now quadrille advisor, was the caller for the outstanding performance by the student dancers.

The program was the first of many planned performances by Gardine School students at Grigg Home, which the school has adopted, according to Gordon.