Schools in the Cayman Islands have indicated a proposal that students should raise the national flag and sing the national song every day could be largely academic.
Many have been raising the flag and singing the song for years, notwithstanding the fanfare of a recent Legislative Assembly debate on the topic.
Almost all public and private schools contacted by the Caymanian Compass said they already sang Beloved Isle Cayman at assembly. However, some noted requiring the song to be sung every day could present some logistical difficulties, and may force them to switch to holding daily school assemblies.
The 24 August motion, which included a proposal that ‘a policy be established to guarantee that the Cayman Islands National song is sung throughout each primary and high school, public and private, each day of school, and that there be a flag ceremony each day at school’, was moved by George Town MLA Alfonso Wright and seconded by Lucille Seymour, also a George Town MLA.
The private members motion also called for the Cayman Islands flag to be flown at all prominent government buildings and government functions, that a protocol of standing to attention be developed for when the song is being played and that penalties be established for improperly displaying or handling the national flag.
The motion received unanimous support from both sides of the house, although Leader of Government Business Kurt Tibbetts said a few sections may have to be ‘fine-tuned’.
At John Gray High School, Beloved Isle Cayman is sung every day during year level assemblies, an administrative staff member said. A student is also given responsibility for raising and lowering the Cayman Islands flag every day. At whole school assemblies, God Save the Queen is sung in addition to the national song, she explained.
Mrs. Celia Furbur, principal of Wesleyan Christian Academy said all classes at her school already sing the national anthem on a daily basis at the beginning of the school day. At the weekly whole-school assembly, the flag is raised and both Beloved Isle Cayman and God Save the Queen are sung, she added.
Acting Director of George Hicks Campus Desmond McConvey said it has been school policy to sing the national song during weekly assembly’s for many years. ‘It is nothing new for us. We think it is an important part of instilling Caymanian culture and tradition in our students,’ he said.
Additionally, students at each of the campus’ four schools raise and lower the Cayman Islands flag daily.
Mr. McConvey said requiring the song to be sung every day would mean having to hold a school assembly every day at each of the four schools on-campus. That could present some logistical problems he said, but if that becomes a requirement, the school would find a way to accommodate it.
Triple C School Principal Marjorie Ebanks said her school already sings the Cayman Islands national song at the weekly whole-school assembly. Further, grade six students are trained in flag etiquette and are given responsibility for raising and lowering the Cayman Islands flag daily, as well as the Union Jack, the US’s Stars and Stripes and the flag for the Christian faith.
Mrs. Ebanks said the school would be happy to comply with the proposal as they support encouraging respect for the culture and customs of the Cayman Islands. But the proposal could present some logistical inconveniences, such as having to hold a whole school assembly on a daily basis, she said.
At Cayman Brac High School, the national song is usually sung at school assemblies, which occur twice a week, a senior staff member said. The flag is raised and lowered by a grounds keeper. If laws are passed requiring the flag to be raised by students, this could be easily changed, the staff member said.
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