Close to 700 primary and secondary students of the Seventh Day Adventist School concluded their academic term with the celebration of Samoan culture.

The school hosted its culture day programme at their main hall at Lalovaea on Friday, an event which was also attended by parents and guardians. 

The theme of the event last Friday was “The Samoan culture is your identity.”

"We wanted our students to treasure their culture because wherever they may go, their culture is their identity," said the Principal of the Seventh Day Adventist School, Tepora Taala Fuimaono.

“Every year we try to prioritise the significance of hosting the culture programme.

“The Samoa subject is also taught in our school and we wanted to promote and encourage the teachings done inside classrooms to real life.

“Our culture has various aspects but this year, the committee has decided to divide the school into four groups and make it a competition.

“The aim is to revive traditional values and customs of the Samoan culture.

“Nowadays with the many changes brought by overseas countries it has led to some children forgetting their cultural ways.”

Ms. Fuimaono told the Samoa Observer that they decided to host the programme at the end of a school term so that the students have something to look forward to and to conclude all the work for this term.

“Students had approximately four to five weeks to prepare for this event," she said.

“In the morning, we started with preparing or cooking traditional Samoan foods using an earth oven [umu] because most children in the town area are used to buying from the market instead of making it.

“It was then followed by a speech, poetry, competitions including plays portrayed by the students while the young students sang songs. 

“Our school has teachers from other countries such as Papua New Guinea, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Fiji, and Tokelau therefore; we also portrayed other cultures different from Samoa.”

She said that there are more than 600 students in their school with more students in primary school of around 500 while the secondary school students total around 100.

She then acknowledged the support and generosity of the students’ parents in making the event possible.

“I understand we are in difficult times but they have still shown support for all for their children’s benefit," she said. “I also thank those that have helped make this programme a success but not forgetting the teachers and students for everything.”