Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 28/Sep 14:51

Hair I Am: An expression of self for students

ON September 12, the students of the Athenian Pre-Secondary School, Deane Street, St Augustine, showed off their creativity with fancy hairstyles and colour for the school’s Hair I Am day. This “self expression initiative” is held on the first Friday of every academic school year. Different themes have been chosen over the years, but this is the first time the students were challenged to express themselves through their hair. Students chose different things like: hats, wigs, colourful braids, colourful elastic strings, handmade or bought for their fun day at school. Principal Kezia Reece told KIDS that she is extremely passionate about the children being allowed an opportunity to express themselves and any part of their personalities, so that no one can dissuade them, or convince them they are anything but themselves. She said, “This initiative is called Expression of Self. It started many years ago. [caption id="attachment_1181245" align="alignnone" width="1024"] First Year students show off their fancy hairstyles and colourful hats on September 12. - Photo by Faith Ayoung[/caption] “It’s the Athenian ethos to promote an acute or a deep sense of self-consciousness, self-awareness. We have a slogan, ‘be you because everybody else is taken.’ So they should be very proud of their consciousness, their identity consciousness. “The theme of the term is, All about me. We tend to focus on really crystalising with the children, every aspect of who they are, both their strengths, their weaknesses, their positives, their negatives and really zeroing in on their personality traits.” She added, “I let them speak to who they are. One aspect of your personality or all of it, if you wish, but let it be said through your hair. Let me see what you come up with. “And those who don’t have hair, you can paint, spray, make a hat, but let it be all about that hair, that look. And this is why you see some of the expressions you see today. And they were very excited.” She said some of the children put a lot of planning into Hair I Am day. [caption id="attachment_1181246" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Principal Kezia Reece and Karen Oliver, manager of the school, show off a variety of colours in their hair at The Athenian Pre-Secondary School, Deane Street, St Augustine, on September 12. - Photo by Faith Ayoung[/caption] “Some said, ‘Miss, last night I did this.’ They couldn’t make up their mind. They wanted to say so much really. Some of them are over the top.” Standard Five student Amare Germain, 11, chose a Viking-themed hat and beard, for his project. Amare said, “I chose the Viking because I believe that I’m strong and brave and I would like to express it.” Amare told KIDS he crocheted the hat. The crochet, he said, took him two days. Eleven-year-old Cameron Findley chose a rainbow wig for his hairstyle. He said, “Every colour on it represents a part of me. “The orange and the green represent how I love to go outside, how I love to watch the sunsets. The yellow represents how playful I’m, how playful I am when I go to play. The red is my favourite colour, blue represents how much I love the sea, and I don’t know where I put it but there’s supposed to be a snake in my hair that represents how I love all animals. “And purple? Purple represents my creativity because I like to draw, and I’ve actually started animating.” [caption id="attachment_1181243" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Amare Germain, 11, shows off his Viking-themed hat and beard. - Photo by Faith Ayoung[/caption] Amia Scipio, 11, said she chose to wear a crown and beads because the beads represent her personality. “Both colourful and tribal.” Aarya Daberam, nine, said, “The hairstyle I chose was a galaxy theme with bubbles. The reason why I chose bubbles for my hair is because my nickname is Bubbles. I am a very cheerful and energetic person, and I like the colours purple, blue and pink. That’s why I chose these colours.”   The post Hair I Am: An expression of self for students appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.