ABU DHABI: Nearly 2,000 pupils at The Global Philippine School are celebrating Flag Day to highlight national spirit and express their pride in the UAE flag.
The school is decked out in red, green, white and black, while handmade greeting cards thanking the UAE rulers are being prepared by Grade 2 and 3 pupils, reported The National.
Grace Lian Alipit, a second grader, reportedly wrote: “I love the UAE flag because it is my favorite flag and Abu Dhabi is where I live. I am happy to be in the UAE.”
Evelyn Natividad, the school’s social studies coordinator and the person overseeing the celebrations, was quoted as saying that the effort made was a reflection of how many at the school feel about the UAE.
“It sums up how we feel as expatriates in this country, as we prepare to celebrate Flag Day,” she added.
On Thursday, pupils from KG1 to Grade 10 are expected to gather in the school courtyard, each holding a small UAE flag. As the main UAE flag is hoisted, they will sing the UAE national anthem, the report said.
“Flag Day is a significant day not only for Emiratis but for expatriates as well,” said Natividad, who has lived in Abu Dhabi for 22 years.
“The UAE flag symbolizes the union of the seven emirates and as expatriates here, we should show our love, loyalty and respect for the flag, our loyalty to the President, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and to this country. We should uphold the dignity of the national flag.”
The red in the flag is to symbolize the sacrifices of previous generations who laid the foundations for the country’s union and of subsequent soldiers who have died protecting the UAE.
The green symbolizes growth, prosperity and cultural renaissance.
The student body at the school is in the thick of preparations for Flag Day celebrations, said Micah Godwin Duyao, 15, a Grade 10 pupil and president of the supreme student council (SSC).
The UAE flag will be unfurled and raised across the country in schools, offices, and stretched across villas and apartment buildings to show solidarity with the country’s Flag Day celebrations, the report pointed out.
To mark the day, the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development has a wide range of activities, including a flag walkathon, an operetta, radio contests and an exhibition under the slogan “Raise it High, Raise it Proud” from Thursday until Monday, reported The National.
